United States Consul General Irvin Hicks, Jr. Visits the AUK Campus

On February 6, Consul General Irvin Hicks, Jr. from the United States Consulate General in Erbil visited the campus of the American University of Kurdistan (AUK) for the first time. Through dialogue and firsthand observation, he learned much about the University and the impact of the U.S. Department of State Grants on AUK’s development.

First, the Consul General, alongside representatives of USAID and various units within the Consulate General, met AUK President Randall Rhodes, who, for his part, was joined by Ajin Saadi, Director of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning, Manal Issa, Director of Advancement, and Loucine Hayes, Director of CAPA. The discussion focused on the mission and vision of AUK and its role in the ongoing economic and social development of Kurdistan. “The University is only going to succeed if Kurdistan succeeds,” stated President Rhodes, and, on that note, he spoke of wanting to “build a diaspora supporting Kurdistan” as well as CAPA’s portfolio of certificate programs for the public and private sectors. The Consul General was keenly interested in hearing about the diversity of the AUK student body and initiatives to improve access to American-style higher education. Mentioned were gains for females, IDPs, refugees, Yazidis, Christians, and southern Iraqis. Consul General Hicks also asked about programs fostering entrepreneurship and innovation; President Rhodes spoke of the successful launch of the incubation program. Other topics included sustainability efforts, the radio station and video production studio, and workforce preparedness.

Next, the Consul General visited three labs funded by the United States Department of State Grant titled “Support for American-Style Higher Education in Iraq”: the Building Information Modeling Lab, Fabrication Lab, and the Nursing Skills & Simulation Lab. In the first, he saw a high-tech construction simulator capable of depicting buildings from multiple perspectives. In the last, he inspected the high-fidelity manikins used in applied courses in the College of Nursing.

Finally, the Consul General met with students attending AUK on scholarships fully funded under the U.S. Department of State Grant. After hearing about their academic majors, he asked about their post-graduation plans and also the greatest challenges they have faced in their transitions to an American educational environment. “Time management” was the most frequently cited hurdle, and Consul General Hicks offered intriguing advice: “Be a chess player, not a checkers player”—i.e., think strategically, several steps ahead, instead of jumping into anything spontaneously. The Consul General went on to speak of the predominant “merit-based value system” of the United States and encouraged the students to move upward in the world of work by emulating the most successful: “Learn from those who have already proven they are the best at what they do.”