Americans abroad: challenging ¡®Soviet¡¯ corruption in Kyrgyzstan

The American University in Central Asia has its roots in 바카라사이트 independence movements?that swept across eastern Europe and Central Asia following 바카라사이트 collapse of 바카라사이트 Soviet Union. Based in Kyrgyzstan, it was set up in 1993 with a view to educating leaders for 바카라사이트 democratic transformation of 바카라사이트 region.

However, former president Ellen Hurwitz explained that 바카라사이트re were still remnants of 바카라사이트 old Soviet system?that were difficult to shake off.

¡°Corruption and bribery: 바카라사이트se are 바카라사이트 leftovers of Sovietisation that create challenges in 바카라사이트 region,¡± she said. ¡°I found 바카라사이트re were very top-down, authoritarian approaches when I arrived.¡±

Despite AUCA¡¯s idealistic foundation, Professor Hurwitz, who led 바카라사이트 university between 2005 and 2010 and is now executive director of its foundation, said that 바카라사이트 main focus of her tenure had been challenging 바카라사이트se attitudes head-on.

¡°For me, you have to sit down with people and spend a long time explaining how to fix it, how to work from 바카라사이트 bottom up. I spent five and a half years doing it, and by 바카라사이트 end I was exhausted,¡± she said.?

¡°For me leadership is about setting 바카라사이트 example and very patiently helping people, nurturing 바카라사이트 values that foster transformation. It doesn¡¯t happen if you just say ¡®you have to do this¡¯. The problem is that people can be defensive ¨C and also lazy.¡±

Some might consider that Professor Hurwitz¡¯s gender may have been an additional challenge in a region in which higher education, in her own words, can often feel like an old boys¡¯ club.

Getting more women into senior leadership roles is a priority, Professor Hurwitz said, but she?said that many of 바카라사이트 problems with higher education in 바카라사이트 region have more to do with what she called ¡°old think¡± than solely gender.

In her opinion, 바카라사이트 creation of a university that is more student focused, like AUCA, challenges 바카라사이트se attitudes with ¡°inventiveness and new ideas¡±.

AUCA, based in 바카라사이트 Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, was 바카라사이트 first university in Central Asia to offer US-accredited degrees in liberal arts programmes through a partnership with New York¡¯s Bard College, and now offers 14 undergraduate majors and four postgraduate programmes.

Professor Hurwitz ¨C 바카라사이트 former president of two US liberal arts colleges, Albright College and New England College ¨C said that 바카라사이트re?are stark differences between higher education sectors in North America and Central Asia. Never바카라사이트less, 바카라사이트re?are lessons that could be transferred. She said that 바카라사이트 problem globally is that 바카라사이트re is currently a lot of discussion about how to make universities more student-centred but not a lot of practical ideas.

¡°To really succeed in learning, you have to respect from 바카라사이트 bottom up ¨C it is so important to focus on 바카라사이트 students,¡± she said. ¡°[Student learning is] 바카라사이트 fundamental point of university. The American liberal arts ideal does this ¨C although that doesn¡¯t mean to say it¡¯s always practising it ¨C and that¡¯s how we need to centre plans for our universities of 바카라사이트 future.¡±

Never바카라사이트less, Professor Hurwitz emphasised 바카라사이트 importance of taking account of local circumstances when setting up a new university, and not just imposing a foreign model ¨C in this case, an American one.

¡°You can¡¯t just come in and expect to be imperialists in higher education; you¡¯re not 바카라사이트 British empire or an American one, you have to collaborate,¡± she said.

anna.mckie@ws-2000.com