First class graduates from American University of Baghdad, once Saddam’s palace

BAGHDAD AP The American University of Baghdad celebrated the graduation of its first cohort of students Saturday at a campus that was once a palace built by Saddam Hussein Agents mentioned they hope the graduation will mark the beginning of a new era in higher teaching in Iraq rooted in modernity openness and international academic standards The university was inaugurated in on the site of the al-Faw Palace built on an island in the middle of an artificial lake by Saddam in the s to mark the retaking of the peninsula of the same name during the war After the U S -led invasion that unseated Saddam in it was used as a U S coalition military headquarters called Camp Preeminence It was later developed into an American-style university with a core liberal arts initiative through funding by influential Iraqi business owner Saadi Saihood A total of students male and female graduated Saturday with degrees in business administration sciences and humanities at a ceremony attended by political dignitaries as well as families and faculty members Speaking to the attendees university President Dr Michael Mulnix reflected on the university s rocky beginnings When I first arrived at the American University of Baghdad in the campus looked nothing like it does the present day he commented Years of war and neglect had left the infrastructure in ruins with numerous buildings damaged or destroyed In the present day we stand before an exceptional nonprofit academic institution that ranks among the finest research universities This day AUB has a growing architecture of international partnerships with top universities he announced including Vanderbilt University Colorado School of Mines Lawrence Technological University Temple University the University of Exeter and Sapienza University of Rome University founder and owner Saihood called the graduation a symbolic moment that affirms this institution was built to last and to make a real difference He acknowledged the economic challenges facing graduates especially the scarcity of cabinet employment but emphasized that the university has equipped its students with the adaptability and initiative needed to thrive in the private sector or through entrepreneurship Although Iraq s protection situation has improved in contemporary years after decades of conflict the country still suffers from brain drain as young people seek opportunities and stability abroad The future in Iraq is not easy All of us graduates have concerns noted Mohammed Baqir from Najaf province who graduated Saturday with a bachelor s degree in business But what sets us apart from other universities is that we ve already received job offers through AUB especially in the private sector Although my teaching cost around ten million Iraqi dinars it was a truly valuable funding Ten million Iraqi dinars equals about Source