Sharjah, Wednesday, May 23, 2012-- The World Bank and American University of Sharjah (AUS), will host tomorrow, Thursday, May 24, at Lecture Hall A, in the ground floor of the AUS main building, a training course for about 40 senior Iraqi education leaders, on strategic planning and quality assurance in higher education institutions.

The nine-day training course is designed to equip Iraqi university representatives involved in strategic planning and quality assurance with the required skills to improve the quality of education offered by higher learning institutions in Iraq as the country works on rebuilding itself as a unified nation.

The training is in line with AUS's strategic goal of becoming the leader in higher education in the Middle East by being able to share its expertise with other countries in the region, especially helping its Arab neighbors such as Iraq achieve its potential.

The course will touch on important subjects that include: A Framework for Strategic Planning in Institutions of Higher Education; International Trends and Challenges in Higher Education Around the World; Linking Higher Education to the Labor Market; Higher Education and the New Global Economy; Strategies for Higher Education and Resource Planning; University Governance and Institutional Quality: The structure and use of the university screening card; Accreditation as a Quality Assurance and Institutional Effectiveness Strategy; Aligning Higher Education Planning with Basic and Secondary Education and many more.

About AUS
American University of Sharjah (AUS) was founded in 1997 by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. The university was envisaged by His Highness as a leading educational institution in the Gulf region. Located in University City, Sharjah, AUS is a not-for-profit, independent, institution of higher education formed on the American model.

It offers 25 majors and 52 minors at the undergraduate level, and 14 master's degrees through the College of Architecture, Art and Design; the College of Arts and Sciences; the College of Engineering; and the School of Business and Management. These programs are designed to meet the challenges of a competitive and dynamic business and industrial environment.

As a provider of quality higher education in the Gulf, AUS is licensed and its programs are accredited by the Commission for Academic Accreditation of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the United Arab Emirates. AUS is also accredited in the United States of America by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA, Tel +1 215 662 5606) and by the Department of Education of the State of Delaware. All six of the bachelor degree programs in the AUS College of Engineering are accredited by ABET, http://www.abet.org. The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration as well as the Master of Business Administration and Executive Master of Business Administration degrees offered by the School of Business and Management are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), www.aacsb.edu. The Bachelor of Architecture program of the College of Architecture, Art and Design is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) of the United States, www.naab.org.

For more information, please contact:
Miriam Kiwan
Director of Strategic Communications and Media
+971 6 515 1040
mkiwan@aus.edu

Nazzal Yousef
Director of Media Relations
+971 6 515 2157
nyousuf@aus.edu

© Press Release 2012