AALE Renews Accreditation for AUK's College of Arts & Sciences

The Board of Trustees of the American Academy for Liberal Education (AALE) has renewed AUK's International Program accreditation for AUK's College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) for its second consecutive five-year term; the first was in 2011.

Over the past academic year, CAS had conducted a comprehensive self-study to ensure best practices are maintained to achieve the liberal arts learning objectives. The AALE accreditation indicates that AUK is dedicated to sharing best practices for high student achievement of liberal arts learning objectives; promoting the importance of teaching and instructional practices suitable for liberal education; and developing innovative ways to foster life-long learning that prepares students for productive engagement with the world.

The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Rawda Awwad, thanked all those who have contributed to the AALE Self-Study, and in particular members of the AALE Steering Committee, chaired by Dr. Nicholas Scull, Assistant Dean for General Education and Student Academic Support. Dean Awwad also thanked the student council of AY 2015-2016 and the student body "whose perspective was invaluable."

She added, "The critical involvement and support of the university community in these processes, underscore all of our program accreditation initiatives- collaboration strengthens the college and institution, and places the "student" at the center of any conversation."

"The accreditation and re-accreditation processes highlight the importance of student learning and program development, which is, and will continue to be, a priority for CAS," concluded Dean Awwad.

About AALE

American higher education accreditation is a voluntary peer-review process designed to ensure the educational quality of a program or institution. Accreditation provides public recognition that a program or institution has met accepted standards devised by experienced specialists in an area of education. The American Academy for Liberal Education (AALE) is constituted to serve as a specialized accrediting body utilizing a peer-review process to evaluate the educational quality of liberal arts programming and to advance excellence in liberal arts learning worldwide. At the core of the review process is the AALE Program Standards of Excellence in Liberal Education.


Dr. Rawda Awwad, Dean of the Collage of Arts and Sciences, AUK