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American University of the Middle East
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GulfProf



Joined: 13 Oct 2007
Posts: 26
Location: Kuwait

PostPosted: Thu May 08, 2008 6:11 am    Post subject: American University of the Middle East Reply with quote

What's the inside story on this new university? I've seen billboards popping up all over town but their website doesn't tell much of anything yet. Well, they do brag about how great their faculty is although they don't seem to actually have any faculty yet. Is that PR gone bad or really positive thinking?
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15yearsinQ8



Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Posts: 462
Location: kuwait

PostPosted: Thu May 08, 2008 7:51 am    Post subject: aum Reply with quote

humansoft group manages it
watch out - humansoft and its former self in the dasma complex was notorious for bugging comapny phones and staff internet use . in the days before mobiles, the top sales guy was fired because of 'inappropriate use of company phone' and memos went out as to why non-teaching related internet sites were visited
not a good track record , but time will tell
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GulfProf



Joined: 13 Oct 2007
Posts: 26
Location: Kuwait

PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2008 7:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm not planning to apply there; it's simply the idle curiosity of one living in the fishbowl.

Their website claims that they're affiliated with Purdue which would lend no small amount of credibility to them. But the rest of the website looks very shady, ex. there's no reference to any name, no board members, nothing. That sends up flags for me.

They also only seem to be recruiting locally instead of abroad. That also seems shady for a university which is advertising itself as playing in the big leagues. If they're going to build their faculty on the castoffs from GUST, ACK, and AUK they're not exactly going to be in the big leagues! Shocked
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miski



Joined: 04 Jul 2007
Posts: 298
Location: Kuwait

PostPosted: Sat May 10, 2008 5:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

They organize school visits and dont turn up.
They dont answer e mails . They havent actually been built yet. Oh and 15 years in q8 knows a few things ....so they havent hot a lot going for them so far. All Upsidedown & Making Excuses ...
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GulfProf



Joined: 13 Oct 2007
Posts: 26
Location: Kuwait

PostPosted: Mon May 12, 2008 5:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is really sad. I was kind of hoping that Kuwait was finally going to be getting a really good private university but it doesn't look like AUM is going to be that. Why are so many shady joints allowed to open up and then stay in business here? The UAE and Qatar are light years ahead of Kuwait in this regard. They seem to be putting their energies into building real universities to educate their populations. Why are the Kuwaitis satisfied with these groups of bumblers who have the business acumen of children and simply play university?
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Mon May 12, 2008 2:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gulf prof... I think you are overstating the standards of the rest of the Gulf. I would say that they mostly have the same low standards and I would define the vast majority of private universities by your term of play universities. But, many of them do have fancy digs and websites. I can only think of one private university south of Kuwait that I consider to be well managed and imposes some kind of academic standards.

It is all smoke and mirrors... and will be for as long as the gulf populations are rich enough not to have to really work for a living and run their countries with imported expats.

VS
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GulfProf



Joined: 13 Oct 2007
Posts: 26
Location: Kuwait

PostPosted: Mon May 12, 2008 3:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I will have to believe you since I've never spent more than a few days at a time at these other universities, usually at professional conferences. The smoke and mirrors were sure in evidence there. What a show they put on! But the real education that might or might not have been going on behind all that glitz is hard to assess.
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Rommel



Joined: 01 Apr 2006
Posts: 121

PostPosted: Tue May 13, 2008 8:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

GulfProf wrote:
Why are the Kuwaitis satisfied with these groups of bumblers who have the business acumen of children and simply play university?


Not just in the universities. They're "playing" school at the primary, secondary, and high school levels, too. Education takes a big back seat to the almighty dinar
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miski



Joined: 04 Jul 2007
Posts: 298
Location: Kuwait

PostPosted: Wed May 14, 2008 4:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Exactly.Take today's situation- 3 days mourning and all schools etc closed but IGCSEs still on and many students were not even called by their schools to confirm that exams would still go ahead. Common sense you might say but just to make sure it would have been a nice thought.hope no kid missed their IG.
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Anna Dubaya



Joined: 21 Dec 2006
Posts: 23

PostPosted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 4:40 pm    Post subject: AUM question Reply with quote

They just put an ad for English teachers in HigherEdJobs.com.
They really do not exist yet?
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Gulezar



Joined: 19 Jun 2007
Posts: 483

PostPosted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 7:18 pm    Post subject: AUM Reply with quote

They don't even answer the phone or return inquiries. Apparently there is an office somewhere in Kuwait City and they are booking interviews. They call you, but you can''t call them.
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jjdoll42



Joined: 09 Jun 2008
Posts: 5

PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 2:46 am    Post subject: Some new information Reply with quote

They seem to be hiring 11 faculty and starting up on Oct. 1. It looks like a startup - but some of the thoughts/questions I would ask are:

Thoughts
3) Re: phone - they do answer now. Email is more spotty - means they haven't hired people that are emailers/those working are overworked.
4) Their ads are on HigherEd and Chronicle now. Preferring Ph.D.... could be worded better.

Questions
1) How hard would it be to find suitable housing in the nearby area/would they do this?
2) Re the school, it is seriously not at all built?
3) Simply put, startups rely on faculty - some of whom are washed up - to do the grunt work. I wonder who the admin are. The startup I work for in Saudi Arabia had only three on top - one being of ME origin - when they started. Would not be surprised if things were fairly similar.
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Gulezar



Joined: 19 Jun 2007
Posts: 483

PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 6:46 am    Post subject: AUM Reply with quote

Yes, they did not respond to my inquiries last week. Press 1 for Arabic. Press 2 for English. Then: 1 for graduate programs. 2 for undergraduate. O for operator. And then there is no pick up. After hours you can leave a message and they have not responded.
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miski



Joined: 04 Jul 2007
Posts: 298
Location: Kuwait

PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 7:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Asking for PhDs.............??

Another thing is that they advertise on Higher Ed as being in Sharq?

Last time I heard , it was to be built in Egaila / Oquaila down near Fintas way.They came to our school in about May and gave a talk- brought free mugs.......
Sharq is a little bit different to Egaila, mmm a bit different- Sharq is in the city, more ''cosmospolitan'' whereas litle old Egaila is down here in Bedusville.....we have a few nice restaurants and a beach; it's getting better, but what about that huge American compound surrounded by breezeblocks and security guards in Egaila? Wouldn't fancy living / working near there.....A terrorist attack waiting to happen.
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miski



Joined: 04 Jul 2007
Posts: 298
Location: Kuwait

PostPosted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 7:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As I was driving through Salmiya this morning, I could have sworn I saw an advert for ACM..........Is it AUM or ACM ( University or College) ? That doesn't bode well either!

http://www.acm.edu.kw/

or

http://www.aum.edu.kw/AxCMSwebLive/aboutAUMglance.cms

Both affiliated with Purdue.

And e mail addresses eerily similar.
Maybe it makes no difference.
Perhaps Middleastman can enlighten this ignorant soul.
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