Commencement 2011
June 14, 2011
On June 11, 2011, ÍøÆØ³Ô¹Ï hosted nearly 1000 students, faculty, parents, guests and well-wishers at its Fifteenth Annual Commencement Ceremony. Proud families and guests came to the Kyrgyz National Philharmonic to celebrate the long-awaited moment of commencement.
Following university tradition, it started with the parade of flags of the countries represented by ÍøÆسԹϒs diverse student body, followed by the procession of faculty and graduates, and the performance of the national anthems of the Kyrgyz Republic and the United States of America.
ÍøÆØ³Ô¹Ï conferred degrees on more than 220 students. Special greetings were offered by the Minister of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic Kanat Sadykov, US Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Pamela Spratlen and President of Bard College Leon Botstein, who complimented the ÍøÆØ³Ô¹Ï graduates on the first major accomplishment of their lives – completing an excellent education at one of the region’s most rigorous and prestigious universities. This year ÍøÆØ³Ô¹Ï became the first and only university in Central Asia with the authority to award degrees that are accredited in the United States.
When all the speeches and presentations were over, ÍøÆØ³Ô¹Ï students conducted a special ritual, which symbolizes the end of their university studies. By turning the tassels from left to the right, fresh ÍøÆØ³Ô¹Ï graduates officially ended their time as students, and began their next adventure.
