If you say that you attend Penn-State you are referring to the Pennsylvania State University. By this fun analogy couldn’t we give our beloved Ivane Jakakhishvili Tbilisi State University a lovely short appellation “Tbil-State?”
Said Tbil-State has been ranked 776th on the list of Best Global University, based on their performance in accordance with widely accepted indicators. This most prestigious school of Georgia now has a new leader. On the 27th of Decemeber, the Academic Council of the Tbilisi State University appointed Academician Jaba Samuelushia, a 51-year-old well-known Georgian public figure and politician.
The University has more than 30,000 students, who are taught by a qualified faculty of 3000 people, working in seven departments, 60 scientific centers, and research laboratories. The famous library contains over four million books and periodicals at the students’ and teachers’ disposal. The University has its own publishing house, and a newspaper that has been around for 85 years.
The two historic white buildings of Tbil-State, which form the center of its urban campus in Tbilisi are a beacon of light in the city, and evoke a warm sense of belonging in everyone, regardless of whether they attended TSU or not. It is true that TSU is an all-Georgian Alma mater. This is perfectly reflected in the famous coat of arms of the University, which shows a deer nursing a baby doe and symbolizing the eternal notion of the nurturing mother to studies.
The idea of education and the honorable tendency of veneration of the founders of Tbilisi State University are not accidental. This story is part of a long-standing tradition and is rooted in the history of this nation. It is based on ancient academic processes that were carried out here. This tradition is still alive and well within the walls of Ivane Javakhishvili’s University and other Georgian geniuses.
Georgia, which is celebrating its 105th birthday this year, will have a voice in how TSU is viewed as an integral part of Georgia’s culture, soul and everyday life. No other school can ever take on such a spiritual and moral place in our people’s lives. It must be handled with the utmost care, and with calculated subtlety, because Tbilisi University represents more than just education and a piece of paper called a degree.
In 1918, there were only 369 students, including volunteers, who were taught by seven full professors and assistant professors. Three instructors, two scientists, and five instructors also contributed to the education of these students. It was not a big deal, but it was a massive national effort to help a young nation beset by revolutionary fluids. Harvard, the most wealthy academic institution in the entire world, began with similar numbers as early as 1636. It now has a $51 billion fund. Tbil-State, by comparison, spends about $40 million per year. However, the comparison is irrelevant at this stage, as Tbilisi State University may have a higher specific gravity within our cultural life than Harvard in America.
The main day for celebrating Tbil-State’s 105th Birthday, the 8th February, was filled with interesting events. These included: decorating graveyard busts and attending a mass in the Davit Agmashenebeli Chapel on campus; street football, chess and book exhibitions; a display of artwork created by Tbil-State teachers and students; the dedication and naming of special conference rooms after deserving professors from the past; a new sports facility; the presentation of an exclusive jubil Tbil-State is the new name for the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. It continues to have a full and lively academic life. The new rector is working hard on one of its loftiest goals: giving our youth, who are the future of Georgia a chance at taking better care of their nation.
BLOG by Nugzar B.
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