Monday, June 7, 2021 - 12:15
American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS) announced today the launch of a new scholarship campaign to raise money to provide students from diverse communities across Iraq with access to higher education. The new campaign, called “We Share the Future,” will be provided with its initial funding through a generous donation from Acuity International, a conglomerate with a long-standing presence in Iraq through its subsidiaries Sallyport International, Janus international, and Comprehensive Health Services (currently operating as Caliburn International, LLC).
“Recipients of the scholarships not only have their lives change, but their families’ lives change for the better,” according to AUIS President Bruce Walker Ferguson. “The investment in an educated workforce from corporate community support is key to enabling AUIS to attract students from diverse backgrounds and creates a powerful engine both for student success and for the country’s economic growth, social benefit, and regional security,” Ferguson said. Having corporations working in Iraq like Sallyport and Janus (part of the Acuity and Caliburn family) partner with the University, provides job prospects for AUIS students upon graduation.
With an initial commitment of $250,000 from Acuity International, AUIS students majoring in Engineering and Medical Laboratory Sciences who have completed one to two years of undergraduate study will be eligible for scholarships. Students in AUIS’s dual degree engineering program with the University of Arizona are also eligible for scholarship awards.
Acuity International is the first company in Iraq to fund the scholarship program with several companies in the region expected to follow its lead. Acuity has previously donated to similar initiatives, including a school renovation project funded and managed by Sallyport and school supply drives.
Acuity CEO Bob Stalick said, “The new scholarship program is another way we can give back to the people of Iraq, where we have worked for many years and have established deep relationships and a respect for the people.” He noted that to help build a secure and prosperous Iraq, it is critical to support the next generation who will not only have the academic and technological background, but also the critical thinking skills and a collaborative mindset to grow. AUIS graduates the kinds of students that companies doing business in Iraq should hire in order to be successful.
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To learn more about how to support the education of Iraq’s future leaders, contact AUIS VP Advancement Liza O’Connor-Stroud (US) at liza.oconnor [at] auis.edu.krd.
American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS) is the first non-governmental, not-for-profit, American-style university in Iraq. Founded in 2007 and operated for the public benefit, it is also the first non-governmental university in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region to be accredited by both the federal Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government. The only certified member in Iraq of the Association of American International Colleges and Universities, (AAICU), the University welcomes students from diverse communities throughout Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. For more information, visit http://auis.edu.krd/.
Acuity International (Caliburn, Sallyport, Janus, CHS) provides a continuum of services including cyber security, environmental remediation, medical management and services, construction management services and Global Mission Services among others to global government and commercial enterprises. The company has a longstanding relationship with Iraq with hundreds of employees in country and a history of charitable giving.
Coverage to Note:
GovCon- Caliburn International To Fund Scholarships For AUIS Students; Robert Stalick Quoted (executivegov.com)
GovCon- Caliburn International To Fund Scholarships For AUIS Students; Robert Stalick Quoted (executivegov.com)
AP- https://apnews.com/press-
Iraq Daily Journal- http://www.iraqdailyjournal.
Iraq Business News- https://www.iraq-businessnews.
Yahoo Finance- UK- https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/
Yahoo Finance-https://finance.yahoo.
Morningstar- https://www.morningstar.com/
MarketWatch- https://www.marketwatch.com/
Iraq Daily Journal- http://www.iraqdailyjournal.
Iraq Business News- https://www.iraq-businessnews.
Yahoo Finance- UK- https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/
Yahoo Finance-https://finance.yahoo.
Morningstar- https://www.morningstar.com/
MarketWatch- https://www.marketwatch.com/