A Letter to the New President

Cartoon by Brwa Aziz

Dr. Moulakis, the current AUIS president is leaving. So, it is time for students to reflect on the new president who is going to come and lead AUIS. The question, “What the students expect from the new president?” should be asked before we welcome the new president.

At the first point, it is obvious that the administration has accomplished several very good things for AUIS such moving AUIS to the new campus, providing better planning for financial circumstances of the university, and re-establishing the boards of trustees. But, the next president should focus on establishing a better-communicated environment between the administration and student body. Students want the next president to be better connected to the students and be more visible to the student body.

AUIS has a very diverse society where people from various cultures and ethnicities are combined. So, the best way for the new president to understand the various student’s wants and needs is for the president to interact with them informally. For example, a president can join some classes with students and can even celebrate the events with the students.

More to the point, the next president should consult more with the students about important issues. For example, students want to be involved in some of the decision-making and proceeding new policies, especially the ones that are related to student body. The new president should communicate to the student body about why they are making those decisions and who decide about those changes and new policies before they actually announce them.

What the new president will face at AUIS will be that he/she doesn’t know enough about Iraq and its culture. Because the new president has never spent any time in Iraq and doesn’t actually no so much about the various cultures of Iraq, it is much more important for him/her to consult and communicate more with the students to understand them well. If the new president refuses to do that, then it will be much easier for the new president to make mistakes. So, it is important for the new president to listen more than to direct.

The voice also wants the next president to focus on improving the academic quality of the university. The students choose to study at AUIS because they are hungry to learn. AUIS is supposed to be way different than Iraqi public universities in terms of academic achievements. However, AUIS, sometimes, has failed to do that. Thus, the students get disappointed several times from the curricular and professors. AUIS students have more expectations from AUIS compare to public universities, especially when they pay for their studies. Thus, students want the new president to bring more qualified professors who will be able to inspire students to learn than force them.

Note: This piece has been published at the AUIS Voice, the first independent university student newspaper  in Iraq, and it was my last editorial piece as the Editorial Page Editor.