HISTORY OF CREATION

The history of Zaoksky Adventist University dates back to 1988, when the first Protestant higher education institution in Russia was opened.

The future educational institution was given ownership of a dilapidated building of a former school in the village of Zaoksky on Rudneva Street, 43-a, for construction. The educational institution was named «Zaoksky Theological Seminary» and a year later, thanks to the dedicated work of many, many believers who came to the construction of the building, it opened its doors to young people wishing to receive higher education in a Christian environment. The grand opening of the educational institution coincided with the 1000th anniversary of Christianity in Rus’. The dedication ceremony was attended by leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist World Church, representatives of many church, state and public organizations. The opening of the educational institution took place on December 2, 1988. The famous children’s and youth writer, president of the International Association of Children’s Funds, chairman of the Russian Children’s Fund, director of the Scientific Research Institute of Childhood, Albert A. Likhanov, speaking at the opening ceremony, noted: «On this day, in this hall, an extremely important event is taking place: another shackle is falling from such an important humanistic concept as freedom of conscience — the shackles of prejudices and preconceptions …».

The first rector of the seminary, then the academy, was Mikhail Mikhailovich Kulakov, Ph.D. (D. Phil, University of Oxford), currently a professor of religion and philosophy at Washington Adventist University, director and editor-in-chief of the M.P. Kulakov Institute for Bible Translation.

In 1992, in connection with the opening of new programs and a master’s degree, the seminary changed its status to an academy. The faculty is expanding, and the best domestic and foreign specialists in the field of systematic theology, ancient languages, and other humanities are involved in teaching.

In order to expand the range of educational services and the possibility of implementing educational programs according to the state standard, on September 30, 2002, along with the Academy, a Private Educational Institution of Higher Education, the Zaoksky Christian Humanitarian and Economic Institute, was registered. An important stage in the development of ZHGEI was the receipt of a state accreditation certificate No. 0903 dated March 11, 2014, issued by the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science, and the receipt of accreditation for all existing areas of training on August 26, 2015.

Over its history, ZKhGEI has come a long way from correspondence Bible courses to a Higher Education Institution implementing educational programs based on the Federal State Educational Standard (FSES), providing a high level of professional training in five areas: Theology, Economics, Linguistics, Management, Pedagogical Education (Music).

In 2017, a decision was made to create a single educational organization — «Zaoksky University of the Church of Seventh-Day Adventist Christians» with the aim of training specialists both in educational programs developed at the university (for church educational organizations), and programs developed in accordance with the Federal State Educational Standards.

Today, the University has a solid educational and material infrastructure, opens up the opportunity to obtain higher professional education in a Christian environment for those who are serious about the quality of education and quality of life.

Representing an educational institution of a new generation, the faculty of the institute sees its mission not only in helping young people acquire an interesting and modern profession, but, above all, in helping them develop into spiritually and socially mature individuals, ready to worthily participate in the spiritual, moral and socio-economic revival of the Fatherland.