Nearly two dozen bank accountants from neighboring Central Asian countries are in the state through Dec. 14 to receive training at Mississippi State.
The College of Business and Industry and the Mississippi Consortium for International Development are serving as hosts to the 21-member group from the Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan republics. The Jackson-based development consortium is a collaborative effort of Alcorn State and Jackson State universities and Tougaloo College.
Both Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are former communist states that gained their independence in 1991 when the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics dissolved. They now are members of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the informal coalition that succeeded the highly centralized Soviet government. "Our program is designed to provide training across a broad spectrum of topics," said visit coordinator Larry White, director of the business college's Banking Excellence program.
White said instruction will be provided by faculty in the School of Accountancy, along with several state banking professionals. In addition to a structured series of campus classes, the training program will include field trips to Starkville, Jackson and New Orleans.
With its capital at Almaty, Kazakhstan has a population of more than 17 million people spread over more than a million square miles. Russia is its northern neighbor; the People's Republic of China is to the east. Major industries include steel, cement, footwear, and textiles. Grain and cotton are the chief crops.
The smaller Kyrgyzstan--77,000 square miles and a population of 4.7 million--is located on Kazakhstan's southern border. The country, whose capital is Bishkek, also shares a border with China. Major industries are tanning, tobacco, textiles, and mining; chief crops are wheat, sugar beets and tobacco.
The College of Business and Industry is one of several Mississippi State units that have gained experience in providing assistance to professionals in former communist satellite countries. Earlier this year, a group of Bulgarian educators came to learn more about free-market economics and agribusiness education. Over the past two years, several delegations from Uzbekistan--a neighbor to both Kazakhstan and Kyrgyszstan--also have visited the university.
This World Wide Web version of MSU Memo was modified and updated by Chris Brown.
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Last modified: Friday, 14-Jun-2002 15:58:59 CDT.
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