On behalf of the American University of Iraq-Baghdad (AUIB), AUIB President, Dr. Michael Mulnix, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, represented by the Advisor to the Minister, Lieutenant General Ziad Taha Ali. The signing ceremony was attended by senior officers at various branches of the Ministry of Interior and at other military and security institutions.
President Mulnix briefed the visiting delegation on AUIB’s rapid development in its first years of operation, commending the vision of AUIB Founder, Mr. Saadi Waheeb Saihood, and also giving credit to the CEO of AUIB’s Center of Excellence for Innovation and Development (CEID), Mr. Ziad Chaaban, as the Center will be the Ministry’s main partner at AUIB, according to the envisioned framework of cooperation outlined by the signed MoU. According to the latter, the two parties shall “exchange expertise and consultancy in information technology, digitalization, and e-governance,” and also in the field of libraries and both standard and digital archives. Cooperation is also envisioned in translation and publication, and in the exchange of research and various scientific material. The two parties also agreed, as per the MoU, to exchange lecturers and cooperate in organizing seminars, workshops, and various continuous education and professional development courses.
Partnerships between various governmental institutions and serious universities “are no longer an option, but a necessity” for building the nation, said Lt. Gen. Ziad Taha Ali, focusing on the concept of “societal partnership” and the principle of “crime prevention, before deterrence.” The high-ranking officer expressed the need for organizing scientific conferences on the theme of “security for development,” calling for the development of higher education programs specializing in the various fields of security studies, for the purpose of enhancing the professional competencies of the institutions and branches involved. He also expressed his hope that cooperation between the Ministry of Interior and AUIB be expanded, leading to the “founding of a center for security studies within the university.”