A unique U.S.-U.S.S.R. student exchange is underway after more than 16 years of planning. Two post-doctoral students from Tashkent State University have arrived at the UW, signaling the inception of the first comprehensive direct exchange agreement between a university in the U.S. and a university in the Soviet Union.
The agreement recognizes the unique relationship between the sister cities of Tashkent and Seattle. It was signed by the heads of both universities in 1987.
Since 1953 the UW has offered studies that relate to Tashkent. The capital of Uzbekistan, it is the third largest city in the Soviet Union and an important metropolis in the Turkic regions of Central Asia. In its program in Comparative Turkic Studies, the UW offers Uzbek language and literature.
Under the agreement, the two universities will exchange two graduate students annually, each student spending about one year in the host city. The Tashkent scholars will assist in teaching the Uzbek language here and the UW scholars will provide English language instruction at Tashkent.
The agreement also provides for exchange of faculty, joint research and joint publication of scholarly articles.