Tenor of Life as Base Unit of New Architecture in Higher Education: Search for Principles

The purpose of this study is to identify the basis of higher educational institution in the conditions of scientific knowledge growth and the rapid expansion of information according to modern socio-cultural changes. The authors take into consideration the most fundamental challenge in higher education - creation of conditions for evolution of a person's capability to change circumstances, to build his life trajectory, to overcome the knowledge fragmentation and to find his own integrity and identity. The answer to this challenge is attributed to creation of educational institution's own image – Tenor of Life - for overcoming the stereotypic installations upon formation of uniform ways of cognitive activity. In the paper the concept of “Tenor of Life” is associated with “hidden curriculum” in higher education, some historical insight is taken. The research is focused on definition of Tenor of Life's principles. System of indicators and criteria of diagnostics are presented.