The role of universities in the modern higher education system is no longer limited to the traditional academic sphere. A university of the 21st century is not only a center of education and research, but also an institutional platform that makes a tangible contribution to the social, economic, and community development of its region.
This perspective is comprehensively articulated in the work The New Power University: The Social Purpose of Higher Education in the 21st Century by Professor Jonathan Grant, Vice President of King’s College London. Critiquing the classical academic model, the author argues that universities must play an active role in addressing real social challenges in partnership with society.
This approach is also aligned with Kazakhstan’s education policy. At a recent meeting of the National Commission on Women and Family and Demographic Policy held in Astana, particular emphasis was placed on the importance of regional universities in implementing socially oriented initiatives.
For Zhubanov Aktobe Regional University, direct engagement with society represents a strategic priority. The university’s third mission is to contribute to improving the quality of life in the region and to ensuring equal access to education and opportunities.
Within the framework of this mission, the university recently hosted an extended expert meeting focused on the development of women’s entrepreneurship in the Aktobe Region under conditions of the digital economy. Participants included representatives of the regional maslikhat, the Commission on Women and Family and Demographic Policy, the Department of Entrepreneurship and Industrial-Innovative Development, the Chamber of Entrepreneurs, the State Revenue Department, representatives of an IT hub, as well as women entrepreneurs from districts and rural areas.
The main objective of the meeting was to strengthen digital skills, explain the new tax regime, coordinate state support mechanisms, and discuss ways to improve their accessibility—particularly for women entrepreneurs in remote rural communities. This agenda directly corresponds with the core priorities of the National Commission on Women and Family and Demographic Policy.
One of the key outcomes was the decision to provide university-based, internet-enabled computer facilities for women entrepreneurs who wish to pursue online learning but lack adequate technical resources. This initiative represents a practical example of how university resources can serve regional development.
The participation of university faculty members and students was also significant. Early engagement of girls in entrepreneurial skills development is a direction that delivers long-term socio-economic benefits.
A regional university is an institution that grows together with society and assumes responsibility toward it. Only when the university’s potential is fully mobilized in service of regional development can its mission be truly realized.
This perspective is comprehensively articulated in the work The New Power University: The Social Purpose of Higher Education in the 21st Century by Professor Jonathan Grant, Vice President of King’s College London. Critiquing the classical academic model, the author argues that universities must play an active role in addressing real social challenges in partnership with society.
This approach is also aligned with Kazakhstan’s education policy. At a recent meeting of the National Commission on Women and Family and Demographic Policy held in Astana, particular emphasis was placed on the importance of regional universities in implementing socially oriented initiatives.
For Zhubanov Aktobe Regional University, direct engagement with society represents a strategic priority. The university’s third mission is to contribute to improving the quality of life in the region and to ensuring equal access to education and opportunities.
Within the framework of this mission, the university recently hosted an extended expert meeting focused on the development of women’s entrepreneurship in the Aktobe Region under conditions of the digital economy. Participants included representatives of the regional maslikhat, the Commission on Women and Family and Demographic Policy, the Department of Entrepreneurship and Industrial-Innovative Development, the Chamber of Entrepreneurs, the State Revenue Department, representatives of an IT hub, as well as women entrepreneurs from districts and rural areas.
The main objective of the meeting was to strengthen digital skills, explain the new tax regime, coordinate state support mechanisms, and discuss ways to improve their accessibility—particularly for women entrepreneurs in remote rural communities. This agenda directly corresponds with the core priorities of the National Commission on Women and Family and Demographic Policy.
One of the key outcomes was the decision to provide university-based, internet-enabled computer facilities for women entrepreneurs who wish to pursue online learning but lack adequate technical resources. This initiative represents a practical example of how university resources can serve regional development.
The participation of university faculty members and students was also significant. Early engagement of girls in entrepreneurial skills development is a direction that delivers long-term socio-economic benefits.
A regional university is an institution that grows together with society and assumes responsibility toward it. Only when the university’s potential is fully mobilized in service of regional development can its mission be truly realized.