Newly-appointed AUK President ‘thrilled’ to contribute to education in Kurdistan

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The newly-appointed President of the American University of Kurdistan (AUK) says he is thrilled at the opportunity of contributing to the development of education and society in the Kurdistan Region.

AUK announced Dr. John Menzies’ appointment as new president of the university in May. Menzies is a retired US Ambassador to Bosnia and former Chief of Mission to Kosovo. He was also previously the president of Graceland University in Iowa, United States.

In an interview with Kurdistan 24, Menzies discussed his plans as president and what he hopes to bring to the community at AUK.

“I’m thrilled to be here in Erbil and Kurdistan, in general. I am thrilled because it fulfills a life-long following of Kurdish events,” he said. “I followed for 25 years the history of the Kurdish people. So, it’s a thrill to be here and to be part of the society.”

The former US ambassador said he wants “to see the university fulfill an important role.”

“Not just in training [of] people in a variety of fields but reaching out to the fields of medicine and contributing everywhere to the well-being of the society, to the health of the whole community, and to the quality of education that’s offered here. It’s a thrill for me,” he stated.

Menzies outlined his plans for the university, noting that he would “contribute to the development of faculty very quickly.”

“We will find opportunities for students to do graduate study in the US I hope. We will create a medical facility and program that will contribute to the healthcare system. We are going to find all kinds of new programs but strengthen the ones that are already there and doing well,” he added.

The AUK president noted that he has experience with “emerging democracies” from his time in Bosnia and Kosovo where he helped those nations “make the transition.”

“I think that there is much that I have learned that will apply to my time here in Kurdistan and I am very hopeful for the future of this place,” he concluded.

AUK was founded in 2014 as a non-profit higher learning institution and is located in the Kurdistan Region’s Duhok governorate.

According to a statement on its website, the university aims to shape the next generation of leaders through its curriculum and exceptional faculty.