Building Partnerships in Central Asia

On July 23, 2015 HSE hosted the delegation from University of Central Asia, represented by Mr Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, Executive Chairman, Board Executive Committee and Dr Ariff Kachra, Dean of Academic Affairs.

Having started with the words of His Highness the Aga Khan at the UCA Foundation Stone Ceremony  in Khorog, Tajikistan, - "By creating intellectual space and resources, the University will bring the power of education and human ingenuity to the economic and social challenges of mountain societies in Central Asia and elsewhere” – the guests presented the UCA as a member of the The Aga Khan Development Network, and its values, mission and key objectives as well as academic and research programmes and projects.  

The University of Central Asia (UCA) was founded in 2000. The Presidents of Tajikistan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan and His Highness the Aga Khan signed the International Treaty and Charter establishing this secular and private University, which was ratified by the respective parliaments and registered with the United Nations. UCA is the first internationally chartered university in the world. There are three UCA campuses in Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan. UCA offers internationally recognized standard of education & research and fosters socio-economic development of Central Asia in mountain based societies helping societies preserve and draw upon their rich cultural heritages. Among the leading partners of UCA the following famous universities can be mentioned: MIT, UCLA, Harvard University, University of Oxford etc.

UCA representatives were impressed by HSE development strategy and its strategic imperatives over the next 5 years and existing outcomes, presented by HSE First Vice-Rector Vadim Radaev, and expressed their strong interest in fostering cooperation with HSE in the field of economics, computer science, education and other areas of mutual interest.

The visit program included a general introduction and discussion meeting followed by the campus tour and further promising discussions at the Faculty of Economic Sciences hosted by Tatiana Kossova, First Deputy Dean, and the Faculty of Computer Science, lead by its Dean Ivan Arzhantsev. The UCA guests also met Isak Froumin, Alexander Sidorkin and Daria Platonova at the Institute of Education to share the views on the education development in the area and identify possible cooperation areas.

UCA and HSE representatives exchanged their ideas on further cooperation and agreed to establish institutional partnership. Through cooperation with HSE, UCA intends to shape their curriculum, extend faculty’s base of research and development, and create opportunities for faculty and student exchanges. As Mr Shamsh Kassim-Lakha emphasized, it had been an impressive and productive dialog which hopefully would culminate in a longer term partnership between HSE and UCA in the coming months. HSE Office for International Cooperation will coordinate further HSE – UCA dialogue and implementation plan. 

News on the UCA website: http://bit.ly/UCAVisitsHSE