The potential of higher education in managing the cultural development of the region

UDC 332.1-042.3:378
DOI 10.20339/AM.05-26.097
 

Konstantin V. Vodenko, D.Sc. (Philosophy), Professor, Head of the Academy of Social Research and Human Development, Platov South Russian State Polytechnic University (NPI), Novocherkassk city, Russia; https: //orcid.org/0000-0002-5283-0466, AuthorID RSCI: 289484, WoS ResearcherID: L-4112-2016, AuthorID Scopus: 56669747300, e-mail: vodenkok@mail.ru

Roman V. Rostovskiy, Cand. Sci. (Economics), Associate Professor at the Department of Economics, State University of Management, SPIN-code: 6325-0437, e-mail: rvrostovskiy@mail.ru

The article examines the role of higher education institutions as a system-forming element in the process of managing the cultural development of the region. The purpose of the article is a comprehensive study of the potential and capabilities of universities as actors of the higher education system in ensuring cultural development and cultural security of the region. A comparative analysis was used as a methodological basis for studying the role of higher education in managing the cultural development of the region. The study concluded that it is necessary to integrate universities into the strategic planning of regional cultural development. The potential of universities in managing the cultural development of the region has been identified, related to human resources in the cultural sphere; scientific and analytical support for management decisions and cultural initiatives; project activities (creation of innovative cultural products and practices); infrastructural potential (development of open cultural spaces). The research conducted in this article shows that the need to improve the management of the cultural development of the region is caused by the pace of social reforms. However, as the analysis showed, the key driving force is the potential of higher education institutions. Universities are no longer exclusively educational platforms, turning into centers of cultural integration. The realization of this potential at the present stage is seen in solving two interrelated tasks that lie in the plane of interaction “government – university – society”. The prospects for further research on this problem lie in the development of specific models of public-private partnership with the participation of universities, as well as in the creation of methods for assessing the contribution of university socio-cultural projects to the economic efficiency of regional development.

Keywords: higher education, cultural development, management, university, cultural policy

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