The first of three residential campuses for the University of Central Asia (UCA) is being inaugurated in Kyrgyzstan on October 19. 

The Naryn Campus is the first phase of a larger vision for a 252-hectare site, contributed by the Kyrgyz Government.  Phase I includes a 14,000 m² space for 150 students featuring state of the art classrooms, library and laboratories; secure, modular student dormitories and faculty and staff residences.  Its international standard athletic facilities are open to the public and UCA’s Sports Dome offers indoor athletics year-round.  When the final phase is complete, the campus will accommodate 1,200 students and span 125,000m².

Meanwhile, the campus at Khorog, Tajikistan is scheduled to open in fall 2017 and Tekeli, Kazakhstan, anticipated in 2019.

The UCA campuses in Naryn, Khorog and Tekeli comprise one university in three countries.  Each of UCA’s campuses is deliberately located on the Silk Road, the historic trade and transportation route that facilitated the global exchange of goods, cultures and ideas, according to UCA.

The legacy of the Silk Road guides UCA’s student-centered education and focus on entrepreneurship and problem solving.  Students at UCA will design and implement community initiatives in their area of study as part of service learning requirements, and participate in projects that address real life challenges in the region.

UCA campuses are reportedly located amidst the backdrop of stunning mountain settings, providing students the chance to learn from and engage with the environment and surrounding communities in a whole new way.

UCA says the campus towns of Naryn, Kyrgyzstan; Khorog, Tajikistan and Tekeli, Kazakhstan offer culturally and ecologically rich environments and communities, dining options, excursion opportunities and transportation connections to regional centers.

The UCA’s campuses are strategically located in mountain communities designed to become regional hubs of technology and innovation.  By providing students a view of the country that extends beyond the capital city, the University aims to develop students into future leaders whose perspectives balance regional sophistication with global cosmopolitanism.

The University of Central Asia (UCA) was founded in 2000. The Presidents of Tajikistan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan and His Highness the Aga Khan signed the International Treaty and Charter establishing this secular and private University, which was ratified by the respective parliaments and registered with the United Nations.  The Presidents are the Patrons of UCA and His Highness is the Chancellor.  UCA’s mission is to promote the social and economic development of Central Asia, particularly its mountain societies, by offering an internationally recognized standard of higher education and helping the different peoples of the region to preserve and draw upon their rich cultural traditions and heritages as assets for the future.  UCA brings with it the commitment and partnership of the Aga Khan Development Network.  UCA’s School of Professional and Continuing Education has been operating for a decade; more than 90,000 learners have attended the professional and vocational programs to date.