The graduation ceremony of San Diego State University was held in Georgia. The guests were present. Specially for this ceremony, the academic delegation of San Diego State University of Georgia, Adela de la Torre visited the country.

Graduates have completed internationally accredited undergraduate programs in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemistry / Biochemistry, and Computer Science.

Mikheil Chkhenkeli addressed the audience, congratulated the young people on graduating from the university and spoke about the importance of San Diego State University in terms of internationalization of Georgian higher education.

Mikheil Chkhenkeli: “Dear young people, I am glad to have the opportunity to congratulate you on graduation. A very important and innovative stage in your life begins, good luck on this path! I wish you progress and many exciting opportunities in life. I believe that you will use these opportunities for the benefit of the country and with your knowledge you will make a significant contribution to the development of our country in the future. I am proud that you are so successful and talented!

You had to study at a special time - during the coronavirus pandemic, which, I think, made you stand out: you faced unexpected difficulties and successfully completed your studies."

In his speech, the Minister also touched upon the difficulties caused by the pandemic, which turned out to be a great challenge for the education system, noting that their overcoming was possible through cooperation and joint efforts.

Mikheil Chkhenkeli thanked Georgia's strategic partner - the United States of America - the American people, the Government and His Excellency, the Ambassador, for their unprecedented years of cooperation and education. The Minister noted that the cooperation between the two countries is very valuable and of great importance for him, as a dual citizen of Georgia and the United States.

A memorandum of understanding will be signed between the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia and San Diego State University at the event held at the Palace of State Ceremonies, which envisages the continuation of cooperation within the second compact of the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

It should be noted that 43% of SDSU-Georgia graduates graduate from university with honors. In addition, 37% of this year’s graduates are girls, as a result of the University’s active efforts to increase women’s involvement in STEM fields.

The partnership between San Diego State University, one of the leading universities in the United States, and Georgia was established in 2015. As a result, San Diego State University now offers high-quality American undergraduate programs in Natural Engineering (STEM) accredited by the American Engineering and Technology Accreditation Council (ABET) to students in Georgia. These programs are implemented in cooperation with three state universities of Georgia: Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Ilia State University and Georgian Technical University. San Diego State University programs already have 250 graduates in Georgia.

San Diego State University assists Georgia's partner universities in gaining US accreditation, which is critical to the internationalization of Georgia's higher education system. Three TSU programs have already received accreditation from ABET International and the American Chemical Society. This is an extremely important achievement for the training of STEM competitive personnel in the world market. As part of the partnership, San Diego State University also offers several exchange programs for American and Georgian students, with Georgian academic staff having the opportunity to train in the United States.