The American University of Iraq-Baghdad (AUIB) announces the transition of the Founding Dean of its College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), Dr. Allison Webster-Giddings, to a new role in the United Staes, where she will continue to support the growth of the college she founded and AUIB at large in consultation with Vanderbilt University, leveraging her regional and leadership expertise to help scale and sustain key initiatives. AUIB is at the same time proud to announce that Professor of Education and Human Development, Dr. Stephen Robinson, has been named to take the helm of CEHD as the new Dean.
For two critical years, Dr. Webster-Giddings led the joint AUIB and Vanderbilt team in establishing AUIB’s CEHD. The college currently offers a Bachelor’s of Science in Teaching and Learning Design and has applied to offer a Master’s of Higher Education Administration and Leadership. Dr. Webster-Giddings and her team have designed three fellowship programs for higher education staff, academic leaders and faculty excellence. She also held the UNESCO chair on Education for Health and Well-being, one of four UNESCO chairs in Iraq.
“Our success was realized through contributions and commitment of Iraqi community and government partners, U.S. Department of State, Vanderbilt University, and the faculty, staff and students at AUIB. I look forward to seeing the CEHD team’s results grow under Dr. Robinson’s leadership and vision. I leave with the deepest respect for my Iraqi and international colleagues who have committed to this program,” said Dr. Webster-Giddings. In turn, Dr. Robinson acknowledged his forerunner as “an amazing Founding Dean… My goal is to build on that, and I really believe that what we’re about at the College of Education and Human Development at AUIB is to have a positive impact on education in Iraq. We’re here to help Iraq develop young people, teachers, and school leaders in a positively impactful manner on the nation of Iraq.”
“I spent my career, spanning almost 40 years, in education, seeing it as the most noble enterprise on Earth: training youth and helping them grow and develop into what they can be,” said Dr. Robinson, considering this to be even more true in a nation such as Iraq, one “that has, for the last three decades, had a lot of turmoil, conflict, pain and trauma… For me, this noble enterprise has such a great potential in Iraq, even more so because of where the country has been and where it can be,” considering the nation’s “people and rich tradition in scholarship, learning and education throughout its history.”
“As an American, there’s a lot about responsibility, because America has not always, as a country, made the best decisions… and I just want to be one of those Americans that say: I’m here as your brother. I’m here to help do anything I can to make this country and its people as whole as possible,” added Dr. Robinson in his heartfelt words, promising to start learning Arabic as part of a “deep commitment to doing what I need to do to be a part of this community.”