ADA has gone through a remarkable growth since its inception. We started as a training institute with just Advanced Foreign Service Program in 2007. Hence, our name: Diplomatic Academy. But fast we grew into a school of international affairs, now with both graduate and undergraduate degree programs.
Our Leadership Development program, first-ever in the country, is well sought out across Azerbaijan’s civil service. Baku Summer Energy School has become international success with faculty and participants from more than 20 countries across the globe. We have grown from a small office into a three-floor building and plan to move into a state-of-the-art campus in just a short time.
We intend to build on this foundation of success. For the coming five years, our strategic plan will focus on five key areas: further development of student centered model of education, people development, program expansion, library and infrastructure development, and sustainable growth.
Student Centered Education
We believe today’s education is not just about building academic strengths, but also developing skills and citizenship. ADA is not just a school. It is also a culture of collaboration, teamwork, initiative, analytical thinking, critical reasoning, strategic planning and responsible citizenship. At ADA, we cover all four components of a student-life cycle: admissions, curriculum, career management and alumni relations. We have developed our own admission criteria which are not based on academic records and test scores only. We seek and develop individuals of diversity, unique backgrounds and interests, potential for growth, determination to succeed. And once they join ADA, we work hard to enhance the experience of our students. At ADA, we are building a world-class Career Management Center. Our students graduate from ADA, but we remain together for many years through our Alumni Relations Office.
People Development
Our success is based on the strengths of our outstanding faculty and able administrators. Cultivating new faculty and enhancing their international reputation is a top priority of ours. At ADA, faculty initiated research gets generously funded. Our faculty enjoys travel allowances to attend and present at internationally recognized academic conferences. ADA Library provides every possible resource to meet research needs of our faculty. Hence, we have managed to attract many young and talented Azerbaijani PhDs to return to Azerbaijan and teach at ADA. Looking forward, we have also launched a PhD Development and Support Program. This program supports Azerbaijani citizens studying at PhD programs outside the country by providing them with research grants and conference allowances. To cultivate our own faculty, we also offer scholarships to study at PhD programs. In a not so distant future, we intend to grow the number of our core faculty and help them gain both international network and recognition.
In 2007, we started with the Advanced Foreign Service Program (AFSP) because there was an urgent need to train foreign service officers and civil servants. Building on success of this executive education, we expanded the Diplomatic Academy into a School of International Affairs. In 2009, we launched our Master of Arts in Diplomacy and International Affairs (MADIA). This graduate degree program offers a specialization in two fields which we consider as niche for ADA: International Security and Conflict Resolution and Caspian Basin Studies.
We have now started admission to our four-year undergraduate programs. Taught in English, we have designed our undergraduate programs as a hybrid of general and specialized education. Spread over two years, the general education component will provide a breadth of knowledge across social sciences, humanities, science and technology, mathematics and quantitative reasoning, arts and culture, academic writing, as well as leadership training.
As of 2011, our School of International Affairs added a new undergraduate program, such as Bachelor of Arts in International Studies (BAIS).
In 2011, we expanded our programs into a field of Business Administration as well by launching Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA). This lays foundations for emergence of a School of Business, which will, in two years, expand into Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Management in Energy and Environment (MMEE).
Growing into a University
Over a long run, we intend to maintain our academic focus on these two fields only, i.e. international affairs and business administration. The current pace of program extension will make sure we grow into a university by the end of 2012. Thus, what started as a Diplomatic Academy in 2007 would become a university in just 5 years. The new university will be composed of two schools: School of International Affairs and School of Business. Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy will remain as the School of International Affairs.
Library and Infrastructure Development
By September 2012, we will move into our green and smart campus, the first of its kind in the region. While being operated by alternative sources of energy, this unique campus will house intelligent buildings which will integrate building and educational services. ADA Library is a landmark of that campus. Standing four floors tall, this repository of knowledge will hold over 120,000 volumes. ADA Library will eventually expand into a digital library.
Sustainable Growth
Schools are built in perpetuity. Building a permanent endowment fund will be a key factor to ensure our sustainable growth. It will help us to gain financial autonomy and maintain steady growth across fundamental areas such as faculty, research and library development. ADA Foundation is an endowment building arm of the school with offices in Azerbaijan and the United States of America.
