"Welcome to AUCA"- Speech by Chynarkul Ryskulova, Vice President for Academic Affairs, on the Opening of Orientation Week
August 21, 2026
Welcome to a new academic year! Vice President for Academic Affairs Chynarkul Ryskulova opened Orientation Week with an inspiring address to our incoming students — a reminder of the opportunities, challenges, and growth that await them.Welcome to AUCA
Here's to a year full of curiosity, community, and achievement. Welcome to the family!
Text of Speech is below:
"Good morning, dear freshmen! It is my great pleasure to welcome you to AUCA. We are truly glad that you are here, and I want to thank you for choosing AUCA. I believe you have made the right choice. This orientation program is called "The Bridge to the Future." I think this is a very meaningful name, because today you are standing at the beginning of a bridge—a bridge between the person you have been and the person you will become. Over the next four years, AUCA will give you the knowledge, skills, experiences, friendships, and opportunities that will help you cross that bridge and build your future. There are two moments in my position as Vice President for Academic Affairs that I love the most. The first is welcoming our freshmen. I see the excitement in your faces, the anticipation, and sometimes a little uncertainty as you begin this new chapter of your lives. The second is Commencement, when I have the privilege of standing on the stage and calling the names of our graduates. By that time, you are no longer the same young people who walked through our doors four years earlier. You have grown, challenged yourselves, discovered your passions, overcome difficulties, and built your own stories. For me, these two moments represent the two ends of the same bridge: the moment you step onto the bridge and the moment you reach the other side. And today, you are just taking your first steps. Four years from now, I hope I will have the privilege of calling your names at Commencement. AUCA is a unique and vibrant university in Central Asia, with a diverse community of students and faculty from around the world. We offer an interdisciplinary curriculum, strong opportunities for research, and a commitment to civic engagement, all grounded in the tradition of American liberal arts education. You may be wondering: What does a liberal arts education actually mean? Liberal arts education is not about preparing you for only one specific profession. It is about developing the ability to think, question, communicate, analyze, and understand the world from different perspectives. It gives you broad knowledge while developing intellectual abilities such as reasoning, judgment, creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking. In other words, AUCA is not simply going to give you answers. We are going to teach you how to ask better questions, how to examine evidence, how to challenge assumptions, and how to develop your own ideas. And this is what makes your journey at AUCA so exciting. Today is the first step across your Bridge to the Future. I can imagine that you may be excited, curious, and perhaps a little nervous. That is completely natural. Starting university is a major transition. But I want you to remember that you are not making this journey alone. AUCA values responsible freedom in the search for truth and justice. We strive to be honest, self-critical, and respectful. We value academic freedom, academic honesty, critical inquiry, and investigative learning-not only for academic success, but also for the development of an open, diverse, and just society in the region where we live, learn, and serve. Our curriculum meets both the requirements of Bard College and the Kyrgyz Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovations. Throughout your studies, you will have access to many resources designed to help you succeed: the Writing and Academic Resource Center, the Academic Advising Center, the Library, Computer Labs, the Civic Engagement Center, the Career Center, the International Students Office, and the Dean of Students Office. Our faculty, scholars, and academic and administrative staff are here to support you academically and personally. But there is one important thing I want you to understand from the very beginning: We can build the bridge with you, but you must walk across it yourself. Your university education will depend not only on what your professors teach you, but also on what you choose to do with every opportunity you receive. Over the next four years, you will develop your analytical and critical thinking skills, strengthen your communication abilities, conduct research, explore your academic interests, and gain deeper knowledge in your chosen field. But you will also discover things about yourselves that you may not know today. You will probably face challenges. There will be difficult assignments, demanding exams, moments when you question yourself, and times when you feel outside your comfort zone. That is part of the journey. Do not be afraid of challenges. They are part of the bridge.
Success at AUCA does not happen by chance. It requires hard work, persistence, curiosity, and active engagement. Participate in class. Ask questions. Talk to your professors. Visit the Writing and Academic Resource Center. Use the Library. Join student clubs. Participate in civic engagement. Apply for exchange and internship programs. Explore opportunities that may initially seem unfamiliar. Your education happens not only inside the classroom, but also through everything you experience outside it. And today, we are especially proud to welcome 19 recipients of the Golden Certificate of the National Test (ORT) who have joined AUCA. Could I please ask the Golden Certificate recipients to stand? Congratulations on your outstanding academic achievements! Please give them a big round of applause. And remember: your future is not something that simply happens to you. You build it-step by step, choice by choice, experience by experience. At AUCA, we are committed to giving you the best possible education, resources, and support. We will be here to guide you, challenge you, encourage you, and celebrate your achievements. But the journey is yours. The Bridge to the Future starts today. Take your first step with confidence. Welcome to AUCA, congratulations on becoming part of our community, and I wish you an exciting, challenging, meaningful, and successful four years ahead. And, as we say at AUCA: Вы на самом деле КРУТО ПОПАЛИ В АУЦА! Welcome to AUCA! "
