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The internships come as part of AUK and Dartmouth’s ongoing agreement and commitment to continuously provide students with support and development opportunities while showcasing an outstanding ability to adapt to changing circumstances during the pandemic.
AUK also offered one virtual internship to a graduate student from Eastern Illinois University during the summer as part of AUK’s graduate internship program.
Commenting on the virtual internships, Dr. Hanan Muzaffar, Vice President for Student Affairs at AUK said, “International internships are a vital part of our international programs at AUK, which we strongly believe offers a select number of students an outstanding opportunity to engage and diversify their experience at AUK. Despite the uncertainty, and after having to freeze our programs in 2020 due to travel restrictions, we decided in the summer of 2021 to proceed by tailoring programs to fit the travel restrictions and closures, through offering students virtual internships. We are proud of all who made this work, and thankful for their commitment.”
AUK and Dartmouth College signed an agreement in 2003 that facilitated a series of advisory, consultative, and cooperative projects including student exchanges (an internship program and a for-credit program), collaborative academic and administrative projects, as well as a faculty fellowship program. The agreement has been renewed twice (2008 and 2013) and reflects the two institutions’ commitment to sustain the cross-cultural collaborations between faculty, students, and staff. AUK’s commitment to providing a premier learning environment based on the American model resonates with Dartmouth’s history and its understanding of the importance of higher learning in a global context.
About Dartmouth College:
Dartmouth College is a member of the group of universities in the United States known as the “Ivy League” and has been accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) since 1929.
AUK’s Human Library seeks to engage the AUK community in civic conversation by providing an opportunity for people to connect one-on-one and share life experiences. “This event challenges prejudice and encourages empathy with the power of personal stories,” said Fay Al-Humoud, senior coordinator at the Office of Student Life and the curator of the Human Library. Held virtually, each book had its own breakout room. The books in the event were by two students titled “The Half Full” and “The Poet and Arthur” and by two staff members from the Office of Student Life titled “Art in the streets” and “From Hobby to a Career”.
Inspired by the worldwide ‘Human Library’ movement that started in Denmark in 2000, readers show up online and chose a book to discuss. “The ‘human library’ concept helps us to understand obstacles and struggles others face, and form a better understanding of those with whom we share our communities,” said Shirley Sullivan, director of the Office of Student Life. “It teaches us to recognize that we can all learn from better understanding those around us.”
Commenting on the Human Library event, Dr. Hanan Muzaffar, vice president for student affairs said, “We are proud of the new events and creative initiatives we launch at AUK, and of our students for participating and taking part in the growth of our community via our holistic student engagement programs and various events. The Human Library event reflects our institution’s awareness on a local and global level, as well as the interest of our students in such powerful experiences. We look forward to many more enriching endeavors and activities at AUK.”
Among the week’s activities was also a virtual clubs involvement fair that introduced new and returning students to various clubs and organizations on campus. With 19 registered clubs in the fall 2021 semester and 130 student attendees, each club’s president or representative was in attendance and spoke about what their club’s purpose was, what they had planned throughout the year, and what their personal experiences were with the clubs. Students had the opportunity to meet members of the clubs and organizations, as well as ask questions and further explore the aims of each club. Director of the Office of Student Life, Shirley Sullivan said, “We encourage students to join or form a club that covers their interest, and explore opportunities to network, share, and develop leadership skills. The experience widens students’ horizons, allows them to improve their skills, and provide valuable experiences. Student clubs are a great way to empower and enrich students while serving the community and leave a legacy on campus.”
The fall semester is following a hybrid model of education where students alternate between online and on campus studies. All University events will continue to be held virtually to ensure students’ health and safety.
The Office of Student Life at the American University of Kuwait (AUK) recently kicked-off its first sports event for the fall semester with ‘More than Sports’. The event series features interviews with AUK athletes live on Instagram and is hosted by Mohammad Al-Saleh, senior sports coordinator and Anas Abdullah, AUK sports coordinator. The first interview was with AUK alumni, Mohammad AlMosawi and Salman AlMosawi, also known as the Karate Twins.
During the event, Mohammad and Salman shed light on the importance of athletics and how pursuing a sport while in university shapes and develops individuals, even after graduating—motivating current students to pursue their interests in sports. Mohammad and Salman went on to praise the University for supporting their athletic journey, “Getting to the level we have reached now was not an easy task, but with the support we had from our AUK family, it was achievable,” they said.
Commenting on the interview, the vice president for student affairs, Dr. Hanan Muzaffar said, “We are ever so proud of our very own Wolf Pack and famous professional athletes, Mohammad AlMosawi and Salman AlMosawi. Our students and alumni continue to make us proud, and we are honored to host them as speakers in our events and activities. We at AUK wish Mohammad and Salman all the best.”
Continuing to commend the Karate Twins on their commitment to sports and academics, Shirley Sullivan, director of the Office of Student Life said, “It was fascinating watching Mohammad and Salman AlMosawi inspire the youth of AUK and push them to achieve their dreams and to take up every opportunity as possible as a student at AUK.”
The online event was attended by 84 participants who interacted with Mohammad and Salman by asking questions on the live chat.
Welcoming the faculty back to campus, AUK president, Dr. Rawda Awwad began by praising the university community resilience since the beginning of the pandemic. She mentioned the hardships that were endured during the past 18 months and offered words of encouragement to persevere. The president then acknowledged the recent passing of AUK’s founding president, Dr. Shafeeq Al-Ghabra. During her eulogy, Dr. Rawda said, “He was charismatic, quite the communicator, and a person with many ideas, and was not shy to share them, test them, and implement them as we went along. Inclusive by nature, he involved everyone which created an institutional “buzz” that became infectious. For him and others who worked with him, AUK had to be different, and it became different. So, rather than follow, we would lead. And I believe that by in large that is what we continue to do.”
The president moved on to discuss the various developments that were implemented to the University’s technological infrastructure, campus grounds, and strategic plans to further the institution’s mission towards providing an exceptional learning environment for students. Among those plans were the faculty training sessions that were hosted by the University’s Center for Teaching Excellence. The Center provided multiple workshops to enhance faculty’s teaching practices to incorporate the most effective pedagogical methods to foster a mutual beneficial learning experience between faculty and students.
Furthermore, Dr. Rawda spoke of AUK’s readiness to host a hybrid model of education that will take place during the upcoming fall 2021 semester, “Over the course of the last two semesters, we have completed “smart” classrooms, installed cameras and sound tiles and have prepared for broadcasting into different classrooms to ensure social distancing requirements. We made sure that all staff and faculty offices are fully equipped with the technology necessary for faculty members to teach, and faculty and staff to conduct meetings from the safety of their offices.” These measures come in addition to comprehensive safety and security plans that will be applied in compliance with instructions provided by the Ministry of Health.
The fall 2021 semester at AUK is set to begin its first week of online studies, after which students will be shifting to a hybrid schedule—dividing their time equally between online and on campus studies. AUK is committed and prepared to host its students in a safe and responsible manner to ensure the wellbeing of its campus community.
Guided by a University staff member, the students visited some of the campus facilities including the newly opened building that houses classrooms, theater, media studio, and restaurant, followed by a visit to the offices of admissions and registrar where respective staff talked to the students about their services. The students then visited the AUK Library where a librarian similarly guided them through the facility.
The groups were also taken to see the liberal arts and sciences buildings that house more classrooms and laboratories, in addition to the campus diner and auditorium. Concluding the tour with the University’s recreational facilities, the groups were shown the Student Center Building where they could enjoy the campus gyms and student lounge.
AUK is set to begin the fall semester on the 26th of September, whereby the students will begin with online studies, then transition to on-site study in October.
In collaboration with the Sciences Po Kuwait Program and the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), the Departments of International Relations and Social and Behavioral Sciences at AUK held an informative multi-speaker event titled, Transnational Issues in International Relations which aimed to shed light on different topics that have affected the Middle East recently. The event was moderated by Dr. Roman Kulchitsky, chair of the International Relations and Social and Behavioral Sciences Departments at AUK and was attended by the University’s students and faculty members.
The first speaker was Dr. Dawn Chatty, anthropology professor at the University of Oxford. Dr. Chatty’s presentation entitled, Forced Migration: Changing Concepts of Belonging and Identity, Citizenship, and Denationalization. Her presentation began with the history of forced migration after World War Ⅱ. Dr. Chatty described that period as a “Modern Humanitarian Era” when the U.N. agency for refugees was founded to aid displaced people and migrants through various international covenants, laws, and treaties. Supported by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Refugee Convention and other supporting treaties contain articles that ensure that everyone can leave and return back to their own country as well as obtain asylum in other countries. Dr. Chatty also emphasized the powerful role of activists in supporting refugees and promoting their human rights. “In many countries of Europe and throughout the world, individuals and solidarity networks have begun to emerge to help forced migrants and people who have lost protection of their own country,” Dr. Chatty affirmed.
The next speaker, Dr. Pete Moore, visiting professor at Paris School of International Affairs started off his presentation on international relations by first explaining conflictual events in the Middle East. In his presentation, Dr. Moore discussed the conflicts of the Middle East that had foreign intervention, and noted that the duration of these conflicts were the result of many variables. “The Middle East in some way is unique because of what is considered the permeability of borders in the Middle East,” Dr. Moore said. He then discussed how the militarization of Western foreign powers in Middle East conflicts also had impacts in the west, suggesting an increased use of domestic force within Western nations. He cited some of the recent national responses to the Black Lives Matter movement as an example of increased domestic militarization.
The final speaker, Dr. Tamirace Fakhoury, associate professor of political science and global migration and refugee studies at Aalborg University introduced her topic, Pandemic Borderscapes and Governance: Mobility and Rights, and demonstrated how governments draw on the pandemic to implement strict rules and policies by limiting people’s mobility and rights. She supported her argument with the worsening conditions in Lebanon due to the pandemic. “Covid-19, in fact, became one of the pivotal factors that enabled the Lebanese government to further escape its responsibilities and obscure accountabilities and cascading crises, whether we are talking about the financial collapse or Beirut blast,” Dr. Fakhoury said.
The event concluded with a Q&A session where students and faculty presented their questions and engaged in intellectual discussions with the speakers.
Science Po is a renowned research university specialized in the field of humanities and social sciences based in Paris, and KFAS is a Kuwaiti private non-profit organization that aims to support progress and advancing sciences and technology. Working together, the two institutions—through the Sciences Po’s Kuwait Program—support a range of initiatives in the fields of research, teaching, and academic events, with special emphasis on studying the Middle East and Gulf region. The AUK Department of International Relations continues to support student learning inside and outside the classroom by offering discussions of regional and local issues.
Dr. Roman Kulchitsky, chair of the International Relations and Social and Behavioral Sciences Departments at AUK, Dr. Dawn Chatty, anthropology professor at the University of Oxford, Dr. Pete Moore, visiting professor at Paris School of International Affairs, Dr. Tamirace Fakhoury, associate professor of political science and global migration and refugee studies at Aalborg University
All campus buildings and hallways contain signs regarding health and safety and distancing measurements, and shields have been constructed around all staff and faculty desks in addition to a supply of face shields as an added layer of protection during daily interactions. AUK also has a trained team to disinfect frequently-touched surfaces on a daily basis and the whole campus on a weekly basis.
To ensure that the University always stay up-to-date with the latest health and hygiene practices, AUK introduced NanoSeptic stickers all over campus. Using a new technology powered by light, NanoSeptic products turn high traffic touchpoints into self-cleaning surfaces by utilizing mineral nano-crystals which create a powerful oxidation reaction. Working around the clock, the surface continually oxidizes organic contaminants. Unlike traditional disinfectants and cleaners, the NanoSeptic stickers do not contain any poisons, heavy metals, or chemicals.
The Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) at AUK embarked on a collaborative initiative with Dartmouth College to conduct a workshop presented by Professor Emeritus Jon Anderson on the ways in which research papers can gain visibility in the academic community.
The workshop, titled “Getting Your Research Noticed: From Keeping Track to Keeping Score in Academic Publishing,” had Professor Emeritus Jon Anderson as its main speaker. Dr. Anderson’s areas of expertise include social and cultural anthropology, contemporary Middle East, information technology cultures and globalization and civil society.
Attended by AUK faculty members, multiple topics were discussed throughout Dr. Anderson’s presentation, such as the various databases available in which research papers can be published and their exclusive differences, the circulation of findings, the importance of reference librarians, and the planning of publication strategies. Emphasis was also put on how different disciplines have different sequences of publication and a comprehensive review on directories and indexes was also provided.
Of equal importance, conversations revolving around open access publishing, copyright laws, institutional repositories, conferences and journal articles were exchanged in this workshop.
The presentation provided by Dr. Anderson combined with thought-provoking discussions from AUK faculty members and professors from different parts of the world provided valuable and fresh perspectives for audience members seeking to increase their research’s noticeability in the future.
Among the topics that Dr. Awwad discussed was the current state of institutions under the unique circumstances that the pandemic posed and the extent in which the demand for online learning will increase or decrease upon returning to normal conditions.
Another topic of discussion was a review of the significance of AUK’s migration to cloud and how it has made the University more agile and efficient that in turn contributed to the changing role of the IT Department over the last year. The speech encompassed the Department’s importance in institutional strategic planning and decision-making.
Concluding her talk, Dr. Awwad touched on the impact of the political, economic, and health-related concerns that international students are currently facing.
Commenting on the exchange of ideas during the event, Dr. Awwad stated, “Peer discussions such as these are always useful in identifying common institutional issues and concerns, and in developing solutions that are sustainable and promote growth and development. No matter where we are and who we are, post-secondary institutions are accountable in shaping the future. As such, we have a shared responsibility that requires continued transnational dialog that promotes an exchange of ideas and knowledge,” she states.
