On September 1, 1992, SPbUHSS became the first University in Russia to establish a tradition to celebrate the Day of Knowledge. Earlier this holiday used to be celebrated only at secondary schools.

Since then each year on September 1, 11:00 am, despite the day of the week, all Professors and students come together to the University’s square named after Academician Dmitry Likhachev.

On Monday, September 1, 2015 approximately 5 000 people visited 24^th University’s Day of Knowledge: Professors and managers, students and parents, and other honorary guests.

The celebration was opened with the ceremonial passage of Rector, Academic Council members and honorary guests to the square. Rector, Academician Alexander Zapesotsky addressed the audience with a welcome speech. Honorary guests, among them Mr. Mikhail Shmakov, Chairman of the Federation of Independent Russian Trade Unions; Mr. Andrey Isaev, Deputy Chairman of Russian State Duma; Mr. Vladimir Churov, Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Russian Federation; Prof. Valeryi Chereshnev, Chairman of the Duma Committee on Science and High Technologies, Academician of Russian Academy of Sciences; Mr. Vladimir Pligin, Chairman of Russian State Duma Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building; Mr. Askar Akaev, President of Kirgiz Republic (1990-2005); Mr. Nikolai Burov, Director of the State Memorial Museum “St. Isaak’s Cathedral”; Chairman of St. Petersburg Public Council, People’s Artist of Russia; Ms. Vera Dementieva, Director of the State Palace and Park Museum Reserve “Pavlovsk”; writers: Mr. Semen Altov, Mr. Alexander Melihov, Mr. Oleg Solod, Mr. Nikolai Starikov; journalists; foreign diplomats; Mr. Yuryi Schwarzkopf, Director General of St. Petersburg State Theater of Musical Comedy; Mr. Igor Pisarskyi, Chairman of the Board of "R.I.М. Porter Novelli" agency (Moscow); Mr. Sergey Kochurov, Head of marketing agency “Unionlinx”; Mr. Denis Terekhov, Director General, “Social Nets” Agency (Moscow); Mr. Vladimir Krasavin, Head of the Interregional Inspectorate of the Federal Tax Service in the North-West Federal District, Candidate of Economic Sciences; Mr. Alexander Korennikov, Chief Edidor of “Parliamentary Newspaper”; Mr. Roman Karmanov, Director General of “Komsomolskaya Pravda in St-Petersburg”; Prof. Mikhail Bobrov, Honorary Doctor of SPbUHSS, Honorary Citizen of St. Petersburg; and other distinguished people.

All that was happening on the square during the day showed the main idea of the Day of Knowledge: it is a pleasure and a joy to study and to gain knowledge, “September 1^st” is a special interesting day, setting the mood for the whole the academic year. Honorary guests congratulated and presented awards to students and professors.

Every year the celebration of Day of Knowledge on Likhachev Square changes its script but the end is always the same: Rector and the audience ring the bells. Guests of the celebration can leave these belles for the memory. All the bells are equal but the Rector’s one is bigger.

At 12:00 honorary guests, first-year and all other students entered the University building. Traditionally special lectures are held in SPbUHSS during this day. Special guests of the celebration, usually well-known successful in different fields persons, gave lectures for the students in many University’s lecture halls. They set the level for all University’s people for the academic year. Lectures will be published as an articles collection.

There was a students’ party after the celebration of Day of Knowledge. The party was held in the “Fairy Tale” night club. Musicians from IOWA group and other artists congratulated students.