Lehigh University was honored to host President Assylbek Kozhakhmetov, Founder and President of Almaty Management University (AlmaU), along with Aliya Akpayeva, Director of International Cooperation, and Valikhan Tuleshov, Director of the Center for Global Civic and Political Strategies.
The visit marked an important moment in the growing partnership between Lehigh and AlmaU, one of the most dynamic, entrepreneurial, and reputed universities in Central Asia. Throughout the day, Dr. Kozhakhmetov and his colleagues met with senior leadership, faculty, and students across the university.
The delegation began with a welcome from the Office of Creative Inquiry, followed by a discussion with Professor Dinissa Duvanova, chair of the department of international relations, whose early leadership helped jumpstart the partnership. At the College of Business, Dr. Kozhakhmetov met with Dean Manoj Malhotra to explore opportunities for graduate education and program collaboration. From AlmaU’s side, Gulzira Yestekova, Academic Dean for the Higher School of Business, and Aigerim Yelibayeva, Director of the Institute of Leadership, joined the conversations.
Meetings continued with Provost Nathan Urban, President Joseph Helble, and student teams from Creative Inquiry’s Global Social Impact Fellowship (#GSIF), who shared their fieldwork experiences in Kazakhstan.
In the afternoon, the delegation met with Vice President and Vice Provost for International Affairs Cheryl Matherly and Director for Global Partnerships Stacy Burger to discuss strategies for expanding student and faculty mobility. Conversations also took place with leaders at the Iacocca Institute, including Executive Director Venard Scott Koerwer and Assistant Director Anastassiya Perevezentseva, and concluded with Dean Elizabeth Dolan and Associate Dean, and Iacocca Chair, Michael Gusmano of the College of Health.
At every meeting, the focus was on exploring new pathways for joint research, degree programs, and curricular innovation.
Reflecting on the visit, Dr. Assylbek Kozhakhmetov, president and rector of Almaty Management University, said, “It is truly rewarding to have such a sustainable partnership built on meaningful ties. What makes this collaboration exemplary is that it began with a joint research project and has grown stronger through student connections and genuine friendships. We look forward to exploring even more avenues of cooperation across our departments and initiatives, further enriching both our institutions and the communities we serve.”
This partnership has already produced impressive results. Lehigh and AlmaU signed a memorandum of understanding in April 2022, followed by a student exchange agreement in 2025 that enables fee-waived student mobility. Between 2022 and 2025, 64 Lehigh students and 14 faculty and staff members traveled to AlmaU for intensive, two-week GSIF fieldwork experiences.
Current interdisciplinary, multi-year GSIF projects in Kazakhstan include:
Save Tuba: Gamifies sustainability education for Kazakhstan’s youngest learners.
Central Asian Research Network: A LinkedIn community of 1,000+ members advancing research, fostering innovation, and strengthening academic collaboration across the region.
SaltX: Reduces population-level sodium consumption and improves nutrition labeling.
TremorTrak: Develops technology to improve quality of life for patients with neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s disease.
Swello: A wearable, noninvasive system that tracks vitals and swallowing function to support rehabilitation for people with dysphagia.
PureSpaces: Designs and tests low-cost indoor air purifiers.
Each project addresses systemic public health challenges through innovation, policy, and equitable access.
Looking ahead, AlmaU, Creative Inquiry, and the Iacocca Institute will launch the Humanitarian Design and Social Entrepreneurship (HDSE) Leadership Intensive in May 2026. This one-week, hands-on program will bring together self-selected students from AlmaU and other institutions in Almaty to collaborate intensely on designing actionable blueprints for social enterprises addressing pressing sustainable development challenges across Central Asia.
Khanjan Mehta, vice provost for Creative Inquiry, outlined the vision: “It’s exhilarating to see this partnership grow from early exchanges to a robust portfolio of interdisciplinary social ventures with measurable impact. The next chapter will strengthen research and entrepreneurial outcomes while expanding our regional footprint through the HDSE Leadership Intensive, creating seamless pathways for students and faculty to build, test, and scale solutions with local stakeholders,” he said.
As the partnership continues to grow, Lehigh looks forward to welcoming additional delegations from AlmaU, including deans and vice rectors, and to co-creating global impact through sustained collaboration.
Matherly and Burger also previously attended the inaugural Kazakhstan-U.S. University Consortium last year, where officials from nearly six dozen colleges and universities discussed opportunities for strategic partnerships, joint research, seed grant possibilities, and other collaborations. The trip included visits with Almaty Management University to reinforce partnership ties.
The universities are also exploring degree tie-ups that could allow students to pursue joint or dual academic programs across both campuses.
When asked what this partnership means for Lehigh, Matherly said: "This partnership with Almaty demonstrates Lehigh’s dedication to giving our students direct access to international experiences. By expanding opportunities for exchange and collaboration, we are deepening our engagement in Central Asia, a region of growing geopolitical and economic importance to the United States, and preparing students to thrive in a global context."