I was a Fulbright Teaching Fellow in Kyrgyzstan in the Fall of 1995. After declaring independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the Kyrgyz Republic was actively seeking new approaches to higher education. My host institution was an experimental branch of the National University, seeking to introduce an American-style curriculum and degree programs. Located in the capital city Bishkek and then called the Kyrgyz-American Faculty, it soon became the independent Kyrgyz-American University. It is now the American University of Central Asia.
In the late 1980’s Washington State University became a national innovator in developing and promoting World Civilizations courses, and the Kyrgyz leadership of the new college invited me to teach World Civilizations. During that semester, I became increasingly interested in higher education reform and was frequently invited by colleagues and administrators to consult and advise on matters of curriculum and degree planning. In addition, I visited other Kyrgyz universities and gave lectures at the National Humanities University and the University of Foreign Languages.
My contacts with local scholars led to several return visits to Kyrgyzstan and publication of several conference papers in Kyrgyz symposia. In 2000, I returned as a guest of the National Committee of the Kyrgyz republic for UNESCO at the celebration "Osh-3000". In 2003 I was awarded the title of Honorary Professor (equivalent of honorary doctorate) by the Institute of Oriental Languages and Cultures of the Kyrgyz State Pedagogical University in Bishkek.
My interest in international higher education and the experience gained in serving WSU in an administrative capacity (first as Director of the Asia Program and then as Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts) eventually led to my service as President of the American University of Kuwait, where I spent four years (2006-2009). It is very rewarding to know that you have contributed to education of a new generation and formation of a new program or even institution
