News
The American University of Kuwait chapter of the Sigma Tau Delta International English Society won the organization's Service Award for 2012 in recognition of a book drive held on behalf of The Kuwait Association for the Care of Children in Hospital (KACCH).
"The project was deemed both well-organized and extremely valuable as a social outreach that would benefit many persons who, in a particularly vulnerable time of their lives, would find some relief through reading," said William C. Johnson, Sigma Tau Delta's Executive Director.
Sigma Tau Delta promotes literacy in ways that exhibit service to society. Each year the organization recognizes one or more chapters whose service projects exemplify what it means to serve society by fostering literacy. "This year the Sigma Tau Delta judges were pleased to recognize the Alpha Rho Eta Chapter at AUK for exemplary service to KACCH," Johnson said.
Chapter members accepted the award at the annual convention which was held in New Orleans, LA, USA in March. As part of this honor, the chapter received a plaque and $200 to buy children's books for KACCH while in the United States. The chapter presented those books to the organization on April 1.
This gift follows the donation of roughly 676 books (duplicate titles were not counted) from a three-day book drive at AUK which concluded March 28. With this gift, the AUK students have donated over 1,000 books to KACCH since the first book drive in the spring of 2011.
"This project has always been dear to me because of my love of reading. As a child the book was the ultimate source of not only escape but of imagination as well as creativity. I believe all children should be given the gift of a book because it was one of the most precious gifts I have ever had the pleasure of receiving. We as an English honor society understand the importance of literacy and being in an age where the book and reading is close to extinction, we really felt that the book drive would spark people's interest in books again," said Alia Mustafa Aref, the chapter President and principal organizer of the award winning book drive.
AUK's Alpha Rho Eta chapter of Sigma Tau Delta was chartered in fall of 2009 becoming the first and only chapter of this organization in the Middle East. Since that time, members have presented at three international conferences, won all of the major chapter awards offered by the organization and had a student whose poetry was published in a Sigma Tau Delta journal.
"We are honored by the recognition of Sigma Tau Delta and the support we receive from the AUK administration. Our students have formed a strong, hard-working chapter. We hope to benefit the community and our University for many years," said Dr. Kathy Nixon, the group's faculty sponsor who was recognized by the honor society at the convention with the 2012 Elaine W. Hughes Faculty Sponsor Award. "Our members are committed to the study of English literature at the University level and to promoting literacy in their country and abroad. I am very proud of them."
In addition to its work with KACCH, the AUK group donated the proceeds from its 2011 Regents Common Reader Award to Reading is Fundamental (RIF) in the United States.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 19th April 2012
Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2012
The Office of Student Life at The American University of Kuwait (AUK) organized its 7th Annual International Week from March 25th - 27th. The International Week was a collaborative undertaking which contained numerous and diverse events, such as cultural luncheons and student-led discussions by various students at AUK. Cultural foods, traditional arts and clothing, and diverse films were components of the week. These events support the mission of the Office of Student Life by celebrating cultural diversity to reflect current issues in the world and by providing more personal development opportunities for students.
The week featured a variety of events including, a sidewalk art contest organized by the Office of Student Life. At the entrance of the Liberal Arts buildings, students competed to show their artwork featuring designs and phrases of peace and love. A drawing that quoted one of the Beatles most famous song, "All You Need Is Love" was the most attractive to the student crowd.
Student-led discussions, which took place throughout the 3 days of the event, were a good opportunity for students to gather and discuss the current issues in the world. "International Community and the Bedoon" was one of those discussions that tackled the issues of Bedoons in Kuwait. The discussion was moderated by the Fulbright Scholar Madeline Murphy Hall, focused on the life of unemployed Bedoons, and the difficulty of getting into friendship/relationships with the national citizens. Other student-led discussions included, "The Unfinished Arab Spring" and "UNDP Youth Program = Your Program".
The highlight of the 3-day event was the Global Village Day, where students were encouraged to celebrate and represent their individual cultural diversity. Students represented their culture through works of traditional products, food, music, and art. The countries represented were, Egypt, Pakistan, Thailand, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, France and Iran. During the Global Village Fair, representatives from each country had the opportunity to provide information about their country and culture to the diverse body of the AUK Community. The students, faculty, and staff had the opportunity to ask the representatives questions about their countries including, history, tourism, and educational opportunities.
Representatives also offered informational presentations. The day also featured a country competition, where judges visited each country's booth to judge them based on chosen country themes, content and representation, as well as knowledge about the country's culture and history. The first place winners were Egypt and Palestine.
The 7th Annual International Week provided opportunities for students to interact and engage in meaningful experiential learning activities. This allowed them to deepen their understanding and appreciation of cultural differences. The week highlighted the important role these differences play in the human experience. It also cultivated a sense of social responsibility to others, fostered cultural collaboration, and communication, as well as offered civic, personal, and organizational leadership.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 18th April 2012
Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2012
In a historical evening, AUK broke the records of the region and advanced to the Microsoft Imagine Cup world finals for the 3rd year in a row. This year, AUK was the sole champion of the event as its teams dominated by winning 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize as well as "The People's Choice" award. The cup winner will be representing Kuwait in the worldwide finals in Sydney, Australia in July 2012.
Over the years, AUK has established its competence within the world's most prestigious technology competition that proposes solutions to serve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. This year, the AUK team "Code Breakers" won the Software Design Competition with their project "Universal Sign System" (USS). The young AUK computer scientists - Khaled Al-Qahtani, Khaled Al-Jassar, Mohammed Al-Shati, and Abdullah Al-Shaya -came up with a software solution capable of turning sign language into a human voice, bridging the communication gap between the deaf world and the society that encompasses them. Their USS is a Kinect-based application that recognizes sign language and synthesizes them into a human voice in different languages, proposing a solution to a worldwide healthcare challenge. In addition to winning the Software Design competition, the "Code Breakers" also won the Mobile Development Award on their groundbreaking USS.
In second place, came the "Home Rehabilitation System" project proposed by team "1337". The team which is composed of AUK Senior students Khaled Al- Hazeem, Mubarak Al- Enezi, and Dalaa W. Al- Qahtani, created an application that allows paralysis patients to do guided physiotherapy remotely in the comfort of their homes. The system creates a link between the patient and the medical professional, who in turn can monitor the progress of each patient remotely.
The third place winner "Team GG", composed of AUK Senior students Ali Taqi, Talal Alyaseen, Omar Elkhatib, and Thamer Al-Mayyan, proposed an interactive learning platform "KINED" that enables school children to learn the different school subjects using Microsoft's Kinect motion activate system. Their idea was based on the kinesthetic learning theory which states that children learn better while engaging in physical activity. The project was seen as unique among other projects as it developed an application programming interface (API) capable of limitless expansion according to the market needs. Beside winning the 3rd place, "Team GG" also won "The People's Choice" award of the competition.
This year, the audience was also allowed to vote for the teams through twitter. The winners were awarded trophies, certificates, and gifts sponsored by Zain Telecom, the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS), and Burgan Bank.
Under the mentorship of Dr. Amir Zeid, Program Lead of Computer Science & Information Systems (CSIS), AUK teams have been gaining local and regional titles in the Annual Imagine Cup Competition since 2009, winning 1st Place Mobile regional award in 2009; 1st Place Software Design regional award in 2010, 1st Place Software Design local award in 2011, and 2nd Place Software Design regional award in 2011. In addition, two AUK teams have qualified to the World Finals in Poland 2010 and New York 2011.
Dr. Zeid commented on this year's victory saying, "All four AUK teams have put tremendous effort and sleepless nights to prepare for this moment. Their achievement as cup winners is very remarkable. But, the backstage scene I experienced with them is even more impressive. Those teams have developed the power to control stressful situations and work collaboratively to solve technical problems within seconds. In the world of technology, this is a lifesaving skill." He added that "The challenge is not over yet, we have months of preparations ahead for Sydney. The world finals will be a great learning experience and an opportunity to convey that AUK was not there for the past two years by coincidence."
The Microsoft Imagine Cup is the world's premier student technology competition. With the 2012 theme Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems, the competition encourages students to use their imagination to create technology solutions that addresses real-world problems. Since 2003, over 1.4 million students have participated in the Imagine Cup.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 17th April 2012
Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2012
The American University of Kuwait (AUK) selected five female students to attend the 4th "Women as Global Leaders" conference at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi. The event was sponsored by Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak. This year's conference theme "Creating a Sustainable Future for the World" focused on social, environmental, and economic aspects that would lead to a sustainable future.
Throughout the conference, reputable guest speakers gave speeches on leadership, climate change, women's role in society, etc. The delivered speeches were aimed at motivating young women to contribute positively to the development of their communities. H.E. Raja Al Gurg, Managing Director of the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group, and one of the guest speakers said, "An empowered woman is the best catalyst to promote a sustainable future." Being mothers, sisters, daughters, employees, or employers, women play a major role in shaping the future of the world.
Another distinguished speaker, Sigourney Weaver, winning actress and environmentalist mentioned that women are 14 times more vulnerable to climate change than men. She urged women to seek education and compete to obtain decision making positions. According to Zeinab Badawi-BBC TV personality, one thing that makes women better leaders is their passion, Indicating that passion is a sign of a successful leader and not a weakness.
Furthermore, delegates of the conference were encouraged to attend assorted workshops and panel discussions with centric focus of the conference theme. The various lectures delivered were both practical and theoretical, engaging all participants to interact and integrate with each other towards sustainability.
Dalaa Al-Qahtan, a senior at AUK studying Computer Science was inspired by one of the panelists saying, "one speaker whom I wonât forget was Her Excellency Noura Al Kaabi the head of TwoFour54 Tawasol and human development, whom prior to that was an IT support manager at Zayed Military Hospital, the things she said were extremely motivating coming from another tech major, seeing that there is a future for female computer scientists/engineers in the Arab world especially it being a male dominated field."
One of the most rewarding aspects of this conference was having the opportunity to network with prominent women as well as female students from all around the world. Lujain Abu Zaid, an accounting and finance student at AUK said, "Observing Women coming from conservative backgrounds that fight for their rights wanting to leave their own fingerprint makes us wonder of the great power that lies within every women."
The conference was a great experience for the AUK delegation, allowing the students to learn about women around the world, and obtain a deeper understanding of leadership education.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 12th April 2012
Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2012
The Arabic Literature Club at the American University of Kuwait (AUK) hosted an autobiographical play on the famous poet Ahmad Fathi, who authored the poem 'Al- Karnak'. The evening included a Monodrama play (the art of one actor) on the poet's life story, and a critical discussion on the theme of the play.
The play was performed by Abelaziz Al-Haddad, a Kuwaiti actor and director. The play revolved around the life story of the Karnak poet Ahmed Fathi, who was born in Egypt in 1913, and is the son of Sheikh Suleiman, one of many famous poets of Alexandria, and a political leader during the 1919 revolution. Fathi lived a life mixed with success and failure. After he gained fame in the Egyptian literary community, he travelled to Britain to work as an anchor. He married his colleague Josephine and they had a daughter together. When he decided to return to Egypt, his wife refused to go with him, so he returned to live alone. He began writing for his wife to come to Egypt and bring their daughter along, but she ignored his letters. After a long period of suffering and waiting, he finally received a letter from his wife to open it and discover that it is a court notification of divorce. Affected by the tragedy of the moment, he grabbed his pen and wrote his eternal poem 'The Story of Yesterday'.
Ahmed Fathi died in 1961 after being immortalized by two his two major works, 'Al-Karnak' which was sung by the Arab musician Mohamed Abdel Wahab; and 'The Story of Yesterday', which was sung by the renowned singer Umm Kulthum and composed by Riad Al-Sunbati.
The Arabic Literature Club at the American University in Kuwait, chaired by AUK student Mariam Fadel, is a student organization concerned with various aspects of Arabic language, culture ,poetry and literature. The main objective of the club is to promote the Arab identity and the Arabic language at AUK. Most of the activities of the club concentrate on the field of literature and poetry. The Arabic Literature Club aims to host more cultural events that will include Arabic music and seminars for Arabic language experts in the future. All events organized by the Arabic Literature Club are in collaboration with the Department of Arabic Language at AUK.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 8th April 2012
Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2012
AUK welcomes its 26th Dartmouth Intern, Jacqueline Waugh, who will be at AUK until the end of May 2012. Jacqueline will be working in the Center for Gulf Studies, Intensive English Program, and with EDUC program.
Waugh, from central New York State, is in her third year at Dartmouth studying international relations and anthropology, focusing on the Middle East. She is involved in a number of activities on campus including ballroom and salsa dancing as well as being a sister at Epsilon Kappa Theta sorority. She has studied Arabic for four years and hopes to go to graduate school or law school after graduation.
This is the fifteenth time a Dartmouth intern has joined AUK since 2005. Dartmouth and AUK have worked closely together since 2003 on a series of advisory, consultative, and cooperative projects. The student exchange program is one of those projects aiming at, creating a dynamic, evolving, and unique cross-cultural collaboration.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 8th April 2012
Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2012
Dr. Douglas Munro has been appointed Founding Dean of the American University of Kuwait College of Business and Economics. Dr. Munro joined AUK on March 1, 2012 to establish the groundwork for a separate College of Business and Economics at the American University of Kuwait.
Dr. Munro was previously an executive with General Motors Corporation who worked primarily in the areas of marketing and business development. He held assignments in South America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East as well as working in the corporation's headquarters in Detroit Michigan, USA. In these assignments he was responsible for creating strategic plans and leading implementation of new programs and new operations. Dr. Munro earned a Ph.D. in Economics from Ohio State University in the United States.
Commenting on his new appointment as Dean, Dr. Munro said, "I'm thrilled to be joining the American University of Kuwait, and I'm eager to get involved in discussions shaping the new University Strategy. I also look forward to developing the brand awareness of AUK's College of Business and Economics, and I see many opportunities to strengthen the college's programs through developing closer relationships with local, regional and corporate partnerships. This includes promoting management continuing education in private and non-profit sectors."
The College of Business and Economics at the American University of Kuwait recognizes the important role commerce plays in the Arab World and the global economy. The College offers rigorous business education with a strong liberal arts foundation to prepare graduates for future leadership positions in private and public sector institutions. The College's goal is to develop critical thinkers who also have the technical knowledge to become socially responsible leaders who will guide organizations in enhancing the quality of life in Kuwait and beyond. The College offers undergraduate programs leading to the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree with majors in Accounting, Economics, Finance, Management and Marketing. Each of these disciplines offers a variety of specializations to assist students in preparing for a wide range of career opportunities. Students enter the college having completed a foundation of liberal arts courses during their first two years of university. Currently the College has 560 students, and twenty full-time faculty members.
The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) Baccalaureate/Graduate Degree Board of Commissioners has awarded the American University of Kuwait accreditation of five (5) years to the Business and Economics Division on November 14, 2010. ACBSP accreditation certifies that the teaching and learning processes within the Business & Economics Division of the American University of Kuwait meet the rigorous educational standards established by ACBSP.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 5th April 2012
Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2012
As part of its annual cultural season, the AUK Library hosted a lecture and book signing by the prominent Kuwaiti writers, Abdulwahab Al-Sayed and Abdulaziz Al-Hashash. The two young writers spoke to AUK students and visitors about their experiences in the world of literature.
Both writers stressed the importance of reading and knowledge as essential foundations of any good writer. They both described the talent of writing as accumulated ideas that evolve spontaneously regardless of one's field of work or education "I was surprised, if not shocked, when I saw my first book in 2009 among the best sellers," Al Sayed said of his first publication.
The young writers advised students interested in pursuing the literary career to start by reading both Arabic and foreign literary works that enrich their thinking and develop their linguistic abilities. They can also start visiting the Forum of Creative Writers of the Writers Association in Kuwait, where renowned Kuwaiti writers have dedicated their time to teach beginners and review their work.
About the writers who inspired him the most, Al-Sayed said that he was influenced by the styles of the science fiction novelists, Dr. Nabil Farouk and Dr. Ahmed Khaled Tawfik. From the western novelists, Al-Sayed mentioned Herbert George Wells, the author of "The Time Machine", who also had great influence on his writing. As for Al-Hashash, he referred to Tawfik Al Hakim and Stephen King.
Concluding their talks, the writers delivered a message to every young writer to fight for their dream, in Al-Sayed's point of view "Heroes only become heroes because they strive to reach their goals". Al-Hashash, in turn, supported this point of view, saying, "Dreaming is your legitimate right. To pursue your dreams, take advice from your elders, invest in your talents, and never get pulled back by frustration."
Responding to students' questions about the writers' aspirations to receive national and international awards, both writers confirmed that they aspire at the current stage to increase the number of readers and writers in Kuwait "The biggest reward for me is to stand between my books at the book fair and the readers have crowded around me asking for my books," Al-Sayed said.
Abdulwahab Al-Sayed, is a novelist and a member of the Association of Writers in Kuwait. He is the first Kuwaiti author to write metaphysics and horror stories through his book "Unknown Dimensions" in 2004. Since then, Al Sayed published 13 books. His most recent publications in 2012 were "Rare Cases", "The Mystery", and "After Midnight" in 2012.
Abdulaziz Al Hashash is the son of the renowned Kuwaiti writer Mubarak Al- Hashash. He authored a number of plays and short stories winning awards inside and outside Kuwait. Al- Hashash has a BA in psychology and sociology, which had significant impact on his stories. His first TV show titled (The Eyes of Love) earned fame and success in Gulf drama.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 5th April 2012
Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2012
The American University of Kuwait (AUK) hosted the Training and Internal Audit Conference for Kuwait Projects Company (Holding) KIPCO. The training was run by Pricewaterhouse Coopers and covered the principles and practices of corporate governance.
During the 3-day training program, Dr. Fahad Toonsi, an expert in corporate governance, conducted an interactive training to enable the participants to fully comprehend the basic principles and practices of good corporate governance with a particular emphasis on the role of internal audit. The 22 trainees included KIPCO internal auditors as well as some AUK finance and accounting employees.
The training covered the theoretical foundations of corporate governance, its definition and global models, relevant codes, the Kuwaiti corporate governance regulations and the local context. In addition, it shed light on a number of corporate government practices including, board of directors best practices, audit committee best practices, internal audit and corporate governance, governing internal audit, and auditing corporate governance and the ethical environment.
Mr. Samer Khanachet, Group COO, emphasized the valuable role of the internal audit function continues to play within the group by providing the guarantee on the efficiency of controls within the group and highlighting to the management, the potential risks and recommended remedial actions for moderating such risks.
KIPCO was incorporated in 1975. Since then, the company has grown substantially and made significant investments in a diversified portfolio of companies operating throughout the MENA region and in other countries of the world. KIPCO principally operates in two major business sectors - Financial Services and Media & Technology. Its Group companies utilize the synergies that exist within each sector, as well as across sectors within the KIPCO Group, to offer the best to its customers. KIPCO continually seeks to improve the performance of its portfolio companies by encouraging the adoption of global best practices in managing their businesses.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 3rd April 2012
Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2012
Continuing the series of lectures about Subbiya development, the Center for Gulf Studies (CGS) at the American University of Kuwait (AUK) and the Arabana Project co-organized the second panel discussion entitled "Subbiya: Part II: Environmental Impacts and Opportunities". The lecture hosted a number of experts in environmental research and ecology including, Dr. Ali Khuraibet, Founder and General Manager of ECO Environmental Consultants, Dr. Khaled Al-Banaa, and Dr. James Bishop, researchers for the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR). The panel discussion, which was moderated by Mr. Abdullatif Al-Mishari of the Arabana Project, focused on the various risks and considerations of Subbiya's development from an environmental perspective.
During his talk, Dr. Khuraibet mentioned that part of the significance of Subbiya is that it is the site of the earliest inhabitants of Kuwait, dating back to 1620. The importance of the area and its preservation, therefore, has a political and social dimension, and is a significant component of reinforcing the Kuwaiti identity and spirit.
Dr. Bishop highlighted the importance of Subbiya from an ecological point of view. He mentioned that Subbiya is home to more intertidal mudflats than anywhere else in the Gulf region. Subbiya is also rich in biodiversity, rare species of animals, and is a critical feeding area for migratory birds heading south. It is therefore especially important that considerations are taken to preserve, as much as possible, this "virgin area" that to date has been virtually unaffected by human interaction.
The speakers pointed to several major environmental risks involved with the extensive development of Subbiya. Dr. Al Banaa drew attention to Subbiya's major power plant and its proximity to the location of the future city. He noted that the extra power and desalination capacity required to power this new city would have to be accommodated, and that using water to cool the plants would increase the salinity of Kuwait's Bay, creating major environmental risksDr.
The speakers spoke at length about the potential impact of the construction of the 20 km bridge that would link Kuwait City with Subbiya. Construction of both the bridge and the port would require extremely high volumes of dredging, which will need to be done on a continuous basis. This is both expensive and potentially environmentally damaging, if not done carefully. Recycling the dredge, according to Dr. Khuraibet, would minimize the harm, rather than dumping it in landfills. However, avoiding the environmental damage resulting from the port's use, and the subsequent shipping lanes along Kuwait will be much more difficult. According to Dr. Bishop, this will surely have an adverse effect on the quality of Kuwait's fisheries, biodiversity, and intertidal habitat.
With regards to the construction of the city itself, the panelists discussed key aspects that required specific consideration. There is the need to avoid repeating the mistake of Kuwait City by building exclusively along the coast. Furthermore, careful zoning plans are needed to avoid repeating the mistake of zoning the residential area of Sabah Al Salem close to various industrial zones, or of the proximity of landfills with the residential area of Al Qurain.
The subbiya project is part of a comprehensive national plan to develop the northern sub-region of Kuwait. The site consists of the planned "Silk City", the causeway that will link with Kuwait City, and the new deep-water port on Bubiyan Island. The region will also include employment and residential areas, as well as possible cultural and resort facilities. The projection is for the northern sub-region to initially accommodate approximately 200,000-300,000 people by 2030, and will have the capacity to accommodate up to 1 million people in the long term.
The 2nd panel discussion on Subbiya came as part of the collaborative efforts of CGS and the Arabana Project to educate the public about the different aspects of the project. The aim of the panel series is to cultivate public discussion and interaction in the planning process of Subbiya's development. It was noted that only through the involvement of all the stakeholders (including the government, the public, NGOs and other civil society actors) could the planning process truly reflect the needs and desires of the public. The 3rd Subbiya panel discussion is expected to take place in May 2012, and will address key economic and strategic considerations.
The Center for Gulf Studies (CGS) at the American University of Kuwait aims to promote greater cultural understanding of and increased intellectual interest in the Gulf, by facilitating free and open academic discourse on a range of issues that both shape and challenge this critical region of the world. The goal of CGS is to enable scholars as well as political and civil society actors both within and outside the region to contribute and add value to the burgeoning field of Gulf Studies, while at the same time informing and engaging the general public. To this end, the CGS encourages, supports, and cultivates interesting and original research on the Gulf, while regularly organizing a variety of public academic events such as lectures, roundtable discussions, and conferences. For more information about CGS, visit www.auk.edu.kw/cgs/project_lectures_kuwait.jsp
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 1st April 2012
Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2012
