UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In early June, a delegation led by Penn State Global traveled to Kazakhstan to meet with five partner institutions in Almaty, Astana, and Kokshetau.

The delegation included Sabine Klahr, interim vice provost, Penn State Global; Steve Barnes, assistant dean, International Programs, Penn State Law; Alexandra Persiko, interim director for global partnerships; Vlad Likholetov, associate director for partnership agreements and Eurasia partnerships; Nick Giacobe, associate teaching professor and director of undergraduate programs, College of Information Sciences and Technology; Hamid Emami-Meybodi, chair and associate professor, petroleum engineering, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences; Ermek Nurkhaidarov, associate professor of mathematics, Penn State Mont Alto; and Natalya Vodopyanova, assistant teaching professor and Corporate Communication Program coordinator, Penn State Wilkes-Barre.

Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world and one of the most stable nations in Central Asia. Recently, it has signaled its intention to serve as a hub for higher education and international education. With the aim to increase its higher education capacity for education and research, addressing workforce needs, and promoting economic development, the country is open for higher education collaborations that match Penn State’s education and research strengths and goals for comprehensive internationalization.

The trip was a follow-up to initial virtual meetings with the partner universities and delegation visits by these institutions to Penn State led by their Presidents or Provosts. The universities visited included Satbayev University, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Narxoz University (all in Almaty), Eurasian National University (Astana), and Ualikhanov University (Kokshetau). Discussions focused on exploring collaboration opportunities and developing multidisciplinary linkages in education and research, faculty exchanges and, potentially, student mobility.

“This is an exciting time to engage with universities in Kazakhstan,” said Klahr. “There are many opportunities to collaborate that will significantly benefit Penn State and our partner institutions. Kazakh students at Penn State have made tremendous contributions to education and research and as alumni they are making a positive impact in Kazakhstan, often returning to leadership roles. We are thrilled to expand the multidisciplinary collaborations to strategically advance Penn State priorities and the goals of our partner universities in Kazakhstan.”

Penn State has a long history of hosting students from Kazakhstan sponsored by the Bolashak Scholarship. Penn State Law also has agreements with several institutions across Kazakhstan and enrolls students in its one-year Master of Laws (LL.M.) program.  Since 2008, Penn State Law has graduated 35 Kazakhstani lawyers, new law school graduates, academicians, and civil servants from this program. In addition, Penn State Law has hosted five Kazakhstani visiting scholars, and Penn State Law is now implementing new 3+1 programs with partner universities in Kazakhstan.

“When my family and I met Dean Stephen Barnes and Penn State Global Ambassador Zhailagul Sagyndykova in 2015, I couldn’t have imagined the doors that Penn State Law’s LL.M. program would open,” said Samgat Yermekbayev. “It is exciting now for me as a Penn State Law graduate, Satbayev University First Vice-Rector, and Ministry of Science and Higher Education adviser to open more doors for students and faculty at Penn State and universities here in Kazakhstan.”

Currently, Penn State enrolls 37 Kazakh students, seven of whom are through the Bolashak scholarship program.

Due to the significant opportunities to partner with universities in Kazakhstan, Penn State Global is now strategically developing multidisciplinary connections with the five universities the delegation visited. Recently, Penn State has joined as a founding member a consortium of U.S. and Kazakhstani universities, a program administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE) with the support from the U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan. The initiative is designed to promote bi-national collaboration between universities and colleges in Kazakhstan and the United States, strengthen existing ties, and enhance partnership development by developing a platform for innovative programming and community of practice.

Additionally, Penn State Global and the College of Education have partnered to implement and coordinate the Experiential Collaborative Engagement Leadership Program (ExCEL), a nine-month leadership development program that equips participants with in-demand skills and leadership training through exclusive professional development opportunities, specialized guidance, and comprehensive support. The inaugural cohort of participants will be coming from Penn State’s partner universities in Kazakhstan.

“The visit to five universities in Kazakhstan highlighted the synergies we had explored during visits to Penn State,” says Alexandra Persiko, interim director for global partnerships. “Being on site brought home to us the great energy and enthusiasm for partnering in a multitude of areas.  I think the trajectory for engaging with Kazakh universities looks very bright and I am excited about the next few years.”

The delegation also met with Sayasat Nurbek, minister of science and higher education, who has previously visited Penn State, to discuss education and research priorities for Kazakhstan. The government is supporting the development of transnational education, international research collaboration, and opportunities for student and scholar mobility. Research priorities include mining, oil and gas, alternative energy, agriculture (food processing/food security), cybersecurity/AI/IT, healthcare/biomed/big pharma, and supply chain/logistics. The universities have a strong focus on sustainability and addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Due to the vast reserves of mineral resources including rare earth metals, there is an opportunity to cooperate with industry to develop technologies for sustainable extraction.

Anyone interested in exploring collaboration with the five institutions the delegation visited should contact Vlad Likholetov at vzl12@psu.edu.