Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University

Peoples' Friendship University of Russia

Российский Университет Дружбы Народов
Motto	Scientia unescamus (Let us be united by knowledge)
Type	Public
Established	5 February 1960
Rector	Vladimir Filippov
Administrative staff	5000
Students	21,484
Address	117198, Moscow Miklukho-Maklaya str. 6, Moscow, Russia
Campus	Urban
Affiliations	IFPU
Website	www.rudn.ru

The Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (Russian: Российский университет дружбы народов), also known as RUDN University, is an educational and research institution located in Moscow.

The government of the Soviet Union founded the University on 5 February 1960. Its stated objective during the height of the Cold War was to help developing nations. Many students from developed countries also attended the university. On 22 February 1961, the University was named Patrice Lumumba University after the Congolese independence leader Patrice Lumumba. The stated purpose for establishing the university was to give young people from Asia, Africa and Latin America, especially from poor families, an opportunity to be educated and to become qualified specialists. The organizations that have been mentioned as founders of the university are the All-Union Central Soviet of Trade Unions, the Soviet Afro-Asian Solidarity Committee, and the Soviet Associations Union of Friendship and Intercultural Relationship.

Professor Sergey Vasilievich Rumiantsev, Doctor of Engineering, was the first Rector of the University. He took an active part in the foundation of the University and remained its Rector till 1970. In 1960, Russian language studies for international students started at the preparatory Faculty. On 1 September, Russian language studies were introduced at the six main faculties of the PFU (Engineering faculty, faculty of History and Philology, Medical faculty, Agricultural faculty, faculty of Science, faculty of Law and Economics).

The first 288 students from 47 countries graduated in 1965. Around that time international construction teams started to appear and the first student teams of KVN were organized (later on, the PFUR KVN team became one of the most famous teams in the country).

Professor Vladimir Frantsevich Stanis, Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation (RF), Doctor of Economics, became the second Rector of the PFU. It was he who proclaimed the “cult of knowledge” at the University, heading it from 1970 to 1993. In this period, the Peoples’ Friendship University became a major international scientific and educational centre. By 1975, the University had more than 5,600 graduates, among them 4,250 people from 89 foreign countries. That year, the University was awarded the Peoples’ Friendship Order for achievements in training experts for Asian, African and Latin America countries. The University’s name was changed to the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia on 5 February 1992 by the RF Government, which is considered the University’s founder.