Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 15 July, more than 60 faculty from across Uzbekistan gathered to share experiences and lessons learned from their semester long visits to universities in the United States. 

These exchanges were funded as part of the Faculty Enrichment Program, a joint initiative of the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation of the Republic of Uzbekistan.  The project was implemented by American Councils for International Education.

Faculty exchange remains one of the strongest areas of cooperation between the United States and Uzbekistan.  While in the United States, selected faculty members spend a semester at a U.S. university to engage in curriculum development, explore alternative teaching methodologies, expand their knowledge in their field of study, and to develop collaborative projects and ongoing exchanges with the U.S. host universities, their faculty, and students.

During their exchange, fellows also serve as cultural representatives, sharing information about Uzbekistan and their local university with U.S. faculty, students, and community members. Previous U.S. host institutions include Rutgers, Texas A&M, Michigan State, Purdue, Penn State. Since 2019, 95 faculty have participated at 30 different U.S. universities.

Today's gathering highlighted the U.S. Embassy’s commitment to building long-lasting relationships between universities in Uzbekistan and the United States to promote mutual understanding, to deepen educational ties, and to support the Ministry of Higher Education’s ongoing reforms in the higher education sector.

The U.S. Embassy has been an active partner in the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation’s efforts to internationalize Uzbekistan’s universities. In addition to faculty exchange, representatives from Uzbekistan’s universities this year attended one of the largest higher education conferences in the United States to develop new international partnerships. This conference resulted in numerous new areas of collaboration between scholars in the United States and Uzbekistan. Additionally, the U.S. Embassy brought 25 American English teachers and numerous technical experts and scholars to support projects at universities in Uzbekistan during the last academic year.

U.S. universities have continued to expand their cooperation with partners in Uzbekistan including with the “El yurt umidi” Foundation. In 2023, more than 1,000 Uzbek students were enrolled at U.S. universities - the largest number to date. Additionally, U.S. universities have begun partnering with universities in Uzbekistan to host American students studying abroad.

“The visiting educators have not only benefited by the personal mentorship from American educators, but the faculty have also profited through their connections with the fellows [from Uzbekistan]. In fact, it has been a mutually rewarding opportunity for not only faculty, but for administrators, staff, and students,” expressed a representative of one U.S. university.

U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jonathan Henick delivered opening remarks, stating “The U.S. Embassy is proud to strengthen ties between universities in Uzbekistan and the United States. Cooperation between American and Uzbek faculty will strengthen the education and research capacity in both countries for years to come.”