AUCA Magazine Winter 2015 by AUCA

American University of Central Asia

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

Published by American University of Central Asia | Bishkek | Kyrgyz Republic

CONTENTS 05 President’s Message Editor’s Note AUCA Updates 06 AUCA’s Hopes For 2015 07 Philanthropist and Investor George Soros Visits AUCA 08 Tian Shan Policy Center’s Universal Periodic Review Screening 09 Connecting With Classmates in the Tajik Wakhan The Paths to Success 10 NGA Mentors: Preparing The Next New Generation For Success 12 Opening An International Window Onto Local Issues: AUCA Launches A Logistics And Supply Chain Management Certificate Program

15 Examining The Complexities Of The Central Asian Past And Present: The Master Of Arts In Central Asian Studies 18 Salkyn Ibraimova: How To Build A Career 20 Tian Shan Policy Center: Promoting Independent Investigations And Accountability As A Tool To Fight Torture 22 AUCA Success Stories 27 Saving Snow Leopards, One Rural Community At A Time 30 AUCA A Winner At The Sports Awards In Kyrgyzstan 33 International And Business Law Department In The Spotlight 36 Ramis Dzhailibaev: A Man Is Personally Responsible For His Knowledge, Experience And Professionalism. 38 Alumni Spotlight

Publication Team Editor-in-Chief: Stephen Lioy

Design and Layout: Emil Akhmatbekov

Contributors: Christopher Baker Cholpon Duishoeva Begaiym Esenkulova Gulazor Gulmamadova Salkyn Ibraimova Dinara Orozbaeva Daniele Rumolo Begimai Sataeva Almas Suiunbekov Diana Tsoi

Pictures: AUCA Archives CASI Ludwig Boltzmann Institute Stephen Lioy Gulnigor Tilloeva TSPC

American University of Central Asia

On the cover: Chyngiz Shamshiev Photography by Emil Akhmatbekov.

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. You may send your correspondence and subscription inquiries to: AUCA Magazine | American University of Central Asia, 205 Abdymomunov Street, Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic 720040 Tel./Fax: (996 312) 66-45-64, E-mail: pr@mail.auca.kg, www.auca.kg

President’s Message ing during the month of May. While I cannot guarantee that everything will be finished (especially on the exterior of our new building), I can say with almost 100% certainty that by June 1, if you come to visit us, you will not find us at 205, Abdymomunova, but rather just off the Iuzhnii magistral, next door to the Seismological Institute (we still haven’t been given an address, so I can’t give you an exact number!).

Dear AUCA Alumni, It is not quite mid-February, but already it appears that winter is easing its hold on Bishkek. With each passing day, we are reaching milestones in the construction of our new home, and we can see clearly that we will be mov-

In the meantime, however, our students, alumni, staff and faculty continue to make us proud. Whether it is in terms of the learning that goes on in our classrooms, the research we publish in leading journals all over the world, the governmental and private positions that our alumni have taken up, or the civic engagement projects we all get involved in, AUCA continues to make an enormous impact on Central Asia. In this issue, you will have the opportunity to hear about the work of a number of our most

illustrious faculty, staff, students and alums. We hope that they will inspire you to send us information about your triumphs (and perhaps tribulations) so that we can share them with your fellow alumni. One of AUCA’s main goals going forward to is ensure that we keep our alumni involved in the life of AUCA. Whether you read our magazine, check out our Facebook page, open our monthly e-newsletter, come to gatherings at AUCA or alumni events that we are holding around the world, we value you and we want to hear from you as often as possible. So keep us in your thoughts and keep the news coming. Graduation this year will be on Saturday, June 6. We hope to see many of you there as we celebrate AUCA’s 17th commencement ceremony and the move to the new AUCA campus! Andrew Wachtel President, AUCA

Editor’s note One of the most striking things I notice while interacting with AUCA’s alumni, staff, students, and faculty is the overwhelmingly positive outlooks they have on the future. No matter whether we’re talking about the launch of new programs like Logistics and Supply Chain Management Certificate or the new Master’s in Applied Psychology, the expansion of current programs, or the many wonderful innovations that the New Campus will bring; no matter the topic and no matter the interlocutor the overwhelming narrative is that the stories of AUCA and of those associated with the university are stories of success. Some of these ‘AUCA Success Stories’ are widely-known and loudly heralded, of course: such as the number of AUCA representatives who have very deservingly received our congratulations for their promotion to top government posts, or the campus visit of AUCA benefactor George Soros late last year. Others are hidden in plain sight, like the growing group of former NGA students who are devoting their spare time to making sure that those who follow in their footsteps are well prepared for both

the academic rigor and the emotional stress of transitioning into a university environment. A few, stories like that of AUCA Alumna Cholpon Abasova and her work with the ‘Snow Leopard Enterprises’ program, are so far off the radar that it took a detailed map and a few government permits to track the story down. Yet, it is these stories and the people who are living them that deserve so much of the credit for the thriving community and strong reputation that AUCA enjoys today. It is also these people, the alumni and faculty who are already leaders in their fields as well as the students of today who still walk the halls of the AUCA campus, which will write the ‘AUCA Success Stories’ of tomorrow. To my mind, AUCA Vice President Talant Sultanov best characterized this optimistic outlook for the future of the university during his interview for the ‘AUCA Success Stories’ feature, which you’ll read in the following pages: he describes the university as on the path to one day being a leading institution not only regionally but worldwide. As I look now at all the plans in the works for the future of AUCA and all the amazing people who stand behind

those plans, it would be impossible for me to disagree. I hope you enjoy reading the collection of ‘AUCA Success Stories’ contained within this magazine, which looks at but a few of the countless possible tales we had to choose from. We invite you, as always, to connect with ‘MyAUCA’ on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to share your own stories. Stephen Lioy Editor-in-Chief

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

AUCA Updates

AUCA’s Hopes for 2015 With the modern and traditional New Years just behind us and Nowruz on the horizon, AUCA Magazine wanted to find out what the university community is looking forward to in 2015. Our students, alumni, faculty, and staff all chimed in with their hopes and expectations for the coming year.

“

I am really happy that in 2015 AUCA will finally move to a new longawaited campus, which is amazing! I think from this moment our dear alma mater will have a rebirth and will become something much better than it is now. I hope that these changes will impress our faculty, staff, students, and alumni.”

Iliyas Mamadiyarov, International Student Coordinator

“

I hope that 2015 will mark a year of stability, development, success, and prosperity for AUCA and Kyrgyzstan on a broader scale. As an AUCA alumnus and current coordinator of its international student office, my principal goal for 2015 is to further strengthen the international prestige of my alma mater. Thus, I firmly believe the New Year will be a lucrative year for our school. We will work hard to further expand AUCA’s present international partnership in the field of faculty and student exchanges, research, conferences, etc.”

Jane Mikhailidi, Journalism and Mass Communications 2018

“

I expect for myself the email with “Congratulation! Dear Jane, we are pleased to announce that you’re qualified for the participation in summer school of Harvard University this summer. You did a great job. We love you!” or maybe not that sensitively. I expect to try every single possibility to fill my youth with vivid moments. I expect Kyrgyzstan to raise an open-minded society. People should learn how to accept the new: lifestyles, dances, communications, clothes, and MENTALITY. It’s not enough to sit in the cave of old traditions. I expect for AUCA to keep its’ present student spirit. It has already lead the university to success and prosperity in Kyrgyzstan. So I wish the new purpose: to become one of the best universities in all the world.”

Zheenbek Kulenbekov, Chair of the Environmental and Sustainable Development Program

“

Soon I am expecting to open a new small environmental laboratory in the EM&SD Program on the current AUCA campus because of a shortage of space for laboratory works. Recently a new set of water analysis equipment has been purchased for our small laboratory, financed by Norwegian Project. In order to use this equipment I am planning an interesting field trip to Big Chui Channel for students of the Environmental Chemistry course to practice water quality analysis and gain more experience in the field. I was telling students about this new laboratory during the first classes of the Spring Semester and they are happy to hear the news. They were saying to each other with some excitement as well

that the Environmental Chemistry course is going to be interesting for them. We are planning to organize some activities such as advertising the EM&SD Program in upcoming events this semester in order to attract more students into our program. The events are related to participation of the EM&SD Program first in the International Schoolchildren Environmental Conference (called Nature Protection Tradition of Kyrgyz Republic with Sustainable Development for Present and Future) and second in the Kyrgyz Republic Olympiad for Schoolchildren in Natural Sciences. We will also be participating in AUCA’s events such as an Open House for prospective students and their parents and a student bike tour from AUCA’s new campus around Bishkek and back, and also a bio-product day in the AUCA campus.“

We wish all of our Alumni and Friends of AUCA a prosperous 2015, and we look forward to seeing in many more years of excitement and success with your support.

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

Published by American University of Central Asia | Bishkek | Kyrgyz Republic

Natali Anarbaeva, Journalism and Mass Communications 2011

AUCA Updates Begimai Sataeva

Philanthropist and Investor George Soros Visits AUCA

ne of the most celebrated events at the American University of Central Asia in 2014 was the visit of philanthropist and investor George Soros to the university. Mr. Soros is the main benefactor of AUCA, supporting students and faculty by providing a high-standard education through direct involvement as well as indirectly through the work of the Soros Foundation and Open Societies Foundation. Mr. Soros started his day in Bishkek at breakfast with a representative of the Aga-Khan Foundation and AUCA President Andrew Wachtel, primarily to discuss the possibility of cooperation between American University of Central Asia and the University of Central Asia. In addition to meeting with President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambayev and Prime Minister Djoomart Otorbaev (an AUCA Trustee), Mr. Soros was able to visit the AUCA New Campus as well as a trip to the current campus to personally greet faculty and students before meeting with representatives of the student body in the university cafeteria. Students discussed with him the concept of success and the role of education, including questions they had prepared for Mr. Soros about the sources of his own success. This group of successful students, representing different academic departments and the many countries whose nationals are part of the AUCA community, demonstrate brilliant scholastic, creative, and entrepreneurial abilities. Not only did these students ask questions of Mr. Soros, but he also expressed an interest in them: their plans for the future, educational aspirations, and career goals. Farrukh Umarov, a student from Tajikistan, shared his story and what

role the Soros Foundation had played in his life: “I’m from a family of migrant workers. My family has been working in Russia. I had an opportunity to go to the presidential school of Tajikistan. I won first place at the Olympiad in English and applied to the Open Society Foundation scholarship. I passed all the tests at AUCA, received a scholarship, and came to Bishkek. This was one of the deciding factors in my life. At AUCA I had a chance to spend a semester in America, Bard College, which certainly affected my life even more. My next goal is the Master’s degree. In the future, I plan to continue my career and work in Tajikistan.“ In response to queries from students and alumni, George Soros described various aspects of his own past, the concept of success, and the importance of lifelong education: “I was an obedient child; I always wonder what my parents think about my actions? Before making decisions I ask myself would my parents be happy with my decisions or not.” Bakhrom Tursunov, a sophomore student of the Business

Administration department, is from the small city of Kyzyl-Kiya in Kyrgyzstan. Bakhrom is one of the first alumni of the AUCA’s “New Generation Academy” program, which provides scholarships for deserving secondary school graduates in Kyrgyzstan to gain access to quality higher education on the basis of both academic merit and financial need. Bakhrom finished the program and became a US-CAEF awardee, which grants him a fulltuition scholarship to study for four years at AUCA. He has an analytical and creative way of thinking, and was impressed both my Mr. Soros’ knowledge and his advice: “Mr. Soros has been a positive person. I was struck by his knowledge of geography. When I said I was from the Batken region, he asked, “Is it Ferghana valley?” Some of our citizens do not know where this area is. After the meeting, I realized that you should always set the bar higher to try to be better. As Mr. Soros said, “Success - a combination hardworking and luck.” The advice of such a person is very useful.”

#phrases “In my days there was another ideology. I left Hungary when I was 17 years old, when I came to America. All that I wanted to earn was $ 5,000. I consider myself very lucky because I have a fantasy inherent to teenagers. My dreams came true. I remember that in one day I earned and lost one million dollars; but I did not achieve Master’s and PhD.” – George Soros

“One of the determining factors of success is critical thinking skills. Education does not end at the university, it must continue throughout life. Before being able to help others on a global scale, it is necessary to become successful. Success is a combination of hard work and luck. “

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

AUCA Updates Daniele Rumolo

Tian Shan Policy Center brings together representatives of Kyrgyz government and civil society for United Nation’s Universal Periodic Review of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Among the participants who attended the event the TSPC secured the involvement of representatives of the Office of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Human Rights Coordination Council, the National Institute of Strategic Studies, the General Prosecutor’s Office, and several NGOs and TSPC partners working on a wide range of human rights issues such as migration, torture prevention, rule of law, persons with disabilities, and women and children’s rights. Representatives of the Ombudsman’s Office and the National Center for the Prevention of Torture, the main Kyrgyz human rights institutions, were also party to the event. The UPR is a UN-led process

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

aimed at periodically assessing and reviewing the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States. It provides an opportunity for all States to declare what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries and to overcome challenges to the enjoyment of human rights. It takes place before the Geneva-based Human Rights Council every four and a half years and its outcome is a set of recommendations whose implementation is the assessed in the following cycle. Before the current UPR the Kyrgyz Republic underwent its first review in 2010, and the implementation of the recommendations provided during the current cycle will be reviewed again in 2019. The review is based on three different types of documents: a national report, a UN report, and a stakeholders’ report. In June the Tian Shan Policy Center submitted its contribution to the Human Rights Council, who included twelve quotes from the TSPC document into the final stakeholders’ report. Only Human Rights Watch, a worldwide human rights NGO, was referenced more often in the final document. Sabina Akhmetzhanova, Coordinator for the TSPC Human Rights Program, emphasized that “this was a unique opportunity to gather together all institutions and organizations who tirelessly work on human rights in Kyrgyzstan on a daily basis. If we want to contribute to the promotion and protection of human rights and the development of our country to ensure a prosperous future for all people of Kyrgyzstan, there is the absolute need for a coordinated approach among institutions and civil society to uphold the principles enshrined in the Constitution.”

In the months after the review and the publication of the recommendations, the TSPC will continue to advocate for their full implementation while providing technical support and expertise to the government and civil society. By doing so, the Tian Shan Policy Center works to ensure the full compliance of policy and legislation with human rights principles as a tool for the sustainable development of Kyrgyzstan. #info

“Readers who would like to review the documents submitted for the Kyrgyz Republic’s Universal Periodic Review can do so on the website of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights at www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR/Pages/ KGSession21.aspx”

Published by American University of Central Asia | Bishkek | Kyrgyz Republic

n 19 January the Tian Shan Policy Center (TSPC), in cooperation with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), invited representatives of Kyrgyz institutions, NGOs, civil society groups, embassies, and international organizations to the main AUCA conference room for a live screening of the UN Human Rights Council’s 21st session featuring the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the Kyrgyz Republic. “I am very proud of what we have achieved today.” – said Kanat Sultanaliev, the TSPC Executive Director – “We succeeded in bringing together the entire society of Kyrgyzstan: local institutions, NGOs, and the International Community to witness together a critical moment for the human rights history of Kyrgyzstan. I think it clearly demonstrated that educational institution can play a key role in improving the situation of our country and AUCA and the TSPC are surely a leading example of it.”

AUCA Updates

Connecting With Classmates in the Tajik Wakhan

#facts Wakhan

Historically the Wakhan has been an important region for thousands of years as it is where the Western and Eastern portions of Central Asia meet. Western Wakhan was conquered in the early part of the 1st century CE by Kujula Kadphises, the first “Great Kushan,” and was one of the five xihou or principalities that formed the nucleus of the original Kushan kingdom.

or visitors, the Wakhan Corridor is usually the end of the road. The town of Ishkashim draws travelers and merchants to the weekly market between the Tajik and Afghan borders during the summer, but for this valley of eleven thousand people access to higher education outside the region and information about how and when to apply can be hard to come by. AUCA’s Gulnigor Tilloeva, a senior student of Sociology department and resident of Ishkashim, would like to help change that. Answering a call from the Office of Admissions before the 20142015 winter holidays, Gulnigor returned home loaded with information about the AUCA application process to spread the word to her former classmates and, in her own words, received quite an enthusiastic welcome: “I made a speech in the New Year concert and informed the students about the exams, and at the end distributed the brochures as well as answered their questions. There were parents who were interested to know about the program. Even the Santa was interested to know about such an opportunity, and wants to get his

daughter who is in 9th grade ready for studying at AUCA.” Gulnigor described for us her own experience of taking the AUCA Admissions exam, which was a bit more spontaneous. Her mother, who happened to be in Khorog the day before the exams were to be held, informed Gulnigor about the tests around 18 hours before they were to start. After a late night ride from Ishkashim, she arrived in the city of Khorog for the exam. Currently in her senior year at AUCA, the rushed preparations obviously didn’t hinder her performance. The interested students Gulnigor spoke with should have a bit more notice this year thanks to the Admissions brochures she handed out directly to her peers, gave to the English teachers from her former school, and left with the municipal public education authority to hand out to other schools in the Wakhan district. The Office of Admissions will see the results of Gulnigor’s work when they visit Tajikistan at the beginning of March to conduct exams. With any luck, Orientation Week 2015 will see even more dedicated students like Gulnigor Tilloeva from Tajikistan’s Wakhan Corridor.

Until 1883 Wakhan was a principality on both sides of the Panj and Pamir Rivers, ruled by a hereditary ruler (mir) with his capital at Qila-e Panja. In the 1880s, under pressure from Britain, Abdur Rahman Khan the Emir of Afghanistan imposed Afghan rule on the Wakhan. Agreements between Britain and Russia in 1873 and between Britain and Afghanistan in 1893 effectively split the historic area of Wakhan by making the Panj and Pamir Rivers the border between Afghanistan and the Russian Empire. On its south side, the Durand Line agreement of 1893 marked the boundary between British India and Afghanistan. This left a narrow strip of land as a buffer between the two empires. In 1949, when Mao Zedong completed the Communist takeover of China, the borders were permanently closed, sealing off the 2,000-year-old caravan route and turning the corridor into a cul-de-sac. When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in December 1979, they occupied the Wakhan and built strong military posts at Sarhad-e Broghil and elsewhere. To facilitate access they built a bridge across the Pamir River at Prip, near Gaz Khan. However, the area did not see fighting. In 2010 the Wakhan was reported to be peaceful and unaffected by the war in the rest of Afghanistan. source: Wikipedia

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

AUCA Success Stories Cholpon Duishoeva and Almas Suiunbekov

NGA Mentors: Preparing The Next New Generation For Success “Just a day ago when I was leaving my office at around 6:30 PM, in the nearest classroom I saw our current NGA students practicing English with their mentors. This means a lot to me. I was touched to see the mentors devoting their time to our students, especially now before the first entrance exam to AUCA in March. Then I realized that the mentorship program is not only about mentees getting help from their mentors, but also a lot about the mentors themselves because through the program they stay connected to NGA. Although it is only three years that we have had this Program, I think it has gone far beyond its initial idea. I see how the mentorship is fostering a spirit of helpfulness in our students, both graduates and current. I believe that if one can help the others within his/her close surroundings then that person can do greater things for his/ her community and eventually for the country. Although the Mentorship program was started with and for former NGA students only, now there are other AUCA students mentoring through this program who are not related to NGA. To me, this is a clear message for us to continue working on this program and improving it. One of the things we want to stress is the involvement of other NGA international students. We need to motivate them to be actively engaged in this program. Initially, Mentorship was for students who come from the regions of Kyrgyzstan. Although we try to involve NGA students from Afghanistan and other Central Asian regions, we are not that successful for now. Buts it is always good to have room for improvement.” – NGA Administrative Director Cholpon Duishoeva

he end of the day’s classroom lectures is only the beginning of AUCA sophomore Almas Suiunbekov’s responsibilities. Almas is an alumnus of the New Generation Academy, and so no stranger to the hard work required to take advantage of all of the academic and social opportunities available to AUCA’s youngest cadre of students. Drawing on his own experience in the NGA program and the benefit of his last two years as a Business Administration student at AUCA, however, Almas is now leading new opportunities for these students as head of the NGA Mentors program. Alongside Asel Kaldybaeva, the

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

second student leader who helped found the program, Almas works to ensure that students of AUCA’s New Generation Academy have the resources they need to adapt not only to the academic curriculum of the program but also to grow comfortable in the social atmosphere of AUCA’s campus and the NGA dormitory. Almas and the other NGA mentors lead discussion sessions on topics ranging from ‘Math’ and ‘English’ to ‘Time and Stress Management’ and ‘Extracurricular and Social Activities’. All of the NGA Mentors are graduates of the New Generation Academy, so they approach their commitment with an understanding of what it feels like to be in this pre-undergrad program

The Mentors program was launched in 2013 through the initiative of NGA Administrative Director Cholpon Duishoeva with a simple goal: to allow recent graduates of the program to share their academic and personal experience with those that would follow in their footsteps. Cholpon has taken a step back from the day to day administration of the program since its’ inception, and while she works with Almas and his team to set the academic goals of the program each year it is mainly up to them to decide how to implement their ideas. It should come as no surprise then that the program is as comfortably at home with discussions in the NGA Dormitory or via facebook groups as with meetings in more traditional academic settings like the AUCA main building or library. Almas describes his work as a sort of ‘edutainment’ for both himself and his mentees. Group meetings like ‘Math’ and ‘English’

Published by American University of Central Asia | Bishkek | Kyrgyz Republic

that prepares its’ students for the rigors of university. From the point of view of the Mentors, these groups are often less important for the hard academic skills they teach and more for their ability to make sure Mentees have someone to turn to when the stress and emotional turmoil of their new life becomes too much. As Almas describes, his role is more to keep his Mentees focused and to parlay their passions into being engaged with NGA and the AUCA community more broadly:

AUCA Success Stories

#phrases

“Mentors cannot teach and explain Math, English, and other academic disciplines as competently as the professors do, though they still conduct academic activities. However, they are the best peer-teachers in non-academic extracurricular activities such as being socially pro-active, sharpening leadership skills, participating in “Student Life” and in its diverse clubs in AUCA and beyond. With the assistance of mentors, mentees vector their energy to positive and useful activities.”

New Generation Academy have academic implications for their members, of course, but these are not graded courses like those that students attend within the formal curriculum of NGA. Rather, these groups are a space where students can reach out to one of their peers for help and discussion. Other groups within the Mentors program are focused on more extracurricular offerings: visiting hospitals and orphanages for social outreach, planning events for AUCA’s Diversity Week, or even discussing their goals for the future after NGA. Despite the extra hours and effort that leading the program requires for Almas, he says that the success of his mentees and the connections he is able to form with them make it all worthwhile. “Ulan Apylov, an NGA graduate, was my first mentee and I was happy to meet such a brilliant and goalseeking young man, who was ready ‘to fall a thousand times and stand a thousand and one times’. I saw his hidden firm character and potential, and was sure that if I showed him a few academic and non-academic directions to be a successful graduate of NGA he would be in the list of top students. Finally, that was what he managed to reach, and now he is in the list of the “Best 15 students” of NGA.” - Almas Suiunbekov Clearly Almas’ work with his mentees leaves some lasting impression, as Ulan is himself now an NGA Mentor helping to prepare

the next graduates of the New Generation Academy for their own success. Where will those successes take them? Almas has a clear idea: “If one asks mentees whether they want to study at AUCA or in other universities, almost 99.9% of them will answer that they would prefer studying in AUCA or in other European and American universities. They see AUCA as the only place where they can find quality education, ground for critical thinking (and being sure that they won’t be punished for that), and zero tolerance to indulgences and bribes. Thus almost all mentees want to be accepted to the university, and the university seems them the only ticket to a happy and successful life.” Almas points to outstanding mentors like Saginay Koichueva, Nurzada Duishalieva, Aselia Bialieva, Samatbek Osomonov, Ulan Apylov, Eliza Almashbekova, Shirin Musaeva, Nurbekova Meerim, Lira Momunalieva as the heart of the club and the dynamos behind the NGA Mentors’ strong program of activities that are aimed at shaping academically and socially active students. Under their guidance and the leadership of Business Administration sophomore student Asel Kaldybaeva who will oversee the Mentors program while Almas studies abroad this semester, it seems the next New Generation of AUCA students is in good hands.

“If one asks mentees whether they want to study at AUCA or in other universities, almost 99.9% of them will answer that they would prefer studying in AUCA or in other European and American universities. They see AUCA as the only place where they can find quality education, ground for critical thinking (and being sure that they won’t be punished for that), and zero tolerance to indulgences and bribes. Thus almost all mentees want to be accepted to the university, and the university seems them the only ticket to a happy and successful life.” - Almas Suiunbekov

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

AUCA Success Stories

Opening An International Window Onto Local Issues: AUCA Launches A Logistics And Supply Chain Management Certificate Program

hat’s the difference between the international giant Coca-Cola company and the Kyrgyz Republic’s Shoro? Logistics, scale, and a global supply chain network that helps to push the former to more than 200 countries and markets around the world. For private companies, issues of logistics and supply chain management are questions of a profitable year versus a record-breaking one. For organizations like the World Food Program, whose mandate is in part to meet refugee and other emergency food needs and the associated logistics support, supply chain inefficiencies can be a matter of life and death. With the Kyrgyz Republic ranked 149th in the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index in 2014, however, little of the infrastructure and technical expertise necessary to improve these processes is available to local enterprises like Shoro when they look towards expanding into the global marketplace. Dr. Denny Cho, the head of AUCA’s new Logistics and Supply Chain Management (LSCM) Certificate program, looks forward to changing that. Originally envisioned by the World Food Programme in the Kyrgyz Republic as a venture of the Kuehne Foundation’s Humanitarian and Emergency Logistics Project (H.E.L.P.), with the efforts of AUCA President Andrew Wachtel and the Office of Development the scope of the idea expanded to include Dr. Cho’s proposal to benefit the local business community as well. Through his vision and leadership, AUCA and the Kuehne Foundation will help raise the level of logistics management in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia and open an international window onto

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

local issues. From Dr. Cho’s perspective, it is today’s undergraduate students at AUCA who will be at the forefront of changing the logistics landscape in the region. In the three years he has taught as a Professor in the Master of Business Administration program at AUCA, Dr. Cho says that the level of students has often made it difficult to tell the difference between teaching in Bishkek and classes at the Wharton School and the School of Engineering and Applied Science in the University of Pennsylvania where he was previously a professor. However, as plans for the Logistics and Supply Chain Management Certificate program began to solidify it seemed to Dr. Cho that the students who stood to benefit most were not these MBA students (many of whom are already midcareer professionals), but rather the students of AUCA’s undergraduate Business Administration and Economics programs. These future leaders for the economic transformation of Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia will bring to the industry fresh perspectives and, with their Logistics and Supply Chain Management Certificate, an understanding of international best practices that will push the region to be more competitive in the global marketplace. Kreie and Kuehne Foundation Involvement As Dr. Cho’s students learned in their first class on January 20th, itself the very first lecture in the Logistics and Supply Chain Management Certificate program, only enterprises that maximize the logistics potential of their industries can hope to compete at the highest level internationally. Dr. Andre Kreie,

Project Manager for the Kuehne Foundation and guest lecturer for the program’s first lesson, illustrated this with a number of examples from his own long experience in the supply chain business. Like all of the Kuehne Foundation’s Project Managers, Dr. Kreie combines professional experience in logistics with a rigorous academic background that together help him to design programs to have the most practical impact for the regions in which the Foundation operates. Founded and funded by Prof. Dr. Klaus-Michael Kuehne and family in 1976, the Kuehne Foundation supports research and progress in the global transport industry and in particular the field of logistics. Though it draws on the experience of the Kuehne-Nagel company, the global market leader in sea freight and a top-ten company in logistics worldwide, the industry-neutral Kuehne Foundation is a separate entity whose projects are designed to benefit the logistics community as a whole. While the Foundation has explored other opportunities in Central Asia, the key element found lacking has always been a reliable partner in the region. For Dr. Kreie, the tipping point in Kyrgyzstan is the reliability of a partner like AUCA. A professional work culture, reliable staff, quick decision-making, and the ability to facilitate the transfer of the Kuehne Foundation’s considerable expertise in the logistics industry to an engaged student body all set American University of Central Asia apart from other potential partners; a location at the heart of Eurasia in a country with enormous potential for development in the field of logistics also means that both the students themselves and local society stand to

Published by American University of Central Asia | Bishkek | Kyrgyz Republic

“AUCA is a good university: preparing students for the future, teaching them how to think critically, communicate effectively, and grow continuously even after life at AUCA. AUCA builds a strong base, but in the global market students also need practical skills. Good price and quality no longer dominate the market, now time is essential as well. You have to get to the market quickly. “

AUCA Success Stories

benefit greatly from the partnership. In many ways this program is a reflection of the experiences of the Drs. Kreie and Cho: attention to the educational aspect of the topic, but with a focus on training and applied sciences so students have the tools to utilize that academic experience. As both would likely attest and as Dr. Kreie explicitly states, there is one other essential element to a career in logistics: an open and international perspective to bring together different communities. Moving between projects in Tanzania, Germany, Singapore, and now Kyrgyzstan has undoubtedly given Dr. Kreie countless opportunities to put this into practice. But how do AUCA’s future professionals acquire this skill? The students need to get out and experience it – there’s no other way to learn it. In addition to preparing the initial class session for LSCM students,

Dr. Kreie also presented a public guest lecture on the ‘Importance of Logistics and Supply Chain Management for Business’ Success’. Of the many ideas highlighted in his presentation one of the most striking was this: the Kyrgyz Republic is currently losing ground globally in the logistics sector. Falling from a worldwide rank of 91st in the 2000 Logistics Performance Index to 130th in 2012, the country is currently rated as 149th out of 160 countries measured. For this sector to improve, the country needs a renewed focus on education, innovation, and policy by all relevant parties. If the level of engagement at both sessions by AUCA students and professionals in the local logistics sector is any indicator, interest in the new Logistics and Supply Chain Management Certificate program is already robust. Representatives from GIZ, UNDP, the World Food Program, the Foreign Investors Association, and the AUCA student body gathered

for Dr. Kreie’s January 21st lecture in honor of the launch of the program; many lingered long after the presentation to pose questions to Dr. Kreie and Dr. Cho. Students True to his professional and academic background, Dr. Cho analyzes educational institutions like AUCA in terms of an economic enterprise. Students are the product, he describes, while the customers are local companies like Shoro and international organizations like the United Nations Development Program or World Food Program. In the 21st century global marketplace, these customers want to acquire students with tangible skills and who can make an immediate contribution; with their globally-recognized ‘Certificate in Logistics and Supply Chain Management’ issued by the Kuehne Foundation and AUCA, graduates of the new program will be poised to do just that.

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

AUCA Success Stories

“

I find it interesting because it’s a really practical course; and a lot of economics, math, and micro brought together will be useful.” - Rakhnaz Abakyrova (Econ ’17)

Currently thirty-six students are enrolled in Module 1 of the program: Introduction to Logistics and Supply Chain Management. As these students progress through the next three modules of the certificate (Inventory Management and Procurement, Transportation and Distribution, and Applied Logistics), a new cohort will be enrolled every spring semester as the program continues to grow. Between Module 3 and Module 4, many students will pursue an optional six-week internship to acquire hands-on professional experience by putting their course theory into practice. The Kuehne Foundation plans to sponsor internships for the top 10-15% of students enrolled in the program at the international offices of industry-leading logistics companies. For every high-potential student enrolled in the program, letters of recommendation from the Kuehne Foundation and the global reputation behind that name will ensure that

our students have the resources they need to open doors in both Central Asia and beyond as they complete their Certificate requirements. The Kuehne Foundation plans to provide scholarships for the top 10-15% of students enrolled in the program to intern at the international offices of industry-leading logistics companies. Conclusion For both Dr. Denny Cho and Dr. Andre Kreie, these initial lectures and presentations mark only a first step in what both would like to see grow into an expanded logistics sector that brings economic benefits to all of Central Asia. Dr. Cho points to the examples of countries like Singapore and South Korea as models for the Kyrgyz Republic to emulate. Both countries, having started from a similar position of small populations and limited natural resources, were able to harness investments in education and technology and in doing so raise their economies to among the strongest in the world. The Kuehne Foundation, itself a key partner of The Logistics Institute at the National University of Singapore, has played a key role in developing such programs in locations as diverse as China, Tanzania, and Ethiopia in addition to numerous educational programs nearer to its European base. Professor Cho foresees a future in which this Certificate program reaches well beyond the walls of AUCA, starting with a summer seminar and a symposium on logistics and supply chain management that brings together representatives of government, business, and universities to discuss the challenges facing the region and how the expertise of partners like the Kuehne Foundation can best be applied to help solve them. Organizations like the United Nations Development Program in

Bishkek have already expressed an initial interest in partnering with the university to work with students, one of many exciting opportunities not only for AUCA and the university’s students but also for the entire logistics sector in Kyrgyzstan. At a later stage Dr. Cho would like to see the program taken even further, presented in condensed form to small-scale farmers in the rural regions of Kyrgyzstan to improve their economic potential and thereby that of the entire country – a vision that reflects the original H.E.L.P. proposal that developed into AUCA’s newly-launched program. At the moment, the Kuehne Foundation has a more modest goal: setting a reasonable expectation of performance for logistics and supply chain management locally, and raising the bar from there. According to Dr. Kreie, the clearest indicator that the program is on the right track is a long-term relationship between AUCA, program graduates, and the enterprises in Central Asia that stand to benefit from the application of this developing expertise. The program is in place, the students are in class, and developments with additional partners for internships and on-site experiences for AUCA undergrads are on the way. All that’s left is to sort out the logistics.

##Connect_AUCA

Want to be part of AUCA’s new Logistics and Supply Chain Management Certificate program? Logistics professionals interested in hosting student interns and Friends of AUCA who want to be involved in other ways can contact the Business Administration program directly at busadm@mail.auca.kg.

#bio

Dr. Denny Cho, head of the new Logistics and Supply Chain Management Certificate program at AUCA, is also a member of the MBA faculty and an entrepreneur in Bishkek helping local businesses to digitize their business processes. His professional background includes experience at Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States.

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

Published by American University of Central Asia | Bishkek | Kyrgyz Republic

For the AUCA undergraduates enrolled in the Logistics and Supply Chain Management program, the benefits are manifold. Some, like sophomore student Rakhnaz Abakyrova, see the program as an opportunity to combine the theory and knowledge from an array of disciplines into a tighter focus. For others, like her classmate Jibek Shainazarova (Econ ’17), enrolling in the LSCM program is a chance to sharpen their practical skills in the eyes of potential employers as well as to have a chance at internships with subsidiaries of Kuehne+Nagel or to study at the Kühne Logistics University after graduation from AUCA.

AUCA Success Stories

Examining The Complexities Of The Central Asian Past And Present: The Master Of Arts In Central Asian Studies

s part of AUCA’s ongoing effort to foster educational excellence, the Central Asian Studies Institute (CASI) launched its first graduate program in 2013, offering degrees in area studies to foreign and local students through its Master of Arts in Central Asian Studies (MACAS). The program, now in its second year, was meant to make a graduate education in the liberal arts tradition realistic and affordable for Central Asian scholars and to provide a setting far less burdensome in terms of time and travel for students from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and other Central Asian countries. It was also designed to allow foreign students the possibility of studying Central Asia in Central Asia – the program combines AUCA’s extensive expertise on the region with complete immersion in the culture of Bishkek, a city in which Soviet and Central Asian heritages collide with the newly introduced traditions of the West. No other area studies program affords its students the ability to so completely experience the complex legacies impacting post-Soviet Central Asia. AUCA’s Central Asian Studies

Institute was the logical home of MACAS. Headed by Dr. Svetlana Jacquesson, an established specialist on the region, CASI has become a locus of local and foreign scholarship – a forum for a growing body of workshops and seminars concentrating on critical regional concerns. In addition to its past conferences, which have examined issues of authority and tradition in Central Asia, CASI held its first annual workshop on history and literature last summer with the aid of a generous grant from USAID, gathering a core group of scholars committed to exploring the intersections of history and literature in the Central Asian past. The Institute continues to attract visiting PhD students and scholars from some of the most prestigious universities in the United States and Europe; few centers can boast of such a talented group of affiliated researchers studying everything from the politics of ethnic handicrafts in Kyrgyzstan to the realities of “miracle truths” in post-Soviet proselytism. The goal of MACAS is to provide students with a critical understanding of past and present social, political, economic, and

cultural processes in Central Asia as well as with an overview of the various academic disciplines that have shaped the production of knowledge on this complex and dynamic area. Graduates of the program will be prepared to enroll in social science PhD programs with a focus on Central Asia or to move seamlessly into careers in government, diplomacy, international organizations, development, journalism, or into any other field that requires solid area expertise and knowledge of a local language. MACAS also offers students a unique opportunity to acquire a degree rooted in the best traditions of the liberal arts without ever leaving Central Asia. Courses are conducted entirely in English and supervised by Western or Western-trained faculty. Those who successfully complete the program will have a solid grounding in academic writing, research, and critical thinking, skills that are highly valued in any context. CASI has made full use of AUCA’s talented faculty in building its new MA program, enlisting professors who focus on Central Asia and who are expert in the vital issues that have and continue to shape the region. Its faculty includes

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

AUCA Success Stories

“MACAS is the only interdisciplinary program focused on the research of Central Asia in the region itself. It gives one a chance to explore contemporary Central Asia from several academic perspectives – historical, anthropological, sociological, and from the perspective of political science.”

CASI has also attempted to expand the possibilities of what an area studies program can be with MACAS, offering courses that force students to question our understanding of the Central Asian past and present. Dr. Svetlana Jacquesson’s introductory course on the region, for example, does not merely introduce students to Central Asia but also challenges them to critically analyze the fields of knowledge that have informed studies of the area. Her course encourages students to understand the ways in which specific fields create, restrict, and produce knowledge of Central Asia and trains them to identify the biases and limitations that shape these fields. Professor Christopher Baker’s introductory history course, “Empire, Identity, and Modernity,” is equally innovative. Dealing with critical issues in nineteenth century Central Asia, it is also meant to make students confront the problems that inform any effort to transform immensely complex past realities into more ordered historical narratives, arguments, and analyses. AUCA President Andrew Wachtel was generous enough to offer his own course, “Nationalism and Supranationalism,” in the program’s first year. Challenging in a number of ways, it forced students to come to

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

terms with the idea that ethnicity is something fluid rather than fixed – a marker of identity comprised of diverse elements and that is subject to continual manipulations, shifts, and mutations. Now in the middle of its second year, MACAS has managed to retain all of its first year students – the majority will be defending their thesis outlines to a committee of AUCA and visiting scholars on January 31, and it has attracted a diverse body for the current academic year including students from Afghanistan, Tajikistan, France, and the United States. Anatole Douaud, who is combining study of Central Asia with concurrent degree work in international energies at Columbia University and Sciences-Po Paris, enrolled in Fall 2014 with a focus on energy politics in Kyrgyzstan. His research examines “how international and national actors have an interest in keeping the Kyrgyz energy system weak and therefore manipulable.” Douaud has said that he enrolled in MACAS because “AUCA seemed the most open and dynamic university in the region, and I wanted to be part of that.” He further noted that “the M.A. program offered by CASI was perfect for completing my education on the region.” Discussing his future career goals, Douaud asserted that his MACAS education would prove vital. In addition to providing interactions with local scholars, which, he noted, afforded “new perspectives on the region,” Douaud stated that the MA program “was a way to complement my background in international relations and my concomitant focus on energy issues with a degree centered on a region and on research. MACAS will therefore be very helpful in pursuing my career in the international relations field.” Georgy Mamedov, who entered MACAS the same year, has also

spoken highly of the program, stating that “MACAS is the only interdisciplinary program focused on the research of Central Asia in the region itself. It gives one a chance to explore contemporary Central Asia from several academic perspectives – historical, anthropological, sociological, and from the perspective of political science.” Active in Bishkek art circles – he is the artistic director of STAB, the School of Theory and Activism and has served as a curator for a number of international exhibits, Mamedov has praised the program’s “intense reading and in-class discussions” and has earned the respect of AUCA faculty with his dedication and creativity. Prof, Christopher Baker noted that he had been impressed by Mamedov’s ability to analyze Central Asian artistic works “in ways I myself had not imagined.” Ali Reza Yasa, an Afghan student who has enriched the program with his deep knowledge of Persian written and artistic traditions, entered MACAS in Spring 2014. He is expected to finish his thesis, which will focus on the dynamics of shifting identities in contemporary Kabul, by the end of this academic year. Yasa has stated that he was always “keenly interested in Central Asia and in its culture and history, which have been the heart of great civilizations and the link binding East and West through the Silk Road.” Speaking highly of MACAS’ interdisciplinary focus, Yasa has also indicated that he appreciates the fact that the program makes Central Asia its prime focus, rather than examining it as an appendage of Russia or Eurasia. In addition to his excellent performance as a student, Yasa also helped organize one of MACAS’ most memorable social events: a “cook off” that showcased the varieties of pilaf in Afghanistan. The program’s diverse body of students has often generated intense in-class debates

Published by American University of Central Asia | Bishkek | Kyrgyz Republic

Emil Nasritdinov and Joomart Ormonbekov – esteemed scholars, respectively, of urban anthropology and foreign policy, as well as Emil Juraev, who has proven particularly skilled in making contemporary Central Asian politics accessible to students. In a lecture last year he effectively interwove the idea of the state as the sole agent of legitimate violence with the postSoviet evolution of the Uzbek polity – it culminated in a detailed analysis of the Andijan massacre and the way the Uzbek government “framed” this violence as legitimate.

AUCA Success Stories

“

What matters is the process of going through all of this. At its best, this is what MACAS tries to do: to make its students learn, discuss, and experience the constantly changing identities of Central Asia and the layers of its cultural and ethnic realities.” – Svetlana Jacquesson, Director of MACAS and Chair of CASI

on issues of identity, with varying and divergent claims as to what constitutes, for example, “authentic” Islamic practice or a “true” ethnic tradition or history. Yasa’s event made an effort to answer a less politically charged but no less divisive issue – whether pilaf, or plov, is a “national” dish, and if so, to which nation it belongs. Commenting on the event, MACAS Director Svetlana Jacquesson argued that “hopefully, both guests and hosts understood that there are no ‘national dishes,’ or that ‘national dishes’ do not really matter. What matters is the process of going through all of this. At its best, this is what MACAS tries to do: to make its students learn, discuss, and experience the constantly changing identities of Central Asia and the layers of its cultural and ethnic realities.” CASI is committed to maintaining this diversity of students in the future. In addition to recruiting talented Central Asian students, MACAS also hopes to increase the number of those from the US and Europe in the program by extending the options through which they can enroll. For example, on request and with the prior approval of their home universities foreign students can now be admitted to the program for a single semester; there is also the possibility of combining a single semester of study with summer field work or an internship. Additionally, foreign students may attend the program with the sole purpose of supplementing their coursework with a semester abroad in Central Asia. MACAS is also

prepared to design tailored courses for NGO staff, aid workers, and Embassy personnel in the region; providing broad, introductory surveys or focusing more narrowly on specific economic, political, or social developments. Qualified individuals are also welcome to apply to MACAS’s existing courses. It is CASI’s intent to aggressively cultivate international and local partnerships to ensure the continued success of MACAS. AUCA currently has an agreement with Indiana University’s Department of Central Eurasian Studies, one of the most respected programs of its kind in the United States, to host and fund select AUCA graduate students for a semester of study abroad, as well as a similar pending agreement with the University of Pittsburgh allowing reciprocal transfers of graduate students from both universities. CASI is working to build on these existing relationships by identifying additional local and international scholars of the region to offer an expanded range of courses, seminars, and lectures – it has recently entered into preliminary discussions in this regard, for example, with the Central Asian Studies Center at KIMEP which is headed by Nargiza Kassenova, a recognized scholar on the contemporary politics of Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Having launched and maintained a successful MA program in Central Asian studies, it is CASI’s intent to apply this experience to other AUCA projects, including the University’s effort to create a pilot PhD program in Central Asian

Studies and International and Comparative Politics. A joint degree that will embody AUCA’s exceptional strength in these fields, the PhD is meant to harness the University’s Central Asian expertise and bind it to political science, one of the most established disciplines and respected faculties at AUCA. CASI, which has participated in both the design and conception of the program, believes it will appeal to a motivated body of students, scholars, and area experts – international relations and political science are among the most popular majors in undergraduate programs across the region but there are currently few local universities that offer advanced degrees in these fields in English.

#Connect_AUCA

Those interested in applying to MACAS or requiring more in-depth information about the program can consult the MACAS website at www.auca.kg/en/master_of_arts_in_ central_asian_studies/. Requests for additional information can be addressed to Svetlana Jacquesson at jacquessonsvetlana@gmail.com.

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

Salkyn Ibraimova:

How To Build A Career The time we live in is a time of changes and opportunities. Changes take place everywhere - in people’s lives, business activities, and the community as whole. Today’s human being is the creator of his own career! Go on, try, learn, get the additional education, participate in different clubs, and be active! As American philosopher and writer Richard Bach once said: “There are no mistakes. The events we bring upon ourselves, no matter how unpleasant, are necessary in order to learn what we need to learn; whatever steps we take, they’re necessary to reach the places we’ve chosen to go.”

Our current time is a time of changes; it one of corrections for the choice of occupation and has added such terms as “career development”. Before, we were choosing a profession only once and for a lifetime, but today person is able and even must change his/her profession. The word “Careerist” once sounded like something negative; it was a synonym for “upstart” or “parvenu”. Today - a person who is quickly rising in the ranks is known as successful! How must a person build a successful career today, in these new market conditions? First of all – a young person has to be focused on what professions are most asked-for and in what closelyrelated areas he/she will be able to get a job, considering whether market requirements will change and how this situation can develop as the years go by. Today the world seems to be changing more rapidly, with every minute more and more ideas, so new professions are arising. Thus the person who is able to quickly switch attention from one object to another has a better chance for success in the modern world! This person must be able to sort out priorities and focus on them – what he/she wants to be and what occupational choice he/she wants to make. Is it enough to have only one profession, or is it better to take more courses to become a highly skilled specialist? Secondly – specialists, for instance civil engineers - need to know economy and law, to be communicable, an

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

expert in marketing, able to use the basics of psychology and sociology, aside from his/her own specific professional skills. That is, a specialist always has to supplement his/her mental furniture! Today companies try to hire active employees who are capable of change. Most professions require an informational component – knowledge of the market, product, and technologies. A specialist loses his/her skills without being in touch with this informational field. Today, many young people complain that they can’t find a job when almost all of the newspapers and various websites are full of vacancy advertisements. Today we have a “paradoxical situation” in the labor market – there is a skilled manpower shortage obvious in unemployment. I know from my current HR manager experience – on the average, one to two months are required to search for a candidate who meets the criteria of a vacancy. Almost 80% of candidates who submit CVs don’t pass even the first round of selection. Why? They don’t meet the announced requirements! Young people note their age and inexperience as one of the main causes of “non-placement”. Yes, unfortunately, our life is still full of such generally accepted stereotypes – “he/she is young, thus inexperienced”. In my opinion, age can’t be the leading criterion of a person’s professional effectiveness – both young and mature specialists can equally be successful or unsuccessful: • There are young people – good workers that have good time management skills and are ambitious! • There are elderly people – good workers that have broad experience in different areas and are able to use it and move in the right direction towards today’s requirements!

Actually, a person’s professional and personal successes depend primarily on his/her own inner motivation, their aspiration for setting goals and attaining them. So, I don’t agree with employers who don’t want to hire young people, as well as with young people who complain that they can’t find employment because of their young age. The number of vacancies for inexperienced employees has significantly increased. The rule of motivation works here. Employers are ready to consider gifted young candidates. Frequently, the wish to work and to be of benefit to the company is more important than experience and education. If an inexperienced worker possesses the required set of competences, as well as establishing adequate expectations from the employer at beginning stage of their work, treatment of such workers will be quite loyal. Advantages of young employees: • Firstly, they are more teachable: they more willingly attend various seminars and trainings, and more actively master new information. • Secondly, they master new technologies and learn languages more quickly. • Thirdly, they are more active and hard working; they have more pronounced motivation for effective work, a good wage, and striving to make their career. In other words, youth are connected with creativity – which is very important for a company. According to statistics – today many successful companies are “rejuvenating” their staff resources. Advantages of elder employees: • Firstly, they know virtually all the workflow of the company from the inside.

Published by American University of Central Asia | Bishkek | Kyrgyz Republic

Career has an important place in human life. How do we make a career? What is a successful career? As a rule, for most people a successful career means large profits, high work status, awareness of the benefits of your own job, and social esteem.

#bio • Secondly, by virtue of their experience – they are the best analysts. • Thirdly, they are potential advisers. Many successful companies use experienced workers and their mental faculties as consultants for analytics and to teach young specialists. How can young people decide where to look for employment after graduation, and how they can have at least a basic working experience? The future worker has to start as early as possible – for example students can devote 80% of their time to studying and 20% to a job – he/she can work as volunteer, part time assistant, translator, etc. Volunteering students already get some skills, and from year to year students improve their time management skills; such students obtain additional professional skills for graduation. AUCA is a unique university with unique students, faculty, and staff. Only in our university, do the majority of students in their sophomore year possesses skills of time-management, do volunteer activities, and begin to work on various projects at AUCA or elsewhere. According to internal policies, students with a high GPA are able to work as an assistant in any office of the university. This is a unique chance to get practical experience – this is one of the ways to obtain work experience and records of a work background in your CV. AUCA students use these opportunities to the fullest to obtain practical skills, and can only be envied for their levels of both activity and enthusiasm. For example, AUCA students are currently working in the following roles: • Working in the PR Office – gaining colossal experience in establishing contacts, preparing for various events, and reporting about them for mass media. • Working in HR Office – gaining HRmanager skills. • Working with Student Visa and Registration Coordinator – becoming familiar with all visa policies and procedures. Reverting to our main subject – “How to make a career?” According to the aforementioned, I emphasize again and again, professional and personal successes depend only on inner motivation. Leaning on my own experience of many years and personal observations, I divide employees into two groups: • The first group – employees who pull ahead due to their motivation; sparking ideas and leading the way for others, they have a very strong wish and interest to

work and always make efforts to improve themselves. They grow from average executives into outstanding leaders and become perfect managers. After they reached success on one project, they don’t stop – they keep moving and design new projects, and if it is necessary for implementation they get additional education. This kind of worker is always in touch with the latest news, and is an active participant of every possible training and project. That is, these are “self-making” people. • The second group – employees who fulfill their work well, but passively and not always successfully. I call them “technical workers” or “mousy persons”. It is hard to work with such workers. You always have to follow up, remind them, prompt them, and keep control. It doesn’t matter how a supervisor tries to motivate such workers – they will keep working as monotonously as a robot. Companies, as a rule, try to get rid of such employees! Another important factor of a career is promotion. If you work in the same position for two to three years, feel discomfort at the work place, and despite honestly meeting the duties entrusted you don’t get promotion of both career ladder and your monthly pay - what you have to do? Today, the period of career promotion is reduced; formerly employees looked for advancement after five to seven years; now a good worker can expect a promotion in two to three years. If you feel job burnout, things don’t suit you in a company’s working procedure and you don’t see any career prospects – so, it is time to change your job! Today, people don’t imagine their career in only one company – the time of loyalty to one company during an entire lifetime has gone. Now people are seeking interesting and diverse work, and psychologists advise to change jobs every three to five years. My advice for all – don’t be afraid of change! Every year the number of new professions is increasing. The labor market changes very quickly. Be ready to study during your whole life – to upgrade skills and master closely related professions. Mastering absolutely new professions alongside your current one makes you a valuable specialist. Believe me – there is no unnecessary knowledge; any profession is able to be useful in unforeseen life situations. It doesn’t matter what happens around you in the world, there is one thing that will never be taken away – it is knowledge. Knowledge, skills, abilities, competences – all of these are capital, always retained, and the smart human multiplies them during all of his/ her life. Money and things can be lost, but

Salkyn Ibraimova is VicePresident for Administrative Affairs. Her responsibilities at AUCA: Oversee the implementation and administration of AUCA policies, programs, and practices; Lead the development of Human Resources Department, Medical Services Office, and Security Services Office goals, objectives and systems; Direct staff in the areas of: organizational structure, employment, compensation, employee database maintenance, payroll, benefits administration, employee relations, orientation/ development, and policy/ procedure development; Ensure human resources procedures and other operations are consistent with current laws and university policies.

knowledge – never! Benjamin Franklin said: “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” That is why today if you want to be successful you are to be stubborn and remember that skills of being teachable, retrainable, and open to change are the most important at the moment. Receptivity to newness – it is a quality to be developed. Meeting challenges and the skill of making best decisions on the basis of existing information will determine your life trajectory and possible selfrealization level in professional, social, and private life. The best formula for a successful career – make yourself a dynamo, find work which satisfies you and you’ll be well paid for this satisfaction. Good luck!

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

TSPC News

Promoting independent investigations and accountability as a tool to fight torture;

TSPC at the forefront of developing National Protection Mechanisms in the Kyrgyz Republic

yrgyzstan has often been referred to as the “Switzerland of Central Asia”, in part due to the significant efforts made by institutions and civil society in the last five years to align the Constitution and national legislation with international human rights and democratic standards. However, human rights and democracy are principles in continuous evolution that static public policy cannot adapt to. Rather, these goals require the consistent adoption of legislation, policies, and measures to continue on the path of progress and eliminate the important challenges faced by citizens on a daily basis. For this reason, the Tian Shan Policy Center has been thoroughly engaged in supporting Kyrgyz institutions and civil society in their commitment to fight. With the financial support of the European Union, in June 2014 the TSPC successfully finalized the implementation of the project “Program to enhance the capacity of NGOs and institutions to advocate for implementation of human rights decisions and standards to prevent torture”. The project envisaged field and desk research on international best practices on the establishment and work of independent investigative mechanisms, including data from Canada, Northern Ireland, Jamaica, and Guatemala.

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

The main scope of this project was to support the government’s compliance with international and national human rights obligations by posing the basis for the creation of a body to investigate allegations of torture, identify the officials responsible, and hold them accountable for proven wrongdoings. This effort ran in parallel to the provision of technical advice to government-appointed working groups on the reform of critical national legislation, such as the Criminal Procedure Code and the Criminal Code. Among the numerous recommendations, the TSPC advocated for a clear definition of the moment of arrest in order to avoid any uncertainty on the moment when judicial guarantees apply to people deprived of liberty, which research proved was one of the main concerns related to the use of torture. The Tian Shan Policy Center’s engagement in this project led to the award of an additional EU grant from the European Commission, and in cooperation with the Boltzmann Institute for Human Rights (BIM) the TSPC organized a conference in April for the launch of the new project “Strengthening the fight against torture and impunity in Kyrgyzstan: Prevention, Accountability, Remedy and Reparation”. This project, whose conclusion is planned for October 2015, aims at following up on the recommendations from the first grant and at supporting the establishment of the independent investigative mechanism along with building and developing the capacities of the recently established National Center for the Prevention of Torture (NCPT). This new institution was the result of successful advocacy efforts for the ratification by the Kyrgyz Republic of the UN’s Optional Protocol to the International Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The NCPT is mandated to carry out monitoring visits to detention centers, prisons, and other places of deprivation of liberty across the country; in support of that mandate the TSPC and BIM are working closely with NCPT staff to ensure the effectiveness of their activities and the full respect of the rights of prisoners and detainees. The TSPC designed and delivered a training session for NCPT staff and

Published by American University of Central Asia | Bishkek | Kyrgyz Republic

AUCA Success Stories

organized a joint monitoring visit to a detention center in Osh to provide both theoretical knowledge and practical experience on the issue of torture and monitoring techniques. Furthermore, in order to maximize the impact of the project, the TSPC established and maintained a wide range of relationships with institutions and civil society networks committed to halting torture. The main partners at the central and regional levels included the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Interior, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Penitentiary Services, the Ombudsman’s Office, the NGO-based Coalition against Torture, and relevant international organizations such as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The main outcomes of the project thus far include a policy proposal for creation of the legal, financial, and institutional foundations of a specialized unit within the Prosecutor General’s Office to investigate allegations of torture. The overall proposal was agreed upon by representatives of Kyrgyz institutions, national human rights institutions, and civil society; significantly demonstrating a unity of intent to end the use of torture. Additionally, the Tian Shan Policy Center provided the NCPT with technical expertise to establish a database accurately recording and analyzing the findings of their visits to effectively identify concerns and patterns of abuse. In the coming months, the TSPC and BIM will work on the publication of a monitoring manual highlighting applicable national and international policy and legislation, monitoring techniques, instruments to protect vulnerable

categories, and effective reporting mechanisms. The TSPC Human Rights Program Manager, Daniele Rumolo, expressed satisfaction with the results achieved in the implementation of the project. “Adequately addressing the issue of torture demanding accountability for violations of the law is essential for the prosperity of Kyrgyzstan. The use of torture to extract confession is a plague that potentially affects all citizens and exposes everybody: men, women, and children are at risk of being arrested and abused. This significantly affects trust in the police and in the institutions in general preventing a truly democratic development of the society. I consider the work carried out jointly by the TSPC and governmental and non-governmental partners fundamental for the future of this country. The added value of the direct involvement of the TSPC and AUCA on this topic is that we have

been able to provide all stakeholders with expert advice on prevention of torture based on the knowledge of the situation and dynamics of Kyrgyzstan along with an extensive international experience on torture. The successful implementation of these projects further consolidates the position of TSPC and AUCA as one of the key actors in the promotion and protection of human rights in the Kyrgyzstan”. Daniele also stressed that the TSPC will remain committed to continue its policy and advocacy work on human rights and torture even after the end of the current project, with the aim of further supporting the institutions of the Kyrgyz Republic and the civil society in building the conditions for a sustainable development of the country for all the communities composing the rich and multi-faceted society of Kyrgyzstan.

#facts GLOBAL CAMPAIGN STOP TORTURE

www.amnestyusa.org

In May 2014, Amnesty International launches its global Stop Torture campaign to ensure that everyone be protected from torture. In the thirtieth anniversary year of the UN Convention Against Torture, the organization is building on more than 50 years of experience to insist that governments live up to their promises and respect international law. It is urging people to demand a stop to torture. The campaign focuses on all state custody contexts. This includes: ordinary criminal justice systems; people held by the military, police forces, Special Forces, secret services; situations involving emergency laws, regulations or provisions; and unofficial or secret places of detention (where risk of torture significantly increases). The campaign does not include torture by non-state actors or ill-treatment occurring out of state custody, such as excessive use of force during demonstrations, though Amnesty International will continue to work vigorously on these forms of abuse as well. Amnesty International will mobilize its global membership on the following five countries, Nigeria, Mexico, Philippines, Uzbekistan and Morocco/Western Sahara. Amnesty International is seeking the establishment and implementation of effective safeguards against torture as the route to change. When effective safeguards are in place, people are protected. When safeguards are not in place or not put into practice, torture thrives.

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

AUCA Success Stories Introduction by Dinara Orozbaeva

AUCA Success stories #success Notable AUCA Success Stories from 2013-2014 Mrs. Bermet Tursunkulova, Vice President for Academic Affairs of AUCA was appointed as deputy minister of education. Mr. Talant Sultanov, Vice President for Finance of AUCA was appointed as Director of the National Institute for Strategic Studies of the Kyrgyz Republic. Mr. Nurbek Jenish, Head of the Economics Department of AUCA, was appointed to position of Deputy Chair of the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Every year several news agencies, education data portals, and private companies rate the best universities in Kyrgyzstan, with AUCA always in the top five. The European ScientificIndustrial Chamber recently made a global research study with a grant from the EU, with all data

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

Almaz Sazbakov, AUCA alumnus was appointed as Director of Agency for Promoting Investments under Ministry of Economy of the Kyrgyz Republic. Merdan Halilov - Service Excellence Manager, Vice President at CITI. Edil Azhibaeva – Founder of www.picvpic.com Azamat Akeleev – Founder of Promotank. Nazira Beishenalieva – Director in Bank of Asia, Kyrgyzstan. Erina Kadyralieva - Associate Investment Officer at IFC. Kubat Alymkulov – Director of Baker Tilly Kyrgyzstan&Tadjikistan. Aziz Soltobaev – Founder of Svetofor.kg Ruslan Karabukaev – Founder of Namba.kg Aziz Hasanov – Founder of Antares Group. Rashid Daurov - CFP HSBC Bank Malta. Asel Junusova - Associate at Agency of Legal Safety INTELLECT-S. What have we missed? Let us know on the ‘MyAUCA’ pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram so that we can celebrate all of AUCA’s Success Stories from the past year and the present!

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n 1993 the Kyrgyz-American School for Business, Law, and Humanities was founded under the Kyrgyz State National University. Several brilliant Fulbright professors and staff members of Nebraska University in Lincoln arrived to Kyrgyzstan, and with their help the Kyrgyz-American School became American University in Kyrgyzstan on November 12th, 1997. Changed in 2002 to the American University of Central Asia to reflect the growing regional significance of the school’s activities, now we are 28 years old and 2528 students have successfully graduated from our university.

processed at Brussels University of Belgium. These ratings included 2,678 universities from around the world, with only Kyrgyz and Kazakh universities examined in the Central Asia category. First place in this category was awarded to Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University, second to Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University, third to American University of Central Asia, and fourth to International University of Kyrgyzstan. The results of this ranking were unexpected for the world’s education community, with rankings formerly awarded on the basis of the number of Nobel Prize winners or Fields Medal recipients among faculty, numbers of international students, published works in world science magazines, and the like. With the rating system now based on demand for alumni as well as employers’ references, the updated rankings reflect the very positive and productive 20132014 years for AUCA alumni and staff. Many of our graduates have gone on to senior positions in government or to great success in the private sector, and the following pages are dedicated to recognizing a select group of these and their accomplishments. Our generation of alumni is young, but everything is ahead of us, and AUCA is proud of all our alumni for their successes and achievements.

Kadyr Toktogulov, AUCA alumnus was appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United States of America.

AUCA Success Stories

Bermet Tursunkulova,

Vice President for Academic Affairs at AUCA since 2008, has recently been appointed to a position as the Deputy Minister for Education of the Kyrgyz Republic. Along with her time as an AUCA VP and before that Chair/Associate Professor of the International and Comparative Politics Department, Bermet’s experience also includes posts as the regional manager of the ‘Academic Fellowship Project’ of the Open Society Institute and as Deputy Program Director of the ‘Civic Education Project – Central Asia and Mongolia’ as well. With the extensive experience she brings, Bermet is no doubt qualified to address the challenges facing education in the Kyrgyz Republic. She sat down recently with AUCA Magazine to describe what the greatest of those challenges are and how she hopes to address them. Though Bermet has since stepped down from her government post, her thoughts on what actions are necessary to make the educational system of the Kyrgyz Republic more successful are no less relevant than when we spoke with her.

ongrats on your appointment as the Deputy Minister of Education for the Kyrgyz Republic! You’ve had quite a career so far at AUCA, both as a professor and chair of the International and Comparative Politics department and more recently as the Vice President for Academic Affairs – a post in which you’ve lead numerous reforms in areas such as enrollment standards, curriculum development, and accreditation. What in your background, both professional and academic, help prepare you for the great job you’ve done at AUCA and for your new post? Of course there are things related to my background personally but I think that at AUCA I’ve seen creative minds, initiative, and that things could be changed. I hope that this could help me at this job. You’re currently on sabbatical, of course, working with your new position in the Ministry of Education. What do you see as the greatest challenges in the educational system of the Kyrgyz Republic at the moment, and how do you hope to address those? First of all, it’s the quality of education. How it is delivered and how it is actually perceived here: what is quality? I can say that there are too many universities but only a few of them deliver a quality education. I can talk about students not being able to think creatively and independently because they have been educated in

secondary schools in Bishkek and all over Kyrgyzstan where we still have the leftovers of the post-Soviet mindset where students are just supposed to copy and write what the teacher says and then repeat it, and not necessarily question what is written and what has been said. I can also speak about faculty getting miserable salaries and in order to survive they take bribes, and you don’t know whether you can blame them for that. I can speak about lack of textbooks… where do I begin? It is also the position of the Ministry or the government agencies in general. Universities look at the ministry as something that is ‘behind the barricades’ and they have to fight basically. The Ministry also looks at it as if they should control it, instead of doing something together and helping to improve the educational system. So for example when Kyrgyzstan approved the ‘Bologna process’ several years ago, which is supposed to lead to academic mobility and academic freedom and other things, the Ministry actually looked at it as another leverage to control and to impose more standards and more control. Sometimes universities look at the ministry when they don’t know what to do, so the ministry has to tell them what to do. So, the ministry has to tell them that the standard to teach political science for example is supposed to be stamped from the ministry, is supposed to be 240 hours or whatever, and you’re supposed to teach this and this and this and this. And, people don’t even think of questioning this: why would the Ministry tell you how to

teach political economy or veterinary sciences or whatnot? It should be the faculty of the university or it should be the combination of both, right? Not just the bureaucracy to tell you what to teach. It is changing a mindset, and when I try to say something like “why do we do this?” the answer is “that’s the system, we can’t change it.” If these changes were implemented, what would that mean both for AUCA and for universities in the country more widely? There are actually three projects, with two major projects that I am working on. One is the reform of the science and the other they call “optimization of the higher education institutions in Kyrgyzstan”. Which is, actually, cutting down the number of the universities; leaving those that deliver the quality education, leaving those which have the departments and degrees that are really needed for this country, and then maybe trying to save money when you cut down the number of the state universities so you can have a big pool of money to be delivered to those that still exist. Also, several years ago, the Single Republican Test for secondary school graduates has been implemented. No university can accept an applicant without that test. That was a good thing because corruption was huge during the admissions test, so the universities were deprived of this opportunity. What happened after is there is a threshold score and if

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

AUCA Success Stories

The third thing is the reform of the science. We have this National Academy of Science. It’s a huge monster, I’m sorry, which does nothing. Very respectable people have received their education and all their degrees during the Soviet time; but there hasn’t been any solid innovation, any solid scientific research implemented for many years. The idea is that these research institutes that now belong to the

National Academy of Sciences, they should go to the universities. So, for example, if there’s a research institute that deals with the mining industry they should go to the Mining University or Mining Department of the Technical University where you have a critical mass of young faculty and researchers that do these things anyways. They teach, they interact, they know the market, and they write and publish articles and make discoveries anyways. So that should be within the university. This is also not only reforming science in the Academy of Science, it is also restructuring science within the universities. And it’s also a big thing because this National Academy of Sciences of course sees me as the biggest enemy of theirs and thinks that I just want to destroy them and take their money away. It’s a big resistance there too. When you say the “departments and degrees Kyrgyzstan really needs” what do you mean by that? After the Soviet Union, everybody suddenly wanted to become either a

(NISS). This think tank, a public institution of the government of the Kyrgyz Republic, works to analyze and solve problems facing the country across a variety of sectors. Talant spoke with AUCA Magazine about the work of the NISS, the challenges that 2015 might bring, and the importance of trust in a working relationship.

Talant Sultanov, Vice President of Finance for American University of Central Asia since 2010, has also served for the past two years as the Director of the National Institute for Strategic Studies

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

We spoke with you last in the Fall issue of AUCA Magazine in the context of the ‘World Nomad Games’ that Kyrgyzstan hosted in September as an international cultural exchange. Before that the NISS hosted the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organization conference, and then in December organized the Central Asian Internet Symposium as well. With so much happening in the country in 2014, what do you think had the most impact on the country’s future? At the Central Asian Internet Symposium one of the founders/ inventors of the Internet addressed the conference online. Here, we are looking at the prospects of building

lawyer or an economist. Universities, seeing the market, every single university suddenly opened up an economics department and a law department. Whether it is a university that was dealing only with the pedagogical cadre or a university that has been dealing with mining or clothing design, they still have a law department and economics department. People would go, and they don’t care whether they will find a job in law or economics because as long as they have a diploma, they say “I have finished the law degree and I have a law degree” so I’ve complied a database of all the universities including what kind of degrees and departments they have and also with the numbers of the students. So, where we have departments which do not necessarily belong to this university or they are redundant in this university, and also departments where they do not have enough students, the suggestions is that they should be closed down. They are supposed to let the current students graduate, but they are not supposed to take any more new students.

a knowledge economy in Kyrgyzstan because we think the competitive advantage of the country is in peoples’ brains: their knowledge. We are not a country rich in natural resources, but we are rich with human resources. Another major event was a discussion about the role of the Silk Road, and regional cooperation along the Silk Road. There are different concepts being discussed – the Chinese Silk Road Economic Belt. The American concept called the New Silk Road. The Eurasian Economic Union can also be considered as this kind of regional cooperation organization. So we looked at how the countries in the region can cooperate, and benefit from such cooperation. One particular accomplishment we can be proud of is that Kyrgyzstan is among the very few countries in the world that does not have a sovereign credit rating. We’ve been pushing this idea for over a year and a half now, and at

Published by American University of Central Asia | Bishkek | Kyrgyz Republic

an applicant has a score below this threshold the university cannot accept them. So some of the universities struggle because they had very few students, then the university would come to the ministry and ask to let them pass, and then they would have students with a very low quality of preparation. So, the other point right now is to forbid this because it is better to have less students but quality students, and the students who would not meet this score could go to the professional schools and get professional skills which this country needs too. This country needs construction workers; they need people to be able to cook and to sew.

AUCA Success Stories

the end of 2014 the government (the Prime Minister’s office) approved the plan to get a credit rating for the Kyrgyz Republic. Right now, the Ministry of Economy and our institute are working together with ratings agencies (there are three major ones – S&P, Moody’s and Fitch) collecting commercial offers from them, and hopefully in the first half of this year we will have a sovereign credit rating. This is one of the practical accomplishments of our work. The coming year is clearly one of big opportunities for the Kyrgyz Republic, with numerous economic and political reforms in the works. What do you see as the greatest challenges facing the country, and how can institutions like AUCA and the NISS help the country to successfully meet those challenges in the immediate future? This year will not be an easy one for the country. On one hand the country is joining the Eurasian Economic Union which opens opportunities, very important ones, but brings some challenges as well. Maybe short term, but still there will be some difficulties. On the other hand, this difficult economic situation in our neighboring countries will definitely have some impact on the economy of the country. Therefore, considering these factors the President has announced this year as the ‘Year of Strengthening the Economy of the Country’. Our

institute will do a lot of research, and make policy recommendations on how to first of all overcome potential challenges and how to set up policies and reforms to reinvigorate the economy. The major goal is to help medium and small business to grow and to improve conditions for them with the aim of creating more working places. We see that there is a risk of unemployment growing; therefore the biggest effort has to be done in terms of job creation. A little bit too about yourself. These are two really big positions of responsibility in two major institutions in Kyrgyzstan and Bishkek. Is there anything you can say about your own success or the things that have lead you to that success and that you credit as the greatest influences? First of all, the importance that your bosses have trust in you. When I was working at AUCA and I was given this opportunity to join the think tank, the President of the university has encouraged me to take on new challenges. This helped me to be more organized myself, so instead of doing many things I’m learning to delegate to my colleagues and I think this way I’m able to manage such tasks. But of course, I think here education and previous experience help me a lot in terms of dealing with challenges and tasks at hand today. Finally, AUCA is also growing with it’s own varied successes at the moment: the new Campus, a newly ap-

Chingiz Shamshiev, the new Vice President for Research at American University of Central Asia, brings to the university extensive research experience both in Kyrgyzstan and abroad. Combined with his experience in an administrative capacity, he brings to AUCA all the tools necessary to propel our academic research programs to be among the foremost institutions globally in the Central Asian Studies field. Here, Chingiz described for AUCA Magazine about his vision

pointed Vice President for Research, and the recent launch of several new academic programs, among others. What do you see as the most exciting developments for the university in the near future? I think in general AUCA is a place where lots of many new ideas are being generated and implemented. I think the ability to change and the ability to find new opportunities is a good quality for any organization – but especially for academic institutions it’s extremely important. Like now, at this stage university models are shifting. There will be very big shifts in how universities operated in the past and how they will operate in the future – and there I think AUCA is taking on a lot of interesting projects which will help it to be one the leading institutions not just regionally but globally at some point. So, of course the new campus is going to be a very big change. Not just physically but also institutionally how we work – the mode of operation – will be different. Lots of new projects are being started – like the coming of the new VP for research. You know, in the leading universities in western countries are not just places where they teach but they also generate lots of new knowledge and research – and this is the area where we are putting a lot of effort too now so that AUCA too becomes a knowledge producing place.

for the future and the challenges we’ll have to overcome to get there. Chingiz, first off, welcome to AUCA! You’re one of the newest additions to the AUCA community. To start, can you tell us a bit about the position and what it means for the university? I’ve recently been appointed to the position of Vice-President for Research. This appointment gave me great pleasure, and I’m very happy to enjoy the confidence of AUCA President Andrew Wachtel. This new job position in AUCA meets the requirements of the current times. My mission is to provide higher

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

AUCA Success Stories

How does improved research coordination contribute to the success of AUCA as a whole? How would you personally define ‘success’ in this context, whether for the university broadly or for your own role within the school? Higher dynamism of research activities must be provided for in two ways. Firstly, it is a question of higher coordination of individual research activities of faculty members. Secondly, we have to be more actively involved in bidding for policy-oriented research; which are financed by international organizations, various donor organizations, state and municipal structures. We will proceed along these two paths in our job. AUCA has a very good starting position; it has already done a lot. AUCA has faculty who are among the best in their areas in Kyrgyzstan, even in Central Asia. Of course, the previous administrations of AUCA have done a great service for this. The current AUCA President has made outstanding contributions to the university’s activities. I think, from such a starting position, AUCA is in a fair way to liven up research activities and to provide better coordination in order to enhance the fame and prestige of the university. It is also possible through AUCA’s participation to international university rankings. It is necessary to make sure AUCA has leading positions in rankings, considering all liberal arts universities, for our regional segment – Central Asia, Caucasus, and Eastern Europe. Research activities of universities play a key role in international rankings. For instance, the so-called Shanghai ranking’s main factors include the presence of Nobel Prize-winners among faculty; the number of publications in magazines like Nature, Science, citations in such publications, etc. Similar ratings have been adapted for technical, natural-scientific institutions

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

of higher learning as well. QS Rating is well-matched for liberal arts universities. But 50% of this rating also includes research activities, a citations index, and academic reputation. So, AUCA has to strengthen research activities to enhance its’ prestige and recognizability, providing the university a competitive edge in the international market, including through further improvement in international rankings. In our opinion, AUCA needs to become the world leader in Central Asian studies. At the moment, we are developing a strategy for AUCA’s research activity for the next five years. We are creating a working group to implement this task, which I think will be completed by the end of June. So, this strategy will be a kind of roadmap that will show us what priorities we will have in research activities. The issues I mentioned before with regard to both policy-oriented and academic studies; what goals we have to set for short/middle/long-term periods; and what activities we have to perform in order to realize the research mission of AUCA. We need to make it so that any researcher from any part of the world will become interested in Central Asia; we have to make him/her well-informed about AUCA’s work and researchers; we have to make AUCA’s research works vital to their fields, they should be an obligatory reference for any researcher who is interested in economics, political processes, state problems, or municipal administration in Central Asian countries. I think it is quite a realizable task. So, what do you see as the greatest challenges as AUCA’s VP for Research? How do you expect to approach those challenges, and what do the AUCA faculty and broader community need to do to contribute to that? The main challenge facing us is that we have to succeed in providing for the involvement of staff members in strategy development, and after that its implementation. Our strategy will be complete and effective only if everybody participates in the development of this document

and if every member of our community adds his/her ideas. I think this is our major task and I hope our team, the strong outstanding team of AUCA, will respond to the call and help us make AUCA a world leader in Central Asian studies. We strongly rely on faculty and staff’s support in reaching our aims, and in developing this strategy. Within the framework of our work team, representatives of the administration and faculty will be involved in strategy development. It will be collective work; certainly, it will represent collective opinion for how AUCA can and must improve its research activity. I think, we have to position ourselves in the research products market, and this market is quite spacious. In the Central Asian region we have to make AUCA a major and necessary institute of Central Asian Studies. That is, any researcher or policy maker or expert interested in a Central Asian agenda must know AUCA as key player in this field, and by all means need to work with our materials and appeal to us for expert support. We have to position ourselves as the dominant institute in the Central Asian Studies market. As I’m sure you’re already well aware, AUCA will be moving this year to a new campus in Bishkek. In practical terms, what does this state of the art new facility mean for research opportunities at the university? The campus is excellent. There is no doubt that it will be the handsomest building in Kyrgyzstan. It is very modern; with a very interesting concept underlying the campus. Since we formulated our scientific mission – to become key player in Central Asian Studies field, so our residence in such a modern, light, accurately well-thought-out campus means extra competitive advantages, as well as more favorable conditions for working, for negotiations with partners, and for creative work. I’m convinced it will be among the biggest success factors for AUCA.

Published by American University of Central Asia | Bishkek | Kyrgyz Republic

performance of research activities of AUCA faculty and the structural units that have to undertake scientific studies. It is a matter primarily of the Central Asian Studies Institute (CASI) and Tian-Shan Policy Center (TSPC).

AUCA Success Stories Stephen Lioy

Saving Snow Leopards, One Rural Community At A Time

s the head of Snow Leopard Enterprises in Kyrgyzstan, Cholpon Abasova (Economics 2002) is responsible for not only ensuring that snow leopards in Kyrgyzstan are protected, but also that the local communities within snow leopard habitats prosper from the conservation effort. Like many of AUCA’s current and former students, Cholpon sees the snow leopard as one of the most important species in the Kyrgyz Republic and one whose protection is vital to the environmental initiatives in the country. Not

content to stop at high level government meetings like the Global Snow Leopard Conservation Forum in 2013 or local awareness drives like AUCA’s annual Flashmob on International Snow Leopard Day, Cholpon is working to make snow leopard conservation sustainable in the very mountains these animals call home. Snow Leopard Trust, a leading world authority on the study and protection of snow leopard populations, has been working with rural communities for over ten years to address the economic issues that when

neglected will often lead to conflict between those communities and the endangered snow leopards that occasionally prey on their livestock and which represent a potentially tempting income from illegal poaching. Founded in Mongolia in 1998, the Snow Leopard Enterprises program provides economic incentives for rural communities to support the effort for conservation and join the fight against poaching and habitat loss for the animals.

“My time in AUK prepared me really well for my career overall and the career path that I am on now. In terms of knowledge I received a strong education that allows me to qualify for excellent jobs in my field. Thanks to the education in AUK I don’t face problems when I take new positions because it helped me understand organizational processes, paperwork, guidelines, and the overall job very quickly. And of course, during work I also learn many new things. These four years of studying in AUK were rich in terms of knowledge; a great variety of requirements and electives and extra-curricular courses are offered, and the diversity of professional instructors. I am very thankful for the kind medical staff and registry office, the understanding financial support department, and that every person who worked in AUK was were so very friendly. I’m extremely thankful to the university for giving me the opportunity to study in AUK.” - Cholpon Abasova, Economics 2002

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

AUCA Success Stories

“

The products were designed ten years ago, at a higher level of quality than most handicrafts in Kyrgyzstan. It adds additional income to the family aside from livestock sales, which has historically been the only income here. The women are satisfied about earning real money for their work, and there is good income in SLE.”- Cholpon Abasova, SLE Country Coordinator and AUCA Alumna

In villages like Ak-Shyrak, deep in the Tian Shan Mountains near Kyrgyzstan’s border with China, winter sees residents occasionally cut off even from the nearest town of Barskoon – which on the best of days is a six-hour drive away. Despite that geographic remoteness, with summer comes a thaw of the three mountain passes on the road to Ak-Shyrak that connects it not only to the rest of the Kyrgyz Republic but, through the village’s partnership with Snow Leopard Enterprises, to the global marketplace as well. Using raw materials purchased in Bishkek and delivered by Cholpon and her colleague Kuban Jumabai uluu (SLT’s Kyrgyzstan

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

Program Coordinator), the thirty-one Ak-Shyrak participants that currently work with Snow Leopard Enterprises produce handmade felt products ranging from traditional slippers and shyrdak rugs to extremely popular toys for children or accessories for pet lovers. These products, which sell to consumers in the United States for anywhere between $10 for a pair of baby booties to $140 for a large rug, are a lucrative source of income for a community that once relied solely on animal husbandry. Even after accounting for the cost of materials, shipping, storage, and helping to fund Snow Leopard Trusts’ conservation programs around the world; the families that work with Snow Leopard Enterprises pocket over 1100 Kyrgyz Som ($20.50 according to 2014 average exchange rates) for each large rug they produce, with less for smaller items. The per-person average in 2014 for Snow Leopard Enterprises’ participants was an income of 16,095 Som ($300), with the most prolific

Before accepting a community into the program, Snow Leopard Enterprises meets with the village to discuss the terms of the conservation contract and the responsibilities of SLE, communities, local government, and representatives of protected areas nearby each community. As a group, these actors define a ‘Community Protected Area’ within which local community members will not hunt. In both Ak-Shyrak and SLE Kyrgyzstan’s partner community at Enylchek, that protected area includes part of the buffer zone of the Sarychat-Ertash State Nature Reserve – Kyrgyzstan’s highest density snow leopard habitat. Once per year, communities that have followed the guidelines of their contracts - which also stipulates that they will not aid or accommodate illegal hunters in the region - receive a bonus of 20% on top of the regular payouts to individual families based on their production levels during the year, as well as a 10% bonus to the community at large to be used for group needs. In recent years the Ak-Shyrak community’s bonuses have been used to purchase tableware for use at community celebrations and first aid kits for the local boarding school. One of the largest concerns regarding the protection of snow leopards in Kyrgyzstan is hunting and especially poaching. For foreign hunters that come to Kyrgyzstan from the US, Europe, and Russia to hunt argali and ibex; even those that attempt to follow the proper channels to get one of the 70 argali and 200-300 ibex permits issued annually encounter

Published by American University of Central Asia | Bishkek | Kyrgyz Republic

producer in the program bringing in 64,693 Som ($1205). Compared to Kyrgyzstan’s per capita GDP of $1263 (67,772 Som) in 2013, this represents a strong return – especially considering that they are guaranteed these sales once SLE places an order and provides the supplies.

AUCA Success Stories

Want to help support the work of Snow Leopard Enterprises in Kyrgyzstan? Visit http://www.snowleopard.org/ shop to purchase handmade products from Ak-Shyrak and Enylchek, as well as the other countries that are part of Snow Leopard Trusts’ community conservation initiative.

corruption at various levels of regulatory agencies and in locally based hunting companies. For those that come without such scruples, illegal hunting above and beyond the issued number of permits is simply a question of paying off the right people. These ibex and argali, living high in the mountains in large packs, are one of the major food sources for snow leopard populations. Snow leopard numbers are finally on the rise again in Kyrgyzstan in recent years, but if their prey species are not protected, that growth is not sustainable. The government has made moves to protect these species, raising fines for those caught poaching, but while corruption continues to pervade the responsible departments, these fines are not always effective. Ak-Shyrak is actively involved in preventing these activities as well – eight men from the village work with the State Agency for Environment Protection and Forestry as rangers at SarychatErtash to monitor wildlife populations and protect against illegal hunting by poachers.

Of course, working as rangers is not the only chance for the men of Ak-Shyrak to be involved in the conservation effort. Though the Snow Leopard Enterprises program is dominated by women, many of the male members of the program’s families pitch in as well. It is Ruslan Asanbekov who adds the intricate hand worked stitching to the rugs that his wife Kayirkul weaves and which gives these traditional Kyrgyz handicrafts their colorful designs. In fact, Cholpon says that demands for just this sort of bright and colorful products are driving her to reevaluate the range of products that Snow Leopard Trust produces in Kyrgyzstan. A booming demand for pet accessories from the US may give Ak-Shyrak the opportunity to utilize locally produced wool, dyed in brighter pastel colors, that will not only reduce overhead for raw materials but will also allow the village to monetize a supply that now often goes unsold because of low prices in the markets of Issyk-Kol and the high cost of transportation.

One of the greatest global threats identified by the Snow Leopard Trust is a lack of financial resources for both families in snow leopard habitat zones and the governments that are responsible for protecting the one and a half million square kilometers over which the endangered animals roam. Through programs like Snow Leopard Enterprises and the work of Country Coordinators like Cholpon Abasova, addressing this problem in a way that remains sustainable for both the people affected and the animals themselves presents a possibility for cooperation and conservation that works at all levels. With the support of community outreach such as AUCA’s annual Snow Leopard Flashmob and the work of engaged governments like the Kyrgyz Republic who has initiated a Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection program, hopefully the 2015 International Year of the Snow Leopard will be the one we look back to as the turning point for snow leopard conservation around the world.

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

AUCA Success Stories Dinara Orozbaeva

nfortunately, young people in modern Kyrgyzstan imitate criminals or show business artists. Why do gunmen become idols? Why do young people dressed in something incomprehensible become a favorite for teenagers? Many think it is an influence of the West, others say it is progress and there is no necessity to degrade and be backward compared to the rest of the world. Anyway, it is time to take measures and to make young people focused in a positive way. But there is a question – whose job is it, the government or the people? We as parents and adults can’t ban watching TV and surfing the internet, but we can influence the world-view of youth. A sound mind in a sound body – this phrase means that a nation doing sports is healthy. We want to introduce a large-scale sporting event of the year, with a great depth of meaning. The Sports Awards ceremony for best athletes, workers, promoters, and Maecenas of the sporting world was held for first time in Kyrgyzstan in 2014. We’re proud to say that AUCA staff members and our President also were awarded, please note, not in the education arena but for their sports achievements. AUCA President Andrew Wachtel was a nominee in the “Best Athletic Manager” category and was given an award for promoting sports in Kyrgyzstan based on his participation in the Bishkek Fun Run, summer sports competitions at Issyk-Kol, and a number of other sporting events and

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

tournaments in which he set a positive example as a model of the role sports can play in a healthy and active lifestyle. Also of note is that the AUCA theater group “Mirrors” have won the “Best Creative Theater” award for their assistance in the organization of this event; as well as Dean Nikolai Shulgin, former legendary football player of Kyrgyzstan, who was awarded an honorary certificate in recognition of his contributions to the development of sports in Kyrgyzstan. We offer genuine congratulations to all on their achievements that have been recognized at the Sports Awards. In addition to these honors for these representatives of the American University of Central Asia, a number of AUCA students and staff participated in the event both on stage and behind the scenes. NGA students helped in the organization of the ceremony, AUCA TV was on hand to interview nominees and guests for Kyrgyz National TV, and Director of Public Relations Dinara Orozbaeva played a fundamental role in conceiving of and organizing this event to highlight the achievements of sporting notables in the country. AUCA’s ‘Mirrors’ student theater group also performed alongside other prestigious groups like the ‘Monica Belluci’ stand-up comedy group, dance group “We’ll Be”, singer Güljigit Kalykov of ‘Star of Eurasia’ contest fame, and musician Dobr.

Before the ceremony began, athletes and guests passed along the red carpet holding flags of the Kyrgyz Republic and wearing national Kalpak hats. To begin, athletes and sports workers who made great contributions for the development of sports in Kyrgyzstan were presented with Notes of Thanks. Azamat Melisbekov, captain of the Dordoi Football Club, was winner of “Best young athlete” award and he was first of athletes who appeared on the stage. He was quickly followed by kick-boxer Ulanbek Kasymbekov, winner in the “juniors” age division. After them, nominees for the “Best Wrestler of the Year” award were presented to the audience. Zhanarbek Kenzheev, bronze medal winner in the Asian Games, was presented with the first place award. The ‘Best Sports Clubs’ were recognized as MuhammedUmar from Osh and Dordoi from Bishkek, and the ‘Maecenas of the Year’ awards were presented to Suyun Omurzakov and Edil Kasenov. Maksat Musabaev was awarded a special prize from the founder of the Top.kg newspaper as a strong young man of 24 years who has a number of achievements and great potential in sports. He was also been selected as the best athlete in the online voting process. Abdysh-Ata player Kairat Zhyrgalbek uulu of the Abdysh-Ata club was awarded the ‘Best Footballer’ award while Dordoi F.C. was presented with the ‘Best Football Club’ award in recognition of their championship in the Kyrgyzstan Cup and Super Cup competitions. Winners were selected in a two-stage process: first votes were made online and by SMS, followed by a final selection process by Orzubek Nazarov, Kanybek Osmonaliev, Almaz Kasenov and Meklis Koshaliev; all luminaries of the past and present of Kyrgyz sports. We spoke with Ulugbek Omurzakov, Director of the Sport Clubs Network, about healthy lifestyles and the role of sports in Kyrgyzstan and how the youth should be approached to get engaged into the world of sport and live well.

Published by American University of Central Asia | Bishkek | Kyrgyz Republic

AUCA A Winner at the Sports Awards in Kyrgyzstan

AUCA Success Stories

How long have you lead the popular “Muhammed Umar” ¬ sports club? How do you view the time you’ve spent there?

healthy and smart men of worth with patriotic hearts. Such children will be real patriots of their country, and useful for the nation.

Sports club “Muhammed Umar” opened in May of 2005. The founder of this club is Süyünbek Abdyldaevich Ömürzakov, Major General of Kyrgyz Police and Head of Osh City Department of Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic. I am the manager of the club since its opening day. 10 years have gone, and our club is a success story. Undoubtedly, the hard work of coaches is behind all of this success. The efforts and major contributions of Muhammed Kurbanov, Bakyt Jusupov, and Tagay Ömürjanov should be noted.

What is your evaluation of the conditions of sports in Kyrgyzstan today? What are its problems? I assess the situation of sports in Kyrgyzstan as acceptable. I can’t say everything is terrible or great. We all know that the root problem of sports development is an insufficiency of funds. In second place of problems is a lack of skilled coaches. It is sad that government doesn’t pay enough attention to sports. Athletes are the modern heroes of the Kyrgyz nation. I think it is necessary to open sports channels to popularize sports and our athletes. More attention, more stimuli for athletes will lead to so many victories.

Physical culture still remains an aside in the education process, losing the competition for leisure time of children and teenagers to the likes of TV, computer, and so-called “sedentary life”. What do we need to do to make our children and youth spend their time not entirely in on¬line mode? Our mission is involvement of children in sports and physical culture. It is sad that our children are wasting their time in online mode. We appeal to parents to solve this problem. I think, if all parents involve their children to sports and physical culture, they will have

Are there any initiatives from government? Yes, it would be wrong to give a negative answer. Attention is paid, but not as much as required. What about training conditions in the country today? It doesn’t matter. Everyone who wants to do sports will create the required conditions. Wishing to be an athlete should come from the bottom of heart. If Kyrgyzstan had all the required conditions for

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

AUCA Success Stories

We often hear about Kyrgyz athletes who change citizenship and move to other countries. Have you received such offers? What do you think of such deeds? Such cases are consequences of the weak attention of government to sports. Our club also had this experience when our trainees fought under the flag of other countries. One of our best athletes – Kylychbek Sarkarbaev - several times attended competitions on behalf of Kazakhstan. In my opinion, the fact of our athletes don’t appear on behalf of our country is the greatest defect of sports in Kyrgyzstan. What are you doing for the public, aside from training athletes? You can call me a sports enthusiast. Actually, I’m working in the position of prosecutor in the ‘Office for Oversight of Criminal Procedure and Operative Crime Detection Activities’ in Osh region. I started my career in this position in 2007, but before this job I was occupied with coaching. Since 1998, we rented premises, gathered talented athletes, trained them, and those days were some kind of “golden” period. Now I feel great delight from the job I did at that time. Are businessmen ready to make investments for sports? How many sports clubs and centers are open for children in the southern regions? It seems at the moment that sport in Kyrgyzstan is in most cases developing with the aid of wellto-do men. Of course there are no crowds of them, but anyway we are very thankful to people who hold back neither strength nor resources for sports. I can’t say that the situation for sports clubs in southern regions of Kyrgyzstan is good. Nevertheless, our guys are doing their best. As I said before, only real enthusiasts are going through thick and thin of this occupation. The only thing that makes me happy is

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

that our kids are really interested in sports. Tell us about your family. How many children do you have? What do you want to see for your sons? Do you have any plans to find a career in sports for them?

place every year, our athletes will do their best to win honorary titles and we could have more wins. I think such events have great importance in the development of sports in Kyrgyzstan.

I was born on January 28th, 1978. I’m from Sai village, Ylai-Talaa rural district, Kara-Kulzha county of Osh region. I’m the ninth of ten children, and a father of four sons and two daughters. Like any father, I want my sons to grow up and do great things for our motherland. At the moment, three of my sons train in judo. I support my boys and I want them to become athletes, and have already begun to do my best for their success. Are you interested in politics? Do you feel any tensions of political conflict in Kyrgyzstan? Today, all activities of people are related with politics. Yes, I take a great interest in politics. A problem of tribalism, clannishness, separation of south and nor th, this is a pursuit only of the sordid motives of those who invented it. If they were really thinking about the future of our country ad national interests, this disease wouldn’t be able to take roots so deeply as it has today. According to “sanzhyra” – Kyrgyz genealogy, the Kyrgyz people have three branches: left wing, right wing and “ichkilik” (internal) group. All representatives of these groups today live in both nor th and south. We are one nation, we have the same origins – this nor th-south problem shouldn’t take place in our society. Our forefathers didn’t divide between southerners and nor therners; they knew all of ancestors to 32nd generation and above all they always lived in peace. Say a few words about Sports Awards. What is the importance of this event for improvement of sports in Kyrgyzstan? I’m very thankful to the organizing committee and sponsors for this national-scale event. Such events will give more stimuli to our athletes; they will be more motivated for success. If this event takes

Published by American University of Central Asia | Bishkek | Kyrgyz Republic

sports, our athletes would be able to win the worldwide audience. Our nation is rich in talented athletes. Today, many athletes are fans and enthusiasts of sports. They go to trainings, search for sponsors, go abroad to participate in championships, and return with trophies and wins on their own.

AUCA Success Stories

AUCA’s International and Business Law Department in the Spotlight: Recent Achievements on the Path to Promotion of Rule of Law in Kyrgyzstan and Beyond “Participation in international conferences is an important and useful experience that leads to a great change and development not only of individual professional perception, but also of a discipline professor teaches which then impacts student learning.” – Kamila Mateeva, Department Head of International and Business Law

he International and Business Law department at AUCA is committed to educating new generations of lawyers in Central Asia through a program with a focus on independent, analytical learning, practical skill building, and promotion of the rule of law. This past fall semester the department has been pro-actively engaging in various activities to further promote this mission. Both IBL department faculty and students, under the leadership of the department head Kamila Mateeva, spent the latter half of 2014 undertaking projects ranging from consideration of jury trials, legal ethics, and the role of constitutional courts; to investment contracts, corruption, extractive industries, protection of human rights, and other issues. Although diverse in nature, all of these activities have been aimed at promotion of the rule of law in Kyrgyzstan and beyond. We hope that the IBL department continues to keep up this pro-active approach and wish them every success in their work.

Reaching out to AUCA Community and Beyond With Timely and Pressing Issues The IBL department hosted a number of presentations during the fall semester in which faculty and guest speakers have been able to engage AUCA students and graduates, the local legal community, international and national organizations, and state policymaking bodies in critical discussion and analysis of the world’s most pressing legal issues. Daniele Quaggiotto, an English-qualified solicitor with over 10 years of experience in the areas of banking, structured finance, derivatives and project finance, made a presentation on guarantee contracts and their importance in the context of cross-border trade. Dinara Asanbaeva, an Assistant Professor of the IBL department, held a public lecture on the topic of “Fighting Bribery in the Private Sector” based on her summer research at the Ohio State University with the support of the AUCA-USAID grant. The lecture highlighted the problem of bribery in the private sector and the dangers it creates for businesses, markets, and societies. The IBL department also hosted

a lecture series on “International Investment Agreement Contract Drafting: The Case of the International Bar Association’s Model Mining Development Agreement and Other Useful Tools” and “State Liability Under Investment Treaties”, all of which was made possible by cooperation between the IBL department, Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (an applied research center of Columbia Law School and the Earth Institute at Columbia University), Jones Day (a global law firm committed to promotion of rule of law), and the German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation (GIZ) (an experienced service provider that assists the German government in aspects of international cooperation). The lecture series was part of a wider effort revolving around extended training sessions offered to local professionals and state officials. These open lectures were led by Lise Johnson, a legal researcher and head of investment law and policy at the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, and Boris Dolgonos, a partner at Jones Day with extensive experience in extractive industries.

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

AUCA Success Stories

During the second half of 2014, departmental faculty members made presentations of their research results at universities around the world.

Judge Matthew Williams presides over a mock trial for students of the IBL department at AUCA.

Academic symposium on “Human Rights and Investment Policymaking: Relevance and Integration” part of UN-sponsored World Investment Forum.

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

Kamila Mateeva, head of the IBL department, after her presentation during the ‘International Legal Ethics Conference VI’ at Citu University London.

Kamila Mateeva, the Head of the IBL department, participated in the International Legal Ethics Conference VI in July 2014 at City University London alongside professors from UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Poland, Croatia, Nigeria, Italy, Spain, Japan, Thailand, and other countries. As part of the panel on “Legal Ethics Beyond Common Law Countries”, Kamila Mateeva made a presentation on “Legal Ethics Education in the Post-Soviet Arena (Kyrgyzstan)”. This research topic is particularly important for Kyrgyzstan since the passage of a new law on “Advocacy and the Bar” in July 2014 that established an Advocacy Bar Association of Kyrgyzstan, an institution that shall consider the legal ethics issues of attorneys. During the conference session a number of questions and remarks were made which have served as a valuable complement to a legal ethics course that is part of the Law curriculum at AUCA.

Assistant Professor Begaiym Esenkulova on the “Human Rights and Investment Policymaking: Relevance and Integration” panel during the World Investment Forum 2014.

Kamila Mateeva, Head of the International and Business Law Department

Begaiym Esenkulova, an Assistant Professor of the IBL department, represented AUCA as a panelist in the academic symposium on “Human Rights and Investment Policymaking: Relevance and Integration” as part of the World Investment Forum (13-16 October 2014) held in Geneva and organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Since its inception in 2008, the World Investment Forum has been recognized as the pre-eminent platform for highlevel and inclusive discourse on investment policy formulation for sustainable development. The world’s leading scholars in the field of investment law and policy as well as high-level decision makers from government, business, and civil society attend the event. During her presentation at the Forum, Begaiym Esenkulova addressed the integration of human rights principles into investment policymaking based on the example of the Kyrgyz Republic’s mining sector. Ms. Esenkulova also delivered an academic seminar in the London School of Economics this October on “The Legal Governance of Foreign Direct Investment in Kyrgyzstan’s Gold Mining Sector: Towards Balancing Human Rights and Investor Protection”. At the seminar, organized by and presented at the LSE Centre for the Study of Human Rights, she received recommendations which have been very useful for her teaching and research.

Published by American University of Central Asia | Bishkek | Kyrgyz Republic

Another important presentation was made by Matthew Williams, a King County District Court Judge in Washington State with over 20 years of experience in U.S. law as a judge, prosecutor, private attorney, and law professor. Judge Williams made a presentation of his experience of conducting jury trials in the United States for the benefit of students of AUCA, law professors, and governmental representatives. In cooperation with the U.S. Embassy and with Judge Williams’ participation, the IBL department also conducted a mock trial demonstrating U.S. jury trial procedures with select AUCA students serving as members of the jury. With jury trials expected to commence in the Kyrgyz Republic in 2015 for a limited number of offenses, both Judge Williams’ presentation and the mock trial have helped to encourage a constructive dialogue among the Kyrgyz legal community that will facilitate successful implementation of jury trials that respect the rights of all citizens while serving justice with fairness, transparency, and equality.

AUCA Success Stories

Moving Beyond the Ivory Tower A team of IBL faculty (Saniia Toktogazieva, Ayaz Baetov, and Begaiym Esenkulova), together with Emil Juraev, an Associate Professor of the AUCA International and Comparative Politics department, have conducted research on the role of constitutional courts in guaranteeing the stability of constitutional order using the illustrative example of Kyrgyzstan. Funded by a grant of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the aim of this project was to increase the capacity of university professionals to participate in and set the agenda for public debate. During the project these AUCA faculty members organized an academic conference on “Development of Constitutionalism in the Kyrgyz Republic: Expectations and Challenges” with participation of representatives from state bodies (including judges of the Constitutional Chamber), key national and international experts from governmental and non-governmental organizations, distinguished scholars, prominent lawyers, and students. Additionally, the faculty held an expert forum with the participation of mass media to present the policy brief which is based on their research work to the broader community. This project will culminate in the summer of 2015 with the publication of an article in an international peer-reviewed journal.

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The work done as part of this project has helped us and our colleagues to contribute to the national debate about constitutional reforms and the Constitutional Chamber and make the problem of constitutional instability a more public, popular issue. It has also helped us to actively participate in setting the public policy debate on this topic and promoting a meaningful policy change in the country.” – Begaiym Esenkulova and Saniia Toktogazieva

Apart from this, Dean of Faculty Elida K. Nogoibaeva, IBL Department Head Kamila Mateeva, and Assistant Professor Kanykei Kasybekova have been working together on the “Kyrgyz Republic” chapter of a book on Quality Management in Legal Education. The book project, initiated by Professor F. Emmert of Indiana University School of Law at Indianapolis, involves partici-

pants from more than thirty countries and aims to bring together information on legal education in the sphere of higher education from the countries in Central and Eastern Europe and contrast this information with best practice standards from a representative cross-section of Western countries (USA, UK, various EU member states, Switzerland, and Australia). Later in October, Begaiym Esenkulova participated as a local legal expert in the Bishkek-based training on “International Practices of Arbitration and Dispute Resolution: The Role of the Investment Treaties” for Kyrgyz Republic government officials from the State Agency on Geology and Mineral Resources, the Ministry of Economy, Center for Legal Representation of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, State Agency on Protection of Environment and Forestry, and others. Begaiym provided consultation to presenters from the event’s organizing bodies (the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment and Jones Day international law firm, in cooperation with the GIZ) before the training to ensure that the content of their presentations would be in line with Kyrgyz Republic law and practice. She also assisted all the teams of Kyrgyz Republic government officials in preparing for the international investment role-play at the training and acted as an arbitrator during the arbitration proceedings. With Kyrgyzstan facing numerous international arbitration claims, the contribution of such expertise by IBL faculty is important to the positive resolution of such cases.

Participation in the World’s Most Renowned International Competition on International Commercial Law and Arbitration Kanykei Kasybekova and Dinara Asanbaeva, members of the IBL faculty, are preparing a team of law students to represent AUCA in the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna, Austria. This competition fosters the study of international commercial law and arbitration for resolution of international business disputes by application of theory to a concrete client problem and by training the law leaders of tomorrow

in methods of alternative dispute resolution. Since October a group of IBL junior students have been actively involved in the process of researching and writing on the competition’s client problem, and once the writing stage is completed these students will start working on their oral presentations for the main stage of the weeklong competition that begins on March 27th, 2015. Participation in this competition will prepare students to handle complex legal issues, strengthen their research capabilities, writing and oral presentation skills, expose them to an international environment, where they will meet fellow students from all over the world, and provide students certificates attesting to their participation in this highlyregarded event.

Transnational Partnerships for the Promotion and Advancement of Human Rights in Kyrgyzstan During the fall semester the department established a partnership with the Estonian Institute of Human Rights and is now one of the partners of the project on “Transnational partnerships for the promotion and advancement of human rights in Kyrgyzstan”. Within the ambit of the partnership, the IBL department’s Saniia Toktogazieva met in Tallinn with representatives of the Estonian Institute of Human Rights and Tartu University for a preparatory meeting of the project. The outcome of the visit was an agreement establishing that Professors from Tartu University will visit AUCA during the spring and fall semesters of 2015-2016 and offer our students intensive modular courses on the advancement of human rights with the support of the Estonian Institute of Human Rights.

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

Alumni Spotlight Dinara Orozbaeva

Ramis Dzhailibaev: A Man Is Personally Responsible For His Knowledge, Experience And Professionalism. Ramis Dzhailibaev – alumnus (B.A. 2007) of the American University of Central Asia. Today he is the head of the marketing department of Bishkek Petroleum Company - one of the largest gas stations networks in Kyrgyzstan. Though he is still young, he has already gained colossal experience. Ramis shared with us his story as one of the successful alumni of the Business Administration Department.

lease, tell us about your student life at AUCA, how did you spend those years? I enrolled at AUCA in 2002. There wasn’t any other option on offer for a quality education. For that time, high quality education resources were so few, and AUCA was and still remains one of the best universities in Kyrgyzstan. I was just back from the USA; I’d studied on an exchange program and graduated from the school there. Staying there, I’d already begun to prepare to join the university and passed the TOEFL exam. I intended beforehand to come back to Kyrgyzstan and apply for AUCA, which at that time was called AUK (American University of Kyrgyzstan). I made my choice right away for the Business Administration Department. I never wanted to be a psychologist, a lawyer, so I applied to BA. Studying one year, I was bored in Kyrgyzstan. I had misunderstood the system at AUCA, meaning the courses that I had

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

been taking were of a general nature. I didn’t feel any relation in these to my profession, though later I understood that they were prerequisites for my specialization. Anyways, I took a sabbatical and departed for Berlin, Germany. Understanding comes through comparison. I studied there one semester. It was a very large university - 1000 students attended classes. Students come 1.5 hours before class begins to sit closer to the professor. It was first time when I sat on stairs and aisles. If you’re late or come 10 minutes prior to class, you won’t find any place to sit. I wasn’t practiced at studying in large universities, so it was my first experience. After one semester I understood the quality of education is up only to you, nobody else. In the beginning I had plans to stay in Germany. I liked this country very much: the lifestyle, people’s attitude towards each other, respect for rights, and supremacy of

I overcame all my love for Germany and made a decision to return home and get a high quality education within the shortest possible period of time. Only American University of Central Asia was able to make this come true. In 2007 I graduated from university and at the same time I was already working. I worked during all my student years. In my senior year I worked in a more responsible position - I’m very thankful to the career center of AUCA! They received a message by mail that the president of one of the largest Kyrgyz companies – Shoro Company – needed a personal assistant. I applied and the next morning they called me and invited for an interview. I was lucky and accepted for this job, and worked there 2.5 years. How did you manage to combine work with study? It was a very critical situation for me. But my employer and I reached an understanding, the company agreed

Published by American University of Central Asia | Bishkek | Kyrgyz Republic

laws… But I looked at tomorrow, not today. In order to gain a European diploma, it is required to study 10 semesters; that is 5 years. Since I was financing my education myself I had to study one semester and work in next one, so a diploma of higher education was to be postponed some years if I stayed in Europe. In my own experience, I would advise students to face the future: look forward to who you will be after two to three years. Because today you have fun, don’t have to think about anything, you live the happy-go-lucky student life. Sometimes we make mistakes, thinking that after graduation with diploma in hand we will think about where to go to work. I’m sure most AUCA students already know what they will do in the future. I don’t dispute that it is better if you work in your favorite area. Anyway, it is time to plan your career in your junior or senior year in the university.

Alumni Spotlight

to meet me halfway. Moreover, my job was focused on getting good results. So, I commuted between work and the university. The Office of Shoro is almost in the countryside, I remember I used minibus #236. I was always on time. When I studied Business Administration, I didn’t have a thirst for narrow specializations. I didn’t think ‘finance is my area’ or ‘I will work only in economics’. Business administration is a really elastic concept; it gives you extensive knowledge on critical thinking, finance, and banking. Studying in Business Administration makes it possible to make a choice on the area where you’ll improve yourself. Administration – general and project management - is closer to me and I started to improve my skills in this area. Were you fearful for your future after graduation? No, I was lucky and had a job at the moment of graduation. I was invited to one of the investment banks, occupied with implementation of investment projects, and tried my luck in corporate finance. Finance is not the only thing that you have to know in business. I needed communication skills and presentation merits. After working in the investment bank, I was invited to an absolutely different element – to a design studio where I worked as project manager. We cooperated with the Office of the President and large mobile operator companies. Of course I had failures in my labor, but, only he who doesn’t work doesn’t make any mistakes. In 2010, I changed my job. I understood that I have to seriously think about my profession and I chose one of the UN agencies – UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) in the Kyrgyz Republic. This job was related with neither business nor politics. Three and a half years of my life I worked in social service, and saw the world through different eyes. How interesting was it to change from the commercial sector to social service? My level of interest didn’t wane, it even grew. When I do something, I do it from the bottom of my heart, without any sense of selfishness. My project was focused on reproductive health issues. I had to study more and read to have a good understanding of

this area. I didn’t discover anything new in project design; I just improved the skills I already possessed. I remember, I had to fly to Osh in June of 2010 where there was ethnic conflict. I had never been to Osh; all the mass media screamed that it is very dangerous there. I was project assistant, and worked with local people and administrations to give help to

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everything. It is difficult, but enjoyable, because it influences the formation of personality. What advice would you give to AUCA students? Read as much as possible, get a lot of professional information. AUCA always paid a lot of attention to independent education. So use it, get

Quality of work is directly up to me, and in the end all responsibility for the work done is on me. Nobody will sort out who is guilty, I was entrusted and I must be personally responsible for everything.”

victims of that conflict. That year was very unstable, all offices were closing, and everything was temporary. The UN system differs from others, in that if any conflict takes place somewhere staff is not reduced, but quite the contrary it increases. I liked it very much, UNFPA is a global program functioning almost all over the world, and working in UN House seemed to me very prestigious. I have very good memories of this job, made good friends, and expanded my network. Now I’m working at Bishkek Petroleum Company. I changed my work from the UN when I stopped learning anything new. UN is a perfect place to work: social package, insurance, transparency, and international standards of working. It is the best place for overall development. I got the added evidence that internal recommendations give you a lot in any job placement. I was offered to work in this company based on my former work experience; a vacancy for this position wasn’t announced. As head of marketing department, you have great responsibility. How difficult is it to work here in the psychological aspect? Frankly speaking, it is a difficult job. But such stresses are necessary during the building of your personality. You can’t understand your own strength as a man when everything is easy and fine. Business is an area where people show no mercy. These stressful situations are very useful, they increase responsibility and decision speed in critical situations. Quality of work is directly up to me, and in the end all responsibility for the work done is on me. Nobody will sort out who is guilty, I was entrusted and I must be personally responsible for

the maximum amount of information and store it up. Later you’ll just not have enough time for it. I respect those people who still have enough time for reading. Try yourself in different areas, don’t be afraid. There are no perfect people, no man is born wise or learned. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. An AUCA alumnus is a person with a knowledge base as a default. It is a sin to waste 4 years in university, to not use the resources provided and to not build this base. What future plans do you have? For the present I see myself here, in Kyrgyzstan. I have a lot of plans regarding the company where I’m working, and I want to implement them for the development of the business. I don’t want to talk about the distant future, I want to see the results of my work during two to three years. I limit myself neither in geography nor in activities. At the same time I’m doing my masters education in Geneva. Classes are partially online, partially full-time based. In January I’m going to defend my thesis on a Development Policies and Practices specialization. The MA course is a new academic degree. For me, it is strengthening of skills gained during working experience. Also it is networking, I have great international group and I can cooperate with them in the future. This aspect is necessary for myself and my CV. I really need this degree. Not a local, but an international degree. I don’t understand students who enter postgraduate studies right after getting a bachelor degree. It is necessary to have working experience, to understand how close the area is to you.

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

Alumni Spotlight

‘job’ is to learn new stuff. Every day I learn something new (mostly about academia), but for me it is a very fun and fascinating thing to do. Do you plan to go back to your motherland and contribute to its development? Why is it important for you?

What is the most interesting thing that you remember about being an AUCA student? The most interesting thing about AUCA is extra-curricular activities. It is such an amazing experience to be on stage and train your acting and oral skills. Being part of drama club gave me more confidence for public speaking and involvement in the university life. The other thing that I want to point out is responsibility for their job and their commitment to help students. I was lucky to have professor and supervisor Emil Nasritdinov, who inspired me to work hard. I think professor’s commitment is a very unique trait to AUCA that cannot be seen in other places. Tell us about your career path. After graduating from AUCA, I started my Master’s Degree at University of Tromso, Norway. In June (2015), I will be graduating from the Master Degree in Peace and Conflict Transformation programme. This summer I did my fieldwork about Post-conflict reintegration in Tajikistan, which is closely related to my Master thesis. In addition, I have been working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tajikistan. This working experience really determined my future career direction. Favorite thing about your job? Currently I am not employed, but being a full time student is very tough job. Hereby, I can say that my favorite thing about this being my

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015

Happiest/proudest moment of your life? Honestly, I do not focus on any specific moment or events, but I am proud of my ‘status quo’ of who I am and what I have achieved, hopefully I will accomplish even more. What are some tips that you would like to share with current AUCA students? The only tip I can give, is to work hard and get good grades. At the end of the day the only thing that matters and will help you in your future career is your grades. So just work hard for it. What do you miss the most about AUCA? The thing that I miss the most is the AUCA spirit, from academia to extracurricular activities. I often caught myself thinking or being nostalgic about the days I spent there. Any message to fellow classmates, alumni and professors? I wish the best of luck to my classmates and alumni friends. And please keep in touch and come to Alumni meetings. To my dear professors, I want to express my sincere gratitude for their commitment and contribution to my education.

Ramziya Muborakshoeva, International and Comparative Politics 2008 What is the most interesting thing that you remember about being an AUCA student? My years at AUCA were a life lived in leaps and I enjoyed every bit of it. For the first time in my life I was so far away from my family and it was my first exposure to real independence. This is when I learned cooking and managing my monthly budget. The most interesting thing was of course the academic part. You will not get even close to an AUCA level education elsewhere in Central Asia. I really appreciate that we were encouraged to think, to make conclusions and to speak. Tell us about your career path. After graduating from AUCA I was a little confused about where to go with my BA in International and Comparative Politics and my minor in Public International Law. Happily ICP is a quite an interdisciplinary field and you can make a career practically anywhere. I decided to postpone with graduate studies until I get better practical experience and I traveled to the US where I spent almost a year interning at the Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. in Washington DC. Upon completion of the internship I returned to

Published by American University of Central Asia | Bishkek | Kyrgyz Republic

Umeda Oqilova, Anthropology 2013

As I said previously, I have already determined my career direction. And I decided to return and work for the development of Tajikistan. It is important to me, because I see Tajikistan losing its’ great minds, which causes weakening of the state. That is why it is significant that everyone will come back and contribute for development of their country.

Alumni Spotlight

Tajikistan and decided to settle in my hometown of Khorog. I was very excited about the prospects of the new university that will be constructed here with another two campuses in Naryn, Kyrgyzstan and Tekeli, Kazakhstan. So I joined this very ambitious project and now I am the Country HR Manager of the University of Central Asia handling the organizational HR service in Tajikistan and Afghanistan. Favorite thing about your job? My favorite thing about being an HR manager is talking and dealing with real people. People spend half of their life at work and it is the responsibility of the HR team to ensure that this time is spent effectively for the organization and enjoyably for the employee. I am happy that I and my team are contributing to this.

underestimated those, but professors appreciate when you talk to them in person. What do you miss the most about AUCA? I really miss that entire time and all the people who surrounded me. AUCA presented me some of my lifetime friends, most of whom are far away now. I really miss those happy moments we shared in the AUCA kitchenette and corridors. Any message to fellow classmates, alumni, and professors? Thank you for being so great and for making my undergraduate years so filled with great memories.

I don’t want to sound trivial but these mountains serve as a magnet to me. Someone finds happiness and comfort far away, but my zone of comfort is here. Maybe I could have been successful elsewhere, but I see more value in my work and efforts here.

I am a happy wife and the mother of a toddler girl. The day she was born has changed all of me and surely it was the happiest day of my life. What are some tips that you would like to share with current AUCA students? Don’t take all the hard courses during your freshman year. Distribute them proportionally throughout your studies, otherwise you will have a hard time on your freshman year and take all the fun classes on your last semester as I did. If you lost your ID don’t even think of using another person’s ID. I have tried and it had some undesirable consequences J. Use the professor meeting hours indicated in your syllabus. I always

My career path commenced with a part time job in an import-export company. After, I moved to Grata Law Firm’s office in Tajikistan, which in comparison to my previous position allowed a more diversified experience. However, I did not remain in Grata for a long time and moved to my current job; which is the Dushanbe office of Colibri Law Firm, where I still learn new skills and enjoy the atmosphere of a regional law firm. Favorite thing about your job? My job is simple, however it requires lots of energy. I suppose this contradiction keeps me alert and does not let me relax and be content with the knowledge gained so far. You have rich international experience, you studied and work abroad. Why have you returned to Tajikistan?

You have rich international experience, having studied and worked abroad. Why have you returned to Tajikistan?

Happiest/proudest moment of your life?

Tell us about your career path?

Shirinbek Milikbekov International and Business Law 2011 Recently graduated from Bucerius Master of Law and Business What is the most interesting thing that you remember about being AUCA student? I believe AUCA was and is one of the unique places where the education was not limited only to classes. One is able to learn even out of the classroom, while having conversations with students from different countries and backgrounds. I really appreciated the coffee and tea breaks we had with our TEACHER with big letters, Tursunali Asakeevich.

I always thought that the best place for personal development is a place that you can bring value to. Our countries like Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are in a sharp need of qualified specialists with international experience. Therefore I encountered a choice, where I could remain in a place where the conditions are far better or return and invest in my own country and be a pioneer. I decided to choose the second and I don’t feel any regret about that. What are some tips that you would like to share with current AUCA students? Study hard, and for law students it would be good to combine education with an internship in order to internalize that knowledge. Your message to fellow classmates, alumni and professors Thank you for the good times and the knowledge. It would be good to reunite sometimes in Bishkek.

if you want to stay in touch send your correspondence or subscribe to our magazine: www.auca.kg/en/magazine_auca/

AUCA Magazine | Winter 2015