Some Nigerian student returnees from Ukraine are part of the recently matriculated students at the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Adamawa State, said the institution.
Thousands of Nigerian students returned to Nigeria as the war between Ukraine and Russia stalled their education early this year.
AUN had wooed the returning students to enrol in its university.
A statement by the university’s spokesperson, Daniel Okereke, noted that students from other African countries including Togo, Cameroon and Burundi enrolled for its Fall 2022 semester that began on Monday.
Mr Okereke noted that the students enrolled in diverse departments including, Information Technology, Engineering, Law, and Natural and Environmental Science programmes.
The statement read in part: “The Convocation and Pledge ceremony held inside the Lamido Musdafa Commencement Hall also marked the formal beginning of AUN’s 34th uninterrupted semester as the new students pledged to uphold the institution’s core values of excellence, integrity, and service to the Community.
“Among the students who matriculated at the ceremony were those who returned from Ukrainian universities following the outbreak of war with Russia, Nigerian students in the Diaspora, and students from Burundi, Togo, Cameroon, and Nigeria.
“Many entering students are enrolled in the School of Information Technology and Computing (SITC), which offers undergraduate and graduate degree courses in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Science and Analytics, and Information Systems.
“Many choose the Biomedical degree under the Natural and Environmental Sciences program, which prepares them to study Medicine and related disciplines after graduation. Other popular programs include Engineering, Petroleum Chemistry, Law, Public Health, Accounting, Entrepreneurship Management, and Communication and Multimedia Design, offering specializations in Public Relations and Advertising, Journalism, Multimedia Design, and Radio/Television/Film studies.”
Welcoming the new students, the Interim President of AUN, Attahir Yusuf, identified diversity management as one of the university’s most vital assets.
He said: “At the American University of Nigeria, we celebrate our diversity. We encourage our students to appreciate diversity, be inclusive in orientation, and promote diversity by respecting individuality. We expect people to have different opinions and beliefs and we accommodate all of these as a close-knitted learning community guided by certain principles”.
Mr Yusuf, a professor, encouraged the new students to take advantage of the University’s resources for academic and emotional support.
He also advised them to exercise their freedom as responsible undergraduates and reiterated the institution’s zero tolerance for sexual harassment, bullying, cultism, hard drugs, academic cheating, and other social vices.
“Here at AUN, every individual is valued, and every individual is also supported and encouraged to be the best they can be. We also demand the very best from our students and strive for them to achieve excellent academic and extra-curricular accomplishments in this community”.
Also speaking, the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, Patrick Fay, said some of the advantages to be derived from the university include flexibility to choose and change programmes.
“This small class size encourages closer interaction between students and professors, e-library resources, academic support units to help struggling students, and the American liberal arts curriculum, which requires students to take courses outside their core discipline,” he said.
Mr Fay, a former Irish ambassador to Nigeria, who also chairs the AUN Committee of Deans, also advised the new students to enrich their academic experience by engaging in extra-curricular activities, including leadership training and service learning.
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