News
The American University of Kuwait (AUK) graduated its first students at Commencement Exercises on June 20, 2006. Parents, faculty, and staff attended the Graduation Ceremony at which eight students received their degrees.
Marina Tolmacheva, President of the American University of Kuwait told the graduates that they should take great pride in their accomplishments. Commencement is a graduation ceremony that celebrates the completion of your undergraduate studies, she said. It also marks a beginning as you commence your professional lives outside the university. Our motto is: Learn Think Become. As you leave AUK, the process of learning and becoming does not stop.
Dr. Sheila Culbert, Senior Assistant to James Wright, President of Dartmouth College, delivered the keynote speech to the graduating class. Dartmouth and AUK have signed a memorandum of understanding through which the two institutions collaborate on a variety of programs.
Culbert described the early history of Dartmouth, over two centuries ago in what was then the British colony of New Hampshire. She was then joined by Dr. Dale Eickelman, the Ralph and Richard Lazarus Professor of Anthropology and Human Relations at Dartmouth, to present a proclamation by President James Wright to AUK.
The proclamation established June 20 as a day of celebration on both campuses, President Wright wrote, on opposite sides of the world but joined in a common enterprise. The people of Dartmouth College, with whom you share a dedication to the pursuit of knowledge, salute you, he went on to say. We are privileged to share this historic moment with you, and are confident that the American University of Kuwait will endure and flourish for generations to come.
Following the conferral of degrees, President Tolmacheva congratulated those students who had achieved the highest honors in their department. These honors went to:
Alawi Taqi also achieved the highest academic standing among the AUK student body, delivered the Class of 2006 Valedictorian speech. I owe many debts to those who have taught me, he said. I particularly like the way AUK faculty describe themselves not as teachers, but as shared learners, and the staff as friends and supporters.
The Graduates of the American University of Kuwait's Class of 2006 are:
Sara Al-Ateeqi; Business Administration - Finance (Magna Cum Laude)
Alawi Taqi; Business Administration - Management (Magna Cum Laude)
Shurook Sultan; Business Administration - Marketing
Manal Ahmed; Business Administration - Marketing
Somaya Al-Masri; Business Administration - Marketing
Saud Ahmed; Business Administration - Management
Meshal Al-Ali; Business Administration - Marketing
Taiba Al-Humaidhi; Business Administration - Management
Welcoming remarks by President Marina Tolmacheva
Student Keynote by Alawi Taqi
The American University of Kuwait hosted the 2006 AUK Academic Showcase on May 22 and 23 to highlight some of the unique programs and projects that AUK students have been working on. Students prepared multimedia presentations on a wide range of subject varying from traditional artifacts and clothing to international consequences of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York.
Students weren't the only ones to present during the showcase. Many distinguished members of the AUK faculty gave presentations on subjects relevant to their field of expertise in order for students to get a glimpse of what those fields encompass and to better tailor their class schedules to their academic interests. Below is a list of the presenters and their divisions.
Intensive English Program:
Ali Al Dossary
Mariam Al Ansari
Huda Al Failkawy
Mariam Al Ghanim
Dharah Al Yatama
Abdulreda Bennakhy
Elnaz Bennakhy
Ayed Al Enezy
Mohammed Reda
Ali Al Qallaf
Mubarak Al Fowzan
AUK-Soliya Connect Program:
Faisal al Shuraian
Nawaf Al Ajmi
Nadia Al Essa
Fahad Mohammad
Yusef Al Rashed
Rakan Al Sabah
Bader Al Shammaa
Abdul Aziz Al Adwani
Zaki Alsawaf
Abdulaziz Al Mejel
Nasser Buhaimed
Fahad Al Jassar
Ecommerce Program:
Fawaz Al Maghrabi
Rama Sabano
The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of the American University of Kuwait (AUK) announced the formation of a presidential search committee. The committee will be responsible for identifying candidates and will make recommendations to the AUK Board of Trustees.
Shaikha Dana N. Al-Sabah, Chair of the AUK Board will serve as Chair of the presidential search committee. "This is an auspicious moment for the American University of Kuwait," she said "Since our founding, faculty, staff, and students have worked together to build a community of liberal learning, the first of its kind in Kuwait. I am honored to have the opportunity to chair this search process and I am grateful to all of the talented individuals who have agreed to serve in this important role on the university's behalf, and I look forward to working with them in the weeks and months to come."
AUK Trustee Thomas A. Bartlett, who will also serve as a member of the search committee, said, "It is of great importance to the Board, and to Acting President Tolmacheva, that all members of the AUK community have an opportunity to express their vision for the institution's future during this search." He said that he anticipates receiving important and substantive comments from Faculty, Students and Staff that will be of great value to the process. Bartlett is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the American University of Cairo, and served as President of Colgate University and as Chancellor of the Alabama, Oregon, and New York State University systems.
The American University of Kuwait and Dartmouth College have signed a memorandum of understanding that has allowed the two institutions to pursue a series of advisory, consultative, and cooperative projects. Founded in 1769 in New Hampshire in the United States of America, Dartmouth is a private, undergraduate liberal arts college with graduates programs in the arts and sciences, medicine, business, and engineering. The agreement reflects AUK's commitment to creating the best in liberal arts education, drawing from the rich tradition and expertise of Dartmouth, and Dartmouth's continuing recognition of the AUK commitment to quality.
The Search Committee for the President of the American University of Kuwait
Members:
Shaikha Dana N. Al-Sabah, (Chair of the search committee)
Chair, Board of Trustees, American University of Kuwait
Meshal Al-Ali
Vice Chair, Board of Trustees, American University of Kuwait
Wael Abdul-Ghafoor
Trustee, American University of Kuwait
Chair, American School of Kuwait
Thomas A. Bartlett
Trustee, American University of Kuwait
Trustee, the American University of Cairo
Former president, Colgate University and former chancellor, Alabama, Oregon, and New York State University systems
Samer Khanachet
Trustee, American University of Kuwait
Trustee, Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, Cambridge, Massachusetts
President, Arab Bankers Association of America
President, United Gulf Management, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts
Dale F. Eickelman
Ralph and Richard Lazarus Professor of Anthropology and Human Relations
Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire
Relationship Coordinator, the Dartmouth-AUK Project
Clifford Chanin
President, The Legacy Project, New York
Senior Consultant, The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, New York
Former Associate Director for the Arts and Humanities Program Rockefeller Foundation, New York
Scholarship Fundraiser Dinner Honoring "Phenomenal Women"
The American University of Kuwait hosted the first annual Mother/Daughter Tea at 7:00 PM on the night of Tuesday, May 16. The Salwa Sabah Al Ahmed Theatre and Hall on Gulf Road served as a beautiful venue for this gala event. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the special relationship between mothers and daughters and to honor the Phenomenal Women in our lives.
The evening was hosted by Dr. Carol Ross, Dean of Student Affairs at AUK, and featured student poetry and musical selections dedicated to mothers. AUK's faculty and staff also spoke about their feelings on watching their daughters grow into the amazing women. Pearls of Wisdom were distributed to several members of the audience, inviting them up to speak about their experiences with being a mother or a daughter. Mothers and daughters gave one another a piece of their heart; a token gift shared by all attendees. Famed opera star Amani Al-Haji and talented pianist Elaina highlighted the night with a phenomenal performance, making this truly an event to remember. Two of our students' fathers have underwritten this entire event so all proceeds from ticket sales will go into the scholarship fund for women. Their generosity was amazing and really helps us begin our fundraising campaign.
The following benefactors have donated gifts which were raffled at the event:
Edo
Kuwait Airways
Wataniya Telecommunications
Al Shaya Dining
Hotel
Sheraton
Flex Health Club
Cozmo Entertainment
Qualitynet
SafirÃÂ International
Mohammed Nasser Al-Hajery
Marina
Hotels
IKEA
Jaques Dessange/Platinum Enterprises Centerpoint
Crown Plaza
Palms Beach & Spa
Marriott Courtyard
Bredz
Anisa Tawash
Jassim Al Wazzan Co.- Johnson & Johnson
Our sincere appreciation goes out to all of them for making this event a success.
The Mother/Daughter Tea was the inaugural event in AUK's fundraising campaign that aims to raise money in order to create a scholarship fund for exceptional young women.
The American University of Kuwait has emerged as the winner of the University Champions Cup in 2006!
On Sunday May 7, AUK hosted the third and final event of the First Annual University Champions Cup, sponsored by Wataniya Telecom. The Australian College of Kuwait and Gulf University of Science and Technology, along with AUK, squared off in both men's and women's volleyball to decide who would claim the Cup in 2006.
The purpose of the UCC is to promote intercollegiate competition which is essential in creating well-rounded students with strong bodies and sound minds. AUK, with the highest cumulative score tallied from all the events, was honored with a presentation of the University Champions Cup and will hold it for one year until it will have to defend its title in the 2007 UCC Tournament. All the schools look forward to continued competition with fellow established institutions of higher education and welcome developing institutions to join in the upcoming years.
In the men's competition the team from AUK led by coach Shareefa Al-Adwani fought off a tough GUST team in their first match-up, with a final score of 25-20, 25-23. GUST regrouped and took out ACK in the first set 25-10. ACK coach, Oliver Werka, tried to answer back in the second set, but fell just shy with GUST winning 25-23. AUK and ACK then dug in for the final match, with AUK pulling ahead, 25-20, 25-13. ACK took second place and GUST took third.
The women's competition went on between ACK, coached by Sharon Werka and AUK, with GUST unfortunately unable to field a team and taking third by default. The first match was a real battle between the two competing schools. AUK, led by coach Tracy Ann Scholl, struck first with a score of 25-16, but couldn't knock the ACK ladies out and dropped the second set 24-26. A 15-point tie-breaker was played to decide the split, and ACK pulled through 15-11. The second match between ACK and AUK went to ACK with a score of 25-12, 25-23.
Individual recognition was given to the Most Valuable Player and Best Defender in the both men's and women's volleyball. Bashar Al-Awadh from GUST was named the male MVP and Jassim Al-Hasawi from AUK was named the Best Defender for the men's. Michelle Venter from AUK was recognized as the female MVP and the women's Best Defender award went to Alia Al-Nasrallah of ACK.
The schools entered the AUK tournament with a close tally from events hosted by the other schools earlier this year.
In November 2005, GUST hosted men's basketball and women's football tournaments. Both GUST teams came out on top in those tournaments, with both AUK teams claiming second and both ACK teams taking third.
ACK hosted men's football and women's volleyball tournaments in March. Both teams from AUK were fortunate and took home gold medals from those competitions, while the GUST teams grabbed second and both ACK teams won the bronze.
The final point tally after a year of competition is AUK 24, GUST 16, and ACK 14. The handsome University Champions Cup was presented to all of the AUK teams that competed to win the UCC title.
AUK's team captains of all sports, soccer, basketball, and volleyball after winning the University Champions Cup, In the Center (Left to right) Shaikha Dana Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, Chair of AUK's Board of Trustees, Dr. Marina Tolmacheva, acting president of AUK and Dean, College of Arts & Sciences and last Mr. Hamad Al Mattar from Al Wataniya.
AUK's mens Volleyball team
First front row (from left to right) Mohammed Dagher, Yousef al Mutairi, Abdulatif Al Eisa(Captain), Nasser al Qallaf(captain), Najeeb Al Awadi. Middle row (from lift to right) Suhail Altaye, Jassim Al Hassawee, Abrahim Alnassrallah, Nawaf Najia, Shereefa Al Adwani (coach). Back row Mr. Hamad Al Matter from Al Wataniya, Dr. Marina Tolmacheva and Mr. Amer El-Assaad (Assistant coach to the AUK's mens volleyball team).
AUK's womens volleyball team
Front row from left to right Shareefa Al Adwani (coach) Dr. Tracey Ann Scholl (coach) , Fay al Homoud (captain), Dua'a Hussain (captain), Reem Al Ra.shi. Back row from left to right Jayda Al farooqui, Sara Farhan, Fatima Buhaimed, Munira Al Anjari, Moneera Al Sabah, Michelle venter, Bushra Zaher.
Najeeb Al Awadhi, an AUK volleyball player during the University Champions Cup.
The American University of Kuwait will be hosting the 2006 annual AUK Awards Night at the Salwa Sabah Al-Ahmed Theater and Hall on the night of 23 May at 7:00 pm. AUK seeks to recognize student achievement both inside and outside the classroom. This event is to be a celebration of the talents, service, and dedication of those students who have made AUK into a better place to work and learn.
The following awards will be presented:
Presidents Award:
The President's Award is the university's most prestigious student award, recognizing the unique combination of academic excellence with outstanding service and commitment to the university.
Dean's Award: This award goes to the student who has demonstrated commitment to promoting a positive image of the university, embodied in the goals and mission of AUK, and has contributed positively to the life on campus.
Outstanding Student Leadership: This award goes to an officer of a recognized student organization who has displayed positive leadership traits, have been visible on campus as an organizer or participant in university activities and are considered to be a role model for their peers.
Campus Service Award: The Campus Service Award goes to students who demonstrate initiative by assisting in promoting student life on campus, including organizing student events and volunteering to further initiatives on the campus of AUK.
Student Worker Award: This award goes to those student workers who rise above the given tasks and exhibit a high degree of initiative, motivation, and positive work ethic in their duties throughout the university.
Sports Award: The Sports Award goes to students who have demonstrated skill, determination, and sportsmanship within athletic organizations and serve as outstanding representatives of the university.
Club and Organization Awards: These awards go to those who display a positive work ethic, motivation, and excellence within extracurricular activities on campus. Formal invitations will be delivered to the students selected to receive awards. In addition to the awards listed above, other academic awards will be presented during the occasion.
Sean Dollman, the dean of Admission at AUK said, "There are about 300 prospective students who came from different international schools in Kuwait, and they all want information about our university. As you can see, all the faculties' respective departments were here to explain everything for students. That is the very purpose of why we organized this event, for us to address and facilitate the needs and questions of students." He also thanked the visitors and prospective students who attended the open house. He added, "We are expecting about 500 new students for the coming school year. The numbers of students are increasing every year."
Sean Dollman, the dean of Admission, speaks to one of the parents who attended the open house.
Various AUK departments were there to offer students all the needed information.
The 2006-07 Student Government Election process closed yesterday after several weeks of intense campaigning. Over 500 students turned out to vote, representing over 60% of the AUK student body. Several candidate races were extremely close including the Presidential race in which all three candidates were only separated by a total of 20 votes. After triple checking the vote tally, the results were announced to an eagerly awaiting group of students Tuesday evening April 25th in the lobby of the Arts & Sciences building on AUK's campus.
Congratulations to all of our candidates for their hard work and strong efforts during the election process. A special thanks to those students & staff who assisted in the election process.
The newly elected Student Government will assume their responsibilities in early May. Congratulations to our Student Government Representatives for the upcoming year!!!
2006-07 Student Government Association Representatives
President: Jawaher Ali-Redha
Vice-President: Abdullah Nasser Al-Zankawi
Secretary: Fahad Al-Kharafi
Treasurer: Ameen Al-Ahmad
Social Committee: Sarah Boodai
Cultural Committee: Nizar Mashal
Media Committee: Fatma Al-Ibrahim
Freshmen Committee: Tareq Al-Rifaai
Public Relations Committee: Nawaf Najia
Meshal Al-Ali, the last SGA President for the AUK congratulates the AUK's new president Jawaher Ali-Redha.
Courtesy of Kuwait Times
4th April, 2006
Event was held on 3rd April, 2006
Kuwait: A number of private companies participated in a one-day Health Fair organised by the American University of Kuwait (AUK) yesterday. Among the companies participating were United Laboratories and the International Clinic who provided Consultations and check ups for students and participants, free of charge. Other companies offered services for free plus a chance to win a prize in a raffle. Some five-star hotels, health clubs, spas and restaurants also participated. The Terry Fox Run, a foundation dedicated to supporting cancer patients also participated by selling tickets to win plane tickets or valuable electronic appliances.
AUK counsellor Andrea Al-Adwani admitted that the Health Fair is part of a student project to gather information. "But generally our aim and purpose is to promote health and fitness for our campus and to Kuwait in general. If you noticed our invited companies, they were all serious, not just in their respective businesses, but also in promoting health consciousness to the public."
The Health Fair project is the first of its kind at the AUK campus. After the successful event, they are now planning to hold them annually. The International Clinic provided doctors and nurses to check students' blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes levels. Maidan Dental Clinic also provided a mobile dental clinic along with their dentists and hygienist, which also offered free dental check ups. Other participants provided free meals, visits to their companies and free products and services. "Everything here is free. The only benefits for the companies participating was to promote their names and services. They all agreed and they are all here to give their products and services to our students," Al-Adwani added.
Copyright (C) 2006 Kuwait Times
An AUK student is checking his blood pressure at the International Clinic Stand during the Health Fair.
Sakura restaurant offered the AUK students free sushi demonstration
Diet Care offered AUK students tips on how to lose weight.
