Anglo-American University

Anglo-American University
Anglo-americká vysoká škola
Former names
 The New Anglo-American College
Motto Private university education in the Heart of Europe.
Established 1990
Type Private
President Alan Krautstengl
Provost Milada Polisenska
Students 800
Location Prague, Czech Republic
50°05′24″N 14°24′32″E / 50.08998°N 14.40902°ECoordinates: 50°05′24″N 14°24′32″E / 50.08998°N 14.40902°E
Campus Urban
Colours Red and Black          
Affiliations International Education Society
ERASMUS
Website www.aauni.edu

Anglo-American University (AAU) is the oldest private higher education institution in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1990, the non-profit university offers an array of unique and distinguished undergraduate and graduate programs. Its faculty and staff are as characteristically international as its student body, the latter includes nationals from over 60 countries.

The university's continuing mission has been "to provide a personalized, distinctive university education in English, upholding the best American and British academic traditions to train future leaders, citizens of the globe, and high profile individuals engaged in world affairs."[1]

In addition to its own accreditation by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic, AAU has fostered cooperation and study exchanges with universities abroad, resulting, for example, in the ability to award its bachelor's and master's of law graduates with a degree from the University of London. Beginning in 2008, Chapman University, home of Vernon L. Smith, winner of the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics, has awarded its AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accredited degree to AAU's MBA graduates.

History

Anglo-American University

Anglo-American University was founded in 1990, shortly after the collapse of communism, as the Anglo-American College by Jansen Raichl and Dr. Vlasta Raichlová. Their vision was to create a higher education institution that would combine the best of Central European traditions with American and British academic principles.

Steady growth, increased visibility, and the conference of advanced graduate degrees prompted a reconsideration of the college's name in English to include university instead of college.

In 2010, Anglo-American University was invited to apply for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) institutional accreditation and has since successfully advanced from the eligibility stage. AAU is the first university not in the United States to have been invited.

Campus

AAU has operated in several locations. In 1999, AAU established its campus in Prague's city center. The campus has since consisted of medieval buildings at Lázeňská 2 and 4, the site of the historic convent of the Sovereign Military Order of the Knights of Malta, and its library located nearby at the corner of Letenská and U Lužického semináře.

Organization

Anglo-American University has from its inception offered studies under the School of Business Administration, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and School of Law. In 2006 and 2010 respectively, AAU established its School of International Relations and Diplomacy, and School of Journalism.

In the fall of 2008, co-founder and esteemed lecturer of the school of law, John H. Carey II, died. It was announced at Carey's funeral that Anglo-American University's School of Law would be known officially as the John H. Carey II School of Law.

Academics

Library

AAU Library houses a private collection of 19,000 books of non- and fiction predominantly in the English language. The library also provides all course reading, either physically or electronically, and supports research projects conducted by students and faculty. AAU students, staff and faculty are also granted access to the collections held by the Institute of International Relations Prague,[2] The Institute for Contemporary History, Academy of Sciences, and other libraries in Prague.

The library regularly stages performances of spoken word, varying styles of music and readings, and hosts discussion groups.

Research

Anglo-American University has recently accepted a substantial grant from the International Visegrad Fund for the university's School of International Relations and Diplomacy, specifically its Central and East European Studies program. The grant will help build a curriculum and support the research of Visegrad countries in relation and comparison to the rest of the European Union's portrayal and opinion of Turkey. The main proponents of the research are the university's Pelin Ayan, Ph.D. and Juraj Mahfoud working under the project name AAU Visegrad Project

Arts

|art| SPACE is Anglo-American University's art exhibition gallery, and routinely hosts photography, paintings, installations, and sculptures by faculty and students. There are generally two exhibitions a semester, and one held for an extended period in the summer. |art| SPACE operates under the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and is often used to showcase excellent course work in digital photography and other creative courses and workshops held at AAU.

Scholarships

As a private higher education institution, AAU has consistently invested in its own scholarships and provisions to help and reward its students. The university currently offers a total of eight scholarships to qualified students, including a Refugee Scholarship, Romani Scholarship, and the School of Journalism's annually awarded Alan Levy Journalism Scholarship. A merit based scholarship, up to complete tuition coverage, is also offered to students with high academic performance.

Student body

AAU's most visible quality is the growing diversity of its student body, representing dozens of countries every semester. Full-time, exchange and study abroad students from hundreds of universities worldwide have applied and studied at AAU. Its campus demographics typically feature American, Chinese, Czech, French, Italian, Kazakh, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, and many other international students each semester.

Student council

Anglo-American University's Student Council is an autonomous body that represents students’ interests in university plans, policies, and procedures; secures student representation in university governance; elects one representative for the Academic Council; and organizes various student activities.

The Student Council consists of 12 members, plus 1 exchange student and 1 external adviser each semester and/or academic year. Council members are elected by the students at the beginning of each academic year.

At the Lennon Wall

Portion of the John Lennon Wall

At the Lennon Wall is Anglo-American University's student newspaper. The newspaper takes its name from the John Lennon Wall, a symbol of freedom of expression located near the university's campus.

On its website, At The Lennon Wall states its mission: "to report news of interest to the students and to the campus community of the Anglo-American University in Prague."[3]

Notable alumni

External links

References

  1. ↑ "History | Anglo-American University".
  2. ↑ http://www.iir.cz/display.asp?ida=126&idi=9
  3. ↑ "About Us | At The Lennon Wall".