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������ and the Civil Aviation Academy in Almaty, Kazakhstan, have signed an agreement to be strategic partners in establishing a joint international aviation university in Kazakhstan, to support the rapid growth of aviation throughout Central Asia.

The aviation university will be located at a new facility in Astana, Kazakhstan, near the Almaty International Airport, with Kent State leading the development in cooperation with the Civil Aviation Academy.

As part of the agreement, Kent State and the academy plan to develop dual-degree programs in various academic areas from Kent State’s College of Aeronautics and Engineering, focusing on unmanned aerial systems, air traffic management and aircraft maintenance.

The dual degree programs will launch in the fall, and the new university, with a target opening date of 2027, will serve as an international extension of Kent State’s aeronautics college, explained Marcello Fantoni, Ph.D., vice president for Global Education. Both will strengthen the university’s global footprint in aviation education.

President Todd Diacon signed the agreement on March 25, with Kairat Zhakupov, acting chairman of the board and president of the Civil Aviation Academy, following two days of planning with administrators from the aeronautics college.

Diacon said he was supportive of the agreement and emphasized its importance, noting that Kazakhstan’s geographic scale as the ninth-largest country in the world necessitates a strong civil aviation to serve as a connecting hub for the region. Kent State’s aeronautics program was one of the university’s greatest strengths, he said.

The president explained that when he flies commercially in the United States, he always wears a Kent State aeronautics hat.

“Pilots always come up to me to say hello and tell me they are Kent State graduates,” he said. “We know what we are doing in the world of aeronautics. We have great facilities, and we are very good at things international.”

Speaking through a translator, Zhakupov thanked Diacon for the partnership and emphasized the urgency of the initiative, citing global workforce shortages in aviation and Kazakhstan’s commitment to expanding training capacity.

“We are ambitious about our plans and are ready to establish our joint international aviation university by Kent State and the Civil Aviation Academy because in the future it will serve the needs of not only Central Asian republics, but the whole Eurasian continent, which faces a shortage of aviation personnel,” he said.

Zhakupov cited a study by global aerospace manufacturer Boeing detailing how a shortage of pilots and aviation professionals is reaching critical levels globally, and his country wants to address the issue head-on.

The initiative will expand English language instruction across Civil Aviation Academy programs, aligning with international aviation standards. Zhakupov said his country has increased its push for English language education among its students and faculty, in preparation for deeper global collaborations. In the past three years, their English competence rates have increased from 5-10% to more than 51%.

“We are ready to work with you,” he said, noting that he is also studying English.

Christina Bloebaum, Ph.D., dean of the aeronautics college, said plans include the development of an aviation training complex, growth in unmanned aviation education and the launch of internationally aligned programs.

“The partnership reflects a shared commitment to build the aviation workforce at scale,” she said. “Together we will expand access to high-quality training, strengthen academic exchange and prepare professionals to lead in a rapidly changing industry.”

Ayya Hudaybergenova, director of Eurasia Strategic Affairs for the Office of Global Education, said the plans have the full support of the Kazakhstan government. She and Fantoni have visited the country three times over the past year to lay the groundwork for the agreement. The Kazakhstan Minister of Education and Science, Sayasat Nurbek, is expected to visit Kent State in April to formalize plans for the aeronautics program there.

Following the Kent State visit, Fantoni and Hudaybergenova accompanied the Kazakh delegation to Washington, D.C., where they met with Magzhan Ilyassov, Kazakhstan’s ambassador to the United States, to discuss the plans further.

Fantoni noted the initiative will birth a new educational institution. “The baby is going to be a brand-new university in aviation in Kazakhstan,” he said.

This aviation center will serve as a training hub not just for Kazakhstan, but also for many neighboring countries.

Accompanying Zhakupov were Dana Amanzholova, head of the Aviation Training Center at the Civil Aviation Academy and Azamat Kujbanov, international cooperation manager for the academy.  The trio toured the Kent State Airport, the aeronautics college, and the Kent Campus during their stay, and met with Central Asian students attending Kent State.

Bloebaum credited the leadership of Associate Dean Maureen McFarland, Ph.D., and Yi Gao, Ph.D., who joined the college in January as director of the School of Aeronautics, for their planning work, which resulted in the partnership.

Bloebaum said there will be opportunities for student and faculty exchanges and professional development for instructors, as well as the development of joint courses, modular programs and academic schools, along with collaborative research projects and publications. The partnership will also support internships, practical training and workforce development for aviation personnel, with access to training and simulator facilities, she said.

“Kent State brings established strength in advanced aviation infrastructure, flight training and industry-aligned education,” Bloebaum said. “The collaboration will support international student recruitment and applied research in areas such as AI (artificial intelligence), UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) systems, sustainable aviation fuels and digital technologies.”

Kent State has a long-standing history of opening its doors to students and educational partners worldwide.

Over the past two years, the Office of Global Education has worked to forge new relations and joint programs throughout Central Asia, including the countries of Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan, in addition to Kazakhstan.