News
16, Jan 2022
AUK Represents Kuwait in AIESEC’s Regional Youth Speak Forum 2021
AUK recently represented Kuwait and the Middle East at AISEC’s Regional Youth Speak Forum Middle East & Africa 2021 in Dubai. This year’s forum centered around the topic: The Future of Work Post COVID-19. It was attended by AUK-nominated student participants Amnah Derdab, Fatemah Ashkanani, and Layan Al-Ayoubi, and supervised by senior student life coordinator, Fay Al-Humoud, and the president of AIESEC in Kuwait, Maysoon Al-Attar.
The Youth Speak Forum’s main goal is to empower youth to understand how students can contribute to sustainable development goals through a series of lectures and workshops to build on skills and self-development. AIESEC in the Middle East and Africa boasts the diversity and togetherness to young people to develop themselves, connect, and interact with other youth across the region to “Empower, Engage and Commit”. The Youth Speak Forum included many speakers from different fields who helped enhance the knowledge in technology and artificial intelligence, and communication skills—which are all essential skills for the progressive future. The questions were related to work post-Covid and how to overcome certain requirements when looking for a job.
The Forum’s Global Village included participation from 16 different countries, and over 20 nationalities, all coming together to showcase and represent their cultures. This was to promote appreciation of the uniqueness of other cultures through food, music, dance, and knowledge. A booth for Kuwait was set up with a collection of souvenirs, flags, and incense. It also featured Kuwaiti sweets and gifts related to the Kuwaiti culture. The Kuwaiti booth successfully tied 1st place with Ghana and won 2nd place in different categories.
The forum’s organizing team invited Fay Al-Humoud to be a panelist during the panel discussion alongside other prestigious and inspiring individuals, representing AUK and Kuwait on the topic of “Designing the Future of Work in Middle East & Africa”, which was held on the first day of the conference.
Commenting on the forum, Fay Al-Humoud said, “This experience brought people of different cultures together despite age, race, and nationality, we all were united seeking to achieve the same goal.”
“To have a delegation that included these diverse, strong, independent, and bright young women representing Kuwait was an inspiration on its own. They may have been a “small” delegation, but their impact was powerful, and they most definitely brought pride to Kuwait and AUK. They were a perfect reminder of the potential Kuwaiti youth have when they are given the opportunity,” added Maysoon Al-Attar, national president of AIESEC in Kuwait.
The forum was successful in providing a space for students to exchange ideas with others from the MENA region to connect with, delegate, and break boundaries.
The Youth Speak Forum’s main goal is to empower youth to understand how students can contribute to sustainable development goals through a series of lectures and workshops to build on skills and self-development. AIESEC in the Middle East and Africa boasts the diversity and togetherness to young people to develop themselves, connect, and interact with other youth across the region to “Empower, Engage and Commit”. The Youth Speak Forum included many speakers from different fields who helped enhance the knowledge in technology and artificial intelligence, and communication skills—which are all essential skills for the progressive future. The questions were related to work post-Covid and how to overcome certain requirements when looking for a job.
The Forum’s Global Village included participation from 16 different countries, and over 20 nationalities, all coming together to showcase and represent their cultures. This was to promote appreciation of the uniqueness of other cultures through food, music, dance, and knowledge. A booth for Kuwait was set up with a collection of souvenirs, flags, and incense. It also featured Kuwaiti sweets and gifts related to the Kuwaiti culture. The Kuwaiti booth successfully tied 1st place with Ghana and won 2nd place in different categories.
The forum’s organizing team invited Fay Al-Humoud to be a panelist during the panel discussion alongside other prestigious and inspiring individuals, representing AUK and Kuwait on the topic of “Designing the Future of Work in Middle East & Africa”, which was held on the first day of the conference.
Commenting on the forum, Fay Al-Humoud said, “This experience brought people of different cultures together despite age, race, and nationality, we all were united seeking to achieve the same goal.”
“To have a delegation that included these diverse, strong, independent, and bright young women representing Kuwait was an inspiration on its own. They may have been a “small” delegation, but their impact was powerful, and they most definitely brought pride to Kuwait and AUK. They were a perfect reminder of the potential Kuwaiti youth have when they are given the opportunity,” added Maysoon Al-Attar, national president of AIESEC in Kuwait.
The forum was successful in providing a space for students to exchange ideas with others from the MENA region to connect with, delegate, and break boundaries.
Images from the event
04, Jan 2022
AUK Professor Clark Stoeckley Holds First Solo Exhibition
Assistant professor of art & graphic design, Clark Stoeckley recently held his first solo exhibition at the HUB Gallery in Kuwait. The show, titled “Thoughts & Prayers”, featured Stoeckley’s geometric abstract drawings and paintings completed over the past two years of the pandemic. He drew his designs first with Copic ink markers and finished them with Prismacolor colored pencils. Later, selected drawings were scaled up to oil paintings on canvas and murals on walls.
Professor Stoeckley said that through meditational drawing, he sought to save his own psychological and spiritual well-being and transmit joy and bliss to others. His goal was to discover harmony from chaotic asymmetry, rhythmic disruptions, and disparate influences. He blended and distorted imagery inspired by an amalgamation of motifs such as stained glass, psychedelia, science, street art, and sacred geometry. These synesthesia-stimulated drawings depict the kaleidoscopic phantasmagoria of his lucid subconscious and divine introspective explorations.
Professor Stoeckley said that through meditational drawing, he sought to save his own psychological and spiritual well-being and transmit joy and bliss to others. His goal was to discover harmony from chaotic asymmetry, rhythmic disruptions, and disparate influences. He blended and distorted imagery inspired by an amalgamation of motifs such as stained glass, psychedelia, science, street art, and sacred geometry. These synesthesia-stimulated drawings depict the kaleidoscopic phantasmagoria of his lucid subconscious and divine introspective explorations.
Images from the event
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15, Dec 2021
AUK Hosts Second Global Migration Film Festival
The Department of Art & Graphic Design at the American University Kuwait (AUK) hosted the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Global Migration Film Festival (GMFF). The event began with Dr. William Andersen, chair of the Department of Art & Graphic Design introducing Mazen AboulHosn, Chief of Mission-UN Migration (United Nations), IOM Kuwait who explained IOM's objectives and the goals of the GMFF.
The celebration continued with a screening of Psychology of Migration, a short documentary film by Turkish director Ferhat Atik. After the film screening, AUK students engaged in a panel discussion and Q&A session. The panelists included members of AUK’s faculty—associate professor of psychology, Dr. Juliet Dinkha; assistant professor of graphic design, Ms. Claire Giddings; assistant professor of anthropology, Dr. Marion Breteau; and assistant professor of political science, Dr. Shareefa Al-Adwani. Chief of Mission AboulHosn stated that the panel discussion was very reflective and enriching and looked forward to continuous collaborations with AUK.
Established in 1951, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration and is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. IOM is part of the United Nations system, as a related organization.
The celebration continued with a screening of Psychology of Migration, a short documentary film by Turkish director Ferhat Atik. After the film screening, AUK students engaged in a panel discussion and Q&A session. The panelists included members of AUK’s faculty—associate professor of psychology, Dr. Juliet Dinkha; assistant professor of graphic design, Ms. Claire Giddings; assistant professor of anthropology, Dr. Marion Breteau; and assistant professor of political science, Dr. Shareefa Al-Adwani. Chief of Mission AboulHosn stated that the panel discussion was very reflective and enriching and looked forward to continuous collaborations with AUK.
Established in 1951, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration and is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. IOM is part of the United Nations system, as a related organization.
Images from the event
13, Dec 2021
AUK Sponsors Takween Literary Competition
The American University of Kuwait (AUK) sponsored the Takween Award for Arab Readers, launched by Takween Publishing House. The aim of the award is to enhance the connection between citizens of the Arab region and Arabic language and literature. Participants of the award were required to submit book reviews discussing prominent themes and their opinions on them.
Coordinating on behalf of AUK, Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Farhan elaborated on the University’s support of the award, “The American University of Kuwait has always been at the forefront in embracing the cultural activities and events in the State of Kuwait. Our sponsorship of this award comes as an endorsement of our belief in the importance of spreading knowledge and literature outside the walls of the University,”.
Coordinating on behalf of AUK, Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Farhan elaborated on the University’s support of the award, “The American University of Kuwait has always been at the forefront in embracing the cultural activities and events in the State of Kuwait. Our sponsorship of this award comes as an endorsement of our belief in the importance of spreading knowledge and literature outside the walls of the University,”.
Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Farhan
08, Dec 2021
Taiba Al-Humaidhi Conducts Workshop Series at AUK
The Office of Alumni Affairs and Career Development (AACD) at the American University of Kuwait (AUK) collaborated with alumna Taiba Al-Humaidhi, co-founder of Floward, partner at Serve Bakery, and founder of ‘Lei Wa Lakom’, to host a series of career workshops on transferable skills, as part of the ‘From Learn to Become’ program. The workshops touched on in-demand topics such as problem-solving, integrity and ethics, leadership vs. management, teamwork and adaptability, and communication and relationship-building (including a brief about emotional intelligence). With the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions and regulations, AACD and Taiba were able to accommodate all students and alumni by holding the workshops in the AUK auditorium while also live-streaming the sessions on Zoom.
The alumna shared her expertise on the abovementioned topics based on her entrepreneurial background, allowing students and alumni to grasp the many valuable lessons influenced by Taiba’s real-life experiences. The workshops included multifaceted presentations, group discussions, engaging activities, and Q&A sessions. According to Taiba, reading is vital and an essential step of knowledge enhancement; as such, Taiba concluded each session by recommending reading material related to the topic discussed that she was personally inspired by.
Following the workshops, students expressed their admiration for Taiba’s work. Sundus Al-Hammadi, a junior student who attended the series shared that the examples given during the integrity and ethics workshop were very interesting, especially since they reflected real-life instances. Sundus said, “At first, we did not think that the dilemmas Taiba mentioned could occur, but then Taiba explained that these situations did in fact happen. She then asked us what we would do if we were faced with similar dilemmas, which led to thought-provoking discussions.”
Taiba Al-Humaidhi graduated from AUK with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management in 2006. Prior to teaching her self-taught skills that led to her success, Taiba’s first experience with entrepreneurship began in 2009, when she, along with her sisters, established BTZ Group, a personal business venture. She co-founded and was the head of Product Mix at Floward. Today, she is a partner at Serve Bakery, and founder of her latest initiative, ‘Lei Wa Lakom’, a community with the goal of opening doors for women.
The alumna shared her expertise on the abovementioned topics based on her entrepreneurial background, allowing students and alumni to grasp the many valuable lessons influenced by Taiba’s real-life experiences. The workshops included multifaceted presentations, group discussions, engaging activities, and Q&A sessions. According to Taiba, reading is vital and an essential step of knowledge enhancement; as such, Taiba concluded each session by recommending reading material related to the topic discussed that she was personally inspired by.
Following the workshops, students expressed their admiration for Taiba’s work. Sundus Al-Hammadi, a junior student who attended the series shared that the examples given during the integrity and ethics workshop were very interesting, especially since they reflected real-life instances. Sundus said, “At first, we did not think that the dilemmas Taiba mentioned could occur, but then Taiba explained that these situations did in fact happen. She then asked us what we would do if we were faced with similar dilemmas, which led to thought-provoking discussions.”
Taiba Al-Humaidhi graduated from AUK with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management in 2006. Prior to teaching her self-taught skills that led to her success, Taiba’s first experience with entrepreneurship began in 2009, when she, along with her sisters, established BTZ Group, a personal business venture. She co-founded and was the head of Product Mix at Floward. Today, she is a partner at Serve Bakery, and founder of her latest initiative, ‘Lei Wa Lakom’, a community with the goal of opening doors for women.
Images from the event
07, Dec 2021
Sheikha Dana Nasser Al-Sabah Keynote Speaker at AUK’s Graduation Ceremony
AUK hosted its graduation commencement for the class of 2021 on Wednesday, 1st of December and Thursday, 2nd of December conferring the degrees on 385 graduates—124 of which were from the College of Arts and Sciences, 117 from the College of Business and Economics, and 144 from the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Amongst the 2021 cohort, 8 graduates were awarded highest honors (summa cum laude), 15 awarded high honors (Magna cum laude), and 15 awarded honors (Cum laude).
Held at the AUK central garden, at the heart of the historical Salmiya campus, the graduation ceremony was attended by Sheikha Dana Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, founder, and chair of AUK's Board of Trustees, members of the AUK Board of Trustees, diplomats, dignitaries, and the parents of this year's graduates.
Following the National Anthem and the Holy Quran recitation, AUK president, Dr. Rawda Awwad gave a speech that affirmed the graduates’ new role as alumni within the University community, “We are here to celebrate this evening our graduates. They have earned their prominence in an exceptionally tight knit university community, who cared about them as students, and will now cherish them as alumni. For our university, the AUK alumni matters because that is where AUK will make the real difference in the lives of people that are even out of its reach,” she said.
Keynote speaker, Sheikha Dana Nasser Al-Sabah, AUK founder and chairwoman of the Board of Trustees, addressed the graduates across the two ceremonies, praising them on their resilience throughout the pandemic, “Today, we are celebrating a cohort of university graduates who have passed the toughest of all tests—learned lessons that are not scribed in books, thought of solutions to real-life challenges, and became the ambassadors of our university mission to create meaningful change in the world,” she said.
As graduates celebrate their achievements, Al-Sabah reminded them of the importance of honoring those who inspired their success and helped them materialize their vision “… On a personal level, I would like to pay tribute to my late grandfather His Highness the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and my late father, Shaikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. They inspired my love for education. I remember them sharing with me that the future of Kuwait lies in the hands of a well-rounded educated generation capable of innovation and change where everyone is compelled to participate, and no one is left behind. His Highness the late Emir, was recognized on the world stage as a great humanitarian. He insisted that Kuwait play a critical role in helping other nations in dealing with issues such as hunger, disease, and natural disasters. My late father, Sheikh Nasser, instilled in me the appreciation of art in all its forms and recognized the importance of culture and the preservation of the past as a critical driving force for our future,” said Al-Sabah
Following the keynote address, the class valedictorian was announced by Dr. Hanan Muzaffar, vice president for student affairs—Habeebah Anwar earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Media with a 3.99GPA. She worked as a writing consultant at AUK’s Writing Center and interned at the University’s Office of PR & Marketing. During her speech, she emphasized that the collective support she had received from the University enabled her to make this impressive achievement, “My GPA does not necessarily reflect my effort on an individual basis, but it is rather the combined efforts of so many people who helped me reach this stage . . . There’s also the parents and siblings that supported us. The departments that would respond in record time to inquiries we had and all the reassurances they sent. The staff that worked so hard to make sure this campus was always clean, tidy, and organized,” she said. Habeebah also addressed her fellow graduates with an encouraging statement to pursue their goals, “Always remember that effort never goes to waste.”
The event then proceeded to the part of the ceremony most anticipated by the students—the distribution of their earned degrees. Upon, the recommendations of the deans, President Awwad conferred upon the graduates their respective degrees. The graduates were then awarded their diplomas by President Awwad, Sheikha Dana Nasser Al-Sabah, and respective college deans.
In keeping with the academic tradition, the graduates were requested to shift their tassels from right to left, thereby marking their official graduation from AUK. As the ceremony drew to its conclusion, the graduating class celebrated the occasion and took photos with their parents.
Held at the AUK central garden, at the heart of the historical Salmiya campus, the graduation ceremony was attended by Sheikha Dana Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, founder, and chair of AUK's Board of Trustees, members of the AUK Board of Trustees, diplomats, dignitaries, and the parents of this year's graduates.
Following the National Anthem and the Holy Quran recitation, AUK president, Dr. Rawda Awwad gave a speech that affirmed the graduates’ new role as alumni within the University community, “We are here to celebrate this evening our graduates. They have earned their prominence in an exceptionally tight knit university community, who cared about them as students, and will now cherish them as alumni. For our university, the AUK alumni matters because that is where AUK will make the real difference in the lives of people that are even out of its reach,” she said.
Keynote speaker, Sheikha Dana Nasser Al-Sabah, AUK founder and chairwoman of the Board of Trustees, addressed the graduates across the two ceremonies, praising them on their resilience throughout the pandemic, “Today, we are celebrating a cohort of university graduates who have passed the toughest of all tests—learned lessons that are not scribed in books, thought of solutions to real-life challenges, and became the ambassadors of our university mission to create meaningful change in the world,” she said.
As graduates celebrate their achievements, Al-Sabah reminded them of the importance of honoring those who inspired their success and helped them materialize their vision “… On a personal level, I would like to pay tribute to my late grandfather His Highness the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and my late father, Shaikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. They inspired my love for education. I remember them sharing with me that the future of Kuwait lies in the hands of a well-rounded educated generation capable of innovation and change where everyone is compelled to participate, and no one is left behind. His Highness the late Emir, was recognized on the world stage as a great humanitarian. He insisted that Kuwait play a critical role in helping other nations in dealing with issues such as hunger, disease, and natural disasters. My late father, Sheikh Nasser, instilled in me the appreciation of art in all its forms and recognized the importance of culture and the preservation of the past as a critical driving force for our future,” said Al-Sabah
Following the keynote address, the class valedictorian was announced by Dr. Hanan Muzaffar, vice president for student affairs—Habeebah Anwar earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Media with a 3.99GPA. She worked as a writing consultant at AUK’s Writing Center and interned at the University’s Office of PR & Marketing. During her speech, she emphasized that the collective support she had received from the University enabled her to make this impressive achievement, “My GPA does not necessarily reflect my effort on an individual basis, but it is rather the combined efforts of so many people who helped me reach this stage . . . There’s also the parents and siblings that supported us. The departments that would respond in record time to inquiries we had and all the reassurances they sent. The staff that worked so hard to make sure this campus was always clean, tidy, and organized,” she said. Habeebah also addressed her fellow graduates with an encouraging statement to pursue their goals, “Always remember that effort never goes to waste.”
The event then proceeded to the part of the ceremony most anticipated by the students—the distribution of their earned degrees. Upon, the recommendations of the deans, President Awwad conferred upon the graduates their respective degrees. The graduates were then awarded their diplomas by President Awwad, Sheikha Dana Nasser Al-Sabah, and respective college deans.
In keeping with the academic tradition, the graduates were requested to shift their tassels from right to left, thereby marking their official graduation from AUK. As the ceremony drew to its conclusion, the graduating class celebrated the occasion and took photos with their parents.
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29, Nov 2021
AUK Hosts Faculty Speaker Series Discussing Web Accessibility: The Case of Kuwaiti E-government
AUK hosted a lecture as part of its Faculty Speaker Series, entitled, Web Accessibility: The Case of Kuwaiti E-government, which is based on a study conducted and presented by Dr. Iyad Abu Doush, associate professor of computer science at AUK.
Dr. Abu Doush's talk started with an introduction about the barriers that people with disabilities face including environmental barriers, attitudinal barriers, and electronic/technical barriers. He mentioned that people with disabilities can overcome the electronic barrier by using assistive technologies which are hardware or software tools that help people with disabilities.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are a set of standards proposed by W3C to enable web developers to create accessible web content that can be accessed by everyone, including people with disabilities. For example, if a web page has an image, the WCAG requires providing text alternatives for any non-text content. This means that web developers must provide an alternative text that describes the image. The availability of such text description can help blind users when they use the screen reader to access the content of the web page.
Dr. Abu Doush mentioned that the objective of this study is to evaluate the web accessibility issues facing people with disabilities in Kuwait to identify problems, enhance government awareness, and promote inclusion. The study applies different technical dimensions to investigate accessibility problems using automatic tools and experts’ manual reviews. The overall results show that most of the evaluated E-government websites lack conformance to accessibility standards. Unfortunately, thirteen out of seventeen (i.e., 76%) of the evaluated E-services are impossible to use. The most failed accessibility success criteria are: "non-text content" and "labels or instructions".
Dr. Abu Doush said, "There is a need to develop appropriate policies and laws and set a national-level plan to enforce the adoption of the national accessibility guidelines and WCAG standards for better inclusion to all residents and citizens of Kuwait."
The talk concluded with a Q&A session with the audience. Moving forward, another study can be applied to see if there is an improvement in the level of accessibility of Kuwaiti E-government services.
Click here, to read Dr. Abu Doush’s published work about this topic.
Dr. Abu Doush's talk started with an introduction about the barriers that people with disabilities face including environmental barriers, attitudinal barriers, and electronic/technical barriers. He mentioned that people with disabilities can overcome the electronic barrier by using assistive technologies which are hardware or software tools that help people with disabilities.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are a set of standards proposed by W3C to enable web developers to create accessible web content that can be accessed by everyone, including people with disabilities. For example, if a web page has an image, the WCAG requires providing text alternatives for any non-text content. This means that web developers must provide an alternative text that describes the image. The availability of such text description can help blind users when they use the screen reader to access the content of the web page.
Dr. Abu Doush mentioned that the objective of this study is to evaluate the web accessibility issues facing people with disabilities in Kuwait to identify problems, enhance government awareness, and promote inclusion. The study applies different technical dimensions to investigate accessibility problems using automatic tools and experts’ manual reviews. The overall results show that most of the evaluated E-government websites lack conformance to accessibility standards. Unfortunately, thirteen out of seventeen (i.e., 76%) of the evaluated E-services are impossible to use. The most failed accessibility success criteria are: "non-text content" and "labels or instructions".
Dr. Abu Doush said, "There is a need to develop appropriate policies and laws and set a national-level plan to enforce the adoption of the national accessibility guidelines and WCAG standards for better inclusion to all residents and citizens of Kuwait."
The talk concluded with a Q&A session with the audience. Moving forward, another study can be applied to see if there is an improvement in the level of accessibility of Kuwaiti E-government services.
Click here, to read Dr. Abu Doush’s published work about this topic.
Images from the event
29, Nov 2021
Center for Continuing Education (CCE) Delivers “Advanced Negotiation Skills” for Burgan Bank Employees
The Center for Continuing Education (CCE) at AUK held an “Advanced Negotiation Skills” course for members of Burgan Bank’s middle management. The course aimed at enhancing the participants’ negotiation techniques and strategies across various complex situations. Key elements of the course focused on developing a balance of power, persuasion, and rapport building techniques through various psychological tactics.
The course was delivered at Burgan Bank’s premises by the CCE Facilitator, Mr. Ali Derisavi, an esteemed management consultant, speaker, trainer, author and change agent with over 20 years of professional experience.
“This interactive course has achieved its objective of preparing talents from Burgan Bank to become confident and authentic negotiators who will be able to close deals confidently and maximize value in the agreements while resolving differences before they get escalated. With our interactive courses and seasoned facilitators, our participants can practice as they learn with hands-on challenges and guided feedback.” said Ms. Nehal ElShafei, Director of CCE at AUK
About CCE:
CCE was established in 2004 and, in addition to offering language courses in Arabic, English, French and Spanish, offers an array of courses and workshops aimed to assist in the personal and professional development of individuals and groups within public and private sectors. Course offerings are specifically tailored to meet the needs of their clients, whether they are independent groups or corporations.
The course was delivered at Burgan Bank’s premises by the CCE Facilitator, Mr. Ali Derisavi, an esteemed management consultant, speaker, trainer, author and change agent with over 20 years of professional experience.
“This interactive course has achieved its objective of preparing talents from Burgan Bank to become confident and authentic negotiators who will be able to close deals confidently and maximize value in the agreements while resolving differences before they get escalated. With our interactive courses and seasoned facilitators, our participants can practice as they learn with hands-on challenges and guided feedback.” said Ms. Nehal ElShafei, Director of CCE at AUK
About CCE:
CCE was established in 2004 and, in addition to offering language courses in Arabic, English, French and Spanish, offers an array of courses and workshops aimed to assist in the personal and professional development of individuals and groups within public and private sectors. Course offerings are specifically tailored to meet the needs of their clients, whether they are independent groups or corporations.
23, Nov 2021
AUK Ranked Top 10 in the 21st Inter-College Environmental Public Speaking Competition
AUK has ranked 8th among 100 universities that participated in the annual 21st Inter-College Environmental Public Speaking Competition organized by Emirate Environmental Group in which universities globally participate to showcase their students’ public speaking skills while supporting international efforts for preserving the environment.
In this year’s competition, more than 400 university students competed and presented their work in 4 tracks on “Sustainable Living: A Path for a Greater Future”, “Environment and Education: Need for Change”, “Balancing the Three Pillars of Sustainability in a Post-Pandemic World”, and “Integrating Environment & Technology: A Solution to Sustainability” as a work in progress for a better tomorrow. The participating students were Catherine El-Neaman, Abdullah Al-Ali and Haidar Asim; and they were supervised by Dr. Ali Bostani, assistant professor of electrical engineering. Dr. Bostani commented on the students’ performance, “The performance of our team was very impressive that 2 of the judges came to me in person after the session and admired the amazing speech delivered by our team,” he said.
Environmental preservation is a cause that AUK students are delving into academically in their curriculums as well as encouraged to take part in initiatives to enhance their knowledge and foster creativity for innovative solutions.
In this year’s competition, more than 400 university students competed and presented their work in 4 tracks on “Sustainable Living: A Path for a Greater Future”, “Environment and Education: Need for Change”, “Balancing the Three Pillars of Sustainability in a Post-Pandemic World”, and “Integrating Environment & Technology: A Solution to Sustainability” as a work in progress for a better tomorrow. The participating students were Catherine El-Neaman, Abdullah Al-Ali and Haidar Asim; and they were supervised by Dr. Ali Bostani, assistant professor of electrical engineering. Dr. Bostani commented on the students’ performance, “The performance of our team was very impressive that 2 of the judges came to me in person after the session and admired the amazing speech delivered by our team,” he said.
Environmental preservation is a cause that AUK students are delving into academically in their curriculums as well as encouraged to take part in initiatives to enhance their knowledge and foster creativity for innovative solutions.
Images from the event
18, Nov 2021
AUK HR Department Launches Professional Development Portal
The Human Resources Department at AUK launched the Employee Learning & Development Portal (ELDP) that offers University staff and faculty professional development courses to boost productivity and enhance employees’ skill sets.
The HR team conducted a 2-day presentation of the portal to the University staff and faculty where they highlighted the variety of e-courses available from time management and effective communication, to building effective teams and coaching. During the presentation, AUK president, Dr. Rawda Awwad gave a speech that supported the mission of the new portal, “Professional development significantly impacts the life of every organization in aligning its human resources to meet changing trends, especially now. The competitive strength of companies, social organizations, and countries are no longer strictly tied to physical assets or resources, but to the intellectual attributes of the most critical resources which at AUK is our staff and faculty,” she said.
Furthermore, the University employees were informed that while they are welcome to specify the courses they need to further refine their skills, the HR team has also selected mandatory courses for all staff and faculty to complete as a means to ensure all basic skill sets are in line with the University’s mission.
HR director, Paul Bassil’s remarks during the presentation highlighted the benefits of having such a portal available to staff, “Institutions are increasingly leveraging training programs as a benefit to potential employees. Strong L&D programs are very attractive to candidates who view each new position as an opportunity to learn and grow their skills,” he said.
The courses available on the ELDP are chosen from international high-ranking faculty members in their respective fields from top-notch universities.
The HR team conducted a 2-day presentation of the portal to the University staff and faculty where they highlighted the variety of e-courses available from time management and effective communication, to building effective teams and coaching. During the presentation, AUK president, Dr. Rawda Awwad gave a speech that supported the mission of the new portal, “Professional development significantly impacts the life of every organization in aligning its human resources to meet changing trends, especially now. The competitive strength of companies, social organizations, and countries are no longer strictly tied to physical assets or resources, but to the intellectual attributes of the most critical resources which at AUK is our staff and faculty,” she said.
Furthermore, the University employees were informed that while they are welcome to specify the courses they need to further refine their skills, the HR team has also selected mandatory courses for all staff and faculty to complete as a means to ensure all basic skill sets are in line with the University’s mission.
HR director, Paul Bassil’s remarks during the presentation highlighted the benefits of having such a portal available to staff, “Institutions are increasingly leveraging training programs as a benefit to potential employees. Strong L&D programs are very attractive to candidates who view each new position as an opportunity to learn and grow their skills,” he said.
The courses available on the ELDP are chosen from international high-ranking faculty members in their respective fields from top-notch universities.
Images from the event
