04.06.2025
The 13th Annual Forum of Leading Universities, “The Future of Higher Education,” organized by the Russian rating agency RAEX, recently concluded in Moscow. Heads of university press services from across Russia gathered to discuss how to engage with target audiences in the media, tools for improving communication efficiency, successful case studies in science popularization, and other pressing topics.
Maria Korovina, Director of the RSUH Communications Department, spoke about the information strategy undertaken by the University’s new team to boost public trust and attract top applicants. The team developed a comprehensive reputation management strategy for RSUH, regularly analyze the University’s target audience and monitor ratings and mentions of RSUH and its key stakeholders in the media and on social networks using SERM and ORM tools. To support this effort, RSUH created a Media Planning and Analytics Department.
To facilitate work with journalists, the RSUH website now features a Top 50 list of university speakers, complete with photos, job titles, academic degrees, and research areas. To promote the humanities, the Communications Department launched a Telegram channel “Гуманитарии 4.0”. Additionally, the preservation of historical truth remains a key topic in the professional liberal arts community. In response, RSUH experts are addressing these challenges through the “Historians Against Myths” project, which aims to debunk myths and falsifications about Russian history.
Dr. Korovina also highlighted factors that can undermine trust in a university, including misinformation and fake news. She pointed out that even a single negative review can significantly impact a university’s online rating: with one review, search engine listings show a 22% impact; with two, it jumps to 44%. Professional services help monitor and ensure the relevance of audience queries. To combat negative influences, University press services must actively manage feedback both on university-run platforms and on independent ones (forums, social media groups, Telegram channels). Most importantly, they should work to bring the University's informational resources to the top of search engine results.
In conclusion, Dr. Korovina emphasized that successful information campaigns required a well-trained and motivated team focused on long-term results.
The “Future of Higher Education” forum has been held since 2012 in collaboration with the academic community and with the support of the Russian Union of Rectors. Its goal is to foster the development of higher education in Russia.
