News

The September 2006 issue of the AUK Chronicle (newsletter) can be downloaded or viewed by clicking here.

Dear AUK Community,

It is a privilege to address you in my new capacity as President of the American University of Kuwait. The wonderful beginnings of AUK bring a tremendous sense of responsibility because of the exciting challenges that lie ahead. I am inspired by the confidence shown in me by the Board of Trustees and appreciate the support and contribution of all who helped to make our young university a standard of excellence among the institutions of higher education in Kuwait.

Spring semester 2006 ended on a high note. Ten faculty were awarded research grants for project initiation or completion, and several others received professional development grants for conference travel. In June AUK gained accreditation from the Ministry of Higher Education Council for Private Universities (retroactive to February 2006). Also in June we celebrated the first graduation of AUK's transfer students. Eight graduating Business majors were feted not only by their faculty and families, but also by a distinguished group of visitors from Dartmouth College who presented AUK with a Proclamation of June 20, 2006 the AUK Day on the Dartmouth campus. Dr. Sheila Culbert of Dartmouth delivered the keynote speech.

This issue finds AUK preparing for the new academic year 2006-07 with renewed energy and expanded resources. Our faculty ranks have been strengthened by the arrival of ten new faculty whose photos you will find elsewhere in this issue. The new college building is being completed, with spacious new classrooms on three floors. On the fourth floor are faculty offices for the Divisions of Business & Economics and Humanities & Arts. In addition to the large conference room next to the new Dean's office is the attractive faculty and staff lounge. On the ground floor the cafeteria, open computer lab, and a new multipurpose room are nearing completion. This building will allow AUK to expand enrollment on this campus to 2,000 students. We are ready to welcome new and returning students, new Dartmouth interns, and our first Fulbright visitors.

Marina Tolmacheva
President,
American University
 

President Marina with the first AUK graduating class

The Board of Trustees of the American University of Kuwait (AUK) announced today the appointment of Dr. Marina Tolmacheva as president. An expert on the history of Islam, she came to AUK in January 2006 and has been serving as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and, more recently, as Acting President. She has taught at universities across the United States, as well as in France and in the Ukraine.

"It is my great privilege to make this announcement on behalf of the Board of Trustees," said Shaikha Dana al-Sabah, Chair of the university's Board. "Dr. Tolmacheva has consistently shown dedication to our mission as a liberal arts university. Her energy, enthusiasm, and broad expertise in academic as well as administrative areas will provide the leadership we need to move confidently into the future."

"I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to lead the American University of Kuwait at this important time in the institution's history," said Tolmacheva, "On June 20 we will graduate our first class and we have just gained accreditation from the Private University Council. These are two major milestones, yet much remains to be done. I intend to work with the Board of Trustees and with faculty, staff, and students to develop a comprehensive strategic plan for the university. We will enhance support for faculty scholarship and strengthen the administrative infrastructure on which our academic enterprise depends. I want to thank the entire AUK community for its continuing support, and I look forward to meeting our present challenges so we can take full advantage of our future opportunities."

Today's announcement comes after a presidential search process, begun in March, 2006, which was the first of its kind at a private university in Kuwait. Meshal Ali, Vice Chair of the AUK Board and a member of the Presidential Search Committee, said that conducting such a search has been a privilege for the institution. "We asked faculty, staff, and students to contribute to the process by sending us their thoughts about the kind of leadership the university needed," he said. "Many of them took that opportunity, sending us important and substantive feedback, and it was gratifying to see the community become involved in this way."

The American University of Kuwait was founded in 2003 as a private liberal arts university. Based on the American model of higher education, it is dedicated to providing students with knowledge, self-awareness, and personal growth experiences that enhance critical thinking, effective communication, and respect for diversity. The university has signed a memorandum of understanding with Dartmouth College, an Ivy League institution in New Hampshire in the United States of America. Founded in 1769, Dartmouth offers a premier undergraduate liberal arts experience combined with distinctive graduate programs in the arts and sciences, medicine, business, and engineering. Dartmouth and AUK continue to pursue a variety of advisory, consultative and cooperative projects.

Dale F. Eickelman, the Ralph and Richard Lazarus Professor of Anthropology and Human Relations at Dartmouth, who also served as a member of the AUK Presidential Search Committee, said, "This is an auspicious moment for AUK and a proud moment for Dartmouth. Those of us who have worked with the Board and with Dr. Tolmacheva feel optimistic about what the future holds for every member of the university's community."
 

Dr. Marina Tolmacheva AUK's President

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