“45 Steps into the Future ...”: Devoted to the Anniversary of the Faculty of Psychological, Pedagogical and Special-Needs Education

Abstract

The article is devoted to the 45th anniversary of the Faculty of Psychological, Peda- gogical and Special Needs Education of Saratov State University. The purpose of the article is to present the analytical review of the history of the Faculty as a structural unit in the retrospective and perspective aspects. The article presents the main stages of the Faculty development: formation, structural trans- formations, the current state. The structure of the present-day Faculty is described: 8 graduate departments and 2 school-based departments, 2 dissertation boards, the Council of Employers, and stakeholders. The faculty is presented as a large educational center for training teachers, psychologists, spe- cial-needs experts: the article indicates the training areas and profiles as well as peculiar features of the educational space and environment. The faculty is presented as a research center: the developed scientific schools and the research cluster (laboratories, centers) are described. “45 steps into the future” is a metaphor that symbolizes the life of the Faculty presenting it as 45 steps to a new goal, to a dream and to its realization by people who create the glory of the Faculty through their service.