Presentation of the project "San Diego State University and Georgia 2020" was held
The Millennium Challenge Fund - Georgia, in cooperation with the Administration of the Government of Georgia and the Ministry of Education and Science, held a presentation of the project "San Diego State University and Georgia 2020". The presentation was opened by Tamar Sanikidze, Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, Professor Nancy Marlin, Provost of San Diego State University, and Magda Magradze, Executive Director of the Millennium Challenge Fund - Georgia.
Within the framework of the event, a memorandum of cooperation was also signed between the Government of Georgia and San Diego State University. The signing ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Garibashvili.
Within the framework of the project, a consortium consisting of state universities of the United States of America and Georgia will implement bachelor's degree programs in Georgia. As a result of this unique educational project, graduates will receive American diplomas in Georgia in engineering, technology, and natural sciences. The budget of the project is USD 30 million.
The project is being implemented within the framework of the second USD 140 million Compact of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), signed between Georgia and the USA in 2013, which provides for the implementation of projects in the general, vocational, and higher education sectors.
At the event, the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Garibashvili, addressed the audience and evaluated the project - through the second compact of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, over the next 20 years, American and international bachelor's degree programs will be implemented at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Georgian Technical University, and Ilia State University. Our young people will receive American and international standard diplomas in Georgia in engineering, technology, and natural sciences, which can be said to be of vital importance for our country. I congratulate everyone on the launch of this wonderful endeavor! First of all, I congratulate our young people, who must build the future of our country!
Prior to signing the memorandum with San Diego State University, Tamar Sanikidze, Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, stated - an important memorandum is being signed today. We have all reached the stage where we are directly launching the implementation of the program. Professors and teachers will be trained at the universities, and the necessary infrastructure - laboratories, etc. - will be established. This is a serious breakthrough in university life, which will directly affect the quality of education.
The consortium consisting of San Diego State University (SDSU) , Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Ilia State University, and Georgian Technical University was selected as a result of a three-stage international tender.
San Diego State University will implement the following bachelor's programs in Georgia starting from the 2014-2015 academic year:
- In cooperation with Tbilisi State University, bachelor's programs in electrical engineering, chemistry (biochemistry concentration), and computer science will be implemented;
- At Georgian Technical University, electrical engineering (power engineering) and chemistry (biochemistry concentration) will be implemented;
- At Ilia State University, bachelor's programs in computer engineering and electrical engineering (microelectronics) will be implemented.
Future cooperation with Georgia - this is how Nancy Marlin, Provost of San Diego State University, evaluates - this is a very important project that will give students from Georgia the opportunity to get an education right in Georgia and receive an American diploma. The fields are quite prestigious: programs in engineering, natural sciences, and technology professions will be implemented at the undergraduate level.
