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����ֱ�� State University has signed an agreement with Osh State University in Kyrgyzstan to help the Central Asian university develop graduate programs in cell biology and molecular genetics.

����ֱ�� State Today was there when the agreement, the first of its kind for Osh State with any American institution, was signed by Melody Tankersley, Ph.D., ����ֱ�� State’s executive vice president and provost, and Kudaiberdi Kozhobekov, Ph.D., president of Osh State on May 6.

“It is an honor for us to be chosen by you,” Tankersley said, “Thank you for putting your faith in us. We are confident that, together, we can create innovative solutions and tackle global scientific challenges to uplift communities around the world.”

Speaking through an interpreter, Kozhobekov said he was excited to be at ����ֱ�� State and to tour the campus and meet with university officials.

“I am looking forward to a strong and enduring partnership between our institutions,” he said. “We are very much interested in collaborations.”

Osh State was recently awarded a $25 million World Bank grant to support its development of a dual graduate degree program in cell biology and molecular genetics, with ����ֱ�� State being its named partner in this effort. The grant will also help Osh State promote institutional growth through research, faculty training and development, and the development of additional graduate programs. 

Tankersley said she hoped the two could be “true partners” by forging a deep and meaningful collaboration where faculty from both institutions unite in shared scholarship and students engage in immersive exchanges that broaden perspectives and strengthen academic bonds.

Marcello Fantoni, vice president for global education, said his staff will work with a team from Osh State to develop plans for the partnership, which should be ready by the time he visits the university in September. 

Osh State is the largest and most prestigious university in the Kyrgyz Republic, with nearly 50,000 students, about 10% of whom are international students.

The grant framework required Osh State to identify an international partner university to help implement the project, and the Kyrgyz Ministry of Education and Science officially named ����ֱ�� State as its partner for the World Bank initiative, said Ayya Hudaybergenova, director of Eurasia Strategic Affairs for the Office of Global Education, who also served as translator during the signing.

Following the signing ceremony, Kozhobekov was expected to meet with officials from the College of Arts and Sciences and others to talk about the biology and genetics dual degree master’s program, discuss best practices for graduate admissions and supporting faculty development, and tour ����ֱ�� State’s research laboratories. The current plan is to send two Osh State faculty members to ����ֱ�� State each year for faculty development and training.

Four students from Kyrgyzstan are currently enrolled at ����ֱ�� State, including two undergraduates, one master’s candidate, who is a graduate of Osh State, and one doctoral student.

This collaboration underscores Global Education’s commitment to global engagement and to strengthening academic ties between the United States and Central Asia.

Fantoni said ����ֱ�� State believes education is the best way to promote global understanding. “By getting engaged in developing higher education in these countries, I think we will bring a good contribution to the future of these countries and the world,” he said.

����ֱ�� State has a longstanding history of opening its doors to students and educational partners worldwide.

In October 2024, ����ֱ�� State entered into an agreement with Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Education to explore the possibility of creating an educational partnership with several national institutes of higher learning there. The Kyrgyzstan signing continues ����ֱ�� State’s expansion as an educational partner in Central Asia, which is part of an overall university commitment to use education to foster global understanding and peace in a divided world.

Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan are part of a group of former Soviet-bloc nations often referred to as “the Stans,” which also include Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan and which comprise a sizable portion of Central Asia.  Osh is the second largest city in the Kyrgyz Republic, which borders China to the east and Uzbekistan to the west.