The main goal is to increase internationalization of our university in several fields:
- to adopt modern internationally used standards of work of international offices of U.S. universities;
- to learn successful methods of work of U.S. universities’ administrative structures and departments, implementing all best practices in the field of HEI management.
It is essential to receive a U.S. HEI’s patronage for further development of the university, including development of study programs and curriculums, work of administrative departments (admission, international office, HR, Quality management), performance of academic staff (internships and courses for our faculty to increase their research outputs and instructing skills). All our students are English-speakers, interested in receiving education by Western standards. As we have big plans for reorganization of the whole university structure, we would like to start with our Department for International Affairs and bring its work to U.S. standards of work. We expect our U.S. partner-university will function not only as a benchmarking structure, but as a guide through the whole process of development.
The project is focused on learning how to write proposals to international programs in education, finding ways for collaboration with international organizations, international fundraising opportunities, business correspondence, HR and staffing procedures for employing fitting candidates for international office, trainings on performing primary duties of an international department staff-member. During first steps of the project we will invite specialists of the international office of a U.S. university to our university, so they can analyze our work directly and point out some essential parts to be enhanced or changed. Then they conduct trainings and workshops for our staff (we think on collective proposal with other universities in Bishkek, so we can invite their staff for trainings as well) to enhance their ability to perform their work as international office representatives better.
Main KPI for development of our Department for International Affairs is international recognition. We suppose to increase number of signed up international agreements with HEIs abroad on exchange, mobility, improve selection procedures for search for partner universities, programs, and organizations, increase number of memberships in international organizations, and improve quality of memorandums, research-agreements with international education-centers and institutions. We are planning to collectively develop measures for assessment and monitoring with a U.S. partner university.