SG Press

Dear students,

Today there was an online meeting with the President Dr.Ahmad, members of the Managing Council, and the NU Alumni Association. This allowed us to voice the frustration directly and receive immediate answers.

During the meeting, I clearly emphasized our unwavering position that open and transparent communication is absolutely essential. Additionally, not only that resonance letter was discussed, but also other concerns regarding the university's decisions and strategy were raised.

We would like to inform you that the following actions are planned by the administration as a response to the situation:

1) An official letter with all explanations and clear facts will be prepared by the university and sent to NU students and alumni in the first place;

2) 2024 Financial Report, the 2025 Work Plan, and Audit Report Recommendations for 2017–2023 and Action Plans will be openly shared with the NU community in January. This timing aligns with the finalization of 2024.

3) A Town hall meeting with the President and the administration will be held in January, where all remained questions will be addressed directly.

These actions are promising, however, their execution is at utmost importance, and we will make sure that those steps are implemented with full accountability and transparency. We will keep you updated on any changes.

In the meantime, to make sure that all concerns are considered, we would like to encourage you to write down any questions, which we will collect in one document and present to the administration before the Town hall.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Best regards,
Ayana Batyrbayeva
SG President 2024-2025

Dear students,

We communicated with the administration, and since we believe in transparency, we would like to share with you their answer:

"Shigeo Katsu served as President of the University from 2011 until he was relieved of his duties by a decision made by the NU Board of Trustees on June 15, 2023. Subsequently, at the initiative of the University’s Board of Trustees, the Supreme Audit Chamber of the Republic of Kazakhstan conducted a state audit of the university's performance for the period from 2017 to 2023, which corresponds to Mr. Katsu’s tenure in this position.

The statements made by Shigeo Katsu are largely inaccurate and distort information with the intent to mislead the public and state authorities. It is our belief that these actions may represent an attempt to shift responsibility for shortcomings that occurred during his tenure.

Furthermore, his account of events regarding the attempted transfer of Jusan Bank's ownership rights to the U.S.-based NGF fund appears to be presented in a potentially misleading manner. It is worth noting that in 2023, through the efforts of state authorities, control over Jusan Bank was successfully returned to the Republic of Kazakhstan.

We hereby declare that the University reserves the right to protect its reputation through legal means in various jurisdictions in the event of the dissemination of knowingly false information".

In the meantime, while the official response is being prepared, from the Student Government side, we are now also drafting an official letter to our university's President, Dr. Waqar Ahmad, that will be sent today. In this formal letter we will present students' position, concerns, and request clear and transparent response on this situation. Based on the response, we will plan our further actions and share them with you.

We will keep you updated on any changes and we will make sure that the students' position is heard and considered.

Thank you once again for your support!

Best regards,
Ayana Batyrbayeva
SG President 2024-2025

Dear Students,

We completely understand and share your deep concerns regarding the current situation. We also recognize the emotional level of those recent news, and we understand that it brings a lot of uncertainty.

At the present moment, it would be better to wait for the official response from the administration. We will maintain the open and constructive communication and update you as soon as we have complete information on this situation.

Thank you very much for your patience, understanding, and support!

Sincerely,
Ayana Batyrbayeva
SG President 2024-2025

☄️[Updates on Dormitory Payment]☄️

Dear students,

As you may recall, recently USM informed everyone about the dormitory price increase, which understandably raised a lot of stress and concerns. We would like to emphasize that while the Student Government is fully dedicated to represent your voice and propose suggestions on your behalf, the final decisions are made by the university's administration. Since we believe in the importance of transparent communication, we would like to share the latest updates with you.

Together with the SG Ministry of Residential Life and Security, we have been actively working on this issue over the past weeks through multiple meetings and emails with the respective units. We have delivered all relevant concerns and suggested ways of reducing the financial burden on students.

❄️One proposal was to reintroduce the double transaction system, allowing students to split payments into two parts - after Winter Break and after Spring Break. USM declined this option, referring to last year's experience, when the delayed payments caused a significant negative impact on the university’s financial stability.

❄️Another idea we proposed was enabling payment by installments through Kaspi or Jusan bank (рассрочка). This option was recognized as attractive, but it still was declined due to administrative and financial constraints.

So for now, unfortunately, the dormitory payment remains as a single transaction. We know that this is very frustrating, and while their response might sound discouraging, we understand their concerns as well and will take them into consideration when planning our further actions. It is not the desired result, however, it does not mean that we will stop working on this.

📌Our next steps during the following weeks will be:
⭐️to explore other alternatives, discuss them with specialists to ensure their feasibility, and propose the most relevant ones;
⭐️to prepare a new letter taking into account the USM’s response;
⭐️to continue negotiations and push the opportunity for payment by installments/or any other relevant solutions for their future consideration.

While we cannot guarantee any specific outcomes, we will remain committed to proposing sustainable and effective solutions that benefit all parties, while maintaining the constructive and collaborative tone. Your ideas are also very appreciated, so please feel free to share them if you would like to!

Thank you very much for your continued support! We will keep you updated on any changes regarding this matter.

Sincerely,
Ayana Batyrbayeva
SG President 2024-2025

Dear students,

We would like to share with you two important and most recent achievements.

⭐️ We are happy to inform you that we have recently become voting members of the Research Council.

The Research Council is a key university-level decision-making body which is responsible for research policies, standards and procedures, research facilities and resources, and all other research-related matters.

This is the first time when an undergraduate student representative has been added in this committee. Special thanks to the SG Ministry of Research and Innovations [SG MRI] 2023-2024 and SG MRI 2024-2025 for their hard work. This means that the Undergraduate Research Assistants' voices and opinions will now be heard directly and considered in crucial discussions.

⭐️Furthermore, at the request of our President, Dr. Ahmad, we are now involved in the interview recruitment processes for the university’s top management positions. This indicates that students' perspectives are now considered even at the top highest confidential decision-making levels.

We will continue to work on our projects and looking forward to sharing more significant achievements with you in the future. Thank you!

Sincerely,
Ayana Batyrbayeva
President of the Student Government 2024-2025

☄️Accessible Campus Updates #1

Dear students,

The new Working Group on the Accessible Campus Project has been formed this month (October). So far, there was only one meeting, after which most members were on business trips and have returned just this week.

The first meeting was mainly introductory.

In general, we (SG) presented our concerns and proposals, so here are the most important ones:

- The fences, as everyone noticed, were not installed according to the plan approved last year. We were not given a specific reason, but most likely there were issues during implementation, which is why they changed it. However, we were told that the fences would be placed in such a way that third parties would not have access to the dormitories.

- The Daily Cup zone (which can be used to access the skywalk and reach the dorms). We were told that people wouldn’t "just wander around campus" but would be part of guided campus tours (//edit: most likely, as a preliminary testing period). We proposed that these campus tours should not be held one week prior the final exam period and during final exams.

- The magnetic-locked doors: we were told that magnetic-locked doors will be installed on the fences, allowing only those with an NU ID to access the dormitories from outside (when you walk straight to the dormitory from Kabanbay Batyr entrance), thus maintaining quick and convenient access in the same way as it was before the fences were installed.

Our comments were noted; however, since it was an introductory meeting, concerns and proposals were discussed without further decisions being made. We still have several follow-up questions, and we are awaiting the next meeting to discuss everything in more detail (including how everything will be implemented and future plans). All updates will be sent accordingly.

Sincerely,
Ayana Batyrbayeva
President of the Student Government 2024-2025

Dear students,

SG Ministry of Residential Life and Security has opened their Instagram account!

Feel free to subscribe:
https://www.instagram.com/nu.mrslife/

Dear students,

Please be reminded that the deadline for the SG Executive Board and Student Rights Committee applications is ‼️TODAY 23:59‼️

SG Executive Board
SG Student Rights Committee

Dear students,

⭐️ Please be informed that the deadline for the SG Executive Board and Student Rights Committee applications has been EXTENDED.

‼️NEW deadline: August 30th, 23:59

You are also more than welcome to come to the Club Fair, where you can learn more about SG, and earn some small prizes👀

⚡️SG Club Fair: August 28th, Lower Atrium, 15:00 - 18:00

SG Executive Board Application
SG Student Rights Committee Application

Dear students,

SG Ministry of Culture and SG Ministry of Sports and Health have opened their telegram channels!

Feel free to join:
SG MOC: https://t.me/nu_mincult
SG MSH: https://t.me/nu_msh

📣 STUDENT GOVERNMENT RECRUITMENT📣

Dear students,
We are happy to announce that we begin the recruitment of members to the Executive Board, Student Fund Budget Committee, and Student Rights Committee of the Student Government!

We have been working hard to tailor and polish our plans for the next semesters, and we are ready to put them in action! Right now, we are looking for motivated and responsible students to make all the plans come true.

We encourage you to join our team – to take your chance to represent, serve, and educate the students of NU through work in the SG!

SG Executive Board Application
SG Student Rights Committee Application
SG Student Fund Budget Committee Application

‼️Deadline: August 25th, 23:59‼️

🔈 Updates from the Academic Council [19/06/2024]

After careful consideration, the Academic Council has decided:

1) To approve Academic Policies and Procedures for NUFYP and NUFYP Student Handbook [some minor modifications].

2) To approve amendments to the GSPP Master PA, GSPP Master PP, and GSPP PhD PP programs handbooks.

⚡️3) To approve student mobility agreement between NU and Freie Universität Berlin.

4) To approve Revised list of e-resources [library resources] for 2023-2024.

⚡️5) To approve Memorandum of cooperation between NU and LLP Ecomed Plus.
The parties intend to cooperate in implementing the Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility [REI] Fellowship program and research projects.

#ac | @accidential_genius

Updates from the Academic Council as of 10/04/2024:

– Nazarbayev University will sign a Memorandum of Understanding on Military training cooperation with the Kazakh University of Technology and Business. The goal is cooperation on military training of students by the NU Academic calendar. Currently, our university cooperates with Astana IT University on military training; however, due to the challenges of students missing one full day of studies, it has been decided to collaborate with another university in Astana.

– Student exchange agreement with Institut Polytechnique De Grenoble. The parties agree to exchange 13 senior-year undergraduate/master students each year and 2 Master in Engineering Management (MEM) and its Grenoble equivalent each academic year.

– Memorandum of understanding with the Federal University of Minas Gerais. The aim is to provide available spots and scholarships for Summer Schools

– Memorandum of understanding with the Nagasaki University. The Parties intend to cooperate in academic, educational and research activities.

– Approval of the Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship Program with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

– Approval of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship Program with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

– Approval of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Fellowship Program with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

– Memorandum of cooperation with Karaganda Medical University non-commercial joint-stock company

– Memorandum of understanding/cooperation with National Center for Children's Rehabilitation, a non-profit, joint stock company

– Memorandum of understanding with the University of L'Aquila. The parties agree on developing academic and cultural interchange in the areas of education, research, and other activities.

– Student Exchange Agreement with Center for International Studies (ZIS), Technical University of Dresden. The parties agree to Exchange four Undergraduate and/or Graduate Students annually. The Agreement shall remain active for four years.

– Memorandum of cooperation with the Astana International Financial Centre Court and AIFC International Arbitration Centre.

– Memorandum of cooperation with Southwestern University of Finance and Economics. The parties agree on developing academic and cultural interchange in the areas of education, research, and other activities.

#ac | @dearnazerke

Dear students,

MOE and MRI are collecting questions regarding scholarship programs and stipend types, including the conditions for receiving them.

We aim to inform students about the scholarship opportunities our university has and ensure awareness of the procedures involved in receiving different stipend types.

If you have any questions, you can share them in the comments section. These questions will then be presented to the Bursars’ Office.

Updates from the Academic Council meeting as of 03/01/2024

- Procedure on accepting of non-degree students to programs of the autonomous organization of education Nazarbayev University are approved. The main difference is that admission standards are lower for non-degree students and they are all fee-paying students. This is a pilot project.

- UG and Graduate Academic Calendars for 2024-2025 AY and UG and Graduate Academic Calendars for 4 AYs ahead are approved with Spring break designated as TBD per the suggestion of SG MOE and Faculty Senate

- New guarantee fee conditions for enrollment to programs of the autonomous organization of education Nazarbayev University are approved. It is set to be 100,000 KZT for all programs, and this fee will be returned during 2nd semester upon successfully finishing the 1st semester.

#ac | @sudozhan

Dear Students,

As you may know, before the start of the semester we were notified about the transition from Google Workspace to Microsoft services.

After a series of meetings, technical analyses, and many hours of background work, I am thrilled to deliver the news that the transition has been stopped.

CIO has made a formal recommendation to suspend the transition efforts based on the joint feedback provided by the Student Government and Faculty Senate.

We are awaiting an official announcement from the IT people with more details to follow.

Special thanks to the team of SG Ministry of Education, Faculty Senate, to myself and other parties involved. I appreciate your hard work.

Kind regards,
Yerassyl Kadirzhanov - President of NU Student Government