Alumni info

2013 14 Alumni Guide To Benefits, Services & Involvement

Engage.

Connect.

Make a Difference.

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Table of Contents Welcome 1 Alumni Membership & Eligibility

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Alumni Membership Card

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AUCA Alumni Council 2 Alumni Ambassadors & Groups Worldwide

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Start an Alumni Group in Your City

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Planning Your First Event

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Alumni Giving 5 Donate Youe Time 6 Benefits & Services

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Using the AUCA Library 6 Computers & IT Services

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Transcript Requests 7 Lifetime Email 7 AUCA Magazine & Alumni Newsletter

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Alumni Reunions and Events

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Alunmi Awards 8 Career Services 8 Internship Opportunities 9

Dear Graduate,

Welcome to the AUCA Alumni Guide for academic year 2013-14. In this booklet, you will find information about the broad range of benefits and services available to AUCA alumni and members of the AUCA Alumni Association.

The services summarized in these pages are coordinated by the AUCA Alumni Relations and Career Services Office, and we are here for you all year round to make sure that you get the best from your alumni experience. Whether you’re in Bishkek or anywhere else in the world, you can take advantage of various tools and resources to help you search for jobs, find support for your projects, expand your professional network, make a difference in the lives of students, and avail of a mutually beneficial relationship with AUCA and its unique international network.

We hope you enjoy this handy little guide. If you have any questions about the enclosed information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sven Stafford Director of Development Diana Tsoi Alumni Relations & Career Services Director 205, Abdymomunov St., Bishkek, 720040 Kyrgyz Republic Tel.: (+996)312 664 564 ext.272, AUCA main building, room 302 Email: alumni@mail.auca.kg www.auca.kg/en/alumni

www.facebook.com/auca.graduates AUCA Alumni Association Group LinkedIn: AUCA Alumni

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Alumni Membership & Eligibility All AUCA graduates automatically become members of the AUCA Alumni Association upon successful completion of their AUCA programs.

You are considered AUCA alum if you have 1) spent at least one academic year as a degree candidate at AUCA, 2) completed AUCA degree program or MBA, 3) joined AUCA as exchange student.

All AUCA Alumni are also included in Bard College’s alumni network, and are able to attend Bard Alumni events.

Alumni Membership Card You will need an Alumni Membership Card to access any AUCA services or benefits. You can sign up for an alumni card by sending request at alumni@mail.auca.kg with your full name, group number and a recent photo. You can also simply drop by the alumni office, room 302.

The AUCA Alumni Membership Card does not have an expiration date and does not need to be renewed.

Your first alumni card will be issued free of charge. If you lose or misplace it, you can order a new card for a small fee of KGS 100 (this amount will be considered as a small contribution towards alumni scholarship).

Should you need to access any AUCA services, benefits, or facilities before your card is ready, the Alumni Relations and Career Services Office will issue a letter enabling you to do so. For more information, please contact Diana Tsoi at alumni@mail.auca.kg AUCA Alumni Council AUCA Alumni Council is a group of enthusiastic alumni working together on development of comprehensive programs and benefits for AUCA students and alums. The purpose of the Alumni Council is to foster a spirit of connectivity and loyalty among AUCA alumni and friends, helping them remain active in the global AUCA network.

The Alumni Council has five Committees that plan and implement programs. Council membership is open to all members of the AUCA Alumni Association. To join the Council and make a difference, please contact Alumni Relations and Career Services Office.

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Professional Development and Guest Lectures Zarina Chekirbaeva [BA ‘02] Alibek Ismankulov [BA ‘09] Bolushbek Abdyzhaparov [BA ‘05] Membership Services Aliaskar Kiiizbaev [BA ‘06] Rashid Ivaev [ECO ‘05] Alumni Events and Programs Olga Tarabashkina [JMC ‘06] Jyldyz Sattarova [ICP ‘07] Kaliman Bayalieva [ICP ‘10] Seinep Dyikanbaeva [IBL ‘12] Database and Alumni Engagement Asel Akmatova [ICP ‘06] Alumni Scholarship and Fundraising Melis Turgunbaev [ICP ‘03] Alumni Ambassadors & Groups Worldwide AUCA Alumni reside in many countries worldwide.

To help you connect with each other we are recruiting Alumni Ambassadors in different parts of the world. The Alumni Ambassador is an important volunteer position tasked with facilitating a mutually beneficial, enduring relationship between alumni in your country and the university. Alumni Ambassador is a contact person in the city or country who helps to organize small reunions, events and activities in the area.

To learn more about tasks and benefits and to become Alumni Ambassador in your city, please contact Diana Tsoi at the Alumni Relations and Career Services Office.

Afghanistan Kabul www.facebook.com/groups/aucaclub.afghanistan/ Hungary Budapest www.facebook.com/groups/aucaclub.hungary/ 3

Kazakhstan Almaty www.facebook.com/groups/aucaclub.kz/ Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Nurjan Manji | nurjan.manji@gmail.com www.facebook.com/groups/aucaclub.malaysia/ Russia Moscow www.facebook.com/groups/172872629435813/ Spain Barcelona Bermet Zozulinskaya [ECO’06] | bermetkz@gmail.com www.facebook.com/groups/aucaclub.spain/ Tajikistan Khorog Gulazor Gulmamadova [JMC’14] | g.gulmamadova@gmail.com www.facebook.com/groups/aucaclub.tajikistan/ Turkey Istanbul www.facebook.com/groups/aucaclub.istanbul/ Turkmenistan Ashgabat www.facebook.com/groups/aucaclub.turkmenistan/ United Kingdom London Lilia Kogay | lilia_kogay@yahoo.co.uk www.facebook.com/groups/aucaclub.uk/ United States New York Nikita Ryjih [SFW’09] www.facebook.com/groups/aucaclub.nyc/

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Chicago, Illinois Asel Moldousupova [BA’07] | aselmoldousupova@gmail.com www.facebook.com/groups/aucaclub.illinois/ Start an Alumni Group in Your City No matter where you are, chances to find AUCA graduates there are very high. Alumni groups are excellent portals for international networking and new friendships. You can find out if there is an alumni group near you at www.auca.kg/en/ambassadors If you don’t yet have an organized alumni group nearby, it’s easy to start one of your own. Here are a few tips to get you started: • Ask us how many AUCA alumni are located in your area by writing to alumni@mail.auca.kg • Pinpoint a couple of volunteers from that group to help you plan a gathering • Draft a short message inviting local alumni to join your group. Share your ideas and express interest in theirs • Ask us if we have a Facebook group. If no, create a Facebook group and name it as “AUCA Alumni Club (Your Country or state)”. In settings change the group address to “aucaclub.YourCountry”. e.g. AUCA Alumni Club Malaysia, address: www.facebook.com/groups/aucaclub.malaysia/ Planning your First Event It doesn’t need to be any more complex than a laid-back get-together at your favorite pub or restaurant, or a picnic in a park. All you need to do is: • Pick a date and time • Choose a place • Write a short invitation message and distribute it via Facebook group or email Tip: To help promote your gathering and easily keep track of who is coming, you may want to create a Facebook event.

Alumni Office is happy to provide ideas for engaging your peers at the event. Do not hesitate to reach out to us for help at alumni@mail.auca.kg Alumni Giving Giving to AUCA is an important way for alumni to remain 5

engaged with the university and to help move it forward.

Every gift to the AUCA Alumni Scholarship Fund – large or small – makes a difference at this unique institution.

If you want to make a difference to AUCA and our students, please consider making a gift of any size. You can give online, bank transfer or in cash at the Alumni Relations and Career Services Office (room 302).

Learn more about how you can contribute to AUCA’s future at www.auca.kg/en/donate/ DONATE YOUR TIME Sharing your knowledge and expertise with other alumni and students is another way to give back to your university. All AUCA Alumni are welcome to come share their experience and advise our students on their area of expertise or simply any life experience they had.

• Is there something you wish you knew before you graduated? Help prevent students from making the same mistakes you made.

• Is your company hiring? Post the announcement on our secure website to find the most talented employees in Kyrgyzstan.

• Do you have a hobby that you can teach others?

Teach a class at AUCA. We will advertise, find the students, and give you the space and time you need.

There are many ways to reconnect to AUCA. If what you are imagining is not listed here, contact us, and we will work with you to make AUCA a better university.

Benefits & Services As a member of the AUCA alumni community, you can access a wide range of benefits and services. Enjoy full use of the AUCA Library, a variety of professional development opportunities, discounts with AUCA partners, and much more. All AUCA alumni benefits and services are available for free to holders of the AUCA Alumni Membership Card.

USING THE AUCA LIBRARY AUCA alumni who have an alumni membership card can use the AUCA Library for free. Just drop by Alumni Relations and Career Services Office to sign a simple

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agreement with the library. You may borrow books and use reference sources, like EBSCO, JSTOR, Columbia International Affairs Online, LexisNexis Academic, Oxford Reference Online, Cambridge Journals Online, EastView and others. We provide an access to more than 30 thousand titles of full-text electronic books, monographs and scientific peer-reviewed journals through EBRARY database.

AUCA Library Tel.: (+996)312 661 088 Web: www.library.auca.kg COMPUTERS & IT SERVICES Alumni with an alumni card are free to use AUCA’s computer labs. If you would like to use on-campus computers, please contact the Alumni Relations & Career Services Office at alumni@mail.auca.kg to request a temporary username and password.

TRANSCRIPT REQUESTS AUCA issues academic transcripts, enrollment certificates, and other documents related to your student record with the university. You can order copies of such documents for free or, depending on the document type, for a small fee.

Registrar Office Tel.: (+996)312 661 087 Email: registrar@mail.auca.kg LIFETIME EMAIL A lifetime email account is a single AUCA email address (YOURNAME@alumni.auca.kg) that you can use after your student account has expired. No matter how many times you change jobs or email addresses, friends will always be able to reach you via your AUCA alumni email.

AUCA MAGAZINE & ALUMNI NEWSLETTER The AUCA Magazine and the Alumni Newsletter are issued quarterly via print and email. It keeps alums current on AUCA, and on AUCA alumni events worldwide, plus services, benefits, job opportunities, and more. If you would like to receive the AUCA Magazine or Alumni Newsletter, please send a request with your 7

name and email address at alumni@mail.auca.kg Submit your personal or/and career news – with or without photos – or items of interest about your AUCA classmates for a chance to be featured in the AUCA Alumni Newsletter.

ALUMNI REUNIONS AND EVENTS Every year Alumni Relations and Career Services Office organizes diverse events with alumni groups and volunteers, from big annual ones like the Reunion and Career Fair in May to small events and local get-togethers. You are free to organize your own alumni event wherever you may be. We can help you get in touch with alumni and friends in your area, publicize your event, and support you every step of the way.

ALUMNI AWARD The James Emison Alumni Award is the award of $100 given to alumnus/alumna in recognition of contribution to the mission of the university to develop leaders for the transformation of the region. The award recipient is chosen every year by the Alumni Council.

As a graduate, you may nominate fellow alum or yourself for this award. Send an email to alumni@mail.auca.kg with your nominee’s personal and contact information: name, address, contact number and/or email address, department, graduation year, and (if known) current employer. Please include few lines about why you believe this individual deserves the award.

CAREER SERVICES There are various ways you can take advantage of AUCA’s career services, either as a client seeking help in managing your career or as a contributor offering assistance to students and recent graduates who are considering their employment options.

Services include assistance with resume and cover letter writing, access to career-related events and skills development workshops, and information about employers and job and internship opportunities.

INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Be the first to learn and apply for internship opportuni-

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ties with Ministry of International Affairs, international and local organizations and businesses.

“I want to stay involved with AUCA but I don’t know where to start…”

The Alumni Relations and Career Services office coordinates many programs and activities that would not be possible without the involvement of alumni like you.

Here are just a few ways to stay connected to AUCA and your fellow classmates: Engage with fellow graduates and friends on our global AUCA alumni group and Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/auca.graduates www.facebook.com/groups/17913919888/ • Order your free AUCA Membership Alumni Card and update your contact info to make sure that you never miss a reunion or networking event with your friends and former classmates. You may order your alumni card in person at our office, room 302 or by sending a request at alumni@mail.auca.kg • Send your news for inclusion in Class Notes in AUCA magazine and alumni webpage at alumni@mail.auca.kg • Help organize events with your local alumni group or set up your own group.

• Participate in AUCA alumni fundraising initiatives.

• Nominate fellow alumni for award.

• Join the Alumni Mentorship Program and talk to AUCA students about your chosen professional field and how they might succeed in it.

• Tell the Career Services office about job opportunities in your company or region and offer your professional expertise to interested students and other alumni.

• Meet with AUCA faculty or staff visiting your home country, promote and participate in student recruitment activities, and help spread the word about reunions and other events.

• Most important, don’t forget to stay in touch with your alma mater!

On behalf of your university, we wish you every success and look forward to sharing in your unfolding journey.

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AUCA Alumni Relations & Career Services 205, Abdymomunov St., Bishkek, 720040 Kyrgyz Republic Tel.: (+996)312 664 564 ext.272, AUCA main building, room 302 Email: alumni@mail.auca.kg 10 www.auca.kg/en/alumni