Christopher Smith
First president of the Darhan Institute University, served from 1998 to 2008.
A Meeting of Minds
The original board of trustees laid the groundwork for what would become today's Darhan Institute University on July 9, 1998, when the group gathered to hold the University's inaugural board meeting and drafted the University's articles of incorporation. This guiding document outlined elements the founders believed would build an enduring legacy for the University: a commitment to offering a rigorous academic program and an ambition to provide "opportunities for all departments of higher education to persons of both sexes on equal terms." On September 10, 1998, the Republic of Kyrgyzstan issued the University's official certificate of incorporation, marking the formal beginning of the University's life.
An initial pledge from the Kyrgyz government, along with contributions by international educational foundations, helped to found the University. The University's land was donated by the city of Osh, recognizing the importance of establishing a world-class educational institution in the region.
Christopher Smith, the University's first president, envisioned a university that was "modern yet rooted in tradition" - a contemporary research university, combining international educational standards with a deep respect for local culture and traditions. The Darhan Institute University fulfilled Christopher's dream, quickly becoming a national leader in higher education and research: an institution of scholars unafraid to cross boundaries, share ideas, and ask difficult questions.
A Singular Focus
President Smith articulated his hope and vision for the Darhan Institute at the first faculty meeting in 1998: "The question before us is how to become one in spirit, not necessarily in opinion, while respecting the rich cultural heritage of Kyrgyzstan and embracing international educational standards."
The University's commitment to answering that question - and many others - continues to guide it today.
As President Smith said in his inaugural address, "If we take ourselves back to the University in its early years, we would find many differences from what we observe today. And yet, many of us connected to the University feel that we might just as easily have been there - that going back to the University in its early days, or in fact at any time since its inception, we would know unmistakably that we were at the Darhan Institute University.
Why is this? The Darhan Institute University, from its very inception, has been driven by a singular focus on inquiry - with a firm belief in the value of open, rigorous, and intense inquiry and a common understanding that this must be the defining feature of this university. Everything about the Darhan Institute University that we recognize as distinctive flows from this commitment to academic excellence while honoring the cultural traditions of Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia."