The first graduates of the joint educational programmes offered by Kozybayev University and the University of Arizona have received dual degrees from both Kazakhstani and American universities in a graduation ceremony held in Petropavl. The event marks a significant milestone in the development of international cooperation in higher education, according to the Press Service of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Diplomas, along with letters of appreciation awarded to outstanding students and active members of the university community, were presented by Kazakh Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek, Akim of the North Kazakhstan Region Gauyez Nurmukhambetov, U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Kazakhstan Julie Stufft, and University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella.
The partnership between M. Kozybayev North Kazakhstan University and the University of Arizonahas become one of Kazakhstan’s most successful examples of higher education internationalization. The initiative is being implemented as part of the policy launched by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to attract leading international universities and enhance the global competitiveness of Kazakhstan’s higher education system.
“Today we celebrate the first graduates of the first international university to establish a presence in Kazakhstan - the University of Arizona. In 2022, it became the first foreign university to respond to the initiative of the Head of State. We can now confidently say that this decision has fully justified itself. The University of Arizona has become much more than the first foreign institution to open a micro-campus in Petropavl. It has pioneered a new model of international higher education built on academic excellence, mutual trust, and shared responsibility for educating the professionals of the future,” Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek said.
University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella emphasized that the partnership demonstrates how two countries can successfully combine their educational traditions and academic strengths.
“Four years ago, the University of Arizona and Kozybayev University decided to join forces to create a project capable of connecting our countries, overcoming language barriers, and bringing together different educational traditions. Our partnership began in 2022 with the launch of a dual degree programme that initially enrolled just 43 students. Today, that number has grown to 368. We are proud to celebrate our first graduates, who placed their trust in a university leadership that had the vision and courage to go beyond conventional boundaries. They are now fully prepared to become leaders in today’s globalized world,” Garimella said.
Over 1,200 students are currently enrolled in the joint educational programmes, including 359 students pursuing dual degree programmes. The two universities jointly offer six dual degree programmes and twelve international academic programmes. They also conduct collaborative research in genomics, agricultural technologies, water resources, and sulfur polymerization.
The graduation of the first dual degree students demonstrates the effectiveness of Kazakhstan’s model of international academic cooperation, which is creating new opportunities to educate globally competitive professionals.
