On September 25, 2024, Founding Director of the Institute of Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence (ISSAI) Prof. Atakan Varol participated in a panel session during the opening ceremony of the “Institute of Academic Leadership: Deans’ School” program at Nazarbayev University. The program is designed for 110 deans from state and private universities across Kazakhstan, aiming to equip them with the knowledge and skills required for proficient faculty management amidst uncertainty.
The event began with welcome speech by NU President Prof. Waqar Ahmad, who congratulated the deans on the start of the program. Dean Aida Aida Sagintayeva spoke on the importance of training programs and introduced Dr. Varol. Prof. Atakan Varol presented ISSAI’s key projects and recent developments in generative AI, highlighting the Institute’s role in AI development in Kazakhstan. He also discussed the impact of AI on higher education encouraging the audience to enhance their knowledge and skills in AI to prepare students for future challenges.
The deans’ program is part of the professional development initiatives of the Central Asian Research Centre for Educational Innovation and Transformation (CARCEIT), supported by the Nazarbayev University Managing Council, Nazarbayev Fund, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan (MSHE), and Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University (AYU).