The American University of Iraq-Baghdad (AUIB) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with a leading international school in Iraq, the English International School – Baghdad (EISB), laying the framework for future collaboration between the two parties, aiming “to create structured internship and practical experience opportunities at EISB for AUIB students pursuing teaching and education-related degrees,” and at the same time “engage with EISB to recruit its students into AUIB’s academic programs,” as per the signed memorandum.
AUIB President, Dr. Bradley Cook, welcomed the EISB delegation to campus, expressing his joy at laying the foundation of a promising partnership, and emphasizing the two institutions’ mutual goal in developing the educational sector in Iraq. For his part, the Academic Director at EISB, Mr. Timothy Shanahan, spoke on the School’s “vision to provide students with globally recognized qualifications,” saying that it is “evident that our students will get a world-class education here in Baghdad” at AUIB, thus being able to “stay with their families and contribute to the development of Iraq,” rather than being compelled to travel abroad in pursuit of quality higher education.
In addition to training future educators, the MoC laid out several opportunities for collaboration, such as AUIB’s offering of career and academic counseling services to EISB students, and the joint development and delivery of professional development initiatives, such as workshops for teaching and administrative staff, and training programs aiming to build academic and interpersonal competencies. As per the MoC, AUIB and EISB may also co-host academic and career-related events such as conferences and speaker series, university admission fairs, and events themed around leadership, innovation, and global competencies.