AUBURN UNIVERSITY EXPANDS GLOBAL FOOTPRINT

EDUCATION / CAREER

Auburn University Expands 

Global Footprint

Launches New Efforts to Bring 
World-Class Academics 
to Indian Students

by Shrutee K / DN

April 3rd, 2015, Mumbai — Auburn University, Alabama (USA) is expanding its global footprint to promote the University as an international player in higher education for Indian students.

The International Accelerator Program (IAP), which is part of the newly launched Auburn Global endeavour, is a first year course of study that gives comprehensive support to international students and helps them succeed in Auburn’s rigorous academic environment. The program combines credit-bearing course work with intensive language instruction and supplemental academic support resources to help students navigate the cultural and social differences of an American university.

“For international students, the move from high school in their home countries to a university in the U.S. can be quite daunting,” said Dr. Joseph Majdalani, Chair of the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Auburn University.

“Auburn Global provides consistent, extensive, well-structured, and, most importantly, well-proven support for our international students. The launch of the International Accelerator Program is a testament to Auburn’s unwavering commitment towards helping our students to achieve their highest potential both academically and professionally,’’ Dr. Majdalani added.

Majdalani’s research activities since 1997 have materialised in over 235 publications that have appeared in first-rate journals, book chapters and conference proceedings. He has won the 2015 National Faculty Advisor Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). He is proficient in Arabic, English and French and also has Goethe Level 1 reading knowledge of German.

Auburn is one of four universities designated by the United States National Security Agency as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations and it is also home to the nation’s first and only bachelor’s degree in wireless engineering and the second oldest aerospace engineering program in the nation. With its prestigious reputation, Auburn is uniquely positioned to attract top students from India to its campus.

“Auburn Global will strategically strengthen the university’s reputation as a campus without borders by showcasing our academic programs and increasing our student diversity,” says Timothy Boosinger, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

“Students from India and beyond will add value to our community through their diverse perspectives and will enhance our extraordinary global network of alumni.”

Meanwhile, Viraja Kollam who is pursuing her Masters in Aerodynamics in Auburn University says “at Auburn, innovations are traditions. By this I mean Auburn loves to follow various traditions for game day or certain festivals but being innovative is always important and required so things which might be old are never boring and are very engaging.”

Auburn University’s engineering alumni include four NASA astronauts, three directors of the Kennedy Space Center, and CEOs like Apple’s Tim Cook. In addition, Auburn alumni can be found all over India working in mechanical and industrial engineering, aviation and aerospace, project management, and research for companies such as General Motors, Delphi, and Infosys.

About Auburn University:

The historic Auburn University campus has 427 buildings built on an area of 1,841 acres.

“Students can choose from more than 140 undergraduate majors, many of them nationally ranked. These include streams of Engineering, Architecture, Business Education, Veterinary Medicine and Nursing amongst many others. Teaching quality and support is excellent with an impressive student-faculty ratio of 18:1’’ said Dominic Berardi, Regional Director of Auburn Global - South and South East Asia.

The total number of students enrolled in the academic session of 2014-15 was 25,912. The male to female ratio is nearly equal (male 51 per cent and female 49 per cent).

Auburn University has a strong India connect. There is an Indian Students Association (ISA), a registered student organisation, which has been functional for 25 years. It aims to provide support for Indian students at Auburn and raise awareness of Indian culture and traditions within the community.

Auburn, Alabama, has been ranked one of the top ten best places to live in the U.S. making life at Auburn University safe, comfortable and enjoyable for all students.