“It gives me great pleasure to see the conditions you

study in… and I envy you for the fact that you have
such wonderful opportunities… I’m very sorry that in
my time there wasn’t a university like this.”

His Excellency N.A.Nazarbayev

President of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Welcome, Mr. President!

Kazakhstan Institute of Management,

Economics and Strategic Research (KIMEP)

April 2, 2008
President Nazarbayev visits KIMEP

President Nursultan Nazarbayev visited KIMEP on April 2, 2008, to show his continued support for the trailblazing role that KIMEP
is playing in Kazakhstan higher education.
The President toured the university’s new Academic Building and modern library and met with students, faculty and administrators.
“It gives me great pleasure to see the conditions you study in,” he told the students. “And I envy you for the fact that you have such
wonderful opportunities. He added: “I’m very sorry that we didn’t have a university like this in my time.”
He also expressed his thanks to KIMEP President Dr. Chan Young Bang for his hard work and dedication to the cause of providing
world-class education to the youth of Kazakhstan.
“We were delighted that the President took time from his incredibly demanding schedule to see the progress we have made in
our academic programs, buildings and equipment,” said Dr. Bang. “In all of Kazakhstan there is no more enthusiastic supporter of
KIMEP than President Nursultan Nazarbayev. His visit was another tangible sign of the support he has given us since the day we
were founded sixteen years ago.”
To accommodate the surge in student numbers that has occurred in the last few years, KIMEP opened its new Academic Building
in March 2008 at a cost of ten million dollars. President Nazarbayev toured the building, expressing his delight at the quality of the
facility.
After looking through the building, the President broke from his schedule to chat informally with KIMEP students and staff who had
gathered on the campus to see him. He joked with them, posed for photographs and encouraged the students to study hard.
The President then went to the KIMEP library, which opened in 2006 at a cost of three million dollars. He chatted in the library with
local and international students and faculty, whom he thanked for their role in the country’s development.

For more information please visit www.kimep.kz

 “The first thing I did in independent Kazakhstan was create
this university”

N.A.Nazarbayev

Olga Kargina, fourth-year business student

President Nazarbayev’s visit was an important moment in KIMEP’s history and in my life. I had the opportunity
to have a short conversation with the President and almost all the TV channels showed me speaking to him. I
would like to express my gratitude to KIMEP for giving me the opportunity to realize my potential, to meet with
the President and to receive a high-quality education without the need to go abroad.

Adlet Zhanatkanov, fourth-year social sciences student

I can wholeheartedly say that the President’s visit influenced my career choice. I wanted to change my major
from Public Administration, but after meeting him I am determined to study Public Administration further!
I am very thankful to our President for his support of KIMEP, which complies with rigorous international
standards.

Loan Pham, Masters in International Relations Exchange Student from UC Santa Barbara
I was really honored to have the chance to meet with the President of an up-and-coming country such as
Kazakhstan. The visit from the head of the state is an important landmark for KIMEP’s development, and
definitely added to the institution’s prestige even further.
Message from the President of KIMEP, Dr. Chan Young Bang
We were deeply honored to receive President Nazarbayev at KIMEP, the university he founded in 1992. His visit to KIMEP symbolizes
his commitment and dedication to the cause of improving higher education in Kazakhstan.
What differentiates KIMEP from other academic institutions is that KIMEP has adopted and consistently implemented a management
philosophy and core values unique in Kazakhstan.
KIMEP has an unyielding commitment to providing the highest possible quality of services to our students and faculty and
caring meticulously for their well-being. For instance, a recent independent survey conducted under the auspices of the Ministry
of Education revealed that more than 95 percent of our students are highly satisfied with the quality of the educational services
KIMEP offers. Likewise, the annual faculty satisfaction survey conducted by our research center reveals a consistently high level of
satisfaction among faculty – over 80 percent.
One of the unique virtues of KIMEP is that the daily management and operation of the institution are transparent and open
to students, faculty, staff and public. For example, our annual financial records are regularly audited by respected accounting firms
including PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young, and the audited records are made available to the public as well as to students
and the rest of the KIMEP community. A commission from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation agency,
which is considering giving KIMEP American accreditation, was impressed by the high level of openness and transparency at KIMEP.
KIMEP takes pains to conduct its affairs with the highest degree of honesty and integrity. There has never been a single incident
of financial wrongdoing at the institution, or mismanagement or irregularity in student recruitment.
KIMEP has established the kind of democratic decision-making process seen at top Western universities. All important decisions
regarding the running of the institute are made with the participation of students and faculty members. All our important standing
committees have student members with full voting rights.
KIMEP has an unwavering commitment to academic excellence and can boast the highest number of teaching
staff with Western Ph.D.s of any academic institution in the former Soviet Union. At present, 76 of our 175 full-
time faculty hold a Ph.D. or its equivalent from a Western academic institution.
KIMEP has consistently registered the best job placement record of any university in Kazakhstan for the past
fifteen years. About 500 students a year graduate from KIMEP. Ninety-five percent find a job within one month
of graduation. Our graduates are highly sought after by multinational corporations. A recent survey conducted
by our research center reveals an extremely high level of employer satisfaction, 94 percent overall, among
companies that hire KIMEP graduates.
KIMEP has achieved remarkable financial stability. We have invested a significant portion of our income in
improving buildings and facilities. For instance, in the year 2007-8, we invested approximately ten million dollars
in the construction of the new Academic Building and before that three million dollars in our new library. There
is a consensus among those in higher education that KIMEP has some of the finest educational facilities among
universities not just in Kazakhstan but in Central Asia as a whole.

For more information please visit www.kimep.kz

Progress 2001-2008
The number of students at KIMEP has increased from 1,500 in 2001 to 4,400 today.
The number of full-time faculty has increased from fewer than 100 in 2001 to 175 today. Out of 175, 76 hold a Ph.D. or its equivalent
from a Western academic institution.
During this same period KIMEP’s revenue has increased from less than five million dollars a year to 24 million dollars a year.
Our financial records show that during the past four years KIMEP has invested more than four million dollars annually in improving
buildings and equipment without going into debt.

Looking to the future

KIMEP has made a commitment to becoming one of the 100 best universities in the world within the next three years.
We have every intention of obtaining accreditation from one of the most prestigious higher-education accreditation agencies in the
United States within the next three years.
By the year 2011, the student population at KIMEP will reach about 5,600 students. The number of full-time faculty will increase to
270. Of these, about 170 are expected to hold a Ph.D. or its equivalent from a Western academic institution.
KIMEP’s annual revenue is expected to reach 54 million dollars by 2011.
We are deeply honored to be able to support Kazakhstan’s drive for economic modernization and to participate in the historic
process of making the country one of the 50 most competitive in the world.
The New Academic Building at KIMEP
To accommodate the explosive growth in its student population over the last few years, KIMEP opened its new Academic Building
in March 2008 at a cost of ten million dollars.
Equipped with the latest in teaching and learning technology, the building is another world-class addition to the KIMEP campus
and represents a significant step in the institution’s development. It houses classrooms for many of the programs taught at KIMEP,
including those that the new School of Law will begin offering in 2008.
Intelligent design and widespread use of glass in walls and roofs maximize the amount of natural light entering the building. The
design will ensure that the temperature inside remains comfortable in summer and winter while minimizing energy used on heating
and air-conditioning.

For more information please visit www.kimep.kz

 “Everything here is done to the highest standards, there’s
no need to go abroad to study”

N.A.Nazarbayev

Among the building’s features are classrooms equipped with state-of-the-art multimedia teaching technology; three computer rooms
with more than 100 terminals for student use; a building-wide high-speed wireless internet connection; and a dedicated self-study
area for students to work on their own.
However, the new building is not designed solely for academic use: it also features a large, multi-functional recreation space that
includes a cafe for students and faculty.
KIMEP continues to expand and develop at an accelerating rate. It continues to play a leading role in the development of
Kazakhstan, with an eye toward helping the nation achieve its goal of becoming one of the top 50 most competitive countries
in the world by 2010.
The new Academic Building at KIMEP is both a tangible sign of the progress the institution has made since its foundation
sixteen years ago, and a bold statement of intent for the future.
But KIMEP is not just about buildings and equipment. KIMEP’s success and reputation are based on the calibre of its
students and faculty.
The new Academic Building will help KIMEP achieve its goal of attracting more than 5,000 students by 2010. The state-of-
the-art facility will also help the university realize its goal of increasing the number of faculty members with Western Ph.D.s
to 160 by 2010.
 “Love your country, Kazakhstan. Prepare to become
leaders in the fields of business, economics, law, culture
and management”

N.A.Nazarbayev

Alibek Salpekov, fourth-year business student

I would like to thank the President for creating such a unique university and giving us the chance to receive
a world-class education. I would also like to thank Dr. Bang for his unyielding commitment to making KIMEP
one of the leading universities in Kazakhstan and the CIS.

Dastan Abishev, third-year social sciences student

Mr. Nazarbayev made it very clear that he always supports the younger generation and always wants them
to have the opportunity to receive the best education in the world. He is a true leader who has devised and
implemented a very successful strategy for the development of Kazakhstan. We are starting to see the fruits
of his hard work even at the level of KIMEP.

Albert Lang, Dean of the College of Continuing Education

The president’s visit is an honor for the institution. It is also a reminder of the contribution he expects KIMEP
to make to Kazakhstan’s development and hopefully a mark of his continued support for KIMEP in succeeding
in this important role.

Anthony Marcus, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs

Mr. Nazarbayev’s visit represents a great step forward for KIMEP. The President seemed very much in touch
with the needs of our institution, and rightly pleased at the progress that has been made at KIMEP over the
last few years. He shook my hand and asked me if I enjoyed my job, and I replied “Konechno!”

For more information please visit www.kimep.kz