Meeting with Cumberland University Professors
The history of this partnership began in 2009, when Cumberland University President Dr. Paul Stumb visited KAFU as part of the international accreditation commission during the first accreditation of the university’s business programs. This was the first meeting that marked the beginning of further collaboration.
Representatives of Cumberland University later participated in KAFU’s 30th anniversary celebration. Dr. Paul Stumb himself was unable to travel in person, but he sent two university faculty members to Kazakhstan, marking another step toward strengthening academic ties.
History professor Sean McDaniel, a specialist in the history of Central Asia and Kazakhstan, played a special role in developing cooperation. He speaks Russian and Kazakh and has a keen interest in the culture and history of the region. It was at his initiative that a new cultural, linguistic, and educational program was organized for students at Cumberland University.
As part of the program, 10 students from various fields studying the history, culture, and languages of the region arrived in Kazakhstan. The participants spent the first five days in Almaty and will then continue their program in Ust-Kamenogorsk. There, the American students will live with KAFU students in the university dormitory and participate daily in a rich educational and cultural program.
The meeting with KAFU leadership marked the official opening of a new phase of international cooperation and an important step in strengthening academic and cultural ties between Kazakhstan and the United States.
