The Volgograd State Pedagogical University (Russian: Волгоградский государственный педагогический университет, Volgográdskiy gosudárstvennyi pedagogícheskiy universitét ímeni A. S. Serafimóvicha, abbreviation: VSPU), is one of the major pedagogical institutions in the Russian Federation. The university is located in Volgograd, formerly known as Stalingrad (Russia). Established by decree of the Council of the People's Commissars of the USSR in 1931, it was previously known as the Stalingrad Industrial Pedagogical Institute. It was completely ruined during the Stalingrad battle of the World War II and its library burnt out. In 1949, the school was renamed in honor of a Russian Proletarian writer, Alexander Serafimovich. Under political reforms of Nikita Khrushchev, the city was renamed from Stalingrad to Volgograd in 1961, and the name of the institution was changed to the Volgograd State Pedagogical Institute. In 1992 it was granted a university status. For the past ten years, the university stands amongst 10 best leading pedagogical and linguistic universities in Russia and 100 best universities worldwide.