This Tuesday, the traditional student holiday of St. Tatyana's Day will also mark the 250th anniversary of Moscow State University, or MGU, the oldest and the most venerable institution of higher education in the country.

Festivities have been gearing up for quite a while already, with several documentaries about MGU shot and aired on Russian television and a new line of textbooks -- not to mention an asteroid -- dedicated in the university's name.

On the grounds of MGU itself, a library has been constructed, and the cornerstone of a new building is set to be laid as festivities culminate Tuesday with a gala celebration at the Kremlin Palace.

Meanwhile, last Tuesday saw the opening of one of the most ambitious projects yet: an exhibition detailing the history of MGU at the State Historical Museum. The display features hundreds of rare books, documents, manuscripts and assorted objects of interest. The different stages of the university's development are symbolized by samples of the buildings' floors, from the wooden slats that paved the departments of yesteryear to the modern tiles of learned corridors today.

MGU enjoys a special place in Russia's intellectual landscape. Founded by Mikhail Lomonosov in 1755, it has been the center of Russian liberal thought, daring research and first-rate education ever since. An MGU degree is highly valued these days both by Western academics and headhunters at home.

At the same time, as an alumnus and part-time lecturer, I take special interest in the destiny of my alma mater, and it must be said that not all is flowers and joy for the university in the year of its 250th anniversary.

The general decline of secondary educational standards in Russia is a growing concern, as fewer students meet the demands of MGU teachers. And the impending introduction of unified state examinations for high-school graduates threatens to plunge the level of first-year students lower still. So far, the university's rector, Viktor Sadovnichy, has successfully warded off attempts to wreck MGU's traditions, but pressure is mounting every day.

Pessimism, however, is not typical for the MGU crowd. Compared to the oldest European universities, MGU is still in its adolescence, and this year's event is the perfect occasion for graduates to join in the chorus of the traditional scholars' song: Let's celebrate, while we're young -- Gaudeamus igitur juvenes dum sumus.