Business education is rapidly transforming in Central Asia. Through the Central Asia University Partnerships Program (UniCEN), administered by American Councils for International Education and funded by the U.S. State Department through the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) and the Tajikistan State University of Commerce (TUSC) are working to improve faculty research and pedagogy of business and economics education in Tajikistan.
In November 2020, professors from University of Nebraska led two online seminars on “Engaged Teaching in the Age of Coronavirus” and “Pedagogy and Research in Covid Times” to participants from TSUC, as well as 30 representatives from the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan. As a follow-up, University of Nebraska professors with extensive experience in Tajikistan presented perspectives on how to revive Tajikistan’s economy after COVID-19 to faculty and staff at Tajikistan State University of Commerce and National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan.
UNO and TUSC are also advancing research priorities. Two professors collaborated on a paper on contemporary U.S.-Tajikistan relations, which was presented at an international conference on political relations in May 2021 hosted by the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan. Both partner universities have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which has established the framework for future university-wide engagement, especially in-person collaboration and exchange.
