Peoples' Friendship University of Russia

Peoples' Friendship University of Russia

Российский Университет Дружбы Народов
Motto	Scientia unescamus (Let us be united by knowledge)
Type	Public
Established	1960
Rector	Vladimir Filippov
Administrative staff	5000
Students	28,000
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, РУДН) is an educational and research institution located in southern Moscow. It is ranked by the Ministry of Education of Russia as the country's third-best university after Moscow State University and Saint Petersburg State University. The institution was founded in 1960 as the Peoples' Friendship University (Russian: Университет дружбы народов им. Патриса Лумумбы). Its stated objective during the height of the Cold War was to help developing nations, mainly in Asia, Africa and South America, by providing higher education and professional training. Many students from developed countries also attended the university.

The USSR Government founded the Peoples' Friendship University (PFU) on 5 February 1960. On 22 February 1961, the University was named Patrice Lumumba University after the Congolese independence leader Patrice Lumumba.

Professor Sergey Vasilievich Rumiantsev, Doctor of engineering, Honored scientist of the RF, 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, the 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, the first student teams of KVN (a Russian improvisation comedy show "Club of the Merry and Inventive") were organized (later on, the PFUR KVN team became one of the most famous teams in the country). In 1966, construction of a new campus in the South-West district of Moscow was started.

Professor Vladimir Frantsevich Stanis, Honored scientist of the 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 5600 graduates, among them 4250 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.