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Kurdistan: American University of Iraq
AUIS celebrates its graduation
18.6.2012 |
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New graduates of the American University of Iraq-Sulaimani
(AUIS). Photo: AUIS-Facebook. •
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New graduates of the American University of Iraq-Sulaimani
(AUIS). Photo: AUIS-Facebook.
A number of dignitaries attended the commencement.
Photo: AUIS-Facebook.
June 18, 2012
SULAIMANIYAH, Kurdistan region 'Iraq', — As
the sun set on the campus of American University of
Iraq-Sulaimani (AUIS), looking over the mountains
and the city below, hundreds of friends, families,
and distinguished guests gathered to celebrate the
graduation of undergraduate and graduate students.
But this particular ceremony was a little different:
it was the first undergraduate class to graduate
from the new institution.
“We are the American University of Iraq-Sulaimani,
but we are also the university of choice for the
entire country,” said Dr. Athanasios Moulakis,
President of AUIS.
In his commencement address, Dr. Moulakis implored
the graduates to undertake intellectual and
professional endeavors not merely for their material
benefits, but to do so in a dignified manner.
“President Woodrow Wilson, who by the way is one of
the first to have entertained the idea of an
independent Kurdistan,” Moulakis said to ovation
from the crowd, “said this: ‘When you plan your
journey, it is not the direction you take which is
the of the first and most vital consequence, but the
object with which you trade…the most trivial
occupation may be dignified by the spirit in which
it is undertaken, and the manner in which it is
pursued.’”
Thirty-seven students graduated with Baccalaureate
degrees in Information Technology, Business
Administration, and International Studies, while
thirty-seven students earned Masters degrees in
Business Administration.
AUIS was founded in 2006 by its current Chairman and
former Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional
Government (KRG), Barham Salih, and it is the only
private, non-profit university in Iraq. It conducts
all instruction in English, and has a stated mission
of offering a “student-centered, American-style
education that encourages the critical thinking
skills necessary for shaping the region’s future
leaders.”
Students are required to take one year of intensive
English language instruction before proceeding on to
four years of Baccalaureate studies. Since it first
opened its doors to students from around Iraq and
the world, AUIS has quickly gained a reputation as
one of the most rigorous and highest quality
institutions of higher education in Iraq.
Raval Zaroof, a graduate in the Masters of Business
Administration program, said that AUIS has impacted
more than just the graduates themselves. “I think
what [AUIS] has already done is that it has created
an example of how good higher education can be,” he
said. “We are seeing a lot of other public and
private universities try to match AUIS and its
success. That in itself is a big achievement for the
university.”
A number of dignitaries attended the commencement,
including former Prime Minister Barham Salih, former
Vice President of Iraq Adil Abdul-Mahdi, former KRG
Representative to the US Qubad Talabani,www.ekurd.net
KRG Minister of Higher Education Dlawer A.
Ala`Aldeen, former US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad,
and the US Consul General in Erbil Alex Laskaris.
The commencement address was given by Dr. Allan
Goodman, President and CEO of the Institute for
International Education, an organization in charge
of overseeing the Fulbright Scholarship program.
The Institute is also home to the Iraq Scholar
Rescue Program and the Iraq Scholars and Leaders
Program, initiatives that provide Iraqi professors
and students with the means to study in the United
States.
“Here we are on this beautiful campus overlooking
Sulaimani witnessing the graduation of our first
undergraduate class. It is happening; dreams do come
true,” said Barham Salih, Chairman of the AUIS Board
of Trustees. “I want you to know that we will
continue to be committed to this venture, and I hope
that the local and international business community
investing in Kurdistan will continue to help us move
forward.”
“Investment in education is an investment in our
future,” he noted.
The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific
Research, Dlawer A. Ala`Aldeen, announced a new
policy shift the Ministry is undertaking for
universities throughout the Kurdistan region.
“The Ministry is currently operating quality
assurance procedures for public and private
universities to promote excellence in teaching and
learning,” he said. “All public and private
universities will be required to follow the
regulations of this program.”
“This is an obvious reflection of hard work of
university officials and standards of the teaching
and learning process,” the Minister stated.
Kurdistan Fahti, a magna cum laude graduate in
Business Administration, gave one of the student
speeches at the ceremony. In fluent English, she
described the long process of rigorous studying she
and her cohorts endured to arrive at graduation day.
“It was almost five years ago when we wanted to give
our trust to a newly established university. At that
time, it was only an idea. None of us was sure where
this institution would lead us,” Fahti said.
“But still, we decided to continue despite the
challenges we faced. We used to study in very small
portable classrooms—very small. But isn’t that where
all dreams start, in very small places?” she
concluded.
By Christian Chung - Rudaw
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