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Kazakhstan
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Directory Information
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KAZAKSTAN is a country in Central Asia. From 1936 to 1991 it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union. Kazakstan has an area of 1,049,160 square miles (2,717,300 sq km), and its population estimated at 17,600,000 in 1997. It is bounded on the north by Russia; on the east by China; on the south by Kyrgyzstan,
Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan; and on the west by the Caspian Sea. The capital of the country is Almaty (Alma-Ata).
Kazakstan is unique among the former soviet republics in that the people for whom it is named are a numerical minority: Just over 44 percent of the inhabitants are Kazaks, descendants of nomadic pastoralists of Turko-Mongol stock whose lands were seized by Russia in the 18th and 19th centuries. Just under 36 percent of the inhabitants are Russians, and the remainder consists of many nationalities, including Ukrainians, Germans, Uzbeks, and Tatars. Together, the inhabitants of European origin constitute a majority, totaling about 45 percent. Most of the non-Kazaks are the legacy of Russian and Soviet policies of using Kazakstan as a place of exile (especially in the 1920's and I930's) and later as a site for rapid industrialization and intensive agricultural development (in the 1950's and 1970's).
Education
Kazakstan inherited its educational system from the Soviet regime. Education is universal and free, beginning at age 7; it is mandatory through age i6, with technical training or university education possible beyond that.
Museums and Libraries
In 1989 there were 99 museums in Kazakstan. There were 9,700 libraries in 1989, including a central state library in Almaty (former capital of Kazakhstan).
KIMEP
Contact: 4 Abai Prospect, 480100, Almaty Republic of Kazakhstan
Telephone: (7)(3272)64-26-15, (7)(3272)64-65-79 Fax: (7)(3272)64-37-20
The Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics, and Strategic Research under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics, and Strategic Research was formally established on January 1, 1992 by resolution of President Nursultan Nazarbaev of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The idea of the Institute dates back to early 1991, when President Nazarbaev, acutely aware of the Republic's urgent need for trained personnel, asked Doctor Chan Young Bang to create an entirely new educational institution in Almaty, staffed by foreign instructors and operating according to the highest academic standards of the European Community and the United States. In August 1992, in accordance with these criteria, the first class seeking either a Master's in Economics or a Master's in Business Administration began their studies. Despite the scope and inherent complexity of the original task, KIMEP has taken the initiative and expanded into other endeavors critical to the future of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In August 1993, a Masters of Public Administration was created to provide Kazakhstan's future civil servants with the public sector management skills necessary to proactively address the problems of government in the transition. In August 1994 Dr. Hartmut Fischer from the University of San Francisco was proposed by the European Union to the President of Kazakhstan to be KIMEP's second Executive Director.
Under his leadership KIMEP's academic programs expanded rapidly and found critical additional support from the US Agency for International Development, the British Overseas Development Agency and the British Know How Fund, the Eurasia Foundation, the Soros Foundation and local sponsoring companies. Academic resources were enhanced and the English language program was greatly improved.
The KIMEP library was renovated, the book holdings expanded and the Computer Resources and Information Center was developed into a state of the art facility. A student scholarship program which was supported by the Soros Foundation and by local company sponsors helped KIMEP to attract high quality students without regard to their financial situation. In addition to the strengthening of the degree programs, a number of executive training programs were established during Dr. Fischer's term as Executive Director. The Evening Program was added in the spring of 1995, to offer instruction in important topic areas to business professionals who work during the day. In addition KIMEP has added specialized training courses through its International Center for the Market Economy (ARMAN) supported by the Soros Foundation and the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank. In the banking sector KIMEP serves the training needs of managers through the Kazakhstan International Institute of Banking supported by the US Agency for International Development. The Management Training Center for Oil, Gas and Mineral companies which is supported by the government of Canada (CITA) and McGill University, addresses the training needs of this important economic sector in Kazakhstan.
Each of these programs has increased KIMEP's ability to make a positive and tangible change in the business community, the government and society. Under Dr. Fischer's tenure a Sponsorship support program was started with a successful fundraising campaign. Local companies recognized the importance of KIMEP for their staff development and have joined in an effort to increase the financial support of KIMEP. In addition the important task of developing a high level local faculty was enhanced by sending prospective faculty members to universities in Europe and the United States and by obtaining faculty sponsorships for several key faculty positions. Last not least KIMEP's administrative systems were modernized and the European Union recognized the growth of KIMEP and agreed to support the position of an Academic Dean in addition to the support for the MBA program and the position of Executive Director. The educational building was wired into one network giving access to email and Internet to all the offices and computer classrooms throughout the building.
Libraries and Archives:
National Library of Kazakhstan: 480013 Almaty, 14 Pr. Abaya; f. 1931; 5,123,000 vols. Dir K. K. Berdigalieva
Al-Farabi Kazakh State University Central Library: 480100 Almaty, Sovetskaya ul. Tel: 7-3272-676451; 1,500,000 vols; Dir E. Dz. Abdulkairova
Central Library of the Kazakh Academy of Sciences: 480021 Almaty, ul. Shevchenko. Tel: 7-3272-628341; 6,186,000 vols; Dir K. K. Abugalieva
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