James
Madison University visits
AUK
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Under the U.S. State Department Grant
entitled “Support to American Style Higher
Education in Iraq”, a delegation from James Madison
University (JMU) completed a one
week visit (August 28-September 11, 2022) to
the campus of the American University of
Kurdistan to work with faculty and
administrative staff at AUK as the
University strives to develop its academic
programs, university operations, and plans
for accreditation.
The JMU delegation consisted of Dr. Herb
Amato, Vice Provost for Accreditation and
Faculty Recognition, Dr. Suzanne Fiederlein,
Center for International Stabilisation and
Recovery (CISR), Dr. Keston Fulcher, Center
for Assessment and Research Studies (CARS),
Dr. John Hulsey, JMU Department of Political
Science, and Yelisey Shapovalov, Doctoral
Assistant, CARS.
The delegation presented both group and
individual trainings to the faculty and
administrative staff and focused on the
monitoring and assessment of academic and
non-academic programs. While in Kurdistan,
they toured Duhok, Amedi, and Erbil.
Dr. Suzanne Fiederlein quoted, “Our visit to
the American University of Kurdistan was the
culmination of the first phase of a
continuing partnership between JMU and AUK”.
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Collaboration
between the Honors College at James
Madison University and the College
of Business at AUK
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During his visit to James Madison University
(JMU) under the U.S. Department of State
Grant entitled “Support to American Style
Higher Education in Iraq” in March 2022, the
Acting Dean of the College of Business
at AUK, Mr. Uzair Bhatti discussed
participation in JMU’s Collaborative Online
International Learning (COIL) Program.
Offered this fall semester, 32 students
from various study programs from AUK and JMU
are registered in an interdisciplinary
distance-learning course combining three
different fields and taught by faculty from
both institutions. The faculty members are
Ms. Sinbl Yakoob, AUK College of Business,
Dr. Felix Wang, Assistant Dean of the Honors
College at JMU, and Dr. Angel Garcia,
Assistant Professor at JMU.
As part of the DoS Grant, collaborations
between AUK and U.S. universities aim to
increase institutional relationships to
enhance research, cultural exchange, and
capacity building projects.
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Ms. Sinbl Yakoob quoted, “The collaboration
between AUK's College of Business and JMU’s
Honors College is not only academically
inspirational and beneficial but also
enriching for future learning methodologies,
cultural enrichment, and individual
development”.
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Information
Revolution and Middle East Military
Balance
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A lecture on the Information Revolution and
Middle East Military Balance marked the
start of a monthly seminar series sponsored
by the Center for Peace and
Human Security (CPHS) for the
academic year 2022–2023. The CPHS aims to
promote academic seminars, public debate,
and research activities among AUK students
and academics.
Dr. Kenneth Pollack, a guest lecturer from
the American Enterprise
Institute (AEI), delivered the
inaugural presentation at the AUK's
auditorium via CISCO distance learning
technologies. Dr. Jiyar Aghapouri, Director
of the CPHS presented the mission and vision
of the Center. Students and faculties from
the University of Duhok also
participated.
In his comments, Dr. Pollack stated that
technology has affected a major shift in
war-making while resulting in a tremendous
level of insecurity. He added that “in a
cyberwar, everything is possible since the
digital world is limitless and merely
explored.” Dr. Pollack also reflected on the
current situation in the Middle East stating
that “it could be worse” but, there is a
transparent balance of power in the Middle
East in which the countries’ military tools
are still under the observation of foreign
countries such as the U.S. and Russia;
any war in the Middle East will
involve external forces as well.
Dr. Jiyar Aghapouri concluded
commending the relevance and informative
nature of Dr. Pollack’s seminar, “The
examples used to reflect and support the
arguments on previous and current ongoing
events were noticeably clear”.
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Policy
and Procedures
Orientation
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As part of its progress towards
institutional accreditation, The American
University of Kurdistan (AUK) must ensure
that all units have standard operating
procedures and policies aligned with U.S.
best practices. In accordance with the
requirements of New England Commission of
Higher Education (NECHE), AUK units
must write policies and assess the
implementation of those policies. “Faculty,
staff, and students need to work together to
ensure compliance, as well as transparency
and fairness in that implementation” as
stated by the President of AUK, Dr. Randall
Rhodes.
An orientation on policies and procedures
was held on Tuesday, September 13, 2022. The
Institutional
Effectiveness and Planning (IEP)
team requested that the administrative units
brief the campus employees and provide an
opportunity for policy-related questions and
concerns. Also discussed were the guidelines
for the proposal of new policies and how the
process is managed.
Ajin Saadi, the Director of IEP and
organiser of the orientation, emphasized
“the significance of NECHE Accreditation in
terms of integrity, transparency, and public
disclosure.” Zana Salah, the Coordinator of
IEP and co-organiser of the orientation,
highlighted the importance of such events as
it “provides opportunities for faculty,
staff, and students to voice their opinions
and provide recommendations for the
operations of the University.
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Ibrahim Saeed Ahmad
Sophomore, College of Engineering
I feel extremely fortunate to be a student
in the Architectural Engineering
Department here at AUK. The professors,
staff, and students are wonderful to work
with and the learning opportunities
are excellent for my future profession.
In addition to the major, AUK offers a
variety of skill-building opportunities. I
was an ordinary student like any other when
I first entered AUK. I've
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always loved taking pictures, but back then
I didn't have a professional camera, and I
didn't think I'd have time to continue
photography as a student of
engineering.
In my first semester, I met Mr. Kawa Safar
Hameed from the Communications Office. He
mentored me and gave me tasks that
altered my university experience. By
the end of the year, I had learned a great
deal about photography, videography, and
most importantly, editing.
To conclude, regardless of what you study in
college, you can learn a range of skills for
many careers. However, it is important
to manage your time wisely.
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Ajin Saadi Zawity
Faculty,
Department of International
Studies
Ajin Saadi Zawity works as the Director of
the Office of Institutional Effectiveness
and Planning (IEP) and is also an adjunct
faculty in the Department of International
Studies at AUK.
Ajin earned her MA in International
Relations from the University of Birmingham,
UK, in 2017. Her area of specialization was
Diplomacy, Globalization, and Kurdistan
State building. Additional areas of interest
include the impact of globalization on
international relations, human rights,
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women in politics, and civil society.
Ajin was both born and raised in
Switzerland. She was raised in a home
dedicated to the Kurdish cause and the
importance of continuing to support
Kurdistan. In order to contribute to
Kurdistan's development, she and her family
relocated back to Duhok.
She joined AUK in 2018 and has since been
teaching in International Studies. "AUK gave
me the opportunity to teach my first class
at the age of 24, which paved the way for
the advancement of my profession. Nothing
brings me greater joy than witnessing
students come out from the semester secure
in their newfound knowledge".
When she initially began working at AUK,
Ajin recalled, "I would have meetings with
external parties and would discover that I
was the only female in the meeting, which
was something new for them. They eventually
grew accustomed to seeing AUK women running
meetings”.
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Amad Abbas Ahmed
B.A. in Oil and Gas
Management
Class of 2019
After earning his degree from The American
University of Kurdistan (AUK) in 2019, Amad
was given various opportunities and
life-changing possibilities. He now resides
in Erbil and works for a General Trading &
Oil and Gas Services Company.
“I graduated from AUK three years ago, and
during that time, the institution taught me
how to set
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objectives and work toward reaching them, as
well as how to focus on establishing a
career. I was able to advance to the
position of Chief Operating Officer in my
company in just three years”.
During Amads time at AUK, Amad learned how
crucial it is to be in a supportive and
positive environment, he shared that “AUK
provided a collaborative and peaceful
environment for students to learn in. The
professors and staff were incredibly
cooperative and encouraged us to continue
learning and to always expand our
knowledge”. He added, “I applied what I
learned about the value of teamwork and a
great work environment to my current
position and business”.
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