The ceremony was held in Nizhny Novgorod on December 5th.

The Rector was honored for his merits in education and science, training qualified specialists, and longtime productive work. The award was handed over by the Presidential Envoy to the Volga Federal District Mikhail Babich.

In his acceptance speech, Rector Gafurov thanked President of Russia Vladimir Putin, Mr. Babich, and President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, “This award is not only mine; it belongs to the big KFU team with its 11 thousand employees and over 44 thousand students representing most of the Russian regions and 98 countries of the world. Our team works on shaping a new university model to answer the challenges of tomorrow. The model includes test production lines and engineering centers, the University Clinic and lyceums. Based on this infrastructure and with full support from the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia and the Republic of Tatarstan, we now confidently compete on the global arena, implement projects in priority areas defined by the President, and fulfill the University’s federal mission in the Volga District.”

“It’s especially pleasant to receive this high award in Nizhny Novgorod, the native land of Nikolai Lobachevsky, the year in whose honor we are now closing at Kazan University.”

Twenty two other individuals were awarded at the same ceremony, including parents of large families, industrialists, agriculture figures, educators, and scientists.