Dear Colleagues and Partners,

Welcome to the third issue of the ADA Quarterly Newsletter. In this new format of newsletter, we share summaries of academy-organised conferences and projects, information on upcoming events, student activities, and the recently-completed admission cycle. We encourage you to use this newsletter to learn about our degree programs, as well as our diverse student body and faculty.

Best,


Department of Marketing and Communications


Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy

ADA admitted the first group of students to the dual Executive MBA with the Maastricht School of Management (MSM). Cooperation with MSM started with a joint contract this March. The dual program will be taught by professors from both ADA and MSM.
The pioneering group includes 30 students with diverse educational backgrounds and professional experience. The average student is 33 years old with ten years work experience. The group is also diverse, with 20% female and 7% international representation. The majority of Azerbaijani students in this group are funded by the government of Azerbaijan through the Study Abroad Program. This is the first group of graduate students accepted into the School of Business and it is also the first time an ADA program is included in the list of programs funded through the Study Abroad Program.

About 700 ADA students, both undergraduate and graduate, were officially inducted into the ADA community on 24 September. From the colorful processional of faculty and students to the eloquent words of advice from the senior staff, the ceremony was a memorable and exciting start for the ADA community. The Honor Code Induction Ceremony has been a tradition at ADA since 2010. It is an annual event where the students sign the Honor Pledge as a symbol of their commitment to uphold the honor code.

Professor Ivor Norman Richard Davies, a leading Welsh historian, noted for his publications on the history of Europe, Poland, and the United Kingdom visited ADA to deliver a presentation entitled, "The European History: The Pan-European and National Perspective" within Global Perspectives Lecture Series. Professor Davies has taught at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies of the University of London and lectured in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, China, Poland, as well as many other European countries. He is Supernumerary Fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford.

Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy and the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Azerbaijan and Yunus Emre Turkish Cultural Centre in Baku held a joint international conference "Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the Islamic Army of the Caucasus," dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the liberation of Baku from the Bolshevik and Armenian forces. The celebration opened on the 16th  of September with an exhibition entitled, “Islamic Army of the Caucasus and liberation of Baku – 95," which was on display for students and guests of ADA for the whole week.

The School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Michigan State University, undertaking promotion of academic, scientific, and cultural collaboration between the Institutions.
The document, signed by Dean of SPIA Anar Valiyev and Dean of Michigan State University's James Madison College Sherman Garnett, also paves the way for student exchange programs. “By promoting cooperation among our institutions, we will be able to better and in more efficient manner foster opportunities for collaborative research, also provide staff and students of both parties with cultural and intellectual enrichment opportunities,” said Dean Valiyev.

Professor Ivor Norman Richard Davies, a leading Welsh historian, noted for his publications on the history of Europe, Poland, and the United Kingdom visited ADA to deliver a presentation entitled, "The European History: The Pan-European and National Perspective" within Global Perspectives Lecture Series. Professor Davies has taught at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies of the University of London and lectured in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, China, Poland, as well as many other European countries. He is Supernumerary Fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford.

On September 4-6 ADA Student Services held an orientation program for around 350 Azerbaijani and International BA 2018 students. ADA’s Provost and Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs Dr. Patrick Quinn and Executive Vice-Rector Fariz Ismayilzade welcomed the newly admitted students and wished them luck in the upcoming years.  The orientation program was intended to help students understand the goals and expectations of ADA, and to introduce them to the valuable services and programs available on campus. The program also included ice-breaking games and teambuilding activities. Students also were informed about ADA’s rules and regulations, attendance policies, grading system, IT system and library usage policies, as well as various offices and departments functioning at ADA, the structure of the EAPP program, and the Honor Code.

On 30 August ADA’s staff and faculty held a warm welcoming ceremony for 14 graduate, 11 undergraduate, and 1 undergraduate exchange student from Hungary, Moldova, Lithuania, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, USA, Argentine, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Japan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Turkey.  It was a good occasion to provide students with valuable information to ease their transition to the campus and life in Azerbaijan.

To extend relations and to build on previous successful collaboration with Argentinian academic institutions, as well as to participate in a seminar dedicated to the geopolitical situation in the Caspian region delegation from Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy paid a visit to Argentina on August 21-25. During these meetings opportunities for future cooperation, joint projects, and prospects for conducting student and faculty exchanges were discussed. A memorandum of understanding was signed between the National University of La Plata and Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy.

On August 12-15. Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy Executive Education with the financial support from Azerbaijan State Oil Company (SOCAR) and the Assembly of the Friends of Azerbaijan (AFAZ) launched a new training program titled "Telling Azerbaijan's Story." The purpose of the program is to teach professors, students and administrators from various prestigious Texas universities about our country's history and culture, so that they may better understand the economic, social and political situation of Azerbaijan.

On July 6-20, 2013, Caspian Center for Energy and Environment (CCEE) of Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy held its 7th Baku Summer Energy School (BSES), an annual two-week certificate program organized in partnership with the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR). BSES 2013 brought together 40 participants from about 20 countries to examine and gain a better understanding of energy and environment issues with a focus on the wider Caspian Sea basin.