Durham, North Carolina, and Astana, Kazakhstan, may not be uniformly similar as cities, but each do share a unique bond—one that will now last until 2022.
The Duke University Fuqua School of Business recently announced that it will be extending its partnership with Nazarbayev University and the Nazarbayev Graduate School of Business (NUGSB). Both schools have been strategic partners since 2012, just two years after the Kazakhstani university opened.
Robert Olinger, director of business development in Kazakhstan, joined a team of Fuqua faculty to instruct how to build a business school in Asia at the start of the project. “The collaboration has proved mutually beneficial for both schools,” Olinger said in 2011. “We have offered our expertise and experience in setting up a business school: hiring a faculty, marketing, recruitment and admissions, and creating a unique and meaningful student experience. In turn, we have been introduced to the largest economy in a region that is increasingly an important part of the world economy.”
At the time, the move marked Fuqua’s unwavering commitment to become one of the world’s most global and accessible institutions. Before partnering with Nazarbayev, Fuqua had already crafted partnerships in Dubai, London, New Dehli, Shanghai, and St. Petersburg. For the Fuqua Cross Continent MBA program, students also have the opportunity to study in Berlin, Germany, and Santiago, Chile, as well as several of the aforementioned locations.
Shortly after Nazarbayev announced the partnership with Fuqua, it became one of Asia’s foremost prominent business institutions. Fuqua Global Executive MBA alum and NU Executive Vice President Maksat Mamashev commented on the steadfast progress the Kazakhstan school has maintained and what its success means for Central Asia: “Together we are building a business school that reflects Kazakhstan’s unique position in the world—both as a leader in Central Asia and as an important bridge between the most influential economies of Asia and Europe.”
“As a graduate of Fuqua,” he adds, “I can confidently say that graduates of NUGSB go through the same rigor.”
While both Fuqua and NU have extended their partnership, the goal of the mutual project is “for NU to succeed independently,” says Valerie Hausman, Fuqua associate dean for global executive education.
Fuqua is just one of 10 international universities NU has formed some kind of partnership with since opening. The university also works directly with the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Cambridge, and other celebrated institutions. Find out more about the renewed partnership here.
