AUK’s Student Government Meets with their Peers at James Madison University

With funding from the U.S. State Department Grant entitled “Support to American-Style Higher Education in Iraq”, AUK’s Student Government (SG) was welcomed at James Madison University (JMU) by the Center for Global Engagement and the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery for a series of meetings and networking events, March 5-14. AUK’s delegation received a first-hand view of the operations of an U.S. higher-education institution, as well as its students’ academic and non-academic life. AUK’s SG took part in discussions with JMU’s Student Government Association (SGA), as well as with JMU students, faculty, and community members. The trip provided an excellent opportunity for members of AUK’s SG to gain a deeper understanding of the structure of the American academic system and opportunities for students’ professional growth and career development. The SG is looking forward to the adoption of American best practices within student governance at AUK. 

Visits of Deans, Faculty and College Administration to Universities in the U.S. 

During March 21-25, within the framework of the U.S. State Department Grant entitled “Support to American-Style Higher Education in Iraq”, a delegation from the College of Arts and Sciences visited Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). The delegation explored the operations, resources, accreditation processes and governance at MTSU’s colleges and academic departments through discussion sessions with their peers at MTSU. The two universities agreed to enhance and broaden collaboration to include faculty and student exchange programs, research collaboration and implementing an accelerated master’s degree program in Computer Science.

Meanwhile, a delegation from the College of Engineering visited the University of Florida to meet with the College of Design, Construction and Planning, March 1-3. Discussions centered on establishing the Center of Excellence and Sustainability in AUK, as well as student and faculty exchange programs. AUK’s delegation outlined progress made in establishing and operating the Fabrication Lab and Building Information Management (BIM) Lab at AUK, with further guidance from the University of Florida. The delegation then visited Wayne State University (WSU) in Detroit, Michigan, from March 7-9, to discuss progress made in the roll-out of numerous 2+2 programs in the Fall of 2022. These programs will enable AUK students to complete their undergraduate studies at WSU in Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or Chemical Engineering. 

Finally, a delegation from AUK’s College of Business visited James Maddison University (JMU) in Harrisonburg, Virginia, from March 21-25, to discuss progress made, and next steps, in AUK’s accreditation process with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). JMU is providing AUK with advice in upgrading the programmatic standards and systems to meet AACSB accreditation requirements. Discussions also centered on overcoming difficulties that AUK’s College of Business has recently experienced in the recruitment of internationally qualified faculty, as well as changes to AUK’s Oil and Gas Management Program to make it more attractive to industry collaboration. Meetings also explored potential opportunities, including virtual seminars, co-listed courses and shared curricula. Finally, AUK’s delegation visited JMU’s Gilliam Center for Entrepreneurship to obtain a first-hand view of their processes and products.

AUK’s Senior Management visits the U.S. in March 2022 

Dr. Honar Issa, Secretary of the AUK Board of Trustees, Dr. Randall Rhodes, AUK University President, and Ms. Manal Issa, Director of Advancement, visited Washington D.C. and Nashville, TN, during March 20-30. The purpose of this trip was to explore fundraising opportunities for AUK’s priority action items and expansion plans, as well as to promote the visibility of AUK within Diaspora communities in the U.S.  

The Washington agenda included meetings with Congressional and Senatorial Offices, in order to present AUK and discuss U.S. Government support for the University’s initiatives, particularly the Endowment and capacity building for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).  Meetings were also held with the U.S. State Department to report on progress made in ongoing grants supporting American-Style Higher Education in Iraq, the Representative Office of the KRG, the U.S.-Kurdistan Business Council, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and businesspersons with active interests in Kurdistan.  

During the visit to Nashville, they visited Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), to discuss the alignment of academic programs, the facilitation of AUK students entering master’s programs at MTSU, and the start of a summer program for Diasporans to take courses on AUK’s campus and experience the region.

The trip also featured two receptions, one held in Washington D.C., supported by the KRG Representative Office, and the other in Nashville. These two receptions served to introduce AUK to U.S. governmental representatives, diplomats, businesspersons, and members of the Diaspora.   

This trip was an excellent opportunity to identify allies for AUK’s initiatives and members for future AUK Friends’ Associations in the U.S. 

AUK Granted Associate Membership within the Association of American International Colleges and Universities (AAICU)

At its annual meeting on April 8, the membership of the AAICU voted to accept AUK as an associate member. With member institutions from Mexico to Pakistan, AAICU serves as forum of “independent, non-for-profit, higher education institutions located outside the United States and based on the American liberal arts model” for the exchange of best practices and knowledge. Members include The American Universities of Beirut, Cairo, Paris and Sharjah. As an associate member, AUK will benefit from participating in AMICAL, a consortium of institutions working together for the advancement of learning, teaching, and research through the collaborative development of library, technology and curricular resources across member institutions.

Student Spotlight

Government took part in meetings, as well as tours and dialogue sessions with JMU students, faculty, and other community members. 

During the trip, I gained a deeper understanding of the structure of the American higher education system, organizational structures, academic programs, classroom organization, student life, and support for students’ professional growth and career development. The experience provided an excellent opportunity to examine the feasibility of adopting JMU’s practices on AUK’s campus, as well as how to ensure AUK puts its students first and serve as a cornerstone of the local community. This trip has given me a broader perspective and vision for AUK, as well as a stronger sense of pride for our still-evolving, small and fast-growing University.

Such trips are enormously important, as they provide insights on a variety of perspectives. Students can use such opportunities to push for change and improvement in existing processes and practices. I am most excited about putting my newfound skills and expertise at use within AUK’s Student Government with the aim of greater growth and development. Improvement can only occur as a result of sharing knowledge with fellow students; collectively, we can engage and strive for better.

Meet our Alumni

When Vin first heard of the American University of Kurdistan, she was enthusiastic to learn and improve her English skills. At first, she found it difficult to communicate, since all the education she received had been in Kurdish. By taking numerous English courses, online exams, and reading books, Vin improved her English markedly and was able to converse effectively with her professors. Vin became knowledgable in production, reservoir drilling, engineering, and Kurdistan’s petroleum geology through coursework at AUK. She completed her internship at the Oil and Minerals Directorate in Duhok, where she visited several labs and companies. Vin was among the top students in the College of Engineering at AUK, and graduated with honors. “I faced many hardships, but they led to a new route of motivation in my experience as a student studying in a complex academic field”. Vin is currently pursuing a master's degree in Petroleum Engineering at the University of Kurdistan-Hawler (UKH). “I will do my best to get as much knowledge in petroleum engineering as possible so that I can first serve my university, which has done so much for me, and then my nation”.