US consul general speaks to students at AUD-hcap conference
Sutphin: “We cannot escape Globalization: it is a fact”
Bou Saab: “We have an obligation to foster an understanding of the Arab world”
For the second year in a row, Mr. Paul Sutphin, US Consul General in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, has taken part in the American University in Dubai – Harvard College in Asia Program exchange conference, giving a lecture on “Globalization, Education and Intercultural Understanding” to both AUD and Harvard students, in the presence of President Dr. Lance de Masi, Executive Vice President Elias Bou Saab, and Provost & Chief Academic Officer Dr. jihad Nader.
Noting on the uniqueness of such an opportunity for AUD students, Executive Vice President Bou Saab said: “it is quite outstanding for our students to have the chance to interact with students from one of the most renowned universities in the US. This exchange conference between our institutions is a unique model in this region, and we are proud of this as we believe that we, at AUD, have an obligation to foster an understanding of the Arab world, especially among American citizens and residents”.
US Consul General Paul Sutphin
“Education has gone beyond traditional models, especially in the last decade or so”, commented Consul General Sutphin, while sharing his positive views on how globalization has advanced education; “your generation has access to technology we did not have even ten years ago; you have access to the world, which is remarkable”. He continued: “You are here today to better understand a region that has at times been misunderstood; you are here to understand the fullness of another culture, which is the greatest component of an education”.
Consul General Sutphin took the opportunity to applaud the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum Foundation for offering students scholarships, proving that, in his experience; the most universal of values is “a better education for the better life of the next generation”.
While describing the different U.S. Government outreach programs such as the International Visitor Leadership Program and the Fulbright Exchange Program, Consul General Sutphin touched on the importance of “creating global citizens”. Quoting Senator J. William Fulbright on the subject, Mr. Sutphin said “Educational exchange can turn nations into people, contributing as no other form of communication can to the humanizing of international relations”.
He concluded saying: “We need to keep looking outwards and manage global integration” and urged the students to “take up a personal mission, to use viral marketing to spread the word of the broad intellectual horizons that are opened by your travel and study abroad."
President Dr. Lance De Masi
The students also had the opportunity to learn about AUD’s vision with President Lance de Masi in his presentation on AUD; discussing the meaning of a truly American education and how AUD had applied that. President de Masi commented that: “we are particularly proud of the placement record of our students and the university’s reputation among employers; our faculty; our standards; our diversity ; our efficiency; our market-centeredness; our academic freedom; and how hard people work around here”.
Provost & CAO Dr. Jihad Nader
In his turn Dr. Jihad S. Nader, AUD’s Provost and Chief Academic Officer, spoke about AUD’s experience in his presentation titled, “American Higher Education in an International Setting: Opportunities and Challenges.” He explained how AUD provides a liberal education to its students, and tackled what “globalization of American education” really means from an increase in international / cross-cultural content in US college curricula to the exportation / importation of the US higher education model and curriculum.
The AUD-HCAP program is full of academic and cultural activities based on the theme “Opportunities and Challenges: Education in a Globalized World”. The objective of the conferences is to create unique, global, and holistic experiences that address the same issues in a variety of different approaches.
The conference is scheduled from March 21-29, 2009, and is organized by students from AUD.
