Integrated university systems: problems and perspectives of development

This research article analyses outcomes of integration processes in a set of professional education institutions using an example of Primorsky area and state policy towards integrated university systems (IUS) on the basis of general legislative documents in the educational field. It also looks into the opinion of Primorsky area university top administrators concerning the current state and further perspectives of IUS. The aim of the article is to identify the ways of functioning and development of integrated higher education systems in professional education in Russia. At present there is a great diversity of higher educational institutions and those integrated university systems that have formed multilevel training structure are not positioned in the context of an overall educational system development strategy in any documents or educational institution performance criteria which does not take into account the role of an educational institution in the professional education system of the region. During the research authors used statistical methods of collecting and processing data, systematic and structural and comparative analysis, data grouping, marketing research (polls, questionnaires). Conducted research demonstrates that integration policy conducted in the country during the first decade of 21st century has given sustainable results. As of beginning of 2015 more than 20 % of the Russian higher educational institutions and their remote branches are actually integrated university systems and regional professional education systems have undergone substantial change which can be seen on the example of Primorsky are, one of the most active participants of the process. In 2013 43 % of all students in the system of professional education in Primorsky area studied at higher educational institutions whereas in 2014 this figure dropped to 38 % which is mainly due to the decrease of school graduates because of a demographic crisis, higher accessibility of higher education and sharp decrease of professional educational programs financing coming from the federal budget. Such situation forms certain risks and challenges for the region, population and higher educational institutions of Primorsky area, therefore formulating IUS management mechanisms in the new context requires further research and analysis. The importance and relevance of the article is related to the fact that it is the first to draw attention to accumulated potential of IUS as a resource for solving the tasks related to the development of national professional education system at the modern stage within the framework of the Federal Target Program of a Development of Education for 2016-2020 on "forming new structure of higher professional education organization", modernization of regional personnel training systems and support of educational institutions development programs modernization. IUS model does not contradict cluster model and can be a part of a cluster significantly improving their efficacy by means of minimizing the barriers of intra - cluster interaction of different levels of professional education.