You can view and download photos here.

This special event offers opportunities to sample delicious Afghan cuisine, witness the remarkable strides AUAF has taken in the past few years, hear from students currently enrolled at AUAF, and most importantly, honor Mrs. Bush.

The students wanted to know how long Mr. Smith would stick around if he got the job. The university, which bills itself as Afghanistan’s “only independent, private, nonprofit, nonsectarian, coeducational institution of higher learning,” had already suffered from turnover at the top. The former minister of higher education who founded it, in 2004, was its first acting head. Its only previous president, Thomas M. Stauffer, resigned in September 2008, after less than two years of a controversy-marred tenure.

Read the full article here.

Friends of AUAF

Invites you to an event to learn about

The American University of Afghanistan with

His Excellency Ambassador Said. T. Jawad,

Afghan Ambassador to the United States

Location:

Current Lounge

1215 Connecticut Avenue, NW

Washington, DC

Date and Time:

Tuesday, March 2

5-7pm

For more information visit the following sites:

www.friendsofauaf.org and www.auaf.edu.af

$10 suggested donation to support higher education in Afghanistan

When:  Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Where: The National Museum of Women in the Arts

1250 New York Avenue, N.W.

Washington, DC 20005-3970

Click here to buy a ticket to the event.

For questions, please contact Heidi Schaler at heidi.schaler@friendsofauaf.org or 202-580-6666.

You can read the article – which is found on page 10 – here.

Senator Inouye

Statement Placed into Congressional Record

November 18, 2009

Mr. President,

I rise today to apprise my colleagues of an impressive effort in Afghanistan.  I recently had the opportunity to visit with our military troops and civilian personnel serving in Afghanistan.  While I was there, I had the pleasure to meet Dr. Michael Smith, president of The American University of Afghanistan.  I was embarrassed to admit that until meeting Dr. Smith, I had never heard of the university.

Upon learning more about the university, I am encouraged to know that while bombs are bursting and bullets are flying, there is an ongoing and successful American mission to provide educational opportunities to the men and women of Afghanistan.

Today, the American University of Afghanistan has 450 students and will graduate their first class next spring.  The student body draws from every province and ethnic group in Afghanistan and is nineteen percent female and growing.  While the majority of faculty members are American, 15 other countries are represented, including Afghanistan.

The university models itself after other strong international American universities like the American University of Cairo and the American University of Beirut.  Its programs focus on business and entrepreneurship, information technology, and many other professional areas.

Since over 85 percent of the student body have been immigrants at some point in their lives and 29 percent of students graduated high school in Pakistan, one goal of creating this university is to enable Afghans the educational opportunity to earn a degree that can be utilized for the betterment of Afghanistan.

I know many of my colleagues have plans to travel to Afghanistan to visit with our troops.  I would encourage all of you to take some time to learn about this university which is one of the unsung efforts we have undertaken in Afghanistan.

I urge my colleagues to support this mission so when the military departs Afghanistan we can leave with a smile and our heads held high knowing that we have not only supported the security and stabilization of Afghanistan but have provided a sustained educational mission as well.

The former president of the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Smith also oversaw the accreditation of 30 universities in the United Arab Emirates and has extensive background in education administration in the United States. Smith will succeed Dr. Tom Stauffer, who stepped down last summer. Smith’s appointment is effective Sept. 1.

Founded in 2006, The American University of Afghanistan is the country’s only independent, private, non-profit, non-sectarian, co-educational institution of higher learning. The university was launched by Afghan business and civic leaders who believe that the American higher education model will make a valuable and decisive contribution to the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan. With the support of the United States Government and private donations, AUAF has reached an enrollment of over 300 undergraduate students and offers more than 60 courses taught by some 30 permanent faculty with internationally recognized degrees.

The university is currently raising funds to construct a new campus on 40 acres in Kabul designed to support a growing student population and more diverse degree offerings.

AUAF chairman Fazel says Smith’s experience as a higher education leader in another nation with great need will be essential to advancing higher education in Afghanistan.

“Dr. Michael Smith comes to AUAF at a pivotal time in our evolution as an academic institution,” Fazel said. “Afghanistan is primed for the next step in Higher Education. As president, Michael will no doubt build upon the momentum generated by Chief Academic Officer and recent Acting President, Dr. Athanasios Moulakis, and uphold the values upon which AUAF was founded.”

Fazel added, “AUAF is fortunate and privileged to have Dr. Michael Smith as its next president. We are confident that significant inroads and advancements will be achieved under his leadership. His wealth of experience and success record towards the advancement of higher education in developing nations is a capital that we need urgently in Afghanistan.”

Smith said he welcomes the challenges ahead.

“I am honored to accept the position as president of the American University of Afghanistan,” Smith said. “AUAF can be a beacon for high quality university education in the region. I am excited to work with the university’s outstanding Board of Trustees and excellent faculty and staff.”

Known for his leadership in international education, Smith is passionate about educating people who would otherwise not have the opportunity to attend a university.

Members of the search committee were most impressed with Smith’s background in international education and expertise that he will bring to Kabul. His unique experience in academic accreditation and education in the U.S. and abroad has prepared him for this position at AUAF, according to committee chair and Trustee, Leslie Schweitzer.

“Michael Smith is an outstanding individual, a distinguished leader and an experienced administrator with remarkable development skills,” said Schweitzer. “I am thrilled that Michael and AUAF have chosen each other and I look forward to working closely with him.”

From 2007 to 2009, Smith served as president of American University of Nigeria (AUN), an institution which he helped found. Prior to that, Smith served as Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences from 2005 to2007. Under Smith’s direction, AUN grew to 1,200 students from an initial enrollment of 124. In May 2009, AUN held its first graduation, where Archbishop Desmond Tutu delivered the commencement address.

Before leading AUN, Smith served as director of the Commission on Academic Accreditation in the United Arab Emirates, where he oversaw the licensing and accreditation of over 30 universities and programs. In the United States, Smith was the Director for Planning and Assessment of the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, and the director of nonprofit education foundations in Pennsylvania and Florida. At Winthrop University, Smith was vice president for academic affairs and acting president.

Smith is a graduate of the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University and holds a PhD in British and American Literature from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. He earned his MA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in British and American Literature and his BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in English and Political Science. He has served on a number of boards and committees and on the faculty at Winthrop University, University of California, Los Angeles, and Elon University.