AUK Concludes International Conference on University Development

The American University of Kuwait (AUK) in collaboration with Dartmouth College organized its first international conference March 10-12, 2009, titled "University Development and Critical Thinking: Education in the Arabian Peninsula for a Global Future." The conference brought together international scholars and educators to discuss how institutions are incorporating and adapting various higher education models in the region. Under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the conference's events were held in the Salwa Al-Sabah Hall and the Arab Organizations Headquarters Building.

In her opening remarks, Sheikha Dana Nasser Al-Sabah, Chair of the AUK Board of Trustees and one of the university's founders, summarized the spirit of the conference, reminding an audience of more than 300 educators, policy leaders, scholars, and students that "Arab higher education institutes have existed for more than a millennium," Pointing to the break in that tradition, she noted that at the present time, "almost 60 percent of our universities are less than 15 years old." Sheikha Dana focused on the implications of and the challenges associated with, building complex and high-quality institutions of higher learning, "The successful development of [these institutions] is not a matter of choice for our region," she said, "but rather, an imperative that promises to break the status quo of the declining trend in education." She urged educators and leaders to take an active role in influencing public policy "to facilitate the formulation of higher education models that are indigenous, yet meet international standards."

His Royal Highness Prince El-Hassan Bin Talal, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, delivered the keynote address at the opening session. He spoke of the university as a center for human development; of its role through history and the challenges it confronts today. "Muslims have inherited from their first generation," he said, "the wisdom of 'Seek knowledge, even unto China'. Now we do not have to travel to China or to America: Dartmouth College and the American University have travelled to be with us here in Kuwait, to engage in what I have often referred to as the noble art of conversation."

His Highness sounded a cautionary note about university development at a time of financial instability. "In the current global economic crisis, will institutions dedicated to ensuring human dignity be last on the list for policymakers? They may well be, if history is a guide. But with crisis comes opportunity for change." 

On the theme of "Critical Thinking," Prince El-Hassan observed, "Achieving human dignity on a global level requires more than just education. It requires a particular kind of education...we need 'lateral thinking,' he said, "the kind of thinking that students in liberal arts institutions are encouraged to learn." He used the AUK-Dartmouth collaboration as a model, saying 
"At [AUK], East and West are getting together to find out more about each other. We should make it our aim to encourage our young Arab people to re-examine their views about those from the West, as well as those from the West to re-examine their views about the Arabs, Muslims and Islam. This would be an added bonus from our drive for critical, collective intelligence. This is our way to shape the future."

Conference co-organizers Dale F. Eickelman, the Ralph and Richard Lazarus Professor of Anthropology and Human Relations at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and Clifford Chanin of New York closed the evening's event. "Everyone is committed to a knowledge-based society," they said. "The issue that we have to explore is how this aspiration translates into building institutions of higher education in this region." Eickelman also serves as the Relationship Coordinator for the Dartmouth College-American University of Kuwait Project.

The following two days saw participants tackling a number of issues including the global culture of critical thinking, exercising leadership in new universities, the impact of gender issues in higher education in the region, Islamic educational traditions in critical thinking, and university development and public awareness.

A partial list of institutions who sent representatives to the conference includes Kuwait University, the University of Bahrain, the Qatar Foundation, Zayed University (UAE), Jordan's Hashemite University , Princess Sumaya University, the University of Nizwa (Oman), the Lebanese American University, United Arab Emirates University, the Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilizations (London), the Council on Islamic Ideology (Pakistan), the University of Sharjah, and the Teagle Foundation (New York). 

The American University of Kuwait is the first private liberal arts institution in Kuwait. It is dedicated to providing students with knowledge, self-awareness, and personal growth experiences that will enhance critical thinking, effective communication, and respect for diversity. It works closely with Dartmouth College to provide a wide-ranging liberal education to students from across the Gulf nations, grounded in the region's culture and based on the American model. 

Dartmouth College, renowned for its focus on undergraduate liberal arts education, was founded in 1769. Located in Hanover, New Hampshire, it is a member of the Ivy League. Its collaboration with AUK began in 2003 with a Memorandum of Understanding that allowed the two institutions to work together. The range of collaborative projects between AUK and Dartmouth continues to grow, to the benefit of both institutions.
  

A view of the stage in Sheikha Salwa Al-Sabah Ballroom
  

The conference was attended by AUK students and Alumni
 

The conference was attended by AUK students and Alumni. Alumni Sulaiman Al-Atiqi in the forground
 

A view of the Arab organization headquarters' conference hall where the second and third day sessions took place
 

A collective photo of some of the participants and organizers