AUCA magazine october 2015 online

American University of Central Asia

Fall 2015

AUCA Magazine | Fall 2015

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WELCOME TO OUR NEW CAMPUS

AUCA MAGAZINE

CONTENTS 05 President’s Message Editor’s note 06 A Message from the Board of Trustees OUR NEW CAMPUS 10 Campus Donors 12 AUCA Architect Henry Myerberg in Conversation 16 An Interview with Aleksei Lysogorov 17 Student and Alumni Impressions 18 Academic Restructuring at AUCA AUCA is a “Green” Campus Golden Certificates 19 Innovations at our New Campus 21 WARC system goes online 22 New Sports Facilities at AUCA 23 Opportunities for Community Artists at AUCA UNIVERSITY NEWS AND NOTES 24 Program Updates 26 AUCA Events 28 New Generation Academy Updates 29 Student Success Stories 30 Alumni Spotlights 33 AUCA SPOTLIGHT

FALL 2015

Publication Team EDITORS-IN-CHIEF: Marcos Cisneros and Elira Turdubaeva DESIGN AND LAYOUT: Marcos Cisneros and Emil Akhmatbekov CONTRIBUTORS: Emil Akhmatbekov Marcos Cisneros Nurzhan Kadyrkulova Meerim Nurlanbekova Dinara Orozbaeva Olga Shen Aisulu Sulaimanova Elira Turdubaeva Shared Service Center NGA Program Program in Economics Program in Psychology WARC PICTURES: AUCA TV Emil Akhmatbekov Marcos Cisneros Samat Durusbekov Bakhrom Tursunov

AUCA Magazine American University of Central Asia, founded in 1993, is dedicated to educating leaders for the democratic transformation of the region. It is the most dynamic and student-empowering education available, and is the only university in Central Asia with the authority to grant degrees accredited in the United States. AUCA equips its graduates with the knowledge and skills necessary to solve problems and open doors in this rapidly changing and developing region and the world beyond.

American University of Central Asia is an international, multi-disciplinary learning community in the American liberal arts tradition.

Its curriculum includes the Preparatory Program (New Generation Academy), twelve undergraduate majors, and three graduate programs. In addition to its top-flight academic programs, AUCA is committed to freedom of expression, critical inquiry, and academic honesty.

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AUCA Magazine | Fall 2015

President’s Message than 20 times during our construction and is truly the main person to thank for the spectacular outcome. However, we would also not have gotten anywhere near the finish without our fantastic general contractor Kent Inshaat and their major subcontractors particularly the engineering firm Elsyst and the architectural firm Ardak, as well as our American consultants from the firms AKF and Multistack. As you can see, it takes a lot of people to build a major building, but with a great team effort we have gotten to the finish line!

Dear Alumni, The moment has finally arrived! After almost 5 years of planning and 3 years of construction we are ready for the official opening of the new AUCA campus. We have planned an exceptionally interesting opening event for the 31st of October, including academic, official and fun sections, and I will be very happy to see as many of you as possible on that day. For those who can’t make it, there will be extensive media coverage and our own AUCA TV will provide a live feed of the event.

We certainly could never have reached this point with a lot of support from various partners. First of all, we have to thank George

Soros and the Open Society Foundation for their unflagging support over the years and specifically for this project. In addition, I need to mention the financial support of other major donors including Erkin Bek, Dr. Hersh Chadha, trustees David Lakhdhir and Matthew Nimetz, alumnus Ulugbek Salambekov, and friends like Elmurat Alymkulov and corporate support from Kumtor Gold Company, Robust Resources, Jannat Holding, as well as the help of countless small but significant contributions from friends, faculty, and alumni. I also need to acknowledge the work of our entire board of trustees. Finally, I cannot overlook the amazing work of our architect Henry Myerberg and his firm HMA2. Henry came to Bishkek more

Where do we go from here? Well, amazingly enough, there is more construction in the works. An expected grant from ASHA (American Schools and Hospitals Abroad, a program of USAID) will allow us to begin construction of some faculty and student housing on the north side of the campus, which will begin in the late spring of 2016 and hopefully will be completed in time for the 2017-18 academic year.

But building is always only a means to an end—we simply want to create the necessary infrastructure to allow AUCA to become one of the leading universities of Eurasia, producing leaders in many different fields for the transformation of the entire region. You, our alumni, are already becoming those leaders, whether you work in the private, non-profit, or government sector, in Central Asia or anywhere in the world. We are proud of you and can’t wait to welcome you all in our new home!

Andrew Wachtel

Editor’s note This summer marks a big moment for AUCA. Hundreds of students, faculty, and staff from Kyrgyzstan and the rest of the world poured into our new campus building. We collectively took a giant step into new territory—our new campus. It seems appropriate that I start my work with the AUCA team during this period of new beginnings at AUCA. Like AUCA, I also only began existing in 1993, and, after two decades, decided to move out closer to Bishkek’s 11th microdistrict.

Joking aside, it seems the most common similarity between everyone here at AUCA is their enthusiasm. Through our articles about new furniture, new facilities, and everything else new, I hope we can show you how excited we are to finally be here, looking forward to both new challenges and new opportunities.

Marcos Cisneros Editor-in-Chief

AUCA Magazine | Fall 2015

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A Notthee from Board of trustees

On behalf of the Board of Trustees I want to thank everyone who was involved in the creation of our new campus and to congratulate them on this splendid achievement.

First, I mention the faculty, the staff, and the students. You contributed your ideas as part of the design process but much more importantly your commitment to open, critical learning was the inspiration for the entire project. The Board thanks our donors without whom we would not have had a new campus. Many people have generously contributed, alas too many to be individually mentioned in this note.

We should single out our most significant benefactors: George Soros and the Open Society Foundation, Erkin Bek, Dr. Hersh Chadha and the Government of the United States. Neither would we have our new campus without the contributions of the General Contractor Kent Inshaat, the construction supervisor and, most importantly, our architect.

The Board is particularly grateful to the General Contractor, represented by Elmurat Alymkulov. He efficiently produced the building in a timely fashion in spite of the fact that we, the Board, were unable to pay him in timely fashion. For his willingness to continue working while payments were in arrears we are particularly grateful.

in the shape of a quad enclosing a lawn and My colleagues on the Board and I are with a walkway on the inner side, a walkway deeply indebted to our to our construction covered but open to the elements. This proved supervisor, Andrew Wachtel, also known as a uniquely appropriate conceptual structure the President of AUCA. Without his tireless enfor the new development in higher education. ergy and unswerving dedication this building This was where one met to exchange ideas, would never have come to life. Little did we to sort out problems, to devise new ideas and know when we appointed him as President schemes. There were no private rooms so one that we were getting two for the price of one. I walked around the quad giving understand that Andrew has a life to exciting ideas. English twin brother. This has led me HENRY HAS NOT literature is rich in references to speculate that both he and to the role of the quad. The his twin have been in Bishkek MERELY DESIGNED quad gave form to intellectual all along! How else can one A BUILDING, HE HAS endeavour. Henry’s inspired explain all that Andrew has CREATED A CONCEPTUAL creation will do so again. It is accomplished here? The andesigned to give maximum swer must be: there were two STRUCTURE UNIQUELY incentive to collaboration, to Wachtels at work.

APPROPRIATE FOR exchange ideas, to interact We salute our architect, intellectually with others.

Henry Myerberg. Henry A UNIVERSITY. Henry has given new life to the has not merely designed a quadrangle by enclosing it as is appropriate building, he has created a conceptual structure in a country with a more extreme climate. uniquely appropriate for a university. This does His conceptual structure will encourage not happen often and it may be that the last the open critical dialogue so needed in the occurrence was in the 13th Century. I spent modern world. my career teaching at Oxford’s Balliol College The Board looks forward to participating which was founded around 1284. The basic with all of you in this innovative conceptual structure of Balliol and the other traditional structure which will be copied elsewhere over colleges of Oxford and Cambridge is the the coming centuries. ■ cloistered quadrangle. Buildings were erected

#TRUSTEES

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Asset Abdualiyev

Scott Horton

William H. Newton-Smith

Jonathan Becker

Aidan Karibjanov

Matthew Nimetz

NazirA Beishenalieva

Stanislav Karpovich

Graham O’Donoghue

Almas Chukin

David Lakhdhir

Aijan Chynybaeva

Liviu Matei

AUCA Magazine | Fall 2015

EIGHT YEARS IN THE MAKING...

...NOW WE’RE READY AUCA Magazine | Fall 2015

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Architect Henry Myerberg,

OUR NEW CAMPUS Aisulu Sulaimanova

CAMPUS DONORS TO BE SURE, AUCA’S NEW BUILDING IS ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY AND STATE-THE-ART; IT CELEBRATES THE DIVERSITY OF ITS COMMUNITY AND KYRGYZSTAN’S LOCAL CUSTOMS. STILL, THE NEW BUILDING REPRESENTS SOMETHING MORE FUNDAMENTAL. AFTER HAVING BEEN IN THE DREAMS AND PLANS OF UNIVERSITY LEADERSHIP FOR EIGHT YEARS, THE NEW CAMPUS IS FINALLY OUR REALITY WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM OUR DONORS. THROUGH THEIR DONATIONS, INDIVIDUALS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND BUSINESSES HAVE ALL POWERFULLY SHOWN THEIR BELIEF IN AUCA’S MISSION. THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARDS THE NEW CAMPUS EXTEND BEYOND COST OF CONSTRUCTION—THEY IMPACT THE FUTURE LEADERS OF CENTRAL ASIA. FOR THIS, OUR SINCERE APPRECIATION GOES OUT TO EVERYONE INVOLVED IN FUNDING OUR NEW HOME. GEORGE SOROS, AUCA’S MAIN BENEFACTOR. An investor, a philanthropist, and the founder of Open Society Foundations, Mr. Soros alone donated over $20 million to AUCA’s new campus, and has given generously to the university since 1993. AUCA students, faculty, staff, and alumni have benefited immensely from opportunities provided through the Open Society Foundations. He has also been instrumental in building the partnership between AUCA and Bard University. It is through this relationship that AUCA students are able to receive U.S. accredited diplomas and AUCA is able to deepen its commitment to a liberal arts education. Mr. Soros has thus directly helped maintain AUCA’s position as the premier university of Central Asia.

ERKIN BEK Erkin Bek is an international commodity trader, hedge fund advisor, technology investor, and entrepreneur. But, he also a writer on life and meditation and a dedicated practitioner of raja yoga. He founded and developed Mina Group, a large international commodity trading company headquartered in Dubai. As a philanthropist, he supports AUCA’s New Generation Academy, particularly youth from remote areas and disadvantaged families. Mr. Bek also donated $1.5 million to the new campus, substantially funding construction of the Main Forum.

DR. HERSH CHADHA By turns a photographer, an economist, an art collector, and a philanthropist, Dr. Chadha purchased state-ofthe-art technology for AUCA’s new campus to support photography and journalism in the Kyrgyz Republic.

AUCA’s new Media Lab and Multimedia Library were both built in honor of Dr. Chadha’s family, recognizing the continued financial support he has provided for construction, as well as the student scholarships and international photography internships Dr. Chadha sponsors in the Journalism and Mass Communications Program.

UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT USAID has been a long-time partner of AUCA, supporting its faculty, students, and program developments. At the new campus, USAID generously granted AUCA $500,000 to equip its new campus with a modern sound and light system, an LED screen, and the best WiFi equipment along with classroom furnishing made locally.

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AUCA Magazine | Fall 2015

OUR NEW CAMPUS

KUMTOR GOLD COMPANY KGC, “Kyrgyzstan’s largest investment project,” is the chief supporter of AUCA’s Environmental Management and Sustainable Development (EMSD) Program. Through their partnership, KGC and AUCA educate future leaders about environmental issues. KGC sponsored the construction of an environmental laboratory at AUCA’s new campus. KGC also supports students directly through scholarships in the EMSD program and scholarships to the New Generation Academy (AUCA’s preparatory program) for students from Naryn and Issyk-Kul Oblasts.

MATTHEW NIMETZ Matthew Nimetz has been a member of the AUCA Board of Trustees since 2011 and primarily works as an Advisory Director at the private equity investment firm General Atlantic LLC. Mr. Nimetz personally sponsored a student computer lab at the new campus, as well as several scholarships for international students at AUCA.

DAVID LAKHDHIR David Lakhdhir became a AUCA board member in 2012, and is a partner in the international law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. Mr. Lakhdhir’s family supported the construction of the information commons in the new campus, named after his parents Ann and Noor Lakhdhir. Mr. Lakhdhir currently serves as the Chair of both the Asian Advisory Committee and the London Committee of Human Rights Watch.

ULUGBEK SALYMBEKOV BA ’98 Owner of Dordoi Plaza, Ulugbek Salymbekov supports several philanthropic initiatives around the country, many linked to his passion for football. Jointly with the Dordoi Association, Mr. Salymbekov funded the construction of AUCA’s outdoor mini-football field, not only supporting students’ well-being, but also contributing to the community beyond AUCA.

Other donors, such as the Jannat Hotels and Resorts, Robust Resources Ltd, and Tengri Resources sponsored numerous other aspects of the new campus; we are also grateful for their sponsorship and continued support.

#DONATE

WE BELIEVE THAT MANY OTHER COMPANIES AND INDIVIDUALS WILL SEE THE BENEFITS OF MAKING A CONTRIBUTION TO THE UNIVERSITY AND ITS MISSION BY CONSIDERING THE NAMING RIGHTS OPPORTUNITIES THE CAMPUS OFFERS. HAVING A NAME OR BRAND APPEAR IN A STUDY ROOM, DINING HALL, GYMNASIUM OR THE LOUNGE AREAS WILL NOT ONLY ENSURE CONSTANT PRESENCE, BUT ALSO SHOW ONE’S COMMITMENT TO THE EDUCATING FUTURE LEADERS OF CENTRAL ASIA FOR DETAILS, PLEASE CONTACT AUCA DEVELOPMENT OFFICE AT DEVELOP@AUCA.KG

AUCA Magazine | Fall 2015

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OUR NEW CAMPUS Marcos Cisneros

HENRY MYERBERG

IN CONVERSATION ABOUT AUCA’S FURNITURE, ARCHITECTURE, AND MODERN NOMADS The day before Red Jolbors Fest, while students had the day off and event planners frantically ran about, I took an hour to walk around AUCA’s new campus and discuss the logic behind its design with architect Henry Myerberg.

What was it like designing an entire campus?

I have never had the opportunity to build a campus from the ground up. It’s rare— probably a once in a career opportunity, if that. It gave me the opportunity to explore and execute a lot my ideas about educational institutions. The biggest thrill I’ve had is seeing the show come to life, so to speak.

The then president’s main concern was that there was no place for everyone to meet together; however, when I met with faculty and students, they both said the same thing: there’s no place for anybody to meet one-onone. And so the flip side of openness is also allowing for closed and private spaces when they’re needed. There’s a balance between community and privacy. The forum is certainly all about community, but we also have all these banks of meeting rooms meant to be private respites. What AUCA really helped me do was to feel comfortable breaking down the barriers between conventions and

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between ideas and, more concretely, between departments. At a place like AUCA, where the traditions of departmental ties have not been set, there hasn’t been the opportunity for the departments to segregate themselves. They were forced by their density to be together and work together. When I was developing this campus, I had all this land and I could have decided the dining hall, academics, sports, etc. all needed their own buildings. I never explored that for a second. And really only because when I visited the old campus—saw it’s density—I knew that was the necessary direction for better transparency and flexibility.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned through this whole process?

The most important, bar none, has been the idea of density. It didn’t sink in as a concept for building teaching spaces until I arrived at the old AUCA campus six years ago. I walked in and saw a place that I thought didn’t have enough room but had a vibe. When I came to Bishkek, I had already been thinking about “Nomadicism,” but here it was blown out.

You seem to have traded the American values of manifest destiny and expansion for density and transparency. Can you explain how that figured into your design?

It’s funny, when Andrew [Wachtel] was doing this presentation in China about AUCA, he had a slide of the building from 2011, and it reminded me of this image I had of the top of a Yurt. The Yurt is also dense and open at the same time. Even the geometry of the yurt— along with the practicality and stability found in the circular design—innately promotes social interaction.

How have your own ideas of transparency and density changed throughout this project?

We spent a lot of time in the office thinking about the furniture types, variety, and arrangements. It’s kind of like putting on a broadway show. To put a show on broadway you go through an exhaustive process.

First there’s the concept, then the reading, auditioning, rehearsing, and it plays offbroadway for a while. So when it finally gets on Broadway, you don’t really know if it’s going to be a hit or not. We have learned through a succession of projects around teaching that learning spaces have an inclination towards collaboration, because, as many teachers have told me, the best education happens in a collaborative setting.

Collaboration has a certain spontaneity—you can’t plan it really. You can plan a classroom with fixed seating, everyone lined up

OUR NEW CAMPUS

facing a teacher. That’s a planned teaching assignment; that’s not collaborative teaching.

Collaboration is a little riskier. You don’t know what the outcome is going to be. It’s not controlled. There’s a tradition of taking architecture photography without people in it because you can’t control the people. The columns—I know where they’re going to be on any given day. But I have no idea where the people are going to be.

On your website, you talk about AUCA students as “Modern Nomads.” Could you tell a little more about that concept and how you implemented it at AUCA?

I was at a conference about a dozen years ago, and this furniture company, Steelcase, was doing a presentation. They started making a line of furniture for higher education. Because they were an office furniture company, they mimicked the mobile office furniture that’s been around forever—it’s not a new concept. But they saw how open planning was evolving in the modern workplace—the ideas of flexibility and modularity in office furniture. You just start to think, “What’s the difference between the academic environment and the work environment?” One of the presenters at Steelcase said they were making furniture as if people were “modern nomads.” The association of mobility, furniture, and people with the idea of nomadism really clicked when I came to Kyrgyzstan, where there

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OUR NEW CAMPUS

actually is such a strong history of nomadism.

The students, particularly, are equipped nowadays to occupy space in a very mobile and unencumbered way. They aren’t tied down to a specific place. Students now have connectivity and communication in their hands How did you engage these big ideas of density, flexibility, and transparency through AUCA’s furniture?

We wanted to promote the idea of people moving around. You don’t have to be in one place. Take faculty offices, they were intentionally designed so that it couldn’t be the only place you work. It’s not a private office; it’s not your domain. The big idea is “shared.”

It’s a shared space, but we don’t want you to feel like you’re constricted, so there’s “freedom”—a freedom to move. People are able to move around from space to space to wherever they need to be at any given time. If people are mobile, well then the furniture should be mobile too.

What specifically inspired your furniture choices?

I actually have the gray Eiffel Tower-based chairs in my office. They’re based on a Herman Miller chair, originally designed by Charles and Ray Eames in the late 40s.

And these red metal chairs were chosen for a number of reasons. They are actually knockoffs of this French café chair from the turn-of-the-century. It was an industrial and iconic chair. You see them in French bistro’s or sidewalk café, and then now in the US in coffee shops and bars. The idea with the furniture is for it to all be light and airy. You can pick them up with one hand and have your drink in the other hand.

One of the first things newcomers to AUCA notice is the integration of exposed construction material into the aesthetic of AUCA, how did that play into your original design concept?

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It certainly evokes the idea of process, which is so important to an academic institution like AUCA.

It is relevant. It’s an interesting narrative pointing to the fact that there are people who did this. This building didn’t come out of a 3d printer. This building is meant to say “No, everything here is very real. It’s not glossed over” How it’s made and the blemishes that go with it. Paint spills over and lettering has been left on the concrete.

Why do you think you were drawn to a modern-industrialist aesthetic?

The current aesthetic aspiration on the popular side of things is to cover everything up and to decorate it—to conceal everything about how its made and portray an image that is more bling. One of the things we tried to do is erase nothing of the original construction markings. Everyone here kept saying “How can you leave all these marks? It doesn’t look finished!” In fact, all the line work and leftover graffiti is very much intentional. They actually ground some of it out which upset me a lot. I purposely said, “Do not remove any writing on these columns.”

My wife has a theory that we’re always attracted to the decorative and furniture arts from our childhood. I didn’t have this stuff when we were growing up, but somehow it seeps into you. In the design world—in industrial modern design in America—Charles and Ray Eames’s work is very famous and very important. It’s a way to get into this idea of design and modern materials as innovation in its time. This is a craft of innovation to make a chair in the Post-war era—the advanced, industrialized, consumer world. Innovation is important and here is an example of it.

If this is a modern university—a modern building—it needs to look like it. Through the furniture, there is a language of material and color that was introduced to AUCA. When we were first looking at seating for AUCA, I was looking online, and I thought these Herman Miller-esque chairs were great for classrooms because they don’t take up a lot of space.

When we got them, we actually got them in a customized color. This gray is the same gray on the railing. You’ll notice that there is also a light blue variant that matches the blue of the outside of the building. It connects the inside and the outside. You also have this blackwood material for all the tabletops. The tables are

the same as these tiers—the exact same material. There it’s meant to blend in. The colors and materials grow out of each other.

How do you feel about furniture you’ve purposely grouped together being moved around?

I intended for an amount of freedom in the furniture, so it’s not a surprise. Take the cafeteria, for example, I thought this area should all be the red chairs. But then this morning I came in and there were a bunch of gray chairs hanging around. I’m coming back next month, partly to just see what happens.

Will a cafeteria full of red chairs stick? Every time you move furniture, it’s vulnerable, so you need to find a sweet spot.

What have the students taught you about how AUCA’s furniture should be arranged?

When I originally set up these chairs [near the entrance], I had arranged it so that it was a consolidated block of chairs. The sofas were back-to-back. The arrangement was originally conceived so people could sit on one side or another—a sort of seating-in-the-round. But then the students came and essentially blew this apart and arranged it in a big circle. Now everybody is facing each other. What I’ve noticed is different from the U.S. is that here I rarely see just two people sitting together. It’s always ten—a bunch of kids sitting together.

As we finish up our discussion, we catch sight of the event planners stacking big bean bag chairs onto the Forum steps for Red Jolbors Fest.

This is hysterical, do you see those big bean bags in the Forum? That is great, I love that idea. See, that’s fun. We’ve got something good here. ■

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OUR NEW CAMPUS Emil Akhmatbekov

AUCA HAS A BRAND NEW LOOK

AN INTERVIEW WITH GRAPHIC DESIGNER ALEKSEI LYSOGOROV to catch people’s eyes and, at the same What inspired you to design the corporate time, indicate concrete places. We decided identity for navigation in the new campus to use certain phrases, for instance “We are of AUCA? the champions!” instead of “Gym”, or “Come This kind of project is new for me. Before this together” instead of “assembly hall.” Cult Engproject, working on navigation schemes was lish phrases could be interesting to students. a job I did on more usual and modest scales.

Even if they didn’t know them, it would be a The building itself, its geometry, its unusual kind of learning process. When we started to spaces, its angular-square-geometric motifs realize that typefaces penetrate everywhere, all inspired me and gave a birth to a type face. we started to develop a brand-style type. I I was invited to do the work by the New York hope it will be fully adopted by the university Bureau and Henry. The first time I visited the and become an integral campus was when construction was still going on and the THE UNCONVENTIONAL, part of university. In addition, I want you to know walls were blank. In fact it was something different and it made UNPARALLELED, STRIKING, that the whole project was an unusual impression on me. AND UNFAMILIAR CULTURE done in harmony with the architecture of building.

You can’t by with simple plates OF THIS PLACE LEFT ME Projects like navigation are inscribed with “go this” or “go that way,” you have to invent WITH AN UNFORGETTABLE such an important part of a building’s development. something new. I worked with IMPRESSION. a team from New York and What was your impression of the campus? the campus developers on the process and I got acquainted with campus after I came the creative work. There were a number of to see what work was waiting for me. When versions and concepts, but in the end we Henry gave me a personal tour and showed decided to go against bright and strong styles, me what was going on and how it all would because it wasn’t a project where you have work, I was amazed. The unconventional, to excessively show creativeness. Frankly, unparalleled, striking, and unfamiliar culture it can scare people away from navigation. of this place left me with an unforgettable Our project is creative enough, so our team impression. We get used to the standard decided against bold ideas, and made some kinds of educational institutions, but here, severe creative decisions. The core concept, unexpectedly became the creation of typeface. everything was different. Things that are unusual and non-standard are always very I originally didn’t think it would go this way. I interesting designers. The campus only gave just made a series of phrases and logos that, me positive vibes. in my opinion, could be interesting enough

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What difficulties did you face during the process?

The project is definitely nonstandard. I thought it would take two or three months, but in fact it took almost one year. Our working times extended unpredictably because of unforeseen difficulties. At the beginning of the design process, we didn’t know how it’d turn out; whether it’d be installations, paintings, stickers, plates, or something else.

When it came time to work out the concept for manufacturing, I worked with my partner, Aibek Sadykov, through many many trials. I still have the models of plates we made out of various materials that didn’t end up working out. It was a necessary process of trial and error. The problem was that we couldn’t find many things here in Bishkek—they were all manufactured in New York. It was difficult to produce certain things, and unfortunately almost every product was banal. Basically, it is easy to find things in demand here, and those things that aren’t in demand cause too many problems in their manufacturing.

Besides that, we were faced with a number of technical problems we were forced to frequently discuss with our team. In any case, this work was interesting, and no one else has made anything like it in Bishkek. We are the first who are giving serious attention to navigation. For now, paper patterns are still stuck on all the office doors so students can orientate themselves in the campus, but, we still haven’t installed anything yet. ■

OUR NEW CAMPUS Dinara Orozbaeva, Olga Shen Nurzhan Kadyrkulova

JYPARA ERKULOVA, CLASS OF 2019 AUCA’s new campus is so wonderful! The picturesque scenery and a fresh air inspire me all the time. The new campus gives me the motivation to study and improve myself, so my new life begins at AUCA. The awesome architectural design gives us tons of new opportunities realize ourselves in different ways We have interactive boards, comfortable table, chairs and sofas, new computers, plenty of plugs, a big kitchenette, cafeterias on each floor, a library with lots of books, a gym, and a football field.

ALEXANDER KIM, CLASS OF 2018 Vast open spaces are the highlight of the building. It makes the whole campus feel like a unified environment and not a cluster of separate study halls. Fortunately, quiet study rooms made sure we also kept our privacy.

YURI KIM, CLASS OF 2015 The new campus is huge. Seriously, it is so unexpectedly big. Considering the design of the building, especially the view of the forum, I feel like I’m in a foreign university. I have never seen a building quite like it in Kyrgyzstan before. Sofas! Sofas almost everywhere, and what’s more, you can even move them to more convenient locations. I have already seen how often students use them to take a quick nap—very important during those rough patches. Another thing I like are the cafeterias located on every floor of the University. As a coffee addict, I appreciate the idea that now students don’t have to run around the University to get their daily caffeine fix.

TANSU BILAL, CLASS OF 2017 I’m in love with the new campus! When it was 70% complete, It already looked like Bishkek’s most modern building. At 100%, I was really envious of the freshmen who would get to study here for four more years, while I only get two! It feels like a one indivisible system, where fun and knowledge intermix. I only see three disadvantages of our new campus: problems with the Wi-Fi, problems with heating, and problems with cafeteria congestion, Nevertheless, I think we’ll deal with those issues in time.

RITA SKOCHILO, CLASS OF 2012 Air everywhere! You can fly. In the old building I could fly out of happiness, but here you fly even if you didn’t intend to. The new building gives you the opportunity to be happy wherever you study. That’s rare!

ZHENYA TSOY, CLASS OF 2014 From the beginning, the new campus has been a rather ambitious project, and I was definitely impressed when I first saw it. The campus anticipates students’ needs and presents a healthy mix of places for work and leisure. I love how the campus is implementing green technologies and striving for environmental sustainability. The building is innovative, well-equipped, modern, and, what’s most important, comfortable for studying.

KEMELBEK IRSALIEV, CLASS OF 2019 When I first entered the new building, I was shocked and little bit confused. After a lifetime of seeing ordinary building’s with their long, narrow halls, the new campus was ample and spacious. I like the amount of rooms, where students can gather and study together; sofas also play a big role in creating a friendly atmosphere in the new campus. My favorite places are the balcony of Good Food’s coffee shop with its view of the mountains and the fourth-floor conference hall.

MARIIA PANFILENKO, CLASS OF 2015 I love how open and spacious our new campus feels. Not surprisingly, the Forum is my favorite spot. Personally, I am very proud that my alma-mater can host local or international events of any scale, like the Red Jolbors Fest 2015.

VICTORIA ALYABIEVA, CLASS OF 2017 AUCA has become much bigger and roomier with its new attractive design and fresh look. It`s cool that we have more space, new furniture, new cafeterias, almost everything is new and sweet. That being said, I’m a bit of a traditionalist, so I still really miss our old building.

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OUR NEW CAMPUS Bermet Tursunkulova

ACADEMIC RESTRUCTURING AT AUCA Starting this academic year, academics at AUCA will be organized into a new degree program hierarchy. AUCA’s fifteen degree programs, including the MBA program, will now be structured into six divisions, each with a designated division head.

Even though each division has a head, each program will retain its Chairs, now known as “Program Coordinators.“ MACAS and the newly created MA in Applied Psychology are independent of any division.

It should be noted that AUCA is not adding an extra layer of administration or expense but rather optimizing the current structure. The system of divisions is designed to facilitate more effective collaboration between programs when working on university- or division-wide initiatives. In addition, the new system simplifies administrative management.

AUCA president Andrew Wachtel began the initiative to transition AUCA to a new academic structure. Last year, as a proof-ofconcept, AUCA launched a new division for the Software Engineering Department and the Applied Mathematics Department. The administrative success of the new schema convinced AUCA to restructure all of its departments into a similar system of divisions.

Ideally the change will spur cross-platform and interdisciplinary work amongst the integrated departments.

The transition has also influenced the administrative hierarchy as well. AUCA has

New Program Hierarchy Division of Applied Mathematics and Informatics Division of Social Sciences

Comprehensively integrating environmental responsibility, AUCA has also opted for many sustainable practices at its new campus.

The campus is the first private construction

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Headed by Elena Kim Programs: Anthropology, Sociology, Psychology Journalism and Mass Communications

Division of Politics and International/area studies

Headed by Medet Tiulegenev Programs: European Studies, International and Comparative Politics

Division of Economics and Business

Headed by Greg Gunn Programs: Business Administration, MBA, Economics

Division of Law

Division of General Education eliminated the positions of the Dean of Faculty and the Director of the Registrar. Instead, AUCA has introduced the office of the Coordinator of Academic Affairs and the Dean of Assessment. The office of the Coordinator of

AUCA IS A “GREEN” CAMPUS AUCA is committed to environmental sustainability implemented both through innovation and action. For AUCA, education is a crucial in transforming this commitment into results. To this end, the Environmental Management and Sustainable Development program was developed to fill a regional need for environmental experts. The undergraduate program was launched in 2013. The program is an extension AUCA’s mission to help the region transition onto a developmental path that balances social, economic, and environmental interests.

Headed by Karim Zerhouni Programs: Software Engineering, Informatics, Applied Mathematics

project in Central Asia built with geothermal heating and cooling, rainwater harvesting for sewage and irrigation, and building insulation based on German standards of construction.

With investments in such innovative methods of energy and water conservation, in the long-term the university saves up to 85% on its electricity bills. AUCA has committed to having all its buildings meet self-imposed, but nonetheless stringent environmental standards. By example, AUCA will lead the way in sustainable energy use in Central Asia.

The “Green Campus” student-initiated recycling system continues to operate at the new campus. Students installed nearly 30 sorting boxes. AUCA makes it a standard practice to be environmentally friendly. ■

Headed by Elida Nogoibaeva Programs: International and Business Law, Master of Laws

Headed by Galina Gorborukova Programs: Liberal Arts and Sciences

Academic Affairs is responsible for supervising the office of the Registrar as well as carrying out many of the duties previously done by the Dean of Faculty. The Dean of Assessment oversees AUCA assessment projects. ■

GOLDEN CERTIFICATES 13 winners of Kyrgyz National Testing of 2015, who received “Golden Certificates”, are enrolled this year to American University of Central Asia (AUCA).

There are students from all regions of Kyrgyz Republic: from Jalal-Abad – Makmal Abylova, Department of Journalism and Mass Communications; from Naryn – Tahmina Alikbaeva, Department of International and Business Law; from Osh – Bektursun Tagaev, Department of Software Engineering; from Bishkek – Akbar Amanov, Azamat Derkenbaev, Maria Lukina, Aman Tursunaliev, Azamat Kydyraliev, Department of Software Engineering; Alibek Murataliev, Kristina Kim, Tamara Mun, Daria Tabaldieva, Department of Economics; and Aygerim Niyazova, Department of Liberal Arts and Sciences. ■

INNOVATIONS ON OUR NEW CAMPUS EVEN BEYOND THE NEW PHYSICAL CAMPUS, AUCA IS UNVEILING A HOST OF TECHONOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS THAT CHANGE THE CAMPUS AS MUCH AS A NEW BUILDING. THE NEW ENTERPRISE SOFTWARE, SMART CAMPUS CARDS, AND THE NEW SHARED SERIVE CENTER ARE SHAKING THINGS UP. OCIO TEAM

Systems, applications, and Products in Data Processing (SAP) A platform for building AUCA’s culture of technology and innoation A university’s bottom line is undeniably the student. After four years of study, the student is ready for the world—a skilled and competent professional. To make this fouryear process the most effective it can be for both the student and the university, we must know as much as possible about it. SAP, is our newest control platform for provisioning and monitoring AUCA through near real-time updates on key performance indicators.

University president Andrew Wachtel has made a primary objective of using SAP to effectively implement changes in the AUCA administrative body. SAP integration brings big

changes and even bigger challenges into the organizational structure and operation.

SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Student Lifecycle Management (SLCM) enable the University operations to transform from a functional orientation towards a more student-centric business process orientation.

The transformation would expose students, faculty, and staff to the ways business processes extend across the enterprise and the enterprise’s information value chain.

Most of those time-consuming tasks are in the process of automation, like payroll, degree auditing, course registration, etc. We believe that the transition to the new system will ultimately make individual lives at AUCA easier.

SAP helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device, SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the AUCA PURSUES competition.

The strict separation beThis system, in conjunction tween the different divisions, AN IDEA OF OPEN with other initiatives described where every person routinely COMMUNITY WHERE below, will significantly improve fulfills a set of specific tasks PEOPLE CAN LEARN the efficiency of overall university is no longer effective in the operations and help AUCA imforever-technologically-evolv- AND DEVELOP WITHOUT plement the following: Streaming rapidly changing world.

PHYSICAL OR VIRTUAL lined administrative processes With SAP implemented as resulting in savings in money an integrated platform at BORDERS. and/or time; simplified reporting AUCA, employees can fulfill and compliance; improved organization of several totally different types of tasks, important documents; fewer internal silos. in less time.

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OUR NEW CAMPUS

Universal ID Card (UICD) The all-in-one Campus pass AUCA pursues an idea of open community where people can learn and develop without physical or virtual borders. At the same time, it is critical to ensure both the physical and the virtual security to its community. To resolve this paradoxical issue of providing security within an open community, The Office of the Chief Information Officer has introduced a multifunction access card called the Universal ID Card (UIDC), with SAP functioning as the main provisioning system for the AUCA community. The UIDC, introduced

by AUCA in partnership with an international bank, provides students and staff with the ability to make their interactions on and off campus more convenient, while also helping us ensure our security within of AUCA’s campus for everyone. The UIDC is the first of it’s kind in Central Asia, again putting AUCA at the forefront. The card is a tool that combines the concepts of Identity, Access, Banking, and Community: Authentication and Identity: Each ID card has RFID (contactless) chips that contain personal information of the cardholder and his/her eligibility for access to particulars paces. The information is linked to SAP system; thus, it is always synchronized real-time and relevant.

When the cardholders wave their cards at the security post or anywhere in front of the door, system based on information on SAP, checks if the person is active or not, eligible for access or not, if the time is appropriate and reasonable for access, and so on. This logic allows AUCA to keep track of not only existing members of the community, but what is more important, to keep track of guests who will have to get guest cards for entering the territory of campus. Any threatening situation on the university community will be tracked and neutralized immediately if it appears.

Access: The Universal ID Card is a centralized link and access to the facilities and servic-

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es at AUCA as well as some facilities outside of AUCA. Currently, the card is integrated into the library system, vendors’ point of sales, laboratories, and the Shared Service Center services. Additionally, the OCIO is working on integration of the card with the copy/print center, corporate transportation, dorm and laundry, and gym.

Banking: Each ID card is VISA based and is linked to the corporate account of the card-holder. All members who are part of payroll project, scholarship project, or receive any grants, get their funds automatically through SAP ERP. Moreover, AUCA community members can easily manage their accounts for various purposes within the campus such as eating at canteens and university cafes, additional sports access, utility payments, vending machines, and more.

Community: The UIDC encourages the idea of open and transparent community of AUCA. It is an All-in-One pass that features uniqueness of its cardholder. In addition, in cooperation with the Development office and Alumni Relations office, the OCIO is currently launching a discount program for AUCA community where everyone with the UIDC is eligible for the discounts at the stores, shops, restaurants, cafés of AUCA alumni and any other interested vendors who would like to contribute to the idea of community.

The SHARED SERVICE CENTER making STUDENT-CENTRIC CULTURE possible The Shared Service Center completes the set of innovations that arrived at AUCA since the beginning of 2015. It is a new structure in the organization of the university that will improve the quality of work for all the services at AUCA’s campus. The Shared Service Center connects SAP, the new UIDC and other applications developed here in order to make the connectivity between entities at the

university as fast and efficient as possible. By introducing to the community these innovations together, AUCA wants to improve the work/study environment of each member of its community.

Business Process Management: Business process management can be thought of as analogous to a recipe. Let’s take, for example, Coca-Cola. How does a multi-billion, international company guarantee consistency in every single bottle? What it takes is a recipe, and not just a recipe of ingredients that go into the beverage. Coca-Cola has recipes for bottling, packaging, designing, delivering. In short, the company attempts to systematize every possible process to guarantee consistent quality across a very spread out company geography. When you follow the recipe, the output is less likely to change dramatically from case to case, and it can be repeated thousands of times. AUCA and the OCIO have applied the same principles to the new Shared Service Center. Each request formulated by a student or faculty member is guaranteed a more consistent response because the process itself is designed in the exact same way. Each process is detailed enough to make sure that the SSC Agents can deliver the same service to each member of the AUCA community.

Implementing the Shared Service Center helps the university very broadly apply accountability, transparency and flexibility to its entire community.

Accountability & Transparency: The relations between the Shared Service Center and other entities at AUCA are clearly organized, and the responsibilities of each group is now explicitly determined. It is now easier than ever to determine what is affecting the quality of service AUCA delivers to its students or any other members of the community. All duties and rights have been codified and consolidated into a single document called the “Service Level Agreement”. This document lists all SSC services and how these services should be delivered. All the services of AUCA can refer to this document once they signed a copy of it.

OUR NEW CAMPUS Mariya Antonova

Therefore, in terms of accountability and transparency, the entire community knows what they can expect from the SSC. If something does not occur the way it should, it is easy to determine the origin of the problem.

Flexibility: AUCA is not an island; when people and society change, the university must change with it. Along this vein, another pillar of the Shared Service Center is an acceptance that things may change. If the AUCA community believes a process does not match their expectations, then the SSC should adapt. This work is done continuously through feedback collected from SSC users.

The software Zendesk has been acquired to provide the director of the SSC the tools he needs to monitor these business processes and to detect any problem or issue that might occur in the future.

AUCA in the cloud On October 31st, 2015 The Innovation Cloud Center will start its work at AUCA’s new campus. The project was launched by the Office of the Chief Information Officer in cooperation with IT-Company Green Light.

The Center will focus on development of information technology in Kyrgyzstan as well as in other countries of Central Asia.

The products and initiatives of leading world internationals like Cisco Systems, NetApp, Extreme Networks, Microsoft, VMware will be presented at the Cloud Center. The center promises to become one of the key areas of innovation in Kyrgyzstan. Whithin this new framework, AUCA and Green Light plan to launch a range of initiatives to support technological entrepreneurship: the organization of training sessions, master classes, and other activities that provide students and staff of local companies direct access to experts in the field of business and other members of the global innovation ecosystem. Furthermore, the Center will be a platform for establishing technology partnerships between AUCA and Kyrgyz entrepreneurs by providing the entrepreneurs with the opportunity to test their products in the Cloud Center lab.

WARC SYSTEM GOES ONLINE On September 10, WARC’s new online scheduling system went live on their new domain, warc.auca.kg. Students sign-in with their AUCA login, and have at their fingertips the entire WARC schedule, and all they have to do it click on the time slot with a tutor’s name to reserve a session. The system was created as a result of close cooperation between WARC Management, Office of the Chief Information Officer, and the AUCA student body.

Some background on WARC’s project, from WARC Director, Mariya Antonova: WARC is unique in the sense that while it is a service for AUCA students, it is also staffed by members of the student body. So we have this direct channel to what students may need or want from us, and all we have to do is listen and not miss really good ideas. The idea for an automated scheduling system for WARC had been in the air for awhile, but it was first articulated by Ulan Akmatbekov, a math tutor at WARC and at the time a junior student of Software Engineering. For some time, we were exploring outside free and commercial applications, but at the end, it became clear that what we needed was a customized in-house system that would cater specifically to our needs and interface with all the other systems.

Ulan helped us put together a technical proposal, and last spring, in a typically informal AUCA manner, I just dropped by the office of Karim Zerhouni, the CIO. To my im-

mense surprise, he didn’t shoo me away, but actually listened and looked at the proposal, and said that was something we could work on. And indeed we did. Eventually, we were assigned a developer dedicated to the project, Chyngyz Dyikanbaev, a recent AUCA graduate and in his student days, a frequent visitor to the WARC, so he was also very attuned to our needs, and patiently listened to our suggestions and made dozens of changes, sometimes in one day, until we were all satisfied with the result. The system was taking shape before our eyes in the course of just a few weeks—it was amazing to watch! The entire CIO team, as well as the IT guys who were working on getting us our own domain, moving information there and fixing all the related glitches, were always on hand to help us (as if they were not the busiest people in the world at the moment), and everyone worked together just beautifully.

Of course, the first week was a little rough, because every time the server went down, the WARC scheduling system and our hearts went down with it. But that’s when the spirit of cooperation really asserted itself, and we were joined in this effort by the WARC tutors who brought to our attention the issues that needed fixing, or made suggestions on how to improve the program. Because WARC is, so to speak, for the students by the students, they often are the ones who see most clearly what has to be done. We are proud of this program and hope that it will make things more convenient for WARC users, but we are even more proud of the close cooperation between students, administration and services that this project exemplifies.” ■

Additionally, the Cloud Center will promote the development of technological education in the country. It will become a great complement to the Cisco Academy, the Microsoft IT Academy, and the SAP Center of Excellence that are already running at AUCA, and will add more value to the students and employees of these companies.

As the director of development of Green Light Daniyar Niyazov said, “The joint alliance of AUCA and the IT-company “Green Light” will serve as a platform for the preparation of demanded and highly-qualified professionals who meet the requirements of today’s market conditions.” ■

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OUR NEW CAMPUS Dinara Orozbaeva, Olga Shen, Meerim Nurlanbekova

NEW BUILDING, NEW SPORTS

AUCA’S NEW CAMPUS PROVIDES MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SPORTS ACTIVITIES: NEW COURSES AND PLENTY OF ROOM FOR SPORTS CLASSES AND TRAININGS. ALEXANDER ZAYTSEV, FACULTY OF AUCA SPORTS DEPARTMENT, TOLD US IN DETAIL ABOUT UNIVERSITY’S SPORTS INFRASTRUCTURE, INNOVATIONS, AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF OUR STUDENTS. SPORTS DAY WAS HELD ON SEPTEMBER 15TH, IN WHICH STUDENTS ATTENDING SPORTS CLASSES PRESENTED THEIR CLUBS. Tell us about the new sports opportunities at AUCA’s new campus.

There is no doubt that new campus has more sports facilities than we had before. First off, we have our own sports infrastructure, i.e. sports gymnasium, which makes it possible to house almost all competitive sports.

Besides that, there is a new field for smallsided football and separate rooms for shaping, yoga, dance, and a gym. All of these facilities can also hold several sports classes at the same time. Before, we were forced to rent sports facilities and pay considerable amounts of money for that.

What new sports groups are open to students?

Even starting in the Fall semester, our new sports facilities has already made it possible to add new sports like taekwondo, volleyball, and badminton. Sports like basketball and small-sided football will have opportunities for both varsity and novice athletes. For years, these teams have represented AUCA at the Universiada Sports Games for Kyrgyz Universities.

Besides that, we also have fitness, CrossFit and dance classes are available thanks to our many “small” studios. Unfortunately, I’m not sure what kind of dance classes we’ll have, but I think they will be interesting.

What sports are most popular?

That’s a difficult question to answer. For a majority of our students taking sports classes for credit, the classes that require the least effort for the credits seem to be most popular.

As a result, some of the more rigorous courses are less popular. That being said, there are definitely students who live and breathe sports, who strongly advocate for their sport, and will not stop lobbying until their sport is available. That’s how it was last year, the football players followed by the basketball and volleyball players all brought their cases to the AUCA president. I have to take a moment to extend a big thank you to our president, Andrew Wachtel. He is keen on sports and

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has made all kinds of contributions to the development of university sports. Thanks to those contributions, all of our sports courses were opened last spring semester, and the AUCA football team participated in the 2014 University Games.

Tell us about some of our students’ sports achievements.

So far, we don’t have any “great” sports achievements because we don’t compete in any high-profile competitions. We have gone as far as the University Games in Kyrgyz Republic; however, believe me, if we play a sport, we’ll do our best. I don’t want to say too much about our record, but I will say we have had our share of victories. For example, at the last University Games, our chess players won the championship, and the football team took fourth place. We didn’t participate in other sports because we either didn’t have enough time to prepare, or just didn’t have the right athletes.

AUCA now has its own football field, does that mean the university is paying more attention to football? If so, how are you going to develop and improve the football team?

I wouldn’t say the university pays more attention to football, and I don’t think there is a sport that should feel slighted. No doubt the football fans are a little more enthusiastic than other sports, not to mention that all students, even if they have their own sport, also play football. We will need professional coaches and instructors to improve any of our sports, and I think we are moving in that direction.

Tell us about AUCA’s most important sports events and highlights.

Probably the most important universitywide event is the championship of smallsided football. The tournament takes place semi-annually, once in the fall in October and then again in the spring in April.

“We have plans to use AUCA’s sports hall on the 3rd floor, and it’s very nice being able to use large classrooms with projectors for discussing theory and game strategy for upcoming games.”

-Diana Niyazova, American Football

“With the opportunities of provided by the new campus, we hope to stably develop football at AUCA. A comfortable new field, a gym, and locker-rooms all make it possible.”

-Beksultan Bekenov, Football Club

No less than twelve teams participate during each tournament. You get teams of freshmen, seniors, faculty, staff and even alumni. This tournament is characterized by the participants’ uncompromising and enduring perseverance. ■

OUR NEW CAMPUS Aisulu Sulaimanova

NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY ARTISTS AT AUCA AUCA’s new campus brings new academic opportunities for its students, but it is also an opportunity for the broader community.

Land, Culture and Connectivity: AUCA Public Art Initiative or ARTYSTAN is a community art project in cooperation with HMA2 Architects and with support from the Christensen Fund.

The project began with a three-day workshop in June, with artists, designers, and curators from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and the United States. ARTYSTAN has focused on the Forum Wall to showcase the relationship between people and the environment and foster relationships between cultures. Additional collaborative workshops

and dialogues will yield several temporary and permanent pieces in and around AUCA. AUCA’s new design concept, with exposed concrete and metal, can seem “forbidding and cold,” said AUCA president, Andrew Wachtel.

“The idea of having the artwork hanging temporarily or permanently on various places and along the atrium wall will warm the building a little bit,” added Dr. Wachtel.

The process of art captures what AUCA has been doing for 20 years: “bringing people together from a variety of countries and cultures represented by AUCA students to show that they can actually work together and do something interesting,” said Dr. Wachtel.

While the May 2016 completion of the Forum Wall continues to be an exciting focus, still another fully public exhibition, Topografica, is being curated by one lead artist, Ulan Djaparov, and inaugurates the fourth floor gallery for the October 31 campus gala opening. The exhibition’s concept stems from asking how we experience landscape in a virtual world. Topografica showcases over a dozen projects that explore the ideas of physical and cultural landscapes, place and process, and ambiguity.

After several related talks and artist-directed student projects, the exhibition will close at the end of the year. Many of the pieces will find a permanent home in AUCA and continue to spur contemplation and dialogue around campus.

Topografica is a fitting extension of Land, Culture and Connectivity: Public Art at AUCA; it likewise brings diverse groups of people together through the singular goal of sustained and worthwhile relationships.

Several initial projects with local artists are already in development, including the theater curtain and signature furnishings. ■

FOR MORE UPDATES, FOLLOW US AT: WWW.ARTYSTAN.COM WWW.HMA2.COM WWW.CHRISTENSENFUND.ORG

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UNIVERSITY NEWS AND NOTES

PROGRAM UPDATES Simon Peter Nadeem

Elira Turdunbaeva

BUSINESS

JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATIONS

The Kuehne Foundation and AUCA have established a logistics education program in Kyrgyzstan offering first certified courses of its kind in the country. The program is designed to introduce students to the complex processes involved in the production and distribution of goods as well as the role of management in supply chain design and operation. Students gain a deeper appreciation of logistics as a cross-functional link between all enterprise activities. The students acquire the necessary skills to work in professional logistics.

The Program in Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) is launching a brand new Media Laboratory, Multimedia Center, and TV Studio at AUCA’s new campus. The Media Lab was built in honor of the Chadha Family, the main sponsor of the JMC Program.

The Chadha Family funds the JMC programs technical needs and the students’ annual photography tours around the world.

Denny J. Cho heads the program. Cho holds a PhD in Supply Chain Management from University of Pennsylvania and has worked for Boeing for over 20 years. Cho has taught at the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. Assistant Professors Simon Nadeem and Irina Ten complete the program faculty.

Two program students, sponsored by the Kuehne Foundation and AUCA, participated in the International Students Symposium on Logistics and International Business (ISSLIB). The ISSLIB gives students from different national and cultural backgrounds the opportunity to gain experience presenting and discussing their projects.

Students visited Coca-Cola for their first module. After their third module, the students will intern with select international organizations. ■ Zheenbek Kulenbekov

LABORATORIES AUCA is planning on purchasing advanced laboratory furniture and state-of-the-art laboratory equipment for its new environmental laboratory. The laboratory will be financed by the Kumtor Gold Company. The Environmental Management and Sustainable Development (EMSD) Program staff is currently preparing of the necessary equipment and furniture.

The EMSD program has already developed the design and floor-plan of the environmental laboratory, complete with necessary furniture, tabs, sinks, and fume hoods. The lab will also include a preparation room with a chemically steady table and metallic cupboards. Most importantly, the new laboratory will allow students from EMSD and other relevant programs to receive laboratory training in a safe and convenient environment. ■ 24

AUCA Magazine | Fall 2015

The new Media Lab is located in the new campus basement (room C07). The sixteen workstations are equipped with either a Mac or HP computer. Each computer has the latest versions of professional graphic design, layout, and animation software. The Media Lab is already being utilized by the JMC courses Multimedia Skills I and II as well as two new courses cross-listed with Software Engineering, Motion Graphics and Graphic Design.

Also in the basement is the JMC Program’s new television studio (room C02). The studio contains the industry standards of film, cinema, and photography technology. Currently, the TV studio is being sound-proofed and new lighting equipment, backdrops, and a podium are being installed. The JMC Program received a donation of equipment from the Film and Design School in Luzern, Switzerland HSLU D&K. The donation includes film and audio equipment, cameras, and tripods, together valued at 30,000 USD. The JMC Program is planning to use the TV studio to launch a news telecast, which will be broadcast online on Youtube. The JMC Program will

also receive a TV prompter for its new course on TV presenter skills. The course will teach students TV presenting in an environment essentially at professional standards.

The new Multimedia Center, located on the third floor near the library (room 330), is jointly housed with the library’s NATO Media Center. The Multimedia Center is designed to be a hub for students studying photography, cinema, or art. Students and professors can hold seminars, lectures, round-tables, master-classes, trainingsessions, workshops, or even informal discussions of their work and current projects. The Multimedia Center is also stocked with a wide array of local and international newspapers, magazines, journals, and books about photography and cinema. The JMC Program’s CineDebates, held monthly, will now be held in the Multimedia Center.

CineDebates is a platform for students and teachers to meet and discuss documentary films produced by the Media Education Foundation. Mobile furniture in the Media Center offers a flexibility in the floor-plan, making the space ideal for groups of various sizes.

The professional caliber of JMC’s upto-date technical infrastructure demonstrates the Program’s emphasis on technical and production skills within media and journalism. The JMC Program is now positioned to offer AUCA students the best opportunity and experience in the continually-expanding field of digital media. ■

UNIVERSITY NEWS AND NOTES Daniele Rumolo

Gregory Dunn

TIAN SHAN POLICY CENTER

ECONOMICS

The Central Asian Policy Review is an English-language on-line publication by AUCA’s own Tian Shan Policy Center (TSPC).

The publication is dedicated to promoting free dialogue and the exchange of ideas around human rights, good governance, sustainable development, migration, and social protection in Kyrgyzstan. The review hopes to provides a comparative perspective from other regions of the world that will enrich the debate around these issues.

In the summer of 2014, TSPC began discussions at AUCA about developing a Kyrgyzstan-based policy publication. A publication about Central Asian based in Central Asia provides a unique perspective to the academic conversation around Central Asian Policy, a conversation in which most, if not all, of the authoritative publications are based abroad.

The Review aims to change academic discourse around Central Asian Policy by providing a Kyrgyzstan-based forum for contributors to express their views, highlight pressing issues, and even provide tailored recommendations to influence policy and change legislation.

The first issue focused on Kyrgyzstan and AUCA. The publication contained an introduction from university president, Andrew Wach-

An intertview with Rahat Sabyrbekov Assistant Professor of Economics on his work with the UN On August 31 – September 4, Sabyrbekov participated in the United Nations Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) as a Young Fellow. Rahat is a co-author of the Regional and Subregional Assessment on Europe and Central-Asia.

Were you the only representative from the Kyrgyz Republic?

I was the only one from Kyrgyzstan, and even Central Asia. The leading authors were prominent scientists from all over Europe.

There were several participants from the former Soviet Union, like Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Georgia. I was very lucky to be among them.

How was the selection process? Was it difficult?

The selection process was competitive. The announcement was made to scholars across Europe and Central Asia. Particularly, the organizers wanted people with the requisite academic credentials and research agenda

tel, an article on the origin of TSPC, and three policy articles. The policy articles covered climate change, the Universal Periodic Review, and the minimum wage policy in Kyrgyzstan.

The Review starts its publication at a crucial juncture in Kyrgyzstan. Parliamentary and presidential elections are scheduled for 2015 and 2017, respectively; the country is on the eve of joining the Eurasian Economic Union; and finally, Central Asia is rife with uncertainty in the wake of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Ukraine.

The Tian Shan Policy Center encourages contributions to their review from local, regional, or international experts, professors, students, alumni or anyone else with a focus in Kyrgyzstan or Central Asia. Representatives of local institutions, civil society organizations, and regional and international organizations are also encouraged to contribute.

From the Central Asia Policy Review Editorial Committee: We will engage as many actors as possible to widen the Review’s reach, as well as look for interested donors with the vision to support translations into regional languages and, when possible, support the printing of special issues to reach the broadest audience possible. For more info, email capr@auca.kg ■ for the IPBES scope. During one meeting, we were told that about 700 people applied.

I was selected along with four other fellows from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Italy, Portugal, and Russia.

What was your contribution to the conference?

I am working with another leading author on a chapter [of the IPBES]. I will continue to contribute to the economic component of this chapter. The whole process will take at least a couple of years.

What did you get out of the conference?

It was a great pleasure to meet the leading scientists in Europe. These people are well established scholars, so I learned a lot from them, especially through writing alongside them.

What makes the IPBES important?

The overall aim of our assessment is to see the impact of biodiversity, threats to human well-being, and the effectiveness of our response. Dealing with the problems of using natural resources is crucial for the Kyrgyz Republic. It’s easy to see how people benefit from nature, but, so far, little effort has been made towards sustainability. Our assessments help identify the areas where we need more support from new policies. ■

Next year, approximately ten faculty members from Economics and Business Administration will be visiting the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) to do research on a range of topics from supply chain management to sustainable development to monetary policy.

The AUCA Economics faculty are co-teaching and co-developing ten or so courses for the new Economics M.A. program with the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU).

AUCA is currently in the midst of developing conditions and selection criteria for faculty research trips to NMBU. They are still looking towards faculty members to gauge preliminary interest in the program and to establish a total budget for the program. Once the logistics are solidified, AUCA faculty and staff members will have the opportunity to visit NMBU for research.

The program invites participants to conduct research on the following research fields: economics, business, agriculture, sustainable development. Participants will be expected to publish their research project (article, working paper, policy brief). Eligible candidates are invited to submit a description of their research project to the selection committee. A visit will last one to six months depending on the proposed plan of research. Selected candidates will receive a scholarship to cover their accommodations, airfare, as well as any costs incurred by field-work. ■ Elena Kim

PSYCHOLOGY The 2015-16 academic year marks the beginning of AUCA’s Master of Arts in Applied Psychology. The program offers three specializations: Psychological Counseling, Organizational Psychology, and Research in Psychology, each focusing on theory and practice. Three international professors and four local faculty members currently teach the first cohort of ten students. The student body is diverse in their backgrounds as well as their aspirations, giving credence to the program’s interdisciplinary bent. An official welcoming ceremony took place in August to greet the students and wish them success in their pursuit of a professional education. The graduate program is the first English language MA program in psychology in Kyrgyzstan. It is the only program supporting its students with the best teaching and learning resources and foreign exchange opportunities.

The program even has its first accolades: The Association of Asian Universities awarded a group of MA students “Best Project“ at the second Asian Students Forum Kyrgyzstan— Asia 2015 in early September. ■ AUCA Magazine | Fall 2015

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RED JOLBORS FEST 2015 COMES TO AUCA

INTERVIEWS WITH THE PEOPLE THAT MADE IT HAPPEN Dinara Orozbaeva, Olga Shen

On September 25, the Red Jolbors Fest 2015 marked a successful inaugural use of the Main Forum as a space for community-wide events. A two-day celebration of Central Asian advertising and marketing, the Red Jolbors Fest chose AUCA as the host for its fourth annual festival. AUCA was also a partner to the event.

Advertising agencies gathered at the festival to share their experiences solving ad and marketing problems, improving their techniques, and adopting new technologies. The organizing committee was made up of Sabina Reingold, Yana Dryomina, Natalya Andreeva, Farhad Kuchkarov. Dina Maslova was the president of the festival.

A jury of ad professionals gave out seven gold, 26 silver, and 47 bronze awards during the competition. “Ad Agency of the Festival” and “Customer of the Year” awards were given to agencies from Kazakhstan; the grand prize went to a group from Uzbekistan. The Kyrgyz

Republic took the gold prize in “Design” and “Social TV-commercials,” won by Aleksei Lysogorov and the Antares Creative Group respectively.

President Maslova shares her thoughts from the Red Jolbors Fest How big was the festival this year compared to last year?

More than 400 participants attended festival.

Sixty-five companies submitted their works to the Red Jolbors Awards, a fifty percent increase from last year. The number of submitted works also significantly increased despite slump in the ad market—580 works were submitted compared to about 450 last year.

What made this year’s festival unique?

This festival is unique because, in spite of some the more pessimistic outlooks by a number of applications about the amount competition and participants, we received many more applications. [This year] is also unique due to its atmosphere, created by AUCA’s new campus.

Why pick the pigeon as your mascot?

This year, the festival’s motto is “Move! You need to move!” There are a lot of ad specialists who used to do great work, but their development stops, they don’t move forward.

You could say they are turned into monuments of a sort. Everyone knows that pigeons love to leave droppings on monuments. So, you need to move—don’t turn into a monument and don’t get dirtied by pigeons!

#REDJOLBORSJURY

MIKHAIL YELAGIN, CHAIRMAN EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF TWIGA (RUSSIA)

SERGEI RADIONOV CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF OPENEYES DDB AGENCY (KAZAKHSTAN)

VLADIMIR LIFANOV CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF SUPREMATICA AGENCY (RUSSIA)

FARHAD KUCHKAROV FOUNDER AND EDITOR OF THE ADASIA PORTAL, STRATEGIST OF THE DEPOT WPF AGENCY (RUSSIA)

BENJAMIN BENIMANA FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF INGOMA AGENCY (RUSSIA) SVETLANA MAYBRODSKAYA DIRECTOR AND FOUNDER OF WORDSHOP COMMUNICATIONS ACADEMY (RUSSIA)

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AUCA Magazine | Fall 2015

ANATOLIY YASINSKIY CEO AND CO-OWNER OF THE “POINT OF VIEW” ADVERTISING AGENCY, MEMBER OF THE RUSSIAN ARTISTS’ UNION (RUSSIA)

UNIVERSITY NEWS AND NOTES

Where were the speakers and participants from?

The speakers came from Russia and Kazakhstan. The participants were mainly from Kyrgyz Republic, but some participants came from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Unfortunately, this year’s applicants from Azerbaijan couldn’t make it, but they still submitted their work.

Did you meet your expectations this year?

Our expectations were totally realized.

Everything turned out well with the partners, volunteers, attendees and everyone else. We did our job and, judging by the comments on social networks, people enjoyed the festival. Our jury was very discerning.

The jury originally had a different chair, but he couldn’t make it because of family obligations.However, other than that, there weren’t any problems. According to jury, the level of work didn’t rise [from last year], despite the larger pool. We’d like to change this trend.

How were the award-winners picked?

There were 6 categories: “Television and Radio Commercials”, “Design”, “Print and Outdoor advertising “, “Digital&Mobile”, “Ad Campaigns”, and “Media.” Each category had nominations, and some nominations had sub-nominations. The jury first made a shortlist of their favorites. Out of 580 submitted works, 270 made the shortlist.

After that, the jury assessed the remaining works and made their decision about gold, silver, and bronze awards.

Why did you decide to hold the Red Jolbors Fest 2015 at AUCA’s new campus?

Bishkek has a huge problem—there is no congress hall for large-scale events. So, we are forced to our events in theaters, cinemas, and hotels. Previously, that’s exactly what we did. We always faced challenges as a result of the space. We thought for a long time “Is there any space where it would be possible to seat 500 visitors, with good lighting, good sound equipment, good ventilation and adequate WCs?” When I saw pictures of AUCA’s new campus, I realized that your forum was exactly the place we were looking for. I am so thankful for the help provided by AUCA President Andrew Wachtel; he met us halfway. Sure, we met our own criteria, but we soonrealized that it would be difficult holding such a large event while classes were in session. If there were 500 more people than usual and a concert program, the noise would certainly disturb classes.

But we were lucky—the university had the day off.

The Antares Creative Group won gold in “Social Commercials,” a special category from festival partner UNICEF. Executive Producer and AUCA alumna Svetlana Verchenko shares her impressions of the event.

How long has your group been involved with the Red Jolbors Fest?

This is the third year we’ve participated in the Festival, but we’ve never left empty handed (last year we won two silver prizes, the year before last—one). This time, though, our expectations were definitely

exceeded—we were the first Kyrgyz production to win gold!

What have you learned over the past two days?

This year speakers were excellent. The lectures from day two have been especially imprinted on my mind. I want to “move”, create new ideas, and make them a reality!

What do you think about AUCA’s new campus as a venue for Red Jolbors Fest?

It is the best place for festival. AUCA’s new campus is stylish and modern with a comfortable seating plan. You can easily move without disturbing anyone. It is exactly what is needed for these kinds of events. ■

Nurzhan Kadyrkulova

OPENING THE DOORS TO AUCA BRICK BY BRICK With the participation and support of over 194 alumni and friends, the Brick Campaign successfully raised $15,400 towards building the new campus. Now, AUCA family members, visitors, guests, and partners can all see their names and messages engraved in the campus’s main entrance. We at AUCA sincerely thank each alum, group of alumni, and friends who helped make our new campus possible.

Your contributions mean a lot to us. We will celebrate you as the co-founders of the most advanced and environmentally friendly building in the area! Come, visit our new home and take a picture of your brick on the wall. ■ Nurzhan Kadyrkulova

U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE VISITS AUCA

A group of enthusiastic students from the American University of Central Asia had the opportunity on September eighth to have a conversation with the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Nisha Desai Biswal, and the U.S. Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic Sheila Gwaltney. University president Andrew Wachtel and vice president

for academic affairs Bermet Tursunkulova also participated in the official meeting with the guests from the U.S. Embassy.

Nisha Biswal and Sheila Gwaltney discussed the importance of education for the prosperity and development of the Central Asian region, and wished the AUCA students a good academic year on their new campus. ■ AUCA Magazine | Fall 2015

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SCHOLARSHIPS FOR MINA ALUMNI

NEW GENERATION ACADEMY

NEWS AND UPDATES For the first time, NGA has established a partnership with Bard College and brought two graduates from Bard College from America to teach for the program. Anna Daniszewski teaches Academic Writing, and Sophie Lazar teaches Conversational English class. Their courses are designed to improve students’ English academic writing and speaking skills. Both Sophie and Anna share a focus on critical thinking and are motivated to contribute to the students’ learning process in the NGA program.

idea for whom they believe they can become”.

Anna: “Like Sophie said, there’s a deep appreciation for getting an education here and pursuing what they want in whatever field they want to go into. Applying that effort and determination is important. We’ve only had one meeting of each section that we’re teaching, so I’m excited to get to know my students. So far, this is all very new to them, so they’re a little shy and nervous, but ultimately they’ve already demonstrated this determination, and they are here because they’ve worked really hard. That projects a good future for them”.

Sophie: “I think a huge part of the conversation class is trying to think of topical Additionally, NGA welcomed two new subjects; subjects that are relevant to what English language instructors from abroad they want to pursue in their studAlessandra Sztrimbely and ies. For instance, if students are IT’S VERY MOVING Sarah Blaskovich. Both Alesinterested in business administra- TO SEE THESE STUDENTS, sandra and Sarah are from tion, learning the vocabulary and Canada, and have extensive COMING FROM THE grammar specific to the business experience of teaching English BACKGROUNDS THEY DO, world is very important. If they as a second language. are interested in anthropology or FOCUSED ON GETTING THE To complement the NGA sociology, learning to discuss the BEST EDUCATION THEY CAN. curriculum and to strengthen impact of culture is meaningful. classroom and social skills, Ultimately, being able to think critically is necNGA faculty have initiated and developed essary for each of their intellectual pursuits”. several new co-curricular activities. Most acSophie: “I find the NGA students to be tivities are organized after hours either in the very curious and very bright. They are focused university or in the AUCA international dormion learning in a way that demonstrates a level tory. Most of the activities focus on English, respect for education that you often don’t see like “Grammar Guru” with Aichurek Kydyrov, in the United States. It’s moving to see these “TOEFL IBT” with Sarah Blaskovich, and a students, coming from the backgrounds they book club led by Khurshedsho Qonunov. Addo, focused on getting the best education ditionally, there are Russian-centric activities. they can. They are very excited, tenacious, For example, students can attend “Learning dedicated to their studies, and creative. When Russian through Movies” with Jarkyn Almazwe did a unit on advertising, they came up bekovna or “Let’s Speak Russian” with Usen with their own ideas for advertisements, and I Atabaev. Students also have the opportunity was pleasantly surprised by all the great ideas to play sports through the NGA program’s they had. Their hopes for the future have such new “Intramural Sport Club” headed variance, each one of them has an amazing

by Alessandra Sztrimbely. ■ 28

AUCA Magazine | Fall 2015

AUCA ALUMNUS SEMETEI OMURGAZY HAS FOUNDED AND SPONSORED A NEW SCHOLARSHIP FOR MINA SCHOLARSHIP ALUMNI, STARTING WITH THE 2015-16 ACADEMIC YEAR. OMURGAZY’S SCHOLARSHIP COVERS STUDENTS’ TUITION FOR THEIR FRESHMAN YEAR AT AUCA. OUT OF 21 APPLICANTS, FIVE WERE SELECTED FOR THE SCHOLARSHIP. THREE STUDENTS ARE ORPHANS: AIZIREK NURLIEVA FROM JALAL-ABAD, CHINARA SUIMENALIEVA FROM BISHKEK, AND MURATBEK ALIMBEK UULU FROM OSH REGION. THE REMAINING STUDENTS ARE JAISAN TENTIEV FROM NARYN AND YRYSBEKOVA NURJAMAL FROM JALAL-ABAD.

ABOUT OUR DONORS The New Generation Academy has a proven track record of partnerships with international businesses, organizations and embassies that invest in Central Asian higher education. Among the longstanding partners, Mina Corp has annually granted full scholarships to 70 talented high school graduates from all regions of the Kyrgyz Republic since 2012; and the Kumtor Operating Company has financially supported NGA students from the regions. Scholarships from other sponsors are also available to international students. The U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan supported 40 Afghanistani students in the NGA program for the 2014-15 academic year. USAID provides additional funding for Afghanistani students.

The U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan also financially supports Tajikistani students.

The NGA program has made a lasting impression on donors as a result of its high-caliber education. After a year of prep with the NGA program, students can enter AUCA prepared to succeed. Two new donors, the Tala Copper Gold and Andash Mining Company (a subsidiary of Robust Resources Singapore) specifically chose to support NGA students because of AUCA graduates’ high employment rate. These donors have sponsored two NGA students from the Talas region. ■

UNIVERSITY NEWS AND NOTES

STUDENT SUCCESS STORIES AIPERI KASHIEVA AMMAR YOUNAS STUDYING ABROAD “MY INTERNSHIP WAS LIFE-CHANGING” Aiperi Kashieva, a junior student of the Economics Department at American University of Central Asia, spent her spring semester at Kyung Hee University. Aiperi shares her experience of studying in Seoul, South Korea.

I have learned that AUCA is not only about first-rate education, but it is also like a bridge, which connects AUCA students with students from all over the world. AUCA uniquely provides incredible opportunities to discover the world through different exchange programs. In my opinion, being an AUCA student and not using this priceless chance to study abroad would be a sin.

I could not be a happier than when, after competing with other students, I received my nomination letter for an exchange program of one semester in Kyung Hee University (Seoul, South Korea). I had prepared for all of this during my two years of studying at the university.

All my required documents were ready, so the application was no trouble for me.

Over time I integrated Korean culture. I think that Korean and Kyrgyz culture are so different that it is impossible to compare them, both are perfectly unexceptionable. People, traditions, religion, beliefs, values, food, lifestyle, and shopping habits - everything was new. Food, for instance, was really spicy (like really spicy) and it took me for a while to get used to it. Also one more important aspect is education in Korea, which I found innovative.

After studying with Koreans, I understood why Korea became a developed country so fast: they are amazingly hard working. This country gave me unforgettable experience not only in education, but also it improved my language abilities.

However, studying abroad is not only about studying hard. I visited a couple of cities and islands in Korea. It is unbelievable, but Korea, with its modern buildings, is also the greenest country I have ever visited. And one day, I will come back.

I would say that exchange programs have a huge impact on your personality, knowledge, world outlook, future and other things that you can only feel after one semester abroad. I advise you to just try it, you won’t lose anything. ■

Now a junior of International and Comparative Politics, Ammar Younas spent an unforgettable summer attending the Summer School of Finland, participating in a Model UN Conference in Germany, visiting the Expo 2015 in Milan, Italy, as well as completing an internship at HRCP in Pakistan. Ammar shares with us his unique experiences and impressions.

I have always been interested in Social Sciences. My father was a Professor of Political Science, and my mother was a teacher with a Master’s in Education and Urdu Literature. In our home, we had a small library with lots of books on many topics. I often discussed various political issues at home with my parents. I participated in debate tournaments, declamation contests, public speaking competitions, and Model UN conferences; all these increased my interest in Political Science. My parents wanted me to get a professional degree like medicine, so I started studying medicine. After completing degrees in medicine and finance, I chose to start from the basics and get a Bachelor’s. AUCA was my first choice because I had already fallen in love with Kyrgyzstan and did not want to leave.

Within Kyrgyzstan, AUCA was the only institution to meet my requirements for an ideal university: a Liberal Arts system that allowed me the freedom to choose my courses.

I learned a lot over the summer. My internship was a life-changing experience. It was very motivating to work with the best human rights activists, social critics, and prominent lawyers for my country. I was continually impressed by their knowledge, experience, and motivation to work for human rights. During my internship, I learned about the many different types of cases of human rights violations.

While preparing my report, I had the opportunity to read letters from several people who were experiencing human rights violations in their homes, communities, jails, hospitals, and other institutions. These letters were very emotional and full of pain and sorrow. I also learned about how authority responds to these various human rights violations. This experience was invaluable in teaching me the techniques and tricks for dealing with different cases of human rights violations. Now I feel confident enough to react appropriately in these cases.

I would say I have come to know that there are many more things to learn and to explore in life. I believe everything is relative. Many things which seem static to other people are dynamic for me. Before this summer, I just had a sketch of my fiveyear-plan. After this summer, I know where my competencies lie and can clearly see what I need to do moving forward. ■

LAZIZJON ABDULAZIZOV AN EXCHANGE SEMESTER IN NORWAY Lazizjon Abdulazizov, a junior in the Liberal Arts and Sciences Department, shares his experience at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.

(EMSD) program at AUCA is still young, and so I thought time spent studying at a university with more experience in the field would be good for my education.

As a sophomore, I could not apply for any of the AUCA exchange programs available to upperclassmen; however, my dream had always been to visit Europe, so I decided to apply for this exchange program on my own. The Environmental Management and Sustainable Development

Applications came from some of the brightest students at AUCA, perhaps the brightest in Central Asia. I don’t think I can describe how happy I was. I felt so lucky to be selected. Study hard at AUCA and that will be your ticket to success at any university in the world. ■ AUCA Magazine | Fall 2015

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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS

Semetei Omurgazy, Business Administration 2001, Donor What’s your favorite thing about your job?

Creating new workplaces.

What’s the most interesting thing you remember about being an AUCA student?

Studying was interesting. That’s how AUCA teaches you to get more knowledge.

Successful students can always be successful at another university, but AUCA gives you more options on how to gain experience. Our university provides a tool that each student can use in the future.

And if a student picks it up, it will help him further develop his career and life. AUCA also helps students to identify their potential.

That is also incredibly important.

I am proud of the fact that I graduated from a university, where there is a high level of academic honesty, and moreover, where each student is free to express his or her opinion to both professors and fellow students.

AUCA always gave me and continues to give many children the opportunity to express themselves.

When I was a junior at AUCA, I taught a first-year course called “Drugs, Alcohol, and Sex” instead of a professor. I actually got to 30

AUCA Magazine | Fall 2015

Experienced entrepreneur, a business developer and a philanthropist, Omurgazy is a CEO at Bishkek Fashion Retail Group, Co-Founder and Member of the Board at ABD Partners, a consulting company and Senior Project Manager at AlphaGroup. Omurgazy is a graduate of the Business Administration Department in 2001. teach the course because the professor had received a job offer in some other city, and he had said I could finish up the course for him.

He gave me all the necessary materials. In the class, I explained what alcohol and drugs are, how bad they are, and I went into different issues about using protection. The course was designed to ensure, students understood the realities of adult life. Of course, it was only for half a semester, but all the same it was a certain amount of experience and credibility I received from the university. I was also in the student senate and participated in extracurricular activities.

or she could be sent to study in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) or Moscow, where they could continue to improve as students.

Currently, in rurual schools, the level of education available to the students is still very low, and the students have few opportunities to better their education.

Tell us a little about your scholarships for the New Generation Academy (NGA) graduates.

The third reason I founded my scholarship is a religious view. It is the same reason why I said that those who can receive my scholarship must be orphans. This is because orphans are deprived of many benefits, opportunities, but still they also need a chance to get an education.

First and foremost, there is a moral component. AUCA is my alma mater, and I wanted to contribute to its development.

Second, I remembered that in the Soviet period, lots of professors and outstanding people of science were from the provinces.

The Soviet education system gave opportunities to rural people by allowing them the chance to study at an institute in the city.

If, during their studies at the city institute, the student could prove themselves, then he

In my opinion, those guys who came up through the NGA program are already worthy of respect. They are drawn to knowledge and are the architects of their own destiny. These guys should not be ignored by their education system. We should help them develop.

What can you wish to the current AUCA students?

Learn to communicate properly; do not be shy about asking questions; and constantly learn new things from people older than you who have a more experience. ■

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS

Nazira Beishenalieva Journalism, 1998 Board of Trustees Nazira Beishenalieva is currently the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of CJSC “Bank of Asia,” where she oversees the activities of the Board in the formation of bank policy and the execution of bank strategy. For the last seven years, Nazira has engaged in educational, cultural and social charity projects around Kyrgyzstan. In 2013, she received awards from the Mayor of the City of Bishkek and the Ministry of Social Protection for her contributions to social and economic life.

What is the most interesting thing that you remember about being an AUCA student?

We had a very funny group of nine girls and one boy. We would always stay close to each other even hang around each other. Our group was the year they transitioned us from Linguistics into Journalists, so we became the “experimental group” and the first graduates out of the Journalism Department. Students from Business Administration used to make fun of us, saying that we were all still linguists.

Unfortunately, the “experimental group” failed—none of us became journalists. In life, it turned out that most of the people from our group went on to become the owners of companies, and eventually hiring our group mates from “Business Administration” as financial consultants.

Tell us a little bit about your career path.

I started my career as a financial coordinator at the Central Asia Corporation. Later, I worked at the same company as Administrative Adviser.

Since 2001 I have been a member of the Board of Directors at CJSC “Bank of Asia”.

Now I am a Chair of Board of Directors at the institute. Besides my professional career, I have also actively been engaged in public life.

I was the Chairperson of the Bishkek Business Club and the President of the Rotary Club of Bishkek. Today I am one of the co-founders of the Professionals Club “Pro KG” and a member of the Board of Trustees at AUCA.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

I like my work because it gives me the opportunity to introduce myself to new interesting people, to realize different kind of projects, and to work with a team of professionals.

Do you have any tips you would like to share with currents AUCA students?

Be creative, build a strong network, and dream big!

What do you miss the most about AUCA?

What have been the happiest or proudest moments in your life?

Every stage of my life is happiest! Student life, married life, professional life—every moment brings me some joy and happiness. Frankly speaking my motto is: “To be better every day!

To be happy every day!” There are so many moments in my life that I could consider my proudest. My kids, my graduation from Harvard Business School, organizing my first concert of our pianist at Carnegie Hall, or becoming a member of the Board of Trustees at AUCA, it is a big honor for me.

BE CREATIVE, BUILD A STRONG NETWORK, AND DREAM BIG!

First of all, I miss my group mates and professors. Personally, I still keep in touch with some of our professors and, thanks to Facebook, I stay in touch with most of my fellows who live in abroad. Sometimes, I miss our old AUCA building. We were privileged to study at such historical building, the “Parliament House,” which is part of history of the Kyrgyz Republic. Nostalgically, I remember a beautiful Oak Park where we spent most of our time reading and preparing for lectures.

Anything you’d like to say to your fellow classmates, alumni, and professors?

I hope my fellow classmates will stay in touch and make us happy with their achievements.

We are a single university in Kyrgyzstan with a strong alumni network, and we have to continue building a strong Alumni Association.

My best friends and partners are alumni of AUCA. Student life is the most memorable time of your life and alumni should not lose this priceless connection and experience. I wish our professors continue to be blessed with creative, talented, motivated and smart students! ■ AUCA Magazine | Fall 2015

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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS

What role did AUCA play in your life?

AUCA played a life-changing role. This experience was both mind- and horizonopening for me. It teaches you to set goals, accomplish them and move towards the new ones.Please tell us about your professional experience after graduation.

Svetlana Dzardanova Anthropology, 2007

needs to be noted that my studies were only possible with support of the Turkmenistan American University in Central Asia Scholar Program awarded by the US Embassy in Turkmenistan.

Originally, from Turkmenistan, Svetlana currently lives in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. After graduating from AUCA she matriculated to the MA program at Bishkek’s OSCE Academy and was offered a job at the Academy upon graduation, where she currently works as a Research and Training Coordinator. Besides her professional activities Svetlana volunteers as an urban activist, reconstructing playgrounds in public spaces.

What was your experience of student life at AUCA? What did you do, what do you remember?

Where are you from?

I am from Turkmenistan, Turkmenbashy (formerly Krasnovordsk). It is a small town on the Caspian seashore. Being raised in this rather small but multi-ethnic place affected me in many ways. One of these is my mixed identity and appreciation of diversity and personalities, which makes me feel home everywhere I meet good people.

Why did you decide to study at AUCA? I was motivated by my English teacher at the Bashkent language center back in Turkmenbashy, Mr. Kenan bey Kozanhan.

He convinced me that this was just a right place for me. I still feel like he was one of the most important people in my life, as well as this decision. I didn’t even consider any other options at that point, and psychology was a natural choice for me. It

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Thinking about student life at AUCA always makes me smile. It was a happy time, challenging and enriching. Full of fun, sleepless nights, deadlines, and great/ talented/motivated people all around. Social events like Orientation Week and Diversity Week really make you feel like a member of a big, crazy, and multicultural family. AUCA is, to a very large extent, its professors. I was lucky with mine. I still keep admiring them for their wisdom, knowledge, enthusiasm and charisma as well as being more like guides than mentors, like Dr. Aaron Brudny.

I think all his students feel privileged and honored having been taught by him. My favorite place at AUCA remains its library with its huge collection of fiction. I remember how reading avidly sometimes affected my attendance and performance.

What do you think about AUCA’s education?

AUCA is one of the best universities in Central Asia. At AUCA you have to work hard to maintain high academic performance. Corruption-free, it allows its students to acquire knowledge, skills and experience to become competitive not only in the Central Asian labour market, but also far beyond its borders. Personally, I see AUCA as a place where students get an impetus to further boost their academic and professional careers.

After graduation and some employments in between I started working for the Alexandra Clothing Company in HR, which was really close to my major in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Sometime later, I realized I needed to move forward and learn something new. I was interested in conflicts and the region, so the MA program at the OSCE Academy was a great match for my interests. I was offered a position at the Academy upon graduating and now I work as a Research and Training Coordinator. Working with people is a challenging but rewarding experience. My position allows me to combine both of my academic backgrounds, to participate in various research projects and to contribute to regional cooperation and development.

Do you have any plans for the future?

At this point I am strongly considering applying to a PhD Program as the next step in my career development.

What motivates you in your personal and professional life?

My son. He is a real motivation and inspiration. Sometimes I think he is a wiser, kinder and better version of me. It is easy to be with him because I do not need to impress him. His love is unconditional and this inspires even more.

How do you see the role of alumni in supporting AUCA? AUCA has a big and active alumni network.

The university can rely on this network financially in some cases, but what is more important, is that AUCA alumni create a progressive and highly-professional image attracting more potential students.

Is there anything you’d like to you say to your AUCA alumni, fellows, students, and professors?

I would like to thank the fellows and professors for the great service they do for the region and for every student in particular.

Honestly, I would probably say nothing new to the students as they already know what a great experience they are going through.

But I would like to add that you should try to achieve your goals and with achieving them you will bring change to the region! AUCA alumni keep proving this in Kyrgyzstan and everywhere else across the globe. ■

AUCA SPOTLIGHT

DISTINGUISHED FLEX ALUMNA

BERMET TURSUNKULOVA Vice President for Academic Affairs of AUCA Bermet Tursunkulova received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the nonprofit organization American Councils as one of the first FLEX Program alumni.

for the first time, to formally acknowledge its most successful alumni.

The Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program is a merit-based scholarship program funded by the U.S. Department of State for secondary school students, accepting applicants from ten republics of the former Soviet Union (Eurasia). The program offers scholarships for students to travel to the United States and attend high school for a full academic year while living with a host family.

“It is a big honor for me to receive the Distinguished Alumni Award from the American Councils. And it makes it an even greater honor that another award winner was Georgian FLEX alumna Ketevan Bochorishvili, now the Georgian Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development,” said Bermet Tursunkulova.

This year is the 40th anniversary of the American Councils for International Education, known in Kyrgyzstan for its support of the FLEX Program. On the occasion, the FLEX program has decided,

In 1993, Bermet Tursunkulova was among 15 high school students selected for the U.S. program.

Dr. Tursunkulova flew to New York for a day to receive the award from U.S. Senator Bill Bradley, the initiator of the FLEX Program in the early 90s. Bill Bradley envisioned the program as a medium to build future U.S.

relations with countries from the former Soviet Union--relationships based on personal friendships and mutual understanding.

“From Kyrgyzstan, besides me, there was Deputy Foreign Minister Emil Kaikiev and Kyrgyz Ambassador to the U.S. Kadyr Toktogulov. My brother, Kanat Tursunkulov, who was in New York attending the UN GA meeting, was also there with me,” remarked Bermet Tursunkulova.

The award ceremony was held in the Russian Tea Room, a historic New York venue founded in the 1920s by members of the Russian Imperial Ballet. The restaurant has symbolic importance for the American Councils because of the emphasis the organization puts on Russian language and cultural studies in the U.S. ■

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Canada

USA

Europe & Russia

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AUCA Magazine | Fall 2015

Asia The University of Hong Kong

Central Asia

Diplomatic Academic of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyz Republic named after K. Dikambaev Jalalabad State University

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DIVERSE STUDENT BODY RUSSIAN LANGUAGE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO 7:1 AVERAGE CLASS SIZE 14