KIMEP University
| KIMEP Emblem | |
| Motto | "Education to Change Society" |
|---|---|
| Type | Private, non-profit |
| Established | 1992 |
| President | Chan Young Bang |
| Students | 4,370 (undergraduate) 490 (graduate) |
| Location | , |
| Website | http://www.kimep.kz/ |
The Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and Strategic Research (Template:Lang-kz; Template:Lang-ru) is an institution of higher education in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It is a private, non-profit university offering credit-based, North American-style degree curricula. Most classes are taught in English.
Academics and Facilities
KIMEP was founded in 1992 at the behest of the President of newly-independent Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev. Its campus in south-central Almaty occupies the premises of the former Central Training School of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan.
Initially offering graduate degrees only, it enrolled its first undergraduate students in 1999. It currently enrolls nearly 5,000 students and has a faculty of over 200 from more than 25 countries. In 2008 the institute awarded nearly 600 bachelor's degrees and 152 master's degrees.[1]
KIMEP's stated mission is to develop well-educated students and to improve the quality of life in Kazakhstan and the Central Asian region through teaching, learning, the advancement of knowledge in the fields of business administration and social science, and through community service.
KIMEP currently offers undergraduate degrees in Business Administration (majors in Accounting, Finance, Management and Marketing, and Operations Management and Information Systems) and Social Sciences (majors in Economics, Political Science, Public Administration, and Journalism). Graduate degrees offered include the MBA, MPA, MA in Economics, Master of International Relations, and MA in International Journalism and Mass Communication. The Doctor of Business Administration was introduced in 2006, while an Executive MBA program and an MA degree in TESOL opened in 2007. An LLM program in International Law received licensure by the Kazakhstani Ministry of Education in February 2009.[2]
Rapid enrollment growth in recent years has required construction of new buildings. A new library opened in 2006 and a new classroom building was dedicated on March 28, 2008. The following week, on 2 April 2008, President Nazarbayev visited the KIMEP campus, toured the newest buildings and met with students. [3]
Criticism
In two letters, several faculty members have accused KIMEP of administrative abuses and cronyism.[4] In a letter to the Chronicle of Higher Education, the former faculty members claimed contracts and salaries were "compromised" at the institution, and that the institution lacked clear policies for dealing with disciplinary matters.[4]
An open letter to President Nazarbayev written by several former faculty members, including those mentioned in the article by the Chronicle of Higher Education, was published by the opposition newspaper Respublika. In the letter, the former faculty claimed that Dr. Chan Young Bang stifled any opposition to his style of management, acting however he wanted. He justified such actions, it was claimed, by the fact that his position was supported by the president.[5] Several major administrators were also accused of both failing to conduct themselves appropriately in a professional academic environment and of being unqualified for their high positions.[5] Another issue addressed in the letter was the extensive construction work carried out by USKO, a company chaired by Dr. Bang.[6] According to the former faculty members, USKO consistently wins all construction contracts at KIMEP, and there is no oversight for the tender process at the school.[5] The letter-writers called on President Nazarbayev to quickly fix the problems they cited, and also called for foreign embassies in Kazakhstan to warn their citizens about working at KIMEP.[5]
Responding in the same newspaper, Dr. Chan Young Bang claimed that the accusations by the former faculty were not true. He noted that in 2006, 95% of KIMEP employees said they would recommended the school as a good place to work.[5] He said four faculty members were regrettably fired, as "their actions did not correspond to the mission and goals of the institute".[7] He also noted that those faculty members who left KIMEP voluntarily usually did so for personal reasons, or because their time in Kazakhstan had come to a scheduled end.[5]
Bang also said the process of choosing contracts is open, transparent, and based on competition. According to Bang, out of eleven on-going or recently completed construction projects at KIMEP, only two were done by USKO. As explained by Bang, all such projects at KIMEP are examined by an independent committee, who then send a recommendation to the KIMEP Executive Committee. If the project will involve major capitol investment, it is examined by the KIMEP Council, which is composed of teachers, staff, students, and administrators. Most major projects are also examined by the KIMEP Board of Trustees, which includes businessmen, scholars, and representatives of the Kazakhstani government.[5] Bang said he firmly believes the institution's financial activities meet the demands of transparency set in western standards. He also said he has complete confidence in his administrative staff, who, he claimed, are all highly qualified and among the best in Kazakhstan.[5]
Partner universities
| Country | College or University |
|---|---|
 Canada |
University of Laval |
 Germany |
University of Applied Sciences in Schmalkalden |
 Kazakhstan |
Kazakh-British Technical University |
 Spain |
Universitat Internacional de Catalunya |
 USA |
Dickinson State University |
| George Mason University | |
| Southeast Missouri State University | |
| Texas State University | |
| University of Northern Colorado | |
| University of San Francisco | |
| University of Wyoming | |
| Keuka College |
| Country | College or University |
|---|---|
 Hong Kong |
Hong Kong Baptist University |
 South Korea |
Ewha Womans University |
| Hankuk University of Foreign Studies | |
| Korea Cyber University | |
| Korea University Business School | |
| Kyung Hee University | |
| Pai Chai University | |
| Pusan University of Foreign Studies | |
| Sookmyung Women’s University | |
| Sungkyunkwan University | |
| Hallym International School | |
 Taiwan |
Ching Yun University |
 Tajikistan |
Tajik State University of Commerce |
Template:Multicol-end Collegium Civitas in Poland is also a partner university of KIMEP.
See also
References
- ^ Quick Facts KIMEP Official Website
- ^ KIMEP Launches Graduate Program in International Law KIMEP Official Website
- ^ President Nazarbayev visits KIMEP KIMEP Official Website
- ^ a b MacWilliams, Brian (September 1, 2006). "Former Employees Criticize Conditions at Institute in Kazakhstan". The Chronicle of Higher Education., additional copy can be found here.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Template:Ru icon "«Попытки изменить КИМЭП изнутри не увенчались успехом…»". Respublika. September 11, 2006.
- ^ USKO International
- ^ "деятельность указанных преподавателей не соответствовала миссии и целям института", from Respublika.
External links
- KIMEP - Official website