Culture & Education | Monday 20 May, 2019 4:00 am |

The
American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) Department of International
Programs and Partnerships (DIPP) hosted a two-day committee visit for a University of
Wyoming (UW) delegation to speculate on the possibility of cultivating a student and
faculty exchange program.
The delegation consisted of two members, Dr. Michael V. Pishko, Dean, College of
Engineering and Applied Science and Prof. Brian Toelle, Professor of Practice and
Interim Head of the Department of Petroleum Engineering, who started the first day of
the site visit by touring the campus and meeting with AURAK Senior Administrators to
discuss terms of collaboration. They met with the Dean of the School of Engineering,
Professor Mousa Mohsen, the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research,
Professor Bilal Akash, and the faculty and staff from the School of Engineering where
they speculated the possibility of establishing a 3+2 Petroleum Engineering Program
between AURAK in United Arab Emirates and UW in United States of America. The
delegation ended the evening partaking in a Ramadan Iftar celebration.
On the second day, the delegation met with a group of five students from different
disciplines to introduce the 3+2 program and the exchange program. Students asked
questions they had concerning the UW community, atmosphere, weather,
accommodations, and living expenses. They also discussed internship opportunities,
summer semesters, and post-graduate studies. The delegation ended their visit to
AURAK with a meeting with the AURAK President, Professor Hassan Hamdan Al
Alkim, among other AURAK administration members consisting of the Vice President of
Academic Affairs and Student Success and Provost, Professor Stephen Wilhite, Associate
Provost for Academic and Student Affairs, Dr. Denise Gifford.
Professor Hassan concluded, "In the University of Wyoming we have a potential
esteemed international partner with the best interest of our students at heart who will help
enable AURAK to provide our students with multiple prospects to advance and widen
our University’s cultural scope.”
AURAK is an independent, public, state-owned, non-profit, coeducational institution of
higher learning that offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in comprehensive
academic programs based on the North American model and the cultural characteristics
of the Gulf region. Its undergraduate programs combine a strong grounding in the major
subject with a broad general education, and its graduate programs prepare students for the
demands of professional life. The institution is committed to the highest standards of
teaching, research, ethics, and service to the community, preparing its graduates to be
knowledgeable, thoughtful, creative, and responsible individuals, and it is accredited

through the UAE’s Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).