UCA News - December 2023

Dr Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, Chairman of UCA’s Board of Trustees, visited Tajikistan and met with senior government officials. Dr Kassim-Lakha thanked the Government of Tajikistan for their ongoing support to UCA.
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Professor Christopher Gerry has been appointed as the Acting Rector of the University of Central Asia, effective 1 January 2024. The announcement was made by Dr Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, Chairman, UCA Board of Trustees.
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UCA’s School of Arts and Sciences celebrated its third Graduation Ceremony simultaneously at its two campuses in Khorog, Tajikistan and Naryn, Kyrgyzstan. Princess Zahra Aga Khan and other Trustees as well as key donors and volunteers attended the graduation event in Naryn. Princess Zahra Aga Khan also delivered a message from the UCA Chancellor, His Highness the Aga Khan. Over 80% of graduates come from UCA’s Founding States (Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan).
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UCA hosted its flagship event "Nomad 2023: A Living Land" at its Naryn campus. The festival, which screened films from over 40 countries across six continents, aims to promote Naryn as a tourist destination.
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UCA hosted the Ninth Edition of its “Life in Kyrgyzstan” Conference. The event served as a platform for exchanging knowledge on socio-economic developments in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia.
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UCA’s School of Professional and Continuing Education launched a Technical Training Programme for women in the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region in Tajikistan.
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UCA actively partnered with the Governorate of Naryn to celebrate Naryn's 155th anniversary. UCA students added a vibrant touch to the festivities with mesmerizing dances representing the Founding States.
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Karlygash Kussainova, a Kazakh national and UCA graduate, graduated from Simon Fraser University (SFU), Canada where she studied Computer Science on a full scholarship. During her time at SFU, Karlygash inspired young girls to enroll for STEM courses and also voluntarily taught Artificial Intelligence and Data Science.
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Madina Shogunbekova, a Tajik national and UCA senior student of Communications and Media at the School of Arts and Sciences, interned at the prestigious Deutsche Welle (DW), one of the most respectful media houses globally. Her article about elections in Uzbekistan made it to the top three most-read news stories at DW.
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The alumni of UCA, as part of giving back to their alma mater, facilitated workshops on securing employment and completing diploma projects for UCA’s senior students.
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UCA works closely with Aga Khan University on several joint initiatives. Featured here is a collaborative workshop on “Instructional Skills” aimed to further enhance learning-centered teaching amongst the academic staff.
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UCA partners with several globally reputable universities. Oxford University’s School of Geography and Environment and Cambridge University’s Mongolia and Inner Asia Studies Unit hosted UCA’s Graduate School of Development’s research fellows.
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At the United Nations 2023 Water Conference in New York, UCA along with the Government of Tajikistan and other partners co-hosted an event "Adopting the Water-Energy-Food-Environment (WEFE) Nexus for a water-wise energy transition". Senior UCA researcher addressed the gathering.
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As part of its public outreach, UCA welcomed a group of faith leaders from Talas, Kyrgyzstan at its Naryn campus. Following the visit, the Qadi of Talas stated: "I would like my daughter to study at UCA. Prince Aga Khan, a Harvard University graduate, has founded one of the best universities in the world, and we are very happy that it is established in Naryn”.
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UCA hosted Aisuluu Tynybekova, a three-time freestyle wrestling World Champion, at its campus in Naryn, Kyrgyzstan. Ms Tynybekova interacted with the students and faculty of UCA and expressed admiration for the facilities of the University and complimented UCA’s work for the development of mountain communities.
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