AFP Meeting

April 8, 2013

American University of Central Asia hosted over 150 regional and international fellows as part of the Academic Fellowship Program’s (AFP) Discipline Group Meeting from April 4-7, 2013.  The meeting was co-sponsored by AUCA and the Open Society Foundations’ (OSF) Higher Education Support Program (HESP).  The meeting hosted scholars in the fields of Anthropology, Economics, Journalism, Law, Psychology, Public Health, and Social Work.

The meeting was opened by AUCA President Andrew Wachtel, with an introductory speech from Vice-Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic, JoomartOtorbaev.  Mr. Otorbaev told the group that because the Kyrgyz government is only able to spend limited money on higher education, which institutions such as AUCA and OSF play a large role in bringing research skills to the region, and in helping to promote creativity and innovation.  Mr. Otorbaev is a physicist by education, and remarked that in a different time and place he would have liked to participate in such a gathering.

The goal of the Discipline Group Meeting is to bring together all AFP regional and international scholars to encourage them to share their experiences, and also for them to develop joint research projects and partnerships.  These meetings have resulted in publications, conferences, and joint projects, as well as the general development of a new cadre of well-trained scholars working in underserved regions of the world.

In total, AFP has supported 607 regional scholars with advanced degrees from Western Institutions to return to their countries and take up professorships at local universities.  At AUCA, since the inception of the program, over 50 local scholars have been supported.  GiaSharvashidze, the director of AFP, reported that 80% of AFP scholars continue teaching at their home institution once they go off the program after 6 years. 

Mr. Sharvashidze also noted that although AFP has traditionally focused on Eastern Europe and Central Asia, that within the next three years AFP’s focus will shift to different regions of the world, including new programs in Myanmar, Tunisia, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, and Cuba.  The phase-out of AFP in this region is in many ways a reflection of the success of the region as a whole, and the desire for a more diverse group of donors to begin playing a role in the development of regional research and partnerships.

The Director of HESP, Jacques Fremont, was also in attendance, making his first trip to the Kyrgyz Republic.  He praised the Kyrgyz Republic for being an enclave of openness in Central Asia, and AUCA for continuing to push new and innovative ideas about education in the region.  Mr. Fremont noted that the traditional models of education in the US, UK, and Canada are distorted models that are not necessarily applicable for countries in transition.  The goal of HESP, therefore, is to help newly transitioning countries such as Myanmar learn from countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia that have experience and valuable lessons to share.

<< go to news list