The RSU Senate marks 35 years: a look back at the first meeting

Thirty-five years ago, the Senate of Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) convened for its first meeting. At that time, the university was known as the Medical Academy of Latvia.

On 13 December 1990, the first meeting of the highest decision-making body, elected in free elections, lasted for four hours.

During the meeting, issues related to the provisional Senate regulations were discussed, including the size of the Senate Executive Council and the remuneration of its members. Matters of importance to students were also addressed, such as fees for students who failed examinations or did not attend classes, the amount of scholarships, and scholarships for students with excellent academic performance. Professor Jānis Volkolakovs raised the question of why students were allocated more hours for subjects taught by the Department of Social Sciences–which, during the Soviet period, taught ideological subjects such as Marxism and Leninism – than for surgery.

At the first meeting, the initial Executive Council was elected, consisting of Prof. Juris Leja (Chair), Dr. Aivars Lejnieks (Secretary), Asst. Prof. Andrejs Rauhvargers (Assistant Secretary), Asst. Prof. Arsēnijs Aukums, Asst. Prof. Rūta Care, Prof. Maija Eglīte, Prof. Ilmārs Lazovskis, Senior Research Fellow Romans Lācis, Senior Research Fellow Agris Martinsons, Prof. Jevgenijs Nemiro, Asst. Prof. Eva Platkāja, Senior Research Fellow Juris Rudens, Prof. Artūrs Sočņevs, Asst. Prof. Aina Štokmane and Prof. Aija Žilēvica.

‘The newly elected Executive Council of the Senate has a major task ahead, and the Senate has a lot of work to do. To reorganise and gradually improve our educational process and science in the interests of patients of Latvia, this work must begin immediately,’ it said in the newspaper LMA Pulss on 8 January 1991.

The RSU History Museum does not have photographs from the first meeting of the Senate. However, two photographs from 1997 are preserved, documenting the election of a new Senate and Executive Council.

Photos: Courtesy of the RSU History Museum