AUK Receives Zairi International Award for Excellence in Equity and Inclusion

Dubai, United Arab Emirates – On October 1, 2025, the American University of Kurdistan (AUK) was awarded the Zairi International Award for Excellence in Higher Education in the category of Equity and Inclusion, recognizing the University’s strong commitment to access, employment, and empowerment. The award particularly highlighted AUK’s Center for Academic and Professional Advancement (CAPA) and its flagship programs — She Leads and She’s an Entrepreneur — which continue to advance women’s leadership and economic participation across the Kurdistan Region. The other categories of award celebrated digital transformation, research impact, disruptive education, and internationalization.

Accepting the award on behalf of the University were Dr. Randall Rhodes, President of AUK, and Loucine Hayes, Director of CAPA.

“The American University of Kurdistan is extremely proud to have received the Zairi International Award for Excellence in Equity and Inclusion,” said Dr. Rhodes. “We are deeply committed to inclusion, equity, and the liberal arts tradition fundamental to American-style higher education — one that values tolerance, active debate, understanding diverse perspectives, critical thinking, and problem-solving.”

Dr. Rhodes emphasized that such values are crucial for empowering youth in the Middle East to build fair and just societies.

The Zairi International Awards were launched in 2021 by the Center for Learning Innovations and Customized Knowledge Solutions (CLICKS) in collaboration with numerous international quality organizations and universities’ associations to recognize and celebrate higher education institutions that are addressing global educational challenges and creating sustainable impact within their own national and regional contexts. The Award is open to all private and public HEIs around the world.