Andrew Wachtel was awarded an Honorary Professorship from the Kyrgyz National University

March 4, 2016

On March 4^th, 2016, AUCA President Andrew Wachtel received an Honorary Professorship for his great contribution to the development of education, science and international relations from the Kyrgyz National University named after Jusup Balasagyn. Ermek Usekeev, the Prorector of the KNU, dressed the new professor in his cap and gown.

This event was held in KNU’s main building.

After the ceremony, the parties signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of education between the universities.

The two universities plan to cooperate in several different areas: the exchange of work experience and knowledge; faculty exchanges; exchange of practicing instructors for lectures; the organization of joint symposiums, seminars, and conferences; the design and development of joint educational and research programs, projects, and events; as well as the exchange of publications and materials.

In what was the first joint event for the universities, President Wachtel delivered a lecture entitled “The development of higher education in post-soviet countries” for students and faculty of KNU.

AUCA’s president, an expert in the literature, culture and history of former USSR countries and a professor with 25 years of experience in research and teaching work in universities of USA and Europe, spoke on the current situation in education, prospects for development in higher education in post-soviet countries, modern educational trends in the world, and finally why it is important for universities to participate in international university rankings, among many other issues.

His speech provoked a lot of interest evidenced by their range of questions: why don’t students want to study? how do you stop students from cheating during exams. KNU faculty turned to their colleagues to share their interactive methods of teaching. They also made requests to attend classes at AUCA.

Andrew Wachtel emphasized at the end of the meeting:

• An absence of interactivity in the learning process is not the product of some generational gap. Many faculty members of the older generation successfully teach at AUCA. It is a matter of initiative. It is easier to just come to class, give a lecture, and then go home. Sometimes that’s even for both faculty and students. Interactivity is not just questions and answers. Interactivity is giving questions, holding different opinions, arguing, searching for answers to these questions by both faculty and students. There can’t be only one point of view, only one correct answer. Usually there should be a few answers. All of this is joint work requiring effort from the students too. But they feel too lazy to even think… Knowledge by itself, like a set of numbers, dates, formulas are not as important as an ability to use them. I think, the main goal of the education is to make students get our of their comfort zones. They have to enter a different culture, a different language, a different age and learn to find their bearings on that ground. They will need to know a lot and be able to use this knowledge.

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