The article analyses a regional university as a social institution on the example of the case of the Ingush State University. A general description of the university is given. It is shown that a regional university in modern conditions as a social institution acquires special significance both as a scientific institution, and as the main element of the regional educational space, and as a center of an innovative economy. The Ingush University focuses on continuing professional education, that includes pre-university training, secondary vocational education, higher vocational education at various levels, as well as postgraduate and additional vocational education. Opportunities for obtaining secondary vocational and higher education for socially vulnerable segments of the population are expanding. The university is one of the largest employers in the region, therefore, the article emphasises its role in solving the problem of graduates employment. The university provides opportunities for stable employment for representatives of the highest qualifications, who otherwise would not have been able to find an occupation due to the peculiarities of the structure of the depressed regional economy. In addition, the conditions for the development of small innovative enterprises are being formed at the Ingush State University. The driving force behind this process is the Engineering Center, a supplier of a sorbent with a high sorption capacity to the Russian market. The centre is aimed at a long-term solution of problems in the development of modified sorption materials that are used in a wide range of industries, including medicine and agronomy, to eliminate environmental pollution as a result of oil spills, to purify wastewater from various organic substances. The culture-creating role of the university in the space of regional culture is multifaceted. The university, on the one hand, is part of the world cultural and educational community, on the other hand, it works to preserve, develop and spread the culture of the regional peoples. The article analyses the integrative function of the university in the creation and support of a single educational and cultural space as an important condition for state unity and sustainable development of our multinational country. The role of the rector's personality in solving the problems facing the regional university in modern conditions is emphasized.

university, social institute, education, science, Republic of Ingushetia, university mission, human capital

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