Engineering peculiarities of flagship universities’ construction management systems in the face of modern challenges in the Russian Federation

The article provides information on the construction of higher education institutions’ consolidation taking Don State Technical University as an example. The socio-economic conditions of the construction area, where the investigated changes have taken place, are presented. Particular engineering characteristics of the flagship university management coordinating activities’ work and role, are demonstrated. The acute technical problems and management tasks are described. The data in the literature on the large higher education institutions management construction in the Russian Federation, is summarized. The relevant legislation and state initiatives in construction industry are analyzed. The construction of the flagship universities success is compared on the basis of assessments given by the Expert Board of the Ministry of Architecture of the Russian Federation. The construction management tasks of Don State Technical University are studied at empirical level in the context of actual challenges in the country. Proficient civil engineering management of the flagship university is realized within the given timeframes from the strategic point of view. On the other hand, a global task of the construction managing board at a large university is a flexible and relevant reaction to modern challenges, no matter which sphere generates them. In any case it is important to maintain high quality of intra-university cooperation, to develop information and communication contacts and especially efficient communications between HEI’s employees and managing structures. It is evident that it is necessary to use various principles in the flagship university construction management: the only possible approach for an invariant system is the clearly structured civil engineering hierarchy and strong centralization, it is recommended to use the horizontal construction management potential and decentralization for variable elements. The invariant vertical construction management system has proved its efficiency. In the meanwhile, the model’s variable elements need to be improved. The civil engineers will have to realize the potential of structural-and-communicative approach in construction management at a qualitatively new level, to renew the HR-managements tools, to promote self-administration, to increase the brand capitalization.