News
21, Jun 2008
Dartmouth College and American University of Kuwait(AUK) Extend Partnership to 2013
Dartmouth College Provost Barry Scherr and officials at the American University of Kuwait renewed the agreement between their two institutions today at a press conference on the AUK campus. The memorandum of understanding signed by Scherr, Chair of the AUK Board Sheikha Dana Nasser Al-Sabah, and AUK President Marina Tolmacheva, extends the partnership until 2013. Under the terms of the agreement, first signed in 2003, Dartmouth and AUK collaborate on numerous programs, and Dartmouth provides a wide range of administrative and academic consulting services to AUK. Over the years the two institutions have developed a flourishing relationship that involves faculty, students, and staff in both locations. Dartmouth experts in engineering, information technology, library sciences, communications, governance, and other areas routinely visit Kuwait and students, faculty, and staff from Kuwait travel to the United States to work with their counterparts at Dartmouth.
"It is a great honor to be here with you as we celebrate the renewal of the partnership between our two institutions," said Scherr. "We are proud to have assisted the university since [2003] through a broad range of projects that help further an awareness of liberal arts education here in Kuwait and throughout the Arabian Peninsula."
Scherr thanked his Dartmouth colleague, Professor Dale Eickelman, for the key role he has played in developing the partnership. Eickelman serves as the relationship coordinator for the Dartmouth-AUK project.
"By signing this document today," continued Scherr, "the bonds we have already established will continue to deepen, leading us both in exciting new directions. I am confident that as we approach 2013, we will celebrate a similar occasion."
"We admire Dartmouth's commitment to the liberal arts and want to emulate that commitment in our own country," said Sheikha Dana Nasser al-Sabah, chairwoman of the AUK Board of Trustees. "Dartmouth's academic strength, its focus on undergraduate education, and its international reach, are all strengths that we have been grateful to draw on over the last several years. As our university continues to grow, we look forward to an ever deepening partnership with our friends in Hanover, New Hampshire, and to a long and mutually rewarding collaboration."
Scherr said that both Dartmouth and AUK are committed to excellence in higher education with an emphasis on the liberal arts curriculum. "At Dartmouth, and at the American University of Kuwait," he explained, "we know that higher education knows no national boundaries. We understand how important it is to provide our students with an education that equips them to deal with the issues we face as a global society."
"AUK is required by Kuwait to have a foreign partner institution," said President Tolmacheva, "but the relationship between AUK and Dartmouth is closer, richer, and warmer that a mandated cooperative arrangement. Faculty and staff, administrators and students alike benefit from consultations with Dartmouth which pertain to our academic programs, organizational practice, legal advice, and professional development."
"Dartmouth students who come to AUK as interns add to the experience of student life at AUK, while AUK interns at Dartmouth gain invaluable experience learning and working in a superior academic environment while living in a quintessential American college town in New England," Tolmacheva said.
"No one," she added, "has been as instrumental in building this extraordinary collaborative process as the Dartmouth-AUK Relationship Coordinator, Munassiq al-Alaqat - a term he proposed himself - as Dr. Dale F. Eickelman, the Ralph and Richard Lazarus Professor of Human Relations at Dartmouth. Since 2003, he has been the key proponent of this collaboration and has continued in his role as a guide, friend, and colleague to both sides. From my first conversation with Dale in Spring 2005 to this day when we sign the renewed Memorandum of Understanding, he has offered kind and generous advice to myself and many other individuals at AUK. He is also known in Kuwait's higher education circles and beyond AUK as a champion of liberal arts and of academic quality and innovation. It gives me special pleasure to recognize Dr. Eickelman five years of service to AUK in the presence of the assembled educators, the press, AUK Board members and Provost Scherr of Dartmouth College." Tolmacheva then presented Eickelman with an engraved crystal plaque as a tribute from the AUK community.
Scherr also paid tribute to the members of the AUK Class of 2008, saying that they "occupy a special place in the history of this new university, and in years to come, will be honored for the legacy they will surely create."
Dartmouth College, founded in 1769, is a member of the Ivy League. Renowned for its focus on undergraduate liberal arts education, Dartmouth is also home to three historic professional schools: The Dartmouth Medical School, founded in 1797; Thayer School of Engineering, founded in 1867; and the Tuck School of Business Administration, founded in 1900. Its 4,300 undergraduate and 1,200 graduate students hail from across the United States and around the world.
The American University of Kuwait, founded in 2003, offers a learning environment based on the American model of higher education. It is dedicated to providing students with knowledge, self-awareness, and personal growth experiences that can enhance critical thinking, effective communication, and respect for diversity.
"It is a great honor to be here with you as we celebrate the renewal of the partnership between our two institutions," said Scherr. "We are proud to have assisted the university since [2003] through a broad range of projects that help further an awareness of liberal arts education here in Kuwait and throughout the Arabian Peninsula."
Scherr thanked his Dartmouth colleague, Professor Dale Eickelman, for the key role he has played in developing the partnership. Eickelman serves as the relationship coordinator for the Dartmouth-AUK project.
"By signing this document today," continued Scherr, "the bonds we have already established will continue to deepen, leading us both in exciting new directions. I am confident that as we approach 2013, we will celebrate a similar occasion."
"We admire Dartmouth's commitment to the liberal arts and want to emulate that commitment in our own country," said Sheikha Dana Nasser al-Sabah, chairwoman of the AUK Board of Trustees. "Dartmouth's academic strength, its focus on undergraduate education, and its international reach, are all strengths that we have been grateful to draw on over the last several years. As our university continues to grow, we look forward to an ever deepening partnership with our friends in Hanover, New Hampshire, and to a long and mutually rewarding collaboration."
Scherr said that both Dartmouth and AUK are committed to excellence in higher education with an emphasis on the liberal arts curriculum. "At Dartmouth, and at the American University of Kuwait," he explained, "we know that higher education knows no national boundaries. We understand how important it is to provide our students with an education that equips them to deal with the issues we face as a global society."
"AUK is required by Kuwait to have a foreign partner institution," said President Tolmacheva, "but the relationship between AUK and Dartmouth is closer, richer, and warmer that a mandated cooperative arrangement. Faculty and staff, administrators and students alike benefit from consultations with Dartmouth which pertain to our academic programs, organizational practice, legal advice, and professional development."
"Dartmouth students who come to AUK as interns add to the experience of student life at AUK, while AUK interns at Dartmouth gain invaluable experience learning and working in a superior academic environment while living in a quintessential American college town in New England," Tolmacheva said.
"No one," she added, "has been as instrumental in building this extraordinary collaborative process as the Dartmouth-AUK Relationship Coordinator, Munassiq al-Alaqat - a term he proposed himself - as Dr. Dale F. Eickelman, the Ralph and Richard Lazarus Professor of Human Relations at Dartmouth. Since 2003, he has been the key proponent of this collaboration and has continued in his role as a guide, friend, and colleague to both sides. From my first conversation with Dale in Spring 2005 to this day when we sign the renewed Memorandum of Understanding, he has offered kind and generous advice to myself and many other individuals at AUK. He is also known in Kuwait's higher education circles and beyond AUK as a champion of liberal arts and of academic quality and innovation. It gives me special pleasure to recognize Dr. Eickelman five years of service to AUK in the presence of the assembled educators, the press, AUK Board members and Provost Scherr of Dartmouth College." Tolmacheva then presented Eickelman with an engraved crystal plaque as a tribute from the AUK community.
Scherr also paid tribute to the members of the AUK Class of 2008, saying that they "occupy a special place in the history of this new university, and in years to come, will be honored for the legacy they will surely create."
Dartmouth College, founded in 1769, is a member of the Ivy League. Renowned for its focus on undergraduate liberal arts education, Dartmouth is also home to three historic professional schools: The Dartmouth Medical School, founded in 1797; Thayer School of Engineering, founded in 1867; and the Tuck School of Business Administration, founded in 1900. Its 4,300 undergraduate and 1,200 graduate students hail from across the United States and around the world.
The American University of Kuwait, founded in 2003, offers a learning environment based on the American model of higher education. It is dedicated to providing students with knowledge, self-awareness, and personal growth experiences that can enhance critical thinking, effective communication, and respect for diversity.
21, Jun 2008
Laurel Stavis appointed as the Executive Director of the Dartmouth-AUK Project
AUK is delighted to announce that Laurel Stavis has been appointed Executive Director of the Dartmouth College-American University of Kuwait (AUK) Project. Dartmouth provides consultation and expertise to AUK on a broad range of strategic, administrative, and academic matters, and Laurel has served as a senior consultant to the Project since AUK opened in 2004.
As Executive Director, Laurel will work closely with Dale Eickelman, the Ralph and Richard Lazarus Professor of Human Relations, on all aspects of the Program. Professor Eickelman has spearheaded the Dartmouth-AUK Project and serves as its Relationship Coordinator. She will work with the trustees and senior leadership of AUK, and serve as liaison between the two institutions, developing strategies to deepen and expand on programs already in place, and create innovative new areas for collaboration.
To better support these collaborative efforts, Dartmouth has dedicated office space to the Project that will house the Relationship Coordinator and the Executive Director. It will be the "home base" in Hanover, New Hampshire for all matters relating to AUK and Dartmouth projects, and will provide meeting space as well as a temporary work space for student interns, visiting faculty, administrators, and other guests.
Over the past several years, Dartmouth faculty members and administrators from the President's office, the libraries, the registrar's office, computing services, Public Affairs, the Hood Museum of Art, and Thayer School of Engineering have traveled to Kuwait to share their expertise. Administrative and academic leaders at AUK have visited Dartmouth to consult with their counterparts here, and a thriving student internship program has been created.
"Dartmouth and the American University of Kuwait share a universal commitment to the principles of inquiry that only the best liberal arts education can provide," said Professor Eickelman. "Laurel is committed to AUK's success and to the continuing growth of its partnership with Dartmouth. As we enter this exciting new phase of the collaboration between our institutions, I am delighted that her experience both here at Dartmouth and in Kuwait will help guide our program."
Laurel Stavis came to Dartmouth in 1996 as Director of Public Affairs. Previously, she was Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations at Wellesley College. Her contributions to what was then the Dartmouth News Service have helped the division progress into the key role it occupies today. Since 2004 she has provided leadership for the College's major communications vehicles, including Dartmouth Life, VOX of Dartmouth, and Speaking of Dartmouth.
As Executive Director, Laurel will work closely with Dale Eickelman, the Ralph and Richard Lazarus Professor of Human Relations, on all aspects of the Program. Professor Eickelman has spearheaded the Dartmouth-AUK Project and serves as its Relationship Coordinator. She will work with the trustees and senior leadership of AUK, and serve as liaison between the two institutions, developing strategies to deepen and expand on programs already in place, and create innovative new areas for collaboration.
To better support these collaborative efforts, Dartmouth has dedicated office space to the Project that will house the Relationship Coordinator and the Executive Director. It will be the "home base" in Hanover, New Hampshire for all matters relating to AUK and Dartmouth projects, and will provide meeting space as well as a temporary work space for student interns, visiting faculty, administrators, and other guests.
Over the past several years, Dartmouth faculty members and administrators from the President's office, the libraries, the registrar's office, computing services, Public Affairs, the Hood Museum of Art, and Thayer School of Engineering have traveled to Kuwait to share their expertise. Administrative and academic leaders at AUK have visited Dartmouth to consult with their counterparts here, and a thriving student internship program has been created.
"Dartmouth and the American University of Kuwait share a universal commitment to the principles of inquiry that only the best liberal arts education can provide," said Professor Eickelman. "Laurel is committed to AUK's success and to the continuing growth of its partnership with Dartmouth. As we enter this exciting new phase of the collaboration between our institutions, I am delighted that her experience both here at Dartmouth and in Kuwait will help guide our program."
Laurel Stavis came to Dartmouth in 1996 as Director of Public Affairs. Previously, she was Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations at Wellesley College. Her contributions to what was then the Dartmouth News Service have helped the division progress into the key role it occupies today. Since 2004 she has provided leadership for the College's major communications vehicles, including Dartmouth Life, VOX of Dartmouth, and Speaking of Dartmouth.
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04, Jun 2008
AUK students Present Proposals for an Arab Comic Series
On Monday, June 2 in AUK's Auditorium from 4:00-6:00 pm, students enrolled in Dr. Rawda Awwad's Special Topics class and American Embassy Officers, Mr. John Berry, Councilor for Public Affairs, Joe Scovitch, Cultural Attache, and Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa Chairman/CEO of Teshkeel were discussing the subject of heroes and superheroes in mass media. During the final half hour, students briefly presented their own projects: 'Proposals for an Arab Comic Series'.
The students' projects spun out of a course that Dr. Awwad developed last fall, and offered as a course this Spring semester titled 'Comics: The Superhero in the Arab World' during which students engaged in a comparative analysis between Western depictions of the hero 'superhero in mainstream comics, and the more recent surge in what is currently considered as more authentically Arab representations. An integral part of this course was looking at theories of popular culture and mass media, and the history and development of western comics and Arab comics.
During the course of the semester, students focused on studying among other recently emerging Arab comics, the 99 (ninety-nine) which is 'Teshkeel's first original property and according to company description is "based on Islamic culture and history,' and attempts to fill the apparent void of culturally representative and appropriate role-models. As a final project, students were asked to develop a proposal for their own comic series, support it with an example of an eight page comic strip and provide a cultural analysis of their own work.
At the beginning of the event, Dr. Rawda Awwad asked students and guests to respond to three questions which asked that they identify the following: their comic hero/superhero when they were young; what aspect(s) of the hero they believed they could personally and culturally relate to; and the value system(s) that these heroes extended. The various responses became the basis of discussion between students and guests that addressed issues related to the various depictions of the hero and superhero, notions of identity, representation, religion, political interests and ideological biases, and mass perception specifically related to Arab comics.
The students' projects spun out of a course that Dr. Awwad developed last fall, and offered as a course this Spring semester titled 'Comics: The Superhero in the Arab World' during which students engaged in a comparative analysis between Western depictions of the hero 'superhero in mainstream comics, and the more recent surge in what is currently considered as more authentically Arab representations. An integral part of this course was looking at theories of popular culture and mass media, and the history and development of western comics and Arab comics.
During the course of the semester, students focused on studying among other recently emerging Arab comics, the 99 (ninety-nine) which is 'Teshkeel's first original property and according to company description is "based on Islamic culture and history,' and attempts to fill the apparent void of culturally representative and appropriate role-models. As a final project, students were asked to develop a proposal for their own comic series, support it with an example of an eight page comic strip and provide a cultural analysis of their own work.
At the beginning of the event, Dr. Rawda Awwad asked students and guests to respond to three questions which asked that they identify the following: their comic hero/superhero when they were young; what aspect(s) of the hero they believed they could personally and culturally relate to; and the value system(s) that these heroes extended. The various responses became the basis of discussion between students and guests that addressed issues related to the various depictions of the hero and superhero, notions of identity, representation, religion, political interests and ideological biases, and mass perception specifically related to Arab comics.
28, May 2008
Students at AUK Organize La Francophonie Exhibition
74 French language students at the American University of Kuwait organized an exhibition entitled La Francophonie.
La Francophonie in French means the French-speaking community but it also refers to the international organization of French-speaking countries and governments. The organization comprises fifty-five member states and governments and thirteen observers in all five continents.
Students created French magazines promoting culture and tourism in their selected countries. They invented a new identity reflecting the local culture and customs. They researched authors and other significant personalities, and conducted interviews with staff, faculty and students at the American University of Kuwait who are French speakers.
The students selected 12 different countries: the Seychelles, Lebanon, Belgium, Senegal, Monaco, Switzerland, France and overseas territories, Morocco, Egypt, Greece and Canada. They displayed their creativity by designing magazines, brochures, posters, t-shirts.
The interactive exhibition was an excellent opportunity to practice the French language and discover French culture in an authentic way. All this work was created by students who only had 35 hours of instruction in French.
In addition, a group of seven advanced students will be presenting to French NGOs and collecting money for their associations.
AUK students will promote diversity and bring awareness on countries that have a deep French language and culture heritage.
The American University of Kuwait is a liberal arts institution, based on the American model of higher education. It is dedicated to providing students with knowledge, self-awareness, and personal growth experiences that can enhance critical thinking, effective communication, and respect for diversity. AUK seeks to create leaders and life-long learners who aspire to the highest standards of moral and ethical responsibility in their societies.
La Francophonie in French means the French-speaking community but it also refers to the international organization of French-speaking countries and governments. The organization comprises fifty-five member states and governments and thirteen observers in all five continents.
Students created French magazines promoting culture and tourism in their selected countries. They invented a new identity reflecting the local culture and customs. They researched authors and other significant personalities, and conducted interviews with staff, faculty and students at the American University of Kuwait who are French speakers.
The students selected 12 different countries: the Seychelles, Lebanon, Belgium, Senegal, Monaco, Switzerland, France and overseas territories, Morocco, Egypt, Greece and Canada. They displayed their creativity by designing magazines, brochures, posters, t-shirts.
The interactive exhibition was an excellent opportunity to practice the French language and discover French culture in an authentic way. All this work was created by students who only had 35 hours of instruction in French.
In addition, a group of seven advanced students will be presenting to French NGOs and collecting money for their associations.
AUK students will promote diversity and bring awareness on countries that have a deep French language and culture heritage.
The American University of Kuwait is a liberal arts institution, based on the American model of higher education. It is dedicated to providing students with knowledge, self-awareness, and personal growth experiences that can enhance critical thinking, effective communication, and respect for diversity. AUK seeks to create leaders and life-long learners who aspire to the highest standards of moral and ethical responsibility in their societies.
27, May 2008
AUK Student Government Elections 2008
The annual SGA elections which took place last on Tuesday the 27th of May 2008 at AUK with the participation of 23% of the student population in the election process. Two positions were left vacant and are to be filled by supplementary elections as per the SGA constitution.
The new SGA cabinet members for the Academic Year 2008-2009 are:
The new SGA cabinet members for the Academic Year 2008-2009 are:
- President: Norah Al-Hilaly.
- Vice President: Dalal F. Al-Sharhan.
- Secretary: Farah M. Al-Shamali.
- Treasurer: Abdulsamad A. Marafie.
- Cultural Officer: Mohammed K. Al-Thwiny.
- IEP/Freshman Officer: Hadeer M. Ghanim.
- Social Officer: Sahar H. Tanweer.
The American University of Kuwait is a liberal arts institution, based on the American model of higher education. It is dedicated to providing students with knowledge, self-awareness, and personal growth experiences that can enhance critical thinking, effective communication, and respect for diversity. AUK seeks to create leaders and life-long learners who aspire to the highest standards of moral and ethical responsibility in their societies.
05, May 2008
AUK Club Raises KD5000 for Handicapped Society
The President of the Community Service Club (CSC), Noufa Al Sabah, and Vice President, Mohammed Taqi, visited the Kuwait Society for the Handicapped (KSH) today. The CSC members met with the Director of KSH, Hashem Taqi, and the Treasurer, Moudhi Al Sultan to provide them with a donation of KD5,000 which was raised from a very successful carnival which took place at AUK in the Spring of 2007. The carnival was a great accomplishment which helped generate money to be granted to this non-profit organization that aims to house and aid the physically and mentally challenged in Kuwait.
Left to right, Moudi Al Sultan, Noufa Al Sabah, Mohammed Taqi and Hashem Taqi
29, Apr 2008
Water Policy and Associated Technological Challenges in Arid Dynamic Environments: The Special Case of Arabian Gulf Countries
The University of Texas Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy, with the American University of Kuwait and Schlumberger Water Services, organized the first annual conference entitled: "Water Policy and Associated Technological Challenges in Arid Dynamic Environments: The Special Case of Arabian Gulf Countries." The conference was hosted at the American University of Kuwait campus in Salmiya on 28 and 29 April, 2008. The conference included an emphasis on policy definition and the need shape fundamental science and engineering research programs involving many traditional topics in which scientists and engineers engage. The conference participants demonstrated cultural, religious, and societal roles and their influences on water resource policies.
Dr. Fares Howari, Middle East Regional Coordinator of the University of Texas Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy, stated that, "an additional interesting dimension to water resources in the Middle East is linked with an increasing energy demand for water desalination. Thus, there is an increased need for investments in sustainable energy options to maintain and increase water production as the region cannot depend on conventional fuels forever." He further indicated that "Government and the private and public sectors should work together to create incentives, reallocate heavy water and fossil energy subsidies, and invest these subsidies in water Public-Private-Partnership (PPP), and Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) projects. However, the regulatory framework should be improved to foster such a change."
Recent reports presented in the conference indicated that the Arab states will need to invest $100 billion on desalination over the next decade if demand for water keeps growing at the current pace, especially in the Gulf region. The important element in this debate remains the linkages of water and energy issues and associated policy-oriented research.
Participants demonstrated that the problems of water resources in the Middle East have been also magnified by other factors stemming from policies of food self-sufficiency, declining water quality, and heavy subsidies in some countries that encourage misuse, distorting incentives, and limited cost recovery.
Dr.Howari indicated that these facts should call for the attention of regional and international organizations to take water issues and problems in the Middle East more seriously before they possibly reach a point of no return.
Dr. Marina Tolmacheva, President of AUK
Dr. Fares Howari
28, Apr 2008
Amna Othman Al Omare Director of the AUK Library
American University of Kuwait Appoints Amna Othman Al Omare Director of the University Library
Salmiya, Kuwait, April 28, 2008: Following an extensive international search, Dr. Nizar Hamzeh, Dean of College of Arts and Sciences, has announced the appointment of Miss Amna Othman Al Omare, Interim Library Director since January 2008, to the post of Director of the University Library at the American University of Kuwait (AUK), effective immediately. Al Omare, a member of the AUK family since September 2004, has emerged as the most talented and qualified candidate. She has a distinguished career in higher education, having come to AUK after more than a decade at Kuwait University, where she taught English from 1986 to 1991, became Assistant Librarian in 1991, and then headed its non-Arabic Cataloging Division from 1997 to 2004. Widely respected in her field, she is a member of the Arabian Gulf Chapter of the Special Library Association and served on its Strategic Planning Committee in 1999.
She has traveled extensively to develop her professional skills, and has participated in library conferences here in Kuwait, in the United States, in the UAE, and Bahrain. She is a 1986 graduate of Kuwait University, where she majored in Art and English Literature.
Amna began her work at AUK at the same time our university opened, serving first as Collection Development Librarian and, since January 2008, as Interim Library Director. She has been a guiding force in the Library's development, working closely with faculty members to build resources necessary to their teaching, and with students to provide reference and research support. She is also leading a process of collections evaluation that ensures the strategic growth of Library resources in tandem with the evolution of AUK's curriculum. The Library is at the core of our academic and many of our administrative processes at AUK, and Amna has participated in building it into the dynamic learning environment that we all enjoy.
John James, Associate Librarian Emeritus of Dartmouth College, served on the search committee and was involved in interviewing all of the candidates. "I had the opportunity to work with Amna when she visited Dartmouth and to spend four days with her in Kuwait," he said. "In the Library, I observed a comfortable environment conducive to learning and filled with students busy studying individually and in groups. It was clear that the Library is a place where students want to be." James said he had also spoken with faculty members who were enthusiastic about how her work supports their teaching and research efforts.
"This is a key role at AUK," said Dale Eickelman, the Relationship Coordinator for the Dartmouth/AUK Program. "Amna has displayed exceptional leadership in building the AUK Library into a center of academic excellence. Her expertise, combined with her collaborative approach and her commitment to the university, have made the Library a vibrant center of learning at AUK."
Salmiya, Kuwait, April 28, 2008: Following an extensive international search, Dr. Nizar Hamzeh, Dean of College of Arts and Sciences, has announced the appointment of Miss Amna Othman Al Omare, Interim Library Director since January 2008, to the post of Director of the University Library at the American University of Kuwait (AUK), effective immediately. Al Omare, a member of the AUK family since September 2004, has emerged as the most talented and qualified candidate. She has a distinguished career in higher education, having come to AUK after more than a decade at Kuwait University, where she taught English from 1986 to 1991, became Assistant Librarian in 1991, and then headed its non-Arabic Cataloging Division from 1997 to 2004. Widely respected in her field, she is a member of the Arabian Gulf Chapter of the Special Library Association and served on its Strategic Planning Committee in 1999.
She has traveled extensively to develop her professional skills, and has participated in library conferences here in Kuwait, in the United States, in the UAE, and Bahrain. She is a 1986 graduate of Kuwait University, where she majored in Art and English Literature.
Amna began her work at AUK at the same time our university opened, serving first as Collection Development Librarian and, since January 2008, as Interim Library Director. She has been a guiding force in the Library's development, working closely with faculty members to build resources necessary to their teaching, and with students to provide reference and research support. She is also leading a process of collections evaluation that ensures the strategic growth of Library resources in tandem with the evolution of AUK's curriculum. The Library is at the core of our academic and many of our administrative processes at AUK, and Amna has participated in building it into the dynamic learning environment that we all enjoy.
John James, Associate Librarian Emeritus of Dartmouth College, served on the search committee and was involved in interviewing all of the candidates. "I had the opportunity to work with Amna when she visited Dartmouth and to spend four days with her in Kuwait," he said. "In the Library, I observed a comfortable environment conducive to learning and filled with students busy studying individually and in groups. It was clear that the Library is a place where students want to be." James said he had also spoken with faculty members who were enthusiastic about how her work supports their teaching and research efforts.
"This is a key role at AUK," said Dale Eickelman, the Relationship Coordinator for the Dartmouth/AUK Program. "Amna has displayed exceptional leadership in building the AUK Library into a center of academic excellence. Her expertise, combined with her collaborative approach and her commitment to the university, have made the Library a vibrant center of learning at AUK."
Amna Othman Al Omare
24, Apr 2008
Study Abroad Program at AUK: An enriching experience for students
Professor Jeremy Cripps from American University of Kuwait accompanied twenty students on a "Study Abroad" trip to Germany, where they enjoyed a series of critical thinking and professional experiences including a visit to the Trading Floor at Citigroup Frankfurt, a visit to Badische Stahlwerke Gmbh- the most productive steel plant in the world. They reviewed the gear-box assembly process at General Motors, toured John Deer's second largest plant, visited the German Stock Exchange, and the assembly plant of Daimler AG.
The trip also focused on cultural engagement, including walking tours of Frankfurt, Strasbourg and Heidelberg, attending lectures on global economy and cultural diversity, as well as visiting various museums around Germany.
The group of AUK students will put together a comprehensive presentation of their activities to present to their University.
The trip also focused on cultural engagement, including walking tours of Frankfurt, Strasbourg and Heidelberg, attending lectures on global economy and cultural diversity, as well as visiting various museums around Germany.
The group of AUK students will put together a comprehensive presentation of their activities to present to their University.
20, Apr 2008
Teaching English in the 21st Century
A Series Presented by the American University of Kuwait and the United States Embassy in Kuwait
This week the American University of Kuwait hosted an American expert in teaching English as a Second Language.
Ms. Christine Canning's visit was sponsored by the US State Department, and she has been providing teachers across the GCC with new and innovative ways to teach students English. The response to her presentations has been amazing. On both Monday and Tuesday nights of this week every available space, including standing room, was occupied by an enthusiastic teacher.
Christine Canning-Wilson has sixteen years teaching experience. She is a world recognized teacher-training expert with multiple publications and presentations in the area of English as a Second Language. She has trained the Peace Corp in the areas of ESL in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; Ministries of Education in the Ukraine, Central Asia, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates. In 2000, she was the conference chairperson of the TESOL Arabia Conference, the third largest affiliate conference of its kind in the world. Canning-Wilson was a five time ESL and Educational Program Specialist for the US Department of State. She was the recipient of Quality Teaching Awards and has been recognized numerous times for her volunteer work with children in the United States and in the area of ESL and English Education for her work with immigrants/refugees/and nonnative speakers of English and professional development training of Higher Education, Ministries of Education (primary/secondary) and faculties of various pedagogical institutions. Ms. Canning's presentation is practical and applicable to a wide variety of classrooms.
This week the American University of Kuwait hosted an American expert in teaching English as a Second Language.
Ms. Christine Canning's visit was sponsored by the US State Department, and she has been providing teachers across the GCC with new and innovative ways to teach students English. The response to her presentations has been amazing. On both Monday and Tuesday nights of this week every available space, including standing room, was occupied by an enthusiastic teacher.
Christine Canning-Wilson has sixteen years teaching experience. She is a world recognized teacher-training expert with multiple publications and presentations in the area of English as a Second Language. She has trained the Peace Corp in the areas of ESL in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; Ministries of Education in the Ukraine, Central Asia, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates. In 2000, she was the conference chairperson of the TESOL Arabia Conference, the third largest affiliate conference of its kind in the world. Canning-Wilson was a five time ESL and Educational Program Specialist for the US Department of State. She was the recipient of Quality Teaching Awards and has been recognized numerous times for her volunteer work with children in the United States and in the area of ESL and English Education for her work with immigrants/refugees/and nonnative speakers of English and professional development training of Higher Education, Ministries of Education (primary/secondary) and faculties of various pedagogical institutions. Ms. Canning's presentation is practical and applicable to a wide variety of classrooms.
Left to right: Dr. Marina Tolmacheva, the president of AUK presents Ms. Christine Canning
Ms. Christine Canning, American expert in teaching English as a Second Language
An auditorium full of English teachers attended the workshop
