AUA Staff Attend Tempus PEOPLE International Conference in Almaty, Kazakhstan

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KAZAKHSTAN – From September 29 – October 1, 2015, the American University of Armenia (AUA)’s Director of Administration, Anahit Ordyan, and Human Resource Manager, Arina Bekchyan, participated in an international conference entitled “HR Management in Higher Education Systems: Experience and Prospects for Development” at Turar Ryskulov New Economic University (NEU) in Almaty, Kazakhstan within the framework of the Tempus PEOPLE project.

The aim of the conference was to inform the participants about the goals and objectives of the Tempus PEOPLE project, promote development of higher educational institutions (HEIs) through systematized approaches to human resources management (HRM), and share experiences about new developments in project partner institutions in Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia, Spain, Portugal, and Sweden. It included presentations on organizing Human Resources (HR) audits, mapping HR competencies in HEIs, HR organization in HEI’s of Georgia, enhancing the culture of collaboration, and much more.

Among the guests were representatives from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan and top and middle managers, heads of departments, HR managers, and other employees from various universities and organizations.

Anahit Ordyan, commenting on current issues in HR organization in Armenian HEIs, focused on the transitional process that departments are undergoing in light of educational reforms currently underway and strategic and innovative HRM approaches vs. traditional personnel administration. She also highlighted the events of the Ninth Bologna Process Ministerial Conference and the Fourth Bologna Policy Forum that were hosted in Yerevan in May 2015, and addressed the main challenges facing HRM departments in most HEIs.

Arina Bekchyan presented on the “Modernization of Processes in HR Management,” with a special focus on competency-based recruitment, empowerment of employees and participative management, transparency in policies’ implementation, and more.

On the eve of the conference, participants had a chance to meet NEU Rector Mr. Krzysztof Rybinsky, who shared his vision for innovative HRM. Participants took a comprehensive tour of the university and campus, which included the HR Resource Center and department, as well as the schools, the sports facilities, the museum, and more.

AUA is an implementing partner of the three-year Tempus PEOPLE project, which was made possible thanks to a 2013 grant agreement with the European Union’s Education, Audiovisual, and Cultural Agency (EACEA).

This was the first of three dissemination international conferences. The following two will take place in the partner countries of Georgia and Armenia.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.