News
Promotion to Professor:
Promotion to Associate Professor:
These promotions reflect exceptional performance, commitment, and enthusiasm, and continue to set a standard that the AUK community can be proud of. AUK extends its congratulations to the faculty, their departments, and colleges.
The American University of Kuwait Computer and Electrical Engineering Programs Reaccredited by ABET
The American University of Kuwait (AUK) bachelor’s degree programs in computer engineering and electrical engineering have been reaccredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).
ABET accreditation assures that programs meet standards to produce graduates ready to enter the workforce that are leading the way in innovation and emerging technologies, while also anticipating the welfare and safety needs of the public. It is also the global accreditor of college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology.
Commenting on this achievement, the dean of the College of Engineering & Applied Sciences at AUK, Dr. Amir Zeid stated, “We are proud to successfully receive ABET reaccreditation for both programs. The main challenge was to go through the process during COVID-19 lockdown and online teaching without compromising the quality of course delivery. Our virtual team visit, and self-study reports were highly praised by the ABET evaluation team. Our programs were praised for having high percentage of female enrollment. It is also worth mentioning that AUK was the first private university in Kuwait to receive ABET accreditation for Computer Engineering in 2016.”
Sought worldwide, ABET’s voluntary peer-review process is highly respected because it adds critical value to academic programs and its graduates in the technical disciplines, where quality, precision, and safety are of the utmost importance. Developed by technical professionals from ABET’s member societies, ABET criteria focus on what students experience and learn. The accreditation process involves a rigorous review of the institution’s program curricula, faculty, facilities, and institutional support performed by a highly skilled accreditation team from ABET.
ABET is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). It currently accredits almost 4361 programs at nearly 850 colleges and universities in 41 countries.
More information about ABET, its member societies, and the accreditation criteria used to evaluate programs can be found at www.abet.org.
The American University of Kuwait (AUK) is an independent, private, equal opportunity, and co-educational liberal arts institution of higher education. The educational, cultural, and administrative structure, methods and standards of AUK are based on the American model of higher learning.
The American University of Kuwait (AUK) currently offers 16 degree programs in various academic disciplines. AUK received its institutional accreditation from the Private Universities Council (PUC) in Kuwait in 2006. The College of Business & Economics is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business(AACSB); the College of Arts and Sciences is accredited by the American Academy for Liberal Education (AALE); its Bachelor of Arts in Design (concentration in graphic design) is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD); and the Intensive English Program is accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA); the Computer Science program is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET. For more information about the accredited programs at AUK, please visit this link http://www.auk.edu.kw/about-auk/accreditation
ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission logo
AUK Logo
OCLC is a global, nonprofit, member-driven library organization that provides technology services, original research and community programs for the library community at large. With thousands of library members in more than 100 countries, OCLC also maintains WorldCat, the world’s union catalog of library resources. Eric van Lubeek, vice president, managing director, OCLC EMEA, and APAC remarked on AUK's inclusion of the platform, “We are pleased to welcome the American University of Kuwait (another AMICAL member) to the WorldShare platform. With the introduction of WorldShare Management Services, as their new cloud-based library management system, I am sure that it will help the American University of Kuwait achieve their goals as a forward thinking and research driven institution.”
WMS represents the new generation of library systems—taking routine library functions to the cloud and eliminating the need for maintaining local systems. The new platform supports the library’s strategic priorities and is designed with the user in mind. It provides fast and easy access to library resources of all formats.
AUK’s faculty, students, and staff will access their own accounts (using the University’s single sign-on) where they can view and renew borrowed materials, save their searches or selected resources/readings. With the new interface, the campus community can expand their search to include world libraries, thus searching beyond the content of the library.
Commenting on this new cloud-based library system, Asma Al Kanan, University Librarian, stated, “The migration to the new system demonstrates the library’s commitment to provide first-rate research services to the university community. The AUK library has always been a pioneer in adopting latest library technologies. It was the first library in Kuwait to integrate circulation of materials into a self-check kiosk, launch a platform for online subject guides, and establish an open access repository—besides other services and programs.”
The American University of Kuwait Students Win 3rd Place in Kuwait Collegiate Programming Contest
Students from the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS) at the American University of Kuwait (AUK) ranked 3rd place in the 10th Kuwait Collegiate Programming Contest (KCPC).
Held in Arab Open University (AOU), a total of seven institutions participated in the competition, whereby teams of 3 students, using a single computer, try to solve as many programming problems as possible from a set of problems within 5 hours.
The students representing AUK were coached by Mrs. Dima Aburshaid, senior instructor at CEAS. The team members who ranked 3rd and have qualified for the Arab and Africa Regional Contest (ACPC) in Sharm-El-Sheikh Egypt in December are: Yousef AlHamad, Fahad Kalloush, and Reem El-Sabaa.
Commenting on her team’s achievement, Mrs. Dima said, “I had the privilege of working with and training 9 students from AUK. Their relentlessness and grit were admirable throughout the duration of the competition. It is a grueling experience that requires patience, hard work, and a lot of passion for problem-solving. I am extremely honored to work closely with them and proud of their achievement, and I look forward to seeing the performance of the top-ranking team at the coming regional.”
The Kuwait Collegiate Programming Contest (KCPC) is a qualifying round for the Africa & Arab Collegiate Programming Championship (ACPC)—where hundreds of students compete from the MENA region.
AUK is highly committed to providing students with enriching experiences that prepare them for the contemporary world. Competitions, such as this one, encourage AUK students to collaborate in a diverse and challenging environment.
AUK participants
AUK participants
The winning team with their coach, Mrs. Dima Aburashid
Invited to give this talk were HR director at PACE, Joe Graham; and AUK alumna, Amena El Ezaby, the lead graphic designer, signage, environmental graphics, and wayfinding design manager at PACE since 2012.
Graham began by discussing resume-writing and the components that make a CV successful. He detailed the mistakes students make when drafting their CV’s and drew upon his expertise to advise them on what language, style, and techniques to use.
El Ezaby discussed how students can digitalize their portfolio and how to best choose the platform, theme, and style. She highlighted the importance of branding, good web design, concise language, and incorporating the creative process.
AUK consistently provides students with the opportunity to learn from industry experts to apply key theoretical concepts to real-life experiences which better prepares them for the job market after graduation.
Dr. Abu Doush worked with Ahmad Al-Jarrah, Nancy Alajarmeh, and Mrim Alnfiai on the article, titled, “Learning features and accessibility limitations of video conferencing applications: are people with visual impairment left behind.”
The article abstract reads as follows, “The COVID-19 pandemic increases the reliance on video conferencing applications for learning. Accessible video conferencing applications with good learning features can help people with visual impairment when they participate in online classes. This paper investigates the accessibility limitations and the available learning features of the top two current video conferencing applications, namely Zoom and MS Teams. A task-based expert review and a blind user evaluation are conducted using Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1. In addition, the study identifies the application with the better learning features based on Universal Design for Learning guidelines. A set of recommendations are outlined for developing better inclusive video conferencing applications for people with visual impairment. The presented ideas can be applied to enhance the learning experience of people with visual impairment.”
Dr. Iyad Abu Doush received his PhD from New Mexico State University in 2009. He joined AUK in 2016. In 2018, he joined the Dartmouth-AUK Fellowship Program; his research focused on optimizing algorithms for real world problems. He also serves as the founding director of the Office of Research and Grants at AUK.
This accomplishment is a testament to AUK’s faculty and the standard of education that the University offers. Through publishing research articles in journals of this caliber, AUK’s faculty continue to promote academic excellence, instilling values of professionalism and lifelong learning in students.
During the general university faculty and staff meeting, HR director, Paul Bassil, welcomed everyone and credited the staff and faculty’s hard work as the foundation for the University’s achievements. To familiarize the new members with the University, Paul introduced the various departments and outlined their roles.
AUK continued with the series of orientations with sessions for newly admitted students who were welcomed by the University president, Dr. Rawda Awwad, whereby she detailed the ways in which the University continues to prosper, “While normalizing a transitional plan back to campus with all its related challenges, we have also been successful in following up with and implementing a range of institutional initiatives that are scalable and sustainable. Over the past two years, I have shared with our community what these were and continue to be: they range from technology-related infrastructure developments, upgrades and acquisitions to campus expansion, enhancement and development of student and alumni-related services, outreach projects, collaborations and cooperations with public and private entities locally and internationally, on-going and successfully-completed accreditation initiatives, ongoing and successfully-completed program reviews and implementation, focus on innovative teaching and production of research with impact, that is only to mention a few.”
The dean of student affairs, Hala Al Abdulrazzaq, also introduced students to the dynamic environment on campus that involves both academic and recreational events.
Addressing the newcomers, Dean Hala said, “We are honored to welcome the class of 2026. The Division of Student Affairs extends a warm welcome to all our students, and we wish them the best of luck at AUK.”
A virtual campus tour was played, followed by presentations by the Office of Scholarship & Financial Aid, Division of Student Affairs, and the Student Council. Students were informed about the services available, clubs and organizations, and upcoming events.
Students were then divided into groups for ice breaker activities to encourage communication with one other, and a group picture was taken towards the end.
During the first week of the fall semester, a series of events and activities took place during Welcome Week. Everything from sports games to an involvement fair took place where students got the chance to familiarize themselves with all the clubs and organizations that they could join on campus.
AUK is keen on providing students with the intellectual and academic support that encourages students to be self-sufficient. Through these orientations and activities, AUK continues to foster a community of students who are tight-knit and united in their scholastic and professional goals.
General photos of orientations and welcome week activities (below)
AUK signed a memorandum of understanding with LOYAC Academy of Performing Arts (LAPA) which permits AUK communication and media students to enroll in LAPA’s Al Jawhar program and earn up to 9 credit hours towards their degree.
The Al Jawhar program is divided into 3 levels—level 1 consists of 5 media workshops; level 2 consists of practical training such as vocal coaching and the development of Arabic skills in which the student will be supervised by a well-known media figure for evaluation; and level 3 is a special topics course for selected students who passed the preceding levels, consisting of a field training program in CNN Arabic headquarters in Dubai for 30 days, a 2-month podcast workshop in LOYAC/LAPA, and reporter trainee work in LOYAC/LAPA for a minimum of 3 months. It is through completing the third level that students earn an official certificate from LAPA stating the completion of a total of 9 credit hours.
Dr. Ali Charara, the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, highlighted the importance of this collaboration for students’ experience at AUK, “Communication and media students can now expand their knowledge beyond the parameters of their course material. Through this memorandum, students will have the invaluable opportunity of learning from industry professionals and exploring different branches within their field.”
Of equal importance, AUK hosted LOYAC’s “KON” Social Entrepreneurship Program, providing the program’s young participants with the resources and facilities required to learn and apply entrepreneurial concepts.
Over the period of approximately 4 weeks, interactive workshops and mentoring sessions took place within AUK’s campus, providing LOYAC with a platform to teach their applicants business and marketing-related skills. The AUK auditorium, lounge, and classes were used for presentations and meetings with teams and community leaders.
Mayce ElMostafa, AUK Director of Campus Services, expressed her enthusiasm in a speech directed to the program’s participants, “AUK is thrilled to partner with LOYAC on this initiative, as we continuously strive to provide a supportive space and environment to future generations to become the best version of themselves. It's youngsters like you that prove that our future is very bright and hopeful.”
AUK continues to support youth initiatives that encourage young learners to pursue knowledge and gain the necessary skillsets to promote change within their community. LAPA’s Al Jawhar program and “KON” are a testament to AUK’s commitment to enriching society by fostering an environment that inspires the younger generation to learn, think and become.
The students got the invaluable opportunity of engaging in discourse with high-ranking officials and diplomats, alternating between briefings and Q&A sessions. Students interacted with NATO representatives and ambassadors from Canada, Romania, Italy, France, and the United Kingdom.
Discussions about climate change, energy security, and NATO-Kuwait relations took place. Briefings were given on NATO’s counter-terrorism work and defence policies. A variety of sociopolitical concepts and frameworks were reflected upon throughout the visit.
To prepare for this trip, AUK students received an orientation from NIRC officials and a briefing from Ambassador Nasser Al-Sabeeh, Director General of Saud Nasser Al-Sabah Kuwait Diplomatic Institute, to explain NATO HQ’s protocols and procedures. Amb. Al-Sabeeh drew upon his expertise within the political field to offer students strategies of negotiation in alignment with Kuwait foreign policy. He also emphasized the importance of staying well-informed and communicating in an effective manner.
AUK is highly committed to providing students with enriching experiences that prepare them for the contemporary world. A trip of this caliber illustrates AUK’s continued efforts to offer students a high-quality education that fulfills their professional and personal aspirations.
Dr. Mounib joined a project led by Professor David Kotz, Dartmouth provost and Professor in the Department of Computer Science, along with Dr. Tim Pierson, a lecturer in the Department of Computer Science. His research focused on the growing field of the Internet of Things (IoT) which describes how objects like cars, phones, TVs, cameras, homes, etc. can come to be smart and get linked to the internet to exchange information. The primary focus of the project was studying and developing security algorithms and secure communication technologies for IoT-based smart homes.
Dr. Mounib collaborated with representatives from a project known as SPLICE: Security and Privacy in the Lifecycle of IoT for Consumer Environments. This project is funded by the National Science Foundation and involves seven institutions.
Sharing insights with SPLICE colleagues in his talk at Dartmouth opened new dimensions for Dr. Mounib, enabling him to further his research and hone his professional skills. He discussed some of his publications on teaching an introductory course on IoT and stimulating research projects through teaching a course on IoT.
Reflecting upon his experience there, Dr. Mounib stated, “At Dartmouth I joined Prof. David Kotz’s team that is actively researching privacy aspects in smart home environments. Through extensive meetings and discussions, I collaborated with Prof. Kotz and his team of researchers with an aim to develop platforms and technologies that make the home environment benefit from the innovations of the Internet of Things (IoT) without breaching the privacy of home occupants. Since 2018, I have been active in researching IoT technologies and joining Prof. Kotz this last summer came as a golden opportunity to keep myself up to date in such a very dynamic area of research. Prof. Kotz is the Pat and John Rosenwald Professor in the Department of Computer Science and the Provost of Dartmouth College; a renowned researcher in the fields of security and privacy in smart homes as well as wireless networks. Through the knowledge and skills I acquired by working with him I’m currently preparing the drafts for two research papers that focus on the problems of device discovery and privacy platforms in smart homes.”
This fellowship program is an extension of the AUK and Dartmouth partnership that has been running since 2004 and it is granted to an AUK faculty member on an annual basis. This allows professors to grow and expand their research by using the latest equipment in laboratories, collaborate with highly regarded professionals, and utilize resources needed to publish their research in top journals and international conferences.
