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Al Akhawayn University

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Al Akhawayn University
جامعة الأخوين
Established1995
PresidentDr. Driss Ouaouicha
Location
Ifrane
,
Morocco
Websitehttp://www.aui.ma/

Al Akhawayn University or AUI (Arabic: جامعة الأخوين, literally meaning The Two Brothers' University referring to the King of Saudi Arabia and the King of Morocco) is a university located in Ifrane, Morocco, just 60 kilometers from the imperial city of Fez, in the midst of the Middle Atlas Mountains. The creation of AUI was largely funded by the King of Saudi Arabia from a large endowment intended for the cleanup of an oil spill off the coast of Morocco.[1] However, the cleanup was never realized and the endowment was used to create the university. AUI was inaugurated officially by King Hassan II on 16 January 1995.

About AUI

Founded in 1993 by Royal Dahir (charter), Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI) opened it doors to students in January 1995 and a completely modern and networked campus. The University is coeducational, residential and primarily undergraduate but has rapidly growing graduate programs. The outlook is international and tolerance is promoted and expected of students, staff, and faculty belonging to over 25 nationalities who live and work together.

The 40 hectare campus is located in the oak forest on the north side of the resort town of Ifrane. Facilities include 16 residence buildings for students whose rooms all have their own bathrooms. There is a gymnasium and an indoor Olympic, regulation size swimming pool next to the soccer field and track across from the 3 regulation tennis courts. All classroom buildings are located next to each other and have faculty offices distributed throughout. The main auditorium seats 600 and is the site for concerts and special events. Smaller auditoriums accommodate guest lecturers.

The town of Ifrane has a regular population of 12,000 that expands to nearly 100,000 on weekends, holidays and summers because it is popular destination its beauty in all 4 seasons. The elevation is 1600 meters (5000 feet). Nestled in the Middle Atlas Mountains, the Province of Ifrane is home the largest cedar forest in North Africa and is the most biologically diverse area in Morocco. The ski slopes of Michlifin and Hebri are about 25 minutes from campus. The imperial cities of Meknes and Fez are an hour (65 kilometers) from Ifrane. The capital city of Rabat on the Atlantic coast is 2 hours from Ifrane; the Sahara desert is just 6.

There are numerous activities each week and over 40 clubs to appeal to nearly any interest: sporting, artistic, cultural, or academic. In addition to the several inter-mural teams and tournaments, there are official men's and women's teams representing AUI in national university leagues in volleyball, soccer, basketball and tennis. The sport facilities and altitude have attracted the national swim teams of Egypt, Algeria, to train and Syria at AUI in addition to the various Moroccan national teams of tennis, soccer, and track.

With just over 1000 students enrolled, the majority are full time and live on campus. The opening of a new residence on campus in late 2005 will allow the student body to expand to 1200. The student population is and has been in all 10 years balanced at 50% female and 50% male. There is an increasingly international character to the student body with over 160 students of 28 nationalities on campus in study abroad and exchange programs in regular semester, or attending the intensive Arabic and North African Studies summer program.

Academic life is rigorous but highly personalized: the student faculty ratio is 11 students for each full time faculty member. All faculty members have offices and maintain a minimum of 9 office hours per week for easy access by students. Because the average class size is 17, students have ample opportunity to question, respond, and interact with the professor and classmates

The resources of the Mohamed VI Library are among the best in Morocco and the region. The number of titles in print is 65,000 and growing. The subscription to electronic collections has grown rapidly such that there are over 1 million full-text articles in over 4500 journals with are available to students, faculty and staff. Services include a multimedia center, individual and group study areas, and reference assistance which are all housed in one of the most striking buildings on campus. His Majesty, Mohamed IV, honored the library by giving his name, an unprecedented distinction in the Moroccan academy.

The faculty is composed of 95 highly qualified professionals, most with PhDs or doctorates, of whom 83 are full-time and 12 are part-time. Highly international, 50% of faculty members are Moroccan, a number of which have dual citizenship, and 50% of faculty members are international representing over 15 nationalities.

AUI students are encouraged to spend a semester or two as an exchange student at one of over 30 highly respected partner universities and colleges in Austria, Finland, France, Italy, Japan, Korea, and the USA. In 10 years AUI has established 50 formal academic agreements with institutions in 13 countries primarily in the USA and Europe due largely to the personal links of faculty. In the last 2 years, more links have been established in the Mediterranean region and several links among other Universities in North Africa and the Middle East are in development. AUI recently signed an agreement with the Lebanese International University for the exchange of students and faculty. In a Health Care Quality Management training program funded but the European Union , AUI is currently working with Alexandria University and October 6 University of Egypt, Yarmouk University in Jordan, as well as Swedish and Greek institutions. AUI enjoys a solid relationship with the South African Institute of International Studies and recently began talks with the leading universities of Nigeria following the visit of the Nigerian Ambassador to Morocco.

Each semester there is an average of 30 exchange and study abroad students at AUI while the special programs of summer attract nearly 100 foreign students from the USA and around the world. Increasingly there are a number of European and North American students who come to AUI because their cultural heritage originates from North Africa. These students seek to learn or improve their level of Arabic as well as learning more about the region and culture to build upon the fragmented knowledge acquired from parents and grandparents.

The increasingly internationalized character of the student body has not yet matched the highly diverse faculty but has led to wide participation in inter-religious dialogue both in formal and informal settings. A central concern in the founding vision of His Late Majesty Hassan II was the importance of AUI as an intellectual and spiritual space where the 3 religions of the book (Islam, Judaism and Christianity) could co-exist in harmony and affirm common heritage and values. Tolerance being the capacity to recognize and respect the beliefs or practices of others has enjoyed a long tradition in Morocco continues to be promoted in the University Common Core curriculum and through the numerous activities on campus. Every year time is devoted to various countries and cultures on campus including Palestine Day, Egypt Day, Korea Day, German Week, Japan Day, Thailand Day, and Amazigh and Native American Week.

To support cultural and academic endeavors, the technology and computing support at AUI are a priority. AUI has recently leased lines at a capacity of 8 megabits per second and now has the fastest connection among all institutions of higher education in Morocco and North Africa. There are 3 ISDN lines dedicated for video-teleconferencing which is an easy way to connect classes around the world. The fully wired campus has just over 2000 connections with a connection in every classroom and every student room. Over 50% of students have personal computers and laptops. The University community uses Lotus Notes for an integrated email and productivity system. The AUI web site www.aui.ma has been fitted with a class 3 digital certificate providing 128 bit encryption to secure all its communications and applications such as admissions on-line and on-line registration.

To access education at AUI, families are required to pay tuition and fees as far as they are able. All admission decisions are need-blind. Financial aid in 2004-2005 amounted to nearly one million Moroccan Dirhams. Approximately a third of students receive assistance in the form of scholarships, part-time jobs and special interest rates for bank loans. Merit-based and some need based aid is available.

Founding Statement

Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI) is a public institution of higher education and scientific and technical research.

It contributes to the historical and cultural vocation of the Kingdom of Morocco, an Arab-African nation occupying a privileged geostrategic position, belonging to Islamic civilization, and open to Europe, America and Asia.

AUI is thus designed as a Moroccan university, original in its organizational and educational approach, using modern methods to disseminate Arab-Islamic and African culture, universal knowledge, science nd advanced technology.

Rooted in the noble Arab and Mediterranean humanist tradition, dynamically adapted to modern times, AUI aims to train graduates with high academic qualifications, in permanent quest of knowledge and culture, aware of their social obligations and imbued with the values of human solidarity and tolerance.

AUI contributes to the attainment of Morocco's educational, cultural and economic objectives and serves the international community, notably through: 

   * The advancement of science and technology;
   * The training of graduates with strong academic and professional qualifications;
   * The implementation of research programs in all areas of national or international interest, with particular emphasis on major national or regional socio-economic issues.

The experience acquired by AUI in these areas shall also be made available to the international community. The vocation of Al Akhawayn University concerns: 

   * Higher education in all fields of knowledge;
   * Mastery of advanced technologies and the promotion of scientific and technical research;
   * Continuing education and the dissemination of advanced scientific knowledge.

AUI prepares its students for the Bachelor's and Master's degrees.

AUI is modeled in its administrative, pedagogical and academic organization on the American university system. English is the language of instruction. Al Akhawayn University will, however, give special attention to the teaching of the Arabic language at all levels and in all branches of education.Ot her modern languages may also be used in specific educational curricula and seminars.

SAO: Student Activities Office

The mission of Student Activities is to promote the personal and professional growth of students by preparing them to become effective leaders and members of effective groups. Our goal is to offer opportunities for involvement and learning through social and educational programs that foster respect for self and others and uphold the University’s vision.

Objectives

The primary objectives of the OSA are to encourage co-curricular activities and recreational opportunities for the students and to enhance personal growth and development of students. This is accomplished through the student organizations, student activities programs, student publications, Student Government body, and recreational sports.

Manual of Duties & Procedures

To consolidate its efforts to satisfy a growing clientele and in keeping with the University's general motto of Excellence & Identity in serving the community, the Office of Student Activities finished its manual and looks forward to getting your feedback and suggestions.

Academics

The university offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Significant research by faculty and students complements the University academic instruction. Students can choose to study in the following areas ensured by three main schools:

The School of Science and Engineering (SSE):

Bachelor's degree programs:

  • Bachelor of science in computer science (BSCS)
  • Bachelor of science in General Engineering and Management Science(BSEMS)
  • Bachelor of science in general engineering (BSGE)
  • Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology

Master's degree programs:

School of Humanities and Social Sciences (SHSS):

Master's degree programs:

School of Business Administration (SBA): The Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in :

Master's degree programs:

All courses are taught in English. However, it gives special attention to the teaching of Arabic at all levels and in all branches of education.

Approximately 10% of the students body is international with a goal to reach 25% over the next 5 years. Each semester there are 60-70 exchange and study abroad students. The Summer Arabic and North African Studies program attracts about 100 undergraduate and graduate level student largely from the USA although there is an increasing number of Europeans.

Campus

The architecture of the campus complements the distinctive building style of Ifrane, characteristic of mountain chalets with their high-pitched tile roofs and wooden beams. The steep roofs are designed to move the large quantities of wet heavy snow each winter. The fully networked and residential campus, of approximately 80 hectares of rolling wooded terrain, consists of large chalets grouped around pleasant squares.

Partnerships

AUI has many academic and institutional partnerships. Among the partners are: Bentley College, Beloit College, Binghamton University, Boston College, European Foundation for Management Development, Georgetown University, University of Washington, George Washington University, Idaho State University, Indiana State University, University of Joensuu, Osaka University, Kansai Gaidai University, Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Pô), Shawnee State University, University of Arizona, University of Arkansas, University of Dayton, University of Montana, United Nations Development Programme, University of North Florida, University of Texas at Austin,Virginia Military Institute, West Virginia University, University of Kansas, World Bank, among others.

AUI is also a founding member of the Consortium of Academic Stewards for The Scholar Ship.

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.jsu.edu/news/july_dec2005/07202005b.html

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