Al Akhawayn News
Al Akhawayn University Signs Partnership with the American University of Beirut
The MoU sets a five-year collaboration between both Al Akhawayn and AUB in academics including exchange programs of students and faculty; short-term academic and training programs; joint organization of academic meetings, seminars, and workshops; and the development of joint-degree or dual-degree programs. “This is a good opportunity for our institution to expand to this part of the Arab world,” said Ahmed Legrouri, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Al Akhawayn University. "We are confident that this partnership will be mutually beneficial and would encourage the exchange of ideas." Signing the MoU were Ahmad Dallal, Provost at AUB, and Ahmed Legrouri, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Al Akhawayn, with the presence of Katherine Yngve and Amy Fishburn, directors of the Office of International Programs at AUB and Al-Akhawayn, respectively. Founded in 1866, the American University of Beirut bases its educational philosophy, standards, and practices on the American liberal arts model of higher education. A teaching-centered research university, AUB has around 700 instructional faculty and a student body of around 8,000 students.
Sustaining Entrepreneurial Leadership at Al Akhawayn University
“The competition aims at nurturing entrepreneurial culture among Al Akhawayn students in all areas of specialization,” said Wafa El Garah, Dean of the School of Business Administration. “Our role is to challenge them to transform their ideas into real business opportunities, assist them to successfully launch start-up companies, and coach them as they learn how to lead the companies of tomorrow be it in the Ifrane region, Morocco, or beyond.” Participants in the competition will have the opportunity to meet national and international business leaders, and present their ideas to prospective sponsors and investors with the opportunity of further developing their innovative projects; while the winner will receive prize money of $5,000. The plans will be evaluated by high caliber judges consisting of investors, senior entrepreneurs, bankers, and academicians. Julian Hilton and Malika Moussaid, Chairman and CEO in Aleff Group, respectively, met with Al Akhawayn students in a public presentation, then in an award ceremony for outstanding business students, boasting and inspiring them to join the adventure of entrepreneurial leadership. “Don’t be afraid to change, you will end up gaining something better even if you lose. Communication skills and team spirit are much more important,” said Julian Hilton in his address to Al Akhawayn students. Both Al Akhawayn and Alleff Group signed a partnership agreement to work jointly on advancing The Aleff Group is headquartered in the Canary Wharf district in London with offices in the United States. The Group specializes in finding solutions to complex problems, often caused by changes in laws or regulations, or scientific advances. Their unique methodology has been tested and successfully implemented in a wide variety of operational settings in the public and private sectors.
Al Akhawayn Students Crowned National Innovative Developers and win Trip to India
Ifrane, May 10, 2012 – Computer Science students Wassim Benhallam (‘12), Ali Elouafiq (‘12), and Ayoub Khobalatte (‘12) won the first prize at the 2012 Moroccan Innovation in Information Technology (Innov'IT) contest organized by the Association of Users of Information Systems in Morocco in partnership with the Moroccan Federation of Information Technology, Telecom, and Offshoring (APEBI) at the Hassania School of Public Works in Casablanca on May 5, 2012. Among 14 institutions and engineering schools, Al Akhawayn University team was awarded the first prize for their social network application JabekLah. The application is an e-support platform, and is designed to allow users to ask the community connected to JabekLah any type of assistance through a mobile terminal. The APEBI offered to the award-winning Al Akhawayn students a trip to India's IT city, Bangalore, where they will present their projects to potential investors and Indian companies. The winning team received tablet devices and a bank card with a purchase fund. Within the framework of promoting information systems in academia, this year’s competition was launched on January 21, 2012 under the theme of Mobile Services. Students from different programs in engineering information systems across Morocco were required to create a mobile service for individual customers and businesses. The challenge was also to allow access to the service through a mobile terminal (smartphone or tablet) to services provided by government or private businesses, and to promote the access to and sharing of information of common interest. "The level of participation was very high in terms of technical, innovative, functional, and marketing tools,” said student Ali Elouafiq. “Thanks to our supervisor, Professor Riduan Mohamed Abid, and to the academic curriculum we follow at Al Akhawayn University, we were able to be distinctive at different levels of the competition." “The competition was a very good challenge to our students,” said Dr. Abid, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Al Akhawayn and Academic Supervisor of the team. “Contests like this one are of paramount importance and reflect the quality of institutions and their students in the real world. Al Akhawayn University has a lot of potential and students Wassim, Ayoub, and Ali have proved so with their commitment and creativity, no matter how hard it had been throughout. » The runner-up prize was awarded to students from the National School of Computer Science and Systems Analysis for the application "MoBuy" which aims at bringing services such as ticketing and electronic payment to end users through mobile terminals. The third prize went to the team from the Hassania School of Public Works for the application "MesPas", a tracking system via a mobile terminal. To view a promotional video of the winning application, JabekLah , click here .
Al Akhawayn University Elected to the Board of Meknes Moubadara
Ifrane, May 14, 2012 – Al Akhawayn University was elected member of the regional association “Meknes Moubadara” on May 10, 2012. Offering funding opportunities, and accompanying the creation and the development of small enterprises, “Meknes Moubadara” elected its executive board in Meknes. Among many other institutions, Al Akhawayn University attained one of the eleventh board positions within the association, represented by Said Nouamani, from the President Office. Other elected institutions include the Region Council of Meknes Tafilalet, the Prefectural Council of Meknes, the Prefecture of Meknes, the Municipal Council of Meknes, the Agency for Social Development, the Office of Professional Training and Employment Promotion (OFPPT), the National Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Competencies (ANAPEC), "Entre elles" Association, the General Confederation of Enterprises of Morocco (CGEM), and the Banque Populaire Foundation. “Being a model of development in the Ifrane region, Al Akhawayn has now extended its contribution to the Meknes-Tafilalet region,” said Said Nouamani. “We will be contributing through training programs, consulting services, incubating, and agreements through our community service units associations.” The Meknes Moubadara Association aims at creating a support fund to enhance entrepreneurship among unemployed citizens, and help them start their own businesses. The association will act in the following areas: • Evaluating projects and business plans. • Training project holders. • Funding partially or totally selected projects (up to 150,000 MAD). • Incubating when possible. • Assisting at the technical, financial, and marketing level. • Assigning mentors and advisors to the project holders. • Ensuring the follow up of the projects.
500 Children, 8 Schools, and 5 New School Buses
The school buses will provide an easier commute to over 500 children from and to more than eight schools in the area of Ifrane. In 2011, the student-run Hand in Hand association allocated over 300,000 DH from the money raised during its yearly fund-raising event, the Fun Run, for the purchase of school buses for children living in remote villages around Ifrane. During the 2012 Fun Run, Al Akhawayn University President Driss Ouaouicha signed a convention with Jelloul Samsam, Governor of the Province of Ifrane, whereby the Province will match the amount of money raised. |
campus tour
Briefly NotedBouziane Zaid, Assistant Professor of Communication at Al Akhawayn University, presented his paper entitled "Digital News and Journalism Ethics in Morocco" in the World Press Freedom Day Conference in Tunis, Tunisia, on May 3-6, 2012. Posted on 05/19/2012…
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Ifrane, May 17, 2012 – Al Akhawayn University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the 
Ifrane, May 14, 2012 - Al Akhawayn School of Business Administration launched its first Sustainable Business Plan Competition with the co-operation of 
the concept of sustainable development among students. “Al Akhawayn curriculum has already created a culture of ambition, aspiration, and entrepreneurship, and that is what we would like to build on,” said Malika Moussaid. “Ifrane has a visibility worldwide, and has the potential to be a magnet for attracting local, regional, national, and international talents.” 
Ifrane, May 11, 2012 – Al Akhawayn student-run Hand in Hand association will be donating four standard and one wheelchair accessible school buses to four communes in the Ifrane Province (Tizguit, Sidi El Makhfi, Ifrane, and Azrou). 
Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane
P.O. Box 104, Hassan II Avenue, 53000 Ifrane, Morocco
Phone: +212 535 86 20 00
www.aui.ma
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