The International Information Technology University is transitioning to a new governance model. Rustem Bigari has been appointed President of the International Information Technology University, and Gulmira Bekmanova has been appointed Rector of IITU.
The new model separates two areas of responsibility. The President oversees strategic development, the AI transformation of the educational process, global partnerships, and the launch of the Digital Business School for the corporate sector. The Rector assumes full operational management of the university's academic core — the learning process, fundamental research, and educational quality. This division enables the university to pursue two objectives simultaneously: building long-term strategy and partnerships while sustaining the quality of ongoing academic work.
The changes to the governance structure are part of a comprehensive transformation of IITU aimed at building an AI Driven University. The adoption of artificial intelligence has reshaped industry requirements: the market now needs not only strong developers but also systems analysts capable of seeing process architecture as a whole and managing complexity. In response, the university is establishing two flagship programs. The first is an engineering track built on ICPC standards and focused on developing fault-tolerant digital platforms. The second is a management track: training systems and business analysts who design digital solutions at the corporate and government levels.
The academic component of the transformation involves rebuilding syllabi with a strong focus on artificial intelligence, drawing on the approaches of leading global technology universities. The university is introducing a system of micro-credentials and opening cross-registration for IITU's specialized courses to students from other universities across the country. In parallel, IITU is beginning the reconstruction of its new campus on Baizakov Street, built around open R&D ecosystems, ESG and human-centered design principles, and testbeds for the rapid piloting of AI solutions. All initiatives launch with the new academic year.
