Al-Farabi KazNU joins University Social Responsibility Network

ASTANA. KAZINFORM Al-Farabi KazNU became a member of the prestigious organization «University Social Responsibility Network» (USRN), the University's press service reports.

Among the USRN members are the University of Manchester and University of Cambridge (UK), Peking University (China), the Hong Kong PolyU, University of Washington (USA), University of São Paulo (Brazil), etc.

Great attention in the world is traditionally given to raising the social responsibility of corporations and business structures. In the formation of a culture of social responsibility, the role of HEI is significant as well. Universities not only offer public goods in the form of educational services and scientific developments, but they also act as a generator of social norms of behavior in society. The mission of a modern higher education institution should not be limited only to the training of qualified specialists, today it is complemented by social responsibility.

This paradigm encouraged leading universities to create a Consortium to strengthen the social role of Universities in addressing the acutest problems of mankind. The USRN activities are aimed at creating an effective platform for interaction of participating universities in the implementation of social responsibility of universities for the future of modern civilization.

At a special USRN Conference that was held at the University of São Paulo, members of this prestigious organization voted unanimously to a leading Kazakhstani university to be admitted as a member.

KazNU's experience as the Global Hub of the UN program «Academic Impact» on sustainable development has been presented at the Conference.

The new platform for the development of higher education institutions proposed by KazNU - the University model 4.0 - aroused great interest among the members of the organization. The program for modernization of public consciousness «Ruhani Zhangiru» provides guidance for the implementation of this model. It includes four components: educational, research, innovation-entrepreneurial, spiritual and moral.

Today, the University model 4.0 has already found practical expression in the project «Al-Farabi University Smart City», which is based on a symbiosis of innovation-technological and spiritual-moral platforms.