Lyudmila Verbitskaya (née, Lyudmila Bubnova; 17 October 1936 – 24 November 2019) was a Russian linguist and teacher. She served as president of Saint Petersburg State University.

Career

Lyudmila Alekseevna Verbitskaya was born in

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

on 17 October 1936. She earned a doctorate in

philology Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...

from Leningrad State University (1958). During her academic career, her research focused on Modern Russian speech, stylistics, vocabulary, and semantics. Verbitskaya was rector (1994–2008), and then president (2008–2019) of Saint Petersburg State University. She also served as the chair of the Russian Academy of Education (during the period 11 November 2013 – 2018), and as the Academy's Honorary President, 2018–2019. She chaired the Board of Trustees of the

Russkiy Mir Foundation Alexander Mirzayan presenting the foundation in August 2015 (Eastern Ukraine) Russkiy Mir Foundation (russian: Фонд "Русский мир", literally "Russian World Foundation") was created by decree by Vladimir Putin in 2007, as a governme ...

, an organization formed for “promoting the Russian language, as Russia’s national heritage and a significant aspect of Russian and world culture, and supporting Russian language teaching programs abroad.” In addition, she served as Chair of the International Association of Russian Language and Literature Teachers (MAPRYAL), a professional organization founded in 1967. She was a close friend of

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

. She died in St. Petersburg on 24 November 2019. The 49th International Scientific Philological Conference, held at St. Petersburg State University in December 2020, was dedicated to her memory.

Key publications

* Verbitskaya, Nosova, Rodina. 2002. Sustainable development in higher education in Russia: The case of St. Petersburg State University. ''Higher Education Policy.'' * Verbitskaya. 2013. Russian Language in the Late Twentieth to Early Twenty-First Centuries. ''Russian Journal of Communication.'' 5 (1). p. 64-70 * Verbitskaya, Malykh, Zinchenko. 2015. Cognitive predictors of success in learning Russian. ''Psychology in Russia.''

Awards

* 1997, Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education, Great Britain * 1999, Stapenning medal, University of Amsterdam * 2000, The

International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreac ...

named a small planet, formerly No. 7451, after Verbitskaya * 2001, Russian Federation Presidential prize in Education * 2006, named an Honorary Citizen of St. Petersburg * 2007, Russian Government Prize * 2011, Order of HonourDecree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 808 of June 16, 2011

References

External link

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Verbitskaya, Lyudmila 1936 births 2019 deaths Women linguists Women heads of universities and colleges Saint Petersburg State University alumni Saint Petersburg State University faculty 20th-century Russian educators Full Cavaliers of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia) Knights of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland Deaths from cancer in Russia