Flagship university role in public participation practices

The case presented in the article describes the experience of organizing and functioning of initiative groups from Petrozavodsk State University conducting research in the field of public and administrative communication. This experience was accompanied with expert activities and organizing dialogue involving university representatives and public and administrative institutions of the region in the context of tasks determined by the status of pillar university. The aim of the article is to define possible forms of university community influence on forming public agenda in the region in the context of pillar university development asks based on the description of social involvement parameters of university initiative groups created in 2015-2017. Because of obtaining the status of pillar university in 2017 PetSU focused the main vector of university development on solving the tasks of forming innovation infrastructure and organizational design which suggests implementation of renewed mission and strengthening the social role of the university in the region. Alongside with actualization of university interaction with main stakeholders ensuring stable regional development existing practices of university public participation in intersectoral interaction system also play an important role. Many of them result from implementing strategic development program «University complex of PetSU in academic and educational space of European North: innovation development strategy» (2012-2016 гг.). Since 2015 within this program several initiative projects on studying public and administrative interaction in Republic of Kareliya were conducted. Peculiar features of organizing and implementing these projects are analyzed in this article. The results of project activities were used as the basis for forming overall interaction system for initiative groups’ members and external partners, authorities and republic administration, public consulting structures and public organizations. Practical use of experience in organizing interdisciplinary teams and results of initiative projects are reviewed in the discourse of university third mission. The forms of social involvement presented in this case can be used in constructing interaction between pillar university with main actors participating in the process of regional development management. Project materials are analyzed with the help of such methods as event - analysis, comparison, structural and functional analysis in the framework of «case-study» research strategy. Case review is preceded by literature review on the topic of university social role. Original nature of this article is in the analysis of pillar university participation in the system of communication between public and administration. Use of experience allowing for defining social partnership patterns in the process of forming regional agenda demonstrates opportunities which are initially seen in intersectoral dialogue at the local level in the context of solving individual tasks. Multiplication of interaction cases gives cumulative effect which reveals new opportunities of university influence on the state of regional public sphere. Presented information can have practical implementation in renewing forms of social involvement as an integral part of the third mission. Generalization of existing social partnership practices is important for organizing interaction with regional society on a higher level of pillar university development management.