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Tag: AUN

  • New study-abroad windows at AUN

    The American University of Nigeria (AUN) has created new study-abroad windows to enable highly- motivated students seek experience and active responsibility beyond Nigeria.

    AUN President, Dr Margee Ensign, spoke about these opportunities, open from September 2015, during a session to throw more light on the programmes of the Global Liberal Arts Alliance (GLAA).

    The GLAA is an alliance of 27 liberal arts universities, including AUN, in 15 countries.   The Great Lakes Colleges Association, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, coordinates GLAA activities and projects and was instrumental to its formation in 2009.  The Alliance’s programmes are financed with the support of the Endeavor Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

    The opportunities include a minor in Globalization Studies, a Global Scholar Programme, and another window open on the platform of Association of American International Colleges & Universities (AAICU), a leadership organisation whose members provide responsible delivery and quality assurance of American higher education outside the US. Under the first two, students will spend a year abroad in two different universities that are GLAA members.

    “All three programmes prepare students for leadership and personal effectiveness in our interconnected world through a study of topics of global focus that transcend national borders,” she said.

    Dr. Ensign said that although the programmes are hosted by the International & Comparative Politics department in the School of Arts & Sciences, they are open to all students who are interested in an immersive study of real-life global problems.

    Meanwhile, the Country Director of PACT Nigeria, a non-governmental organization active in the area of primary healthcare research, has praised AUN as an ideal, globally-renowned institution where quality research can be disseminated.

    AuduLiman passed this verdict at the end of a two-day research evaluation seminar on primary healthcare in Adamawa State.  The seminar was hosted at AUN.

    “Adamawa State in particular is very fortunate to have a unique institution that has been graded as having one of the best digital libraries in Africa. We should use that resource.  We no longer have to rely on the research at Oxford University, or research at MIT to carry out what to do because the human resource to do that, the technical capacities to do that, and the lecturers are all here in Nigeria,” he said.

    Liman encouraged other NGOs to consider AUN when choosing a university for such research seminars. The healthcare evaluation research seminar was a joint project of the Adamawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ASPHCDA) and PACT Nigeria.

  • AUN breaks crocheting world record

    The American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, is celebrating its feat of getting 485 people to crochet simultaneously for 20 minutes.

    With the most people crocheting simultaneously” record achieved by 426 people crocheting for 15 minutes in New York City five years ago, the university expects to receive recognition from the Guinness Book of Records for the feat.

    The group needlework was an event sponsored by the AUN student union, the student government association, to sensitise residents of Yola, the Adamawa State capital, about the hazards of non-biodegradable litter.

    It was also aimed at surpassing the World Record held by the Americans.

    The crocheting was done inside AUN’s Commencement Hall. The crocheters used plastic yarn made from used shopping bags, since every nylon bag is reusable and renewable.

    Jelena Zivkovic, Director of AUN Learning Resource Centre, who coordinated the programme, read out the rules of the competition, urging the participants to adhere strictly to them to avoid the AUN attempt being disqualified.

    There were external observers as witnesses.

    However, she said the university is still awaiting confirmation from GWR.

    “We have yet to receive official notice from the Guinness World Record administrators, who are based in the USA,” she said.

    Community women making up Yola EcoSentials, a group of social entrepreneurs promoted by AUN, walked the participants through the process before the kickoff of the simultaneous crocheting. The event served to enlighten the community about the university’s ‘waste to wealth’ initiative.

    “You can make money from it,” says Jennifer Che, Coordinator of Sustainability Outreach Programmes& Laboratories.

    Chief Information Officer, Mr. Julius Ayuk Tabe, representing the AUN President Margee Ensign at the kickoff, told participants, “In the light of negative news coming from the northeast, whenever the story of tenacity and togetherness is told, your achievement today will be a reference. This is what your sense of togetherness, teamwork, and can-do-it spirit has made possible today.”

     

  • AUN kicks off MBA, MSc, PhD programmes

    The American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, has opened admissions for postgraduate degrees and diploma in the School of Business & Entrepreneurship (SBE).

    The programs are: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Business Administration; Master of Business Administration (MBA); Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Business Administration, and the Postgraduate Diploma in Management (PGDM).

    Lectures for all the postgraduate programmes will commence in August 2015.

    Applicants studying for their PhD, which takes between 36 and 60 months, should be holders of a business-related M.Sc. or an MBA, while those seeking placement on the 18-24 month M.Sc or MBA programme should have at least second class honours degrees in business-related disciplines.

    For the PGDM programme (12-18 months), applicants should have first degrees or Higher National Diploma in any discipline.

    Application forms are available on the university’s website.

  • AUN joins UN group

    The American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, is now affiliated with the United Nations Academic Impact.

    UNAI is made up of academic institutions that focus on global priorities, including peace, human rights, and sustainable development.

    AUN’s enrolment was announced via a UNAI email of April 6 to President Margee Ensign. It was signed by Arthur Georges.

    The email attaching a certificate of affiliation with UNAI, congratulated the President on the new development and said, among other things, “You join nearly 1,000 colleges and universities in some 120 countries who are working with the United Nations” to promote the above-listed global priorities.

    As a member, AUN is expected to carry out at least one activity in support of the UNAI and its 10 principles during a calendar year.

    With the membership, the university can publish all UNAI-related activities in the organisation’s newsletter and on the website (https://academicimpact.un.org/), and use the UNAI logo in its promotional materials. The university’s role in feeding over 200,000 internally-displaced persons (IDPs), a consequence of the Boko Haram insurgency, ties with the UNAI objectives.

    The university plays this role in partnership with the Adamawa Peace Initiative and raised funds by appealing to public philanthropy both in Nigeria and internationally.

    The API was formed in January 2012 as a coalition of academic, traditional, community, and religious leaders, including representatives of security organisations.

    On April 1, while addressing 345 AUN workers hosting more than 550 IDPs during the monthly food distribution, Dr Ensign thanked the university’s employees for their generosity.

    “What you have done is an amazing act of generosity and as the President of your university, I could not be prouder of what you have done for the last year to take care of desperate, hungry people who are in great need,” he said.

  • 30 firms storm AUN career fair

    About 30 industry leaders and potential employers participated in the American University of Nigeria (AUN) career fair organised for the institution’s alumni in the Federal Capital Territory  (FCT).

    The fair, wasaimed at familiarising its graduates with various companies, across the country.

    This year’s fair, the eighth, featured about 30 multinational companies cutting across telecoms, oil & gas, power, transport, health, and other sectors

    Many of the blue chip campanies also took turns to administer aptitude and problem-solving tests to AUN students, alumni, and other prospects

    The representative of the companies guided the participants about their career and requirements in the labour market.

    The Coordinator of Career Services, Ms. Grace Nwokoma, told reportrs that the fair was organised to provide students and alumni of the institution exposure to career and internship opportunities.

    Her words: “We are trying to get our graduates and students close to cooperate organisations. It is also for those of them that are preparing for graduate school; we want to expose them graduate schools as well.

    “We made plans for about 30 organisations, but from the look of things, we have more than that on ground, because we sent invite to some companies, but they did not respond to say whether they would participate or not, so we made provisions for just 40.

    “Believe me, it has been a very tremendous experience for our students and for the companies, because for the onset we train our students in preparation for the life after t AUN.

    “Before they get to the point of being employed by any organisation, they are prepared and as such, any company that employs our student don’t have to spend much money in training them,” she said.

    Assistant Dean, Student Affairs, AUN, Reginald Braggs, said: “This is of benefit to Nigeria because now you have young people who are now having jobs and being of benefit to the country. It is a kind of American concept of bringing students together and alumni can have the opportunity to learn. When we first started it, students did not really know what to expect but as timepassed by, we have been able to find that impact we like to have on our students.’’

  • ‘AUN feeding 270,000 IDPs weekly’

    ‘AUN feeding 270,000 IDPs weekly’

    •Varsity wants govt to ‘rise up’

    The President of American University of Nigeria (AUN) Yola, Dr. Margee Ensign, has claimed that the institution is feeding about 270,000 Internally-Displaced People (IDPs) weekly, compared to the 15,000 catered for by the government in the IDP camp in Yola.

    She expressed concern that the government was not doing enough to cater for the hundreds of thousands that have fled their homes because of the Boko Haram insurgency.

    Dr. Ensign, who spoke at an interactive session with reporters in Lagos, said the university started feeding IDPs about a year ago when they found that many employees were housing many relatives from crisis-ridden communities in the Northeast and were struggling to feed them.

    She urged the government to rise up to its responsibility before things get out of hand.

    She urged the government to “rise up to its responsibility before things get out of hand”.

    The AUN President said her driver, for instance, was housing 50 people.

    The university, through the Adamawa Peace Initiative (a group of Christian and Muslim leaders in Adamawa State) started feeding the IDPS about eight months ago.

    In January, Dr. Ensign said the group fed up to 232,000 five times a week, which has risen to over 270,000 this month.

    She said funding for the feeding came from the United States government ($100,000), founder of AUN, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (about $200,000), American Peace Corps and others.

    She was worried that with the communities the IDPs left behind destroyed, they might be around the university longer than expected, adding that the university might be unable to sustain the feeding effort.

  • AUN trains journalists on terrorism reporting

    Fifty-seven journalists, editors and producers covering the insurgency in the Northeast region returned to the classroom to learn how to cover emerging issues better.

    They were trained by the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola as part of a peace conference for activists from five northeastern states under the AUN-Adamawa Peace Initiative.

    The 57 participants were drawn from print, broadcast and online media organisations in Borno, Yobe, Taraba, Bauchi and Adamawa States.

    The theme of the workshop, ‘”Redefining the role of Journalists in peacebuilding”, addressed how journalists could cover conflict stories professionally in a nation in search of order, stability and development.

    One of the facilitators, Dr. Jacob, said beyond reporting the conflict, journalists must be peace builders.

    “With the Boko Haram insurgency becoming more violent and intractable, workshop organisers felt it was a propitious time to launch a comprehensive, practical training for local journalists on peace reporting, so they can see themselves not only as journalists, but also as peacemakers,” he said.

    The acting chair of AUN’s Communications and Multimedia (CMD) programme, Udo-Udo Jacob, who said Peace Journalism has crystalised in the last 10 years, however noted that it is yet to be well developed in practice, particularly in Nigeria.

    He said it was the first Peace Journalism workshop in Nigeria.

    The other facilitator, Don North, is a veteran journalist with rich experience in reporting conflicts from Vietnam, to Latin America and Iraq.

    In a keynote address AUN’s President, Prof Margee Ensign, articulated the role of the media in a pluralistic democracy.

    She spoke on “The Press & Democratic Reform in a Changing World:  Building Alliances for Good Governance and Accountability”, highlighting political instability and weak institutions as some of the critical challenges facing Nigeria.

    She also called for a more assertive role for the media in holding governments and political leaders accountable.

    The workshop had three sessions and an interactive panel discussion led by resource persons with strong industry experience. Participating journalists made their own invaluable contributions to factors militating against objective, accurate and factual reporting from the war front.

    It also provided them the opportunity to join the Peace Journalism Network, whose objective include providing an online forum for journalists to share experiences, exchange notes and develop best practices in peace reporting.

    The next workshop is scheduled for this month.

     

  • Memorable Independence week at AUN

    Memorable Independence week at AUN

    Students of the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, Adamawa, were thrilled by New York-based Nigerian artiste at a ceremony to mark the nation’s independence. EBUKA UKOH (Communication and Multimedia Studies) reports.

    For five days, the American University of Nigeria (AUN) bubbled as New York-based Nigerian artiste and choreographer Adesola Osakalumi thrilled students at an event organised by the institution to mark Nigeria’s independence.

    Students who aspired to be artistes also had a chance to showcase their talents at an audition supervised by the actor. The students had a two-day rehearsal with the artiste with whom they also performed on the stage.

    The live-on stage performance with the artiste on October 1, was an experience the students would never forget. Those who performed with Osakalumi were surprised that they could pull off such a performance on short notice.

    Before the show, Osakalumi had a session with the students on how best to deliver a stage performance and acting. The session continued after the Independence Day performance when he talked about vocal arts in Africa and evolution of African dance and choreography. He told the audience to be persistent in anything they do, advising that through persistence success could be assured.

    Osakalumi described AUN students as talented, encouraging them to be focused. “The talent here is comparable to anywhere, especially New York. Before coming here, I was not sure what to expect. But your reaction and willingness to share what you know has been very supportive,” he said.

    He told them to collaborate with him to showcase their works to the world and to keep themselves motivated and growing.

    While growing up, Osakalumi dreamt to be one of the best poppers and lockers. Popping and locking are forms of urban social dance that originated from hip-hop culture but have African roots. The artiste’s wishes came true when he was selected to be a part of Rhythm Technicians – a dance crew made up of hip hop artistes. The group gained popularity in New York by performing regularly.

    Osakalumi is today known for his roles in the award-winning Broadway musical Fela, an African song. It won three Tony Awards for Best Choreography, Best Costume Design and Best Sound Design. “I never stopped trying to improve on myself. I started getting better and meeting people that were better than me. As artists, we are always affecting others and inspired by others. Identify what you love. If you love something, it is easy to focus on it. Do not stop, no matter what people say. Pursue your dreams; those things that excite you. Support each other and it will be amazing what you can do,” he advised.

    Ebiuwairo Uwagboe, a fresher studying International and Comparative Politics, who attended the audition said: “Dancing was more of a hobby for me but now I am inspired to start thinking of pursuing it as a career.”

  • AUN peaceful

    The American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, began its Summer II session on Tuesday.

    Dr. Fidelis Ndeh-Che, Chief of Staff to AUN President, Margee Ensign, who announced this, said the Summer II would b end on August 6, paving the way for the fall semester.

    Despite the state of emergency in Adamawa State, Ndeh-Che said the Summer I session, which ended on June 25, was peaceful.

    “The AUN campus is a calm oasis that proved conducive to learning and teaching. In addition to classroom attendance, a number of students committed themselves to independent study,” he said.

    The Registrar, Monique Davis, added that the curfew has been well-managed by the institution.

    “Every person has been focused on their tasks. The emergency rule with the ensuing curfew has been handled well by the AUN community and our supportive parents across the country.”

    Paul Onwura, a software engineering major, said his parents believe it is “beautiful and safe” within the AUN environment. Another student, Murna Mamman, is joining the Summer II programme as a new AUN student. She said she would like to explore the American system of education.

    All students are required to participate in AUN’s development projects that range from literacy training using ICT to the Adamawa Peacemakers Initiative.

     

  • Rotary honours President

    The AUN President, Dr Margee Ensign, has been honoured at the Rotary International District 9125 conference in Abuja.

    Rotary is a worldwide organisation of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service and encourages high ethical standards in all vocations. The 1.2 million Rotarians, who make up more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in nearly every country share a dedication to the ideal of service above self.

    Ensign, who gave a talk on Pathways to Peace, was named a Paul Harris Fellow “in appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world.”

    Ensign received the Rotary’s Distinguished Service to Humanity Award “for your wonderful support to our District in terms of financial, moral and developmental projects during the ‘Peace through Service’ Year.”

    Located in Yola, Adamawa State, AUN is recognised as a centre of educational excellence in Nigeria and throughout the continent. Founded in 2003, AUN is Africa’s first development university. It is inspired by the founder’s vision that knowledge acquired must be applied to benefit all peoples