printCareer Trajectories and Models of Recruitment of Rectors of Russian Universities
Kirilina T. Yu.
Dr. Sci (Sociol.), Prof. of the Department of Philosophy, Political Science and Sociology, National Research University «Moscow Power Engineering Institut», Moscow, Russia; Prof. of the Department of Humanitarian and Social Disciplines, eonov University of Technology, Korolev, Russia tykirilina_t@gmail.com
Kirilina T. Yu. Career Trajectories and Models of Recruitment of Rectors of Russian Universities. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2026. No 9. P. 27-39
Based on the analysis of 123 biographies of rectors of leading Russian universities included in the RAEX-100 rating and/or having the status of flagship regional universities (total population N=751), the article examines the models of recruiting higher education leaders. The author proceeds from the contradiction between the declared principles of meritocracy (electability, priority of scientific merit, authority among colleagues and the professional community) and the existing real practices of filling positions based on administrative resources, patronage and the absence of an intra-university career. The theoretical and methodological framework of the study integrates institutional and career–trajectory approaches, allowing us to distinguish three types: administrative–academic, professional–managerial and political–administrative. Empirical verification was carried out using hierarchical cluster analysis of open biographical data. The results demonstrate a steady differentiation of the rector’s corps: federal and national research universities and universities are dominated by «keepers of traditions» with high scientific authority. The flagship regional universities are dominated by «transformer managers» with experience in public service and management; political and administrative appointees are concentrated in the Central Federal District, especially in Moscow. It is concluded that the university’s status is a powerful predictor of the type of career capital in demand. At the same time, the current federal program «Priority 2030» has a multidirectional impact: It strengthens the positions of academic «guardians» in some universities, accelerates rotation in favor of «transformational managers» in others, and in crisis situations actualizes the demand for «political appointees» as crisis managers.
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