Dr. Rossen Roussev’s Statement About KBTU

Below is a (slightly redacted for privacy) copy of an email sent by professor Rossen Roussev concerning his experiences working in the General Education Faculty of KBTU and the difficulties he encountered with Mikhail Akulov, the dean. His letter of concern to the rector and vice-rectors of the university are attached at the bottom as well.

NOTE: After reading Dr. Roussev’s statement below, you may also wish to read my own Statement About KBTU.

From: Rossen Roussev <[XXX@XXX.com]>
Subject: Fwd: Advice on Censure / Letter of Concern about KBTU

Dear [Jobs in Philosophy],

I forward you a message regarding the professional situation at the Kazakh British Technical University, whose philosophy opening ad is posted on the Jobs in Philosophy website.

The message is addressed to the American Philosophical Association, which collects information on the professional situation in the different institutions that offer jobs in philosophy for the purpose of advising its members, as well as sanctioning institutions that breach contemporary professional standards.

I think that Jobs in Philosophy, as a well-established venue for job advertising, might do well to collect such information as well, and eventually to advice colleagues and sanction ill-performing institutions on its own. This, of course, is just a suggestion, but you might find it good for the profession as a whole, in the age of the globalization, to seek ways to protect itself from professional violations as much as possible.

With regard to the university above mentioned you may receive more information also from my former colleague there Dr. Beau Branson, copied in this email.

Kind regard,

Dr. Rossen Roussev
Associate Professor in Contemporary Philosophy

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Rossen Roussev <[XXX@XXX.com]>
Subject: Re: Advice on Censure / Letter of Concern about KBTU
Dear [Chair, Committee on the Defense of Professional Rights, American Philosophical Association],

Following the letter of Dr. Beau Branson, with whom we worked together at the Kazakh British Technical University in the academic 2015/16, I would like to confirm the serious concerns expressed in it.

The work environment there falls well short of what a Western trained academic would expect to find in a higher education institution. The problems range from poor administrative organization, lack of payment transparency, systematic under-reimbursement, professional incompetence, autocratic management, and straightforward deception, to lack of professional (and at times elementary general) ethics. Particularly, the incompetence and unprofessional behavior and management of the dean of the General Education Faculty, Mikhail Akulov, would not enhance the professional experience of any of our colleagues fellow-philosophers, who on our advice would be better off staying away from this institution.

Attached is my letter of complaint from the actions of Akulov to the rectorship of the university, which is additionally informative on the existent work environment.

Kind regards,
Dr. Rossen Roussev

Download Dr. Roussev’s Letter of Concern to KBTU here. (Embedded below.)

On-Mikhail-Akulov's-performance-at-KBTU