President

KIMEP University is a leading, innovative institution in Central Asia that promotes educational excellence through teaching and research. When Kazakhstan became independent in 1991, the authorities realized the pressing need for Western-style education as a means to catalyze and sustain economic and social change. As part of this vision, KIMEP was conceived and founded. From its modest beginnings as a small institution, it has grown into a world-renowned university.

KIMEP University has established a tradition of excellence by offering programs of the highest academic quality that follow international standards and best practices. The correspondence of our standards to those in Europe and the United States is underlined by the accreditation of many of our programs by international educational quality assurance agencies.

The university prides itself on more than simply providing first-class academic programs. KIMEP University distinguishes itself in its devotion to the well-being and personal development of its students. In stark contrast to many universities in Central Asia, KIMEP University involves representatives from its independent student government in decision-making processes and university committees. This complements the university’s broader commitment to transparency, fairness, and integrity, as well as fosters a sense of empowerment and responsibility among students.

The alumni which the university produces are not only highly qualified, but deeply committed to these values, and it is this characteristic that makes them such desirable hires. They are recruited by top local and international firms and organizations, and they can be found in diverse professional roles around the world.

KIMEP University has played a critical role in the economic modernization of Kazakhstan. Our alumni include many of Kazakhstan’s political and business leaders. KIMEP University serves as an incubator for future generations of Kazakhstani and regional leaders. As an innovative and adaptive institution, KIMEP University will continue to tailor its services to the needs of its students and to those of the Kazakhstani state and society as a whole.

Sincerely, Chan Young Bang, PhD,
President of KIMEP University

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Chan Young Bang was born in Korea in 1936. He graduated with honors from Yonsei University in 1963 and subsequently moved to the United States to further pursue his studies in economics.

Upon completing his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Colorado, Dr. Bang taught economics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and then obtained a tenured position at the University of San Francisco in 1978. For the next ten years, he directed the Research Institute of Asian/Pacific Studies. He published scholarly work on the economic reform of the USSR, Korean economic development, and North Korea.

In 1990, Dr. Bang was invited by Nursultan Nazarbayev, the then President of Kazakhstan, to serve as the Vice Chairman of the Expert Committee, which the President himself chaired. The Committee’s mandate was to advise the government on economic policy, particularly the introduction of market reforms and privatization in Kazakhstan. During this time Dr. Bang also served as an Economic Advisor to the President.

To further assist the country in its transition, Dr. Bang was subsequently appointed as the Founding President of the Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and Strategic Research (KIMEP). This institution was founded in Almaty in 1992 with the mission to produce able professionals, qualified to the highest Western standards, who would lead Kazakhstan’s post-Soviet market economy. After an interval in South Korea, Dr. Bang returned to Kazakhstan in 1997 to serve as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of KIMEP. In 2000, he was appointed President of the Institute.

Since his return to Kazakhstan, KIMEP has transformed, under his leadership, from a state institute offering three graduate degrees into an internationally renowned and accredited university with 17 undergraduate, 13 master’s, and 8 doctoral degree programs. Five colleges are now available to students: the Bang College of Business, the College of Social Sciences, the Law School, the College of Human Sciences and Education, and the School of Computer Science and Mathematics.

Dr. Bang’s vision for KIMEP University has been to create a center of international educational excellence in the heart of Central Asia, producing cutting-edge research and most importantly future national and regional leaders. KIMEP University has developed extensive connections not only with the private and public sectors of Kazakhstan but also with more than one hundred top international universities around the world.

Dr. Bang founded the DPRK Strategic Research Center in 2018 of which he is the Principal Investigator. The Center produces various publications on North Korea and the achievement of peace and stability in Northeast Asia. To this day, Dr. Bang has published 60 articles in Korean and English on these issues, as well as nine books.

Aside from his professional pursuits, Dr. Bang is a family man, who enjoys reading extensively. He plays ping-pong every day, and his prowess at the table is such that he very rarely meets his match.