As part of ongoing talks aimed at strengthening the governmental and educational relationships between the University of Arizona and Kazakhstan, a delegation visited College of Humanities leadership to discuss potential collaboration.
The visit and tour of the Center for English as a Second Language on Nov. 2 included:
- Yerlan Shulanov, Rector of North Kazakhstan State University Named for Kozybayev
- Gani Nygymetov, Deputy Governor of North Kazakhstan Oblast
- Rustem Issavayev, Embassy Representative
- Brent White, Vice President, Global Affairs
- Daniel Palm, Associate Vice President, Global Affairs
- Alain-Philippe Durand, Dorrance Dean of the College of Humanities
- Robert Côté, Director of the Center for English as a Second Language
- Sumayya Granger, Associate Director of the Center for English as a Second Language
- John Leafgren, Head of the Department of Russian and Slavic Studies
- Valentina Vinokurova, doctoral student in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching
The visit followed a trip to Kazakhstan for a delegation of University of Arizona deans, including Durand. Their trip, from October 17 to 23, included meetings at the U.S. Embassy and at Kozybayev University.
“I was very impressed by our visit to Kazakhstan and am excited about the potential for a great collaboration and partnership between the College of Humanities and Kozybayev University,” Durand said.
Kazakhstan is the world’s largest land-locked country and the 9th largest by land mass overall. The nation of 18.8 million people declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
About 20 percent of the population in Kazakhstan speaks English, Nygymetov said, so there is a significant need to train more English teachers. With longstanding expertise in intensive, foundational English instruction, the UA’s Center for English as a Second Language could be a significant partner in that effort.
“We want this partnership with the University of Arizona to be a model for other regions in Kazakhstan,” Nygymetov said.