The solemn meeting devoted to the centenary of TSU, was held in the Tambov Drama Theater. It was there that 100 years ago, at a huge gathering of the public, the opening of Tambov State University took place.

Students, graduates, teachers and staff members of Derzhavin University, representatives of the administration of the city of Tambov and Tambov region, Tambov Regional and City Duma, municipalities of the region, colleagues from Russian universities and foreign delegations became guests of the festival.

Derzhavin University staff and students prepared a historical action that demonstrated how the University lived and developed in different periods. The prologue for the festival began in the lobby of the Drama Theater, where a promenade-concert of a brass band under the direction of Yuri Sergin, Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation took place.

On the stage, the performance began with the appearance of Catherine the Great and Gavriil Derzhavin. “We are returning to our beginning ...” the words of A.S. Pushkin sounded as an epigraph to the first part. The ball performed by choreographic groups and small talk carried the spectators into the atmosphere of the 18^th century. It was when Derzhavin was appointed serve in the Tambov province that development of education began in our region: the first public school was opened in Tambov then.

The second part of the performance, the 19^th century, is the time of Tambov Alexandrinsky Institute of Noble Maidens and Catherine Teaching Institute. The performers sounded the memoirs of the writer S.N. Terpigorev, art historian and publicist A.V. Vysheslavtsev, diplomat and political figure G.V. Chicherin, a graduate of the Institute of Noble Maidens, MA Rzhaksinskaya and K.V. Plekhanova. Musical works were performed by Alexey Tatarintsev, a graduate of TSU named after G.R. Derzhavin, soloist of the New Opera Theater and the Bolshoi Theater of Russia.

The way from the first public school to the university was made. The extract from the decree of the Council of People’s Commissars “Establish a state university in Tambov” was a prologue to the third part of the performance. In 1918, TSU was established. The revolutionary spirit of the epoch was conveyed by the dance-dramatic composition “Time, Forward!”, which was followed by fragments of the historical chronicle - the recollections of students and teachers of the first university enrollment.

The University continued its work during the Second World War. The fourth part of the composition was devoted to this period. More than 300 students and teachers of Tambov State Pedagogical Institute - the predecessor of the modern TSU - went to the front. The works by B. Okudzhava “Goodbye, boys”, I. Kuchina “The Unforgettable” were performed.

The most important event of the 20^th century was the opening of the Tambov State Institute of Culture in 1967, which began to train specialists in the field of culture and art. In the fifth part of the performance, Alexei Bruni, the violinist and soloist of the Russian National Orchestra, People’s Artist of Russia, the son of Mikhail Bruni, who was a professor of the Sports Faculty in 1949-1975, performed.

“There are many things in my heart that I would like to share with you. Tambov Pedagogical Institute was dear to me, since my father worked there for 25 years before his untimely death. He often took me with him to work when I was at preschool age, so I knew perfectly the environment and people there,” said Alexey Mikhailovich. “My father was also father for his students. This amazing attitude was kept for many years, almost all of his students visited our home, and I remember many of them by their names. This generation possessed some amazing qualities - not only professional, but also human, they brought up very good people.”

In 1980, Tambov State Pedagogical Institute was awarded the Order of Honor pin. The guests of the celebration were shown a newsreel of the time.

In the final part of the production, the modern era of the University, which was recreated in 1994, appeared before the audience. The TSU team acrobatic "Shining" appeared on stage with an acrobatic number. At the end of the program, the TSU flag was unfolded on the stage accompanied by the anthem of Derzhavin University.

“The years of great upheavals often give rise to new and significant. Despite all hardships, the founders of the University were united and steadfast: the University is to be in Tambov!” - said Vladimir Stromov, TSU rector. “Over the 100 years of its existence, the University has experienced a lot. It has been a difficult path. The role of the classical university in Tambov region is like that: we transfer knowledge and skills from generation to generation, which allows society to be civilized. TSU itself creates a viable and modern regional educational system by the very fact of its existence.