AIU Buckhead, Georgia
AIU Dunwoody, Georgia
AIU Houston, Texas
AIU London, England
AIU Los Angeles, California
AIU Online
AIU South Florida
AU Dubai, United Arab Emirates
News and discussions from around the globe
The Miracle of Education
Faculty Members Set Stage for Student Success
Volume 1 | Issue 1
Summer 2006
Face-To-Face . . . . . . . . .1
Teacher's Lounge . . . . .5
The Quad . . . . . . . . . . . .7
The Classroom . . . . . . . .9
Major Minor . . . . . . . . .11
Online Outlook . . . . . . .12
By Gordon Russell, Dean, School of Design – AIU Weston, Florida
Do you believe in miracles? Do you believe that teachers can make a difference? Ask any good
Instructor at any level of education, and they will tell you it is the primary reason they teach.
Friday night, April 21st was a night of miracles. One more graduation, just like all the others you
might say. Not this one. A young man sat among his fellow classmates from the School of Design,
waiting for his name to be called. David Emmanuel Pedemonte-Forte did what everyone said was
impossible. He was about to graduate from college.
For someone diagnosed as autistic at the age of five, just being able to speak is an accomplishment few thought he could do. Autism, is a developmental disorder that impairs communication and
social skills. It can cause repetitive, intensely focused behavior and has no known cure.
(Continued on page 2)
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face-to-face
By George, Welcome!
A message from the CEO
By Dr. George Miller, Chief Executive Officer, American InterContinental University
Welcome to our first issue of @AIU, the magazine of
American InterContinental University. This publication is
designed to provide you with news and insights from
the campuses of AIU.
There are many exciting things happening at each
of our campuses every week. Our faculty bring innovation each day into our classrooms. In this magazine
you will meet some of these fine faculty and read more
about their outstanding work. How they are reinventing
education and motivating our students to greatness.
You will also read about our students. I cannot say
enough how proud I am of the dedication and commitment our students demonstrate. The focus and enthusiasm they bring to the campuses is inspiring. To capture this enthusiasm and dedication to learning is central to our mission at AIU. In this magazine we plan to
showcase the fine work our students are doing from
traveling the world to winning amazing awards in their
communities.
This first edition of @AIU is dedicated to innovation.
William Pollard once said, “Learning and innovation go
hand-in-hand. The arrogance of success is to think that
what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.”
This is a year of great change and innovation here
at AIU. I am proud of the progress that we are making
and the great people of the University who are building
a better tomorrow for our students.
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The Miracle of
Education
(Continued from page 1)
So how do you take a student like this and turn him
into an extraordinary computer animator? You start with
caring. Then you look for an area where he can utilize
his “intensely focused behavior” toward a creative skill.
And when you do, you realize that you have an exceptional individual before you, and you learn from him.
David likes Anime, Japanese animation, and produced a 16-minute animated trailer for an animated feature, entitled Pastor Samurai Kappei, that he hopes to
produce. This trailer was accomplished during his
Senior Design Project class and Final Portfolio.
When asked about continuing his education, David
replied, “Maybe I don’t really need school to learn a little
bit more”. Maybe. When asked how he wanted others
to treat him he replied, “I just want to be treated as I
treat everyone else. And at the same time, I want to be
loved as I love everyone else.”
We all love you David.
Team Pride
Faculty Members Set Stage
for Student Success
By Gene Loflin, Ph.D., Vice President for
Academic Affairs, AIU Buckhead
It is with great pride that the Interior Design
Department announces that three of its students and
one of its Adjunct Faculty won awards in the Residential
and Contract categories at the Design 2006, ASID
Design Excellence Awards held in Atlanta this past April.
Students who entered had to be “enrolled full-time
in an accredited interior design program or technical
school during the time of completion of the project, with
skills commensurate with the criteria for judging.”
The successful students are Sungeun (Jennifer) Kim
who won Bronze in the Contract category, Ashley
Ledbetter who won Silver in the same category, and
Crystal Kent who won Silver in the Residential category.
Of the seven possible awards our students won three of
the seven, thus making our department the largest winner in the student categories.
After collecting her award Jennifer Kim was
approached by a local commercial design firm who
suggested she consider interviewing with them. Ashley
Ledbetter graduated last term and is now a designer at
a local firm renowned for cutting-edge restaurant
design. Crystal Kent, a very active student member of
ASID (The American Society of Interior Designers), will
be a senior at the end of this term.
Stephen Wells, Adjunct Faculty in the Interior
Design Department and Project Manager at a leading
International architectural design firm, and a
Professional Member of ASID won Gold in the Retail
category for the design of two new innovative shopping
environments inside the new Georgia Aquarium.
The first and largest shop, (6,000-sq.-ft.) welcomes
visitors to a darkened deep-sea environment complete
with glimmering jellies and large tendrils of green kelp
which climb and twist to form passageways.
The second store is a 600-sq.-ft. children’s nook
where tension-hung shelving displays merchandise in
such a way that it appears to be suspended in water.
Pale blue and yellow terrazzo flooring and a lime-green
ceiling glowing with jellyfish-like lights creates a cheerful
space in which children can interact with “sea creatures.”
Stephen wrote “I am glad you are writing this for the
students. I do not know which I was the most proud
of, winning for my own project or having two of my students win for projects they did under my instruction. It
was a very exciting night!”
Caught On Tape
By Tom Anderson, Faculty – AIU
Buckhead
The Media Society is the student organization in the
Media Production Department at American
InterContinental University Buckhead. First Quarter
activities included hosting two guest speakers. Mr.
Elliot Holmes, an AIU alumnus, has worked on several
feature films with Tyler Perry (Actor/Director of “Madea’s
Family Reunion” and “Diary of a Mad Black Woman”)
and shared those experiences with the students. “Mizz
Shyneka”, the other guest speaker, is a local radio personality with a popular Atlanta station. More than 50
students were in attendance to hear these speakers,
and the event created a lot of excitement in the department.
Society members are also taping weekly talent
shows at a local nightclub, and video excerpts are
being used on a well-known entertainment company’s
website to promote this weekly event. Other activities
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included taping the AIU Basketball game between the
staff and the students, producing a video presentation
focused on our seniors in the June graduation and
speaking to new Media Production Students at a recent
Orientation.
Board Members of the Media Society are: Jonathan
Williams (President), Devin Calixte (Vice President and
Founder), Keisha Williams (Director), Robert Ingram
(Director), and Yinessa Jackson (Director). Advisors to
the Society are Tom Anderson (Dean), David Gregory
(Assistant Dean), and Jennifer Davis (Academic
Advisor).
Senior MP Student Juan Barraza recently finished
producing a terrific documentary video project for a
local non-profit Christian outreach group that helps men
and women with alcohol and substance abuse problems get their lives back on track.
New MP FT Faculty Member Shandra McDonald
appeared on a panel of filmmakers in Atlanta to discuss
her newest film “The Last Adam”, winner of the prestigious Southeastern Media Award at the Atlanta Film
Festival. “The Last Adam” tells the story of six racially
diverse childhood friends who return home to the deep
south to revisit their beleaguered pasts. This film was
produced by the team of Ms. McDonald, Edford
Banuel, and Erroll Bailey.
An Eye For Beauty
By Professor Gill Coupland, MA, Dean
of Visual Communication – AIU London
Visual Communication student Christopher Miggels
(USA) - has been given a professional Licentiateship (in
Fashion photography) award by the British Institute of
Professional Photographers (BIPP). The process
involved the submission of a portfolio of 20 images
(which was put together with a great deal of effort and
less efforts in supporting students, and help in building
our photographic specialization into the quality program
it is today.
Almost Famous
By Professor Gill Coupland, MA, Dean
of Visual Communication – AIU London
Visual Communication student Philippe Teixeira is
on his way to New York to art direct an autumn campaign for a famous fashion house along with a wellknown photographer. Philippe designed the collection
concept and will art direct the fashion shoots (as well as
shoes and accessories) at the photographer’s studio in
New York. He will be working with a celebrated supermodel as well as other top models.
Once Again…
By Mory Green, Fashion Design &
Marketing Faculty – AIU Buckhead
professionalism). He presented his work to a panel of
judges—6 top professional photographers.
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This is a significant achievement for a student whilst
in school—Chris will now have LBIPP after his name.
The members of the BIPP were so impressed they recommended he apply later for full membership.
The Classroom
The BIPP is linked with the Professional Bureau of
Professional Photographers in the USA. We expect
other students to have the opportunity to gain this professional status in the future.
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We thank Jon Gray and James Brown for their tire-
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Once again our Fashion Design students were winners’ of a significant national competition. Nine of our
students represented American InterContinental
University Buckhead, and three of those students made
it to the finals. They are Krisalyn Cease, Ndirika EkumaNkama, and Mathew Ridenhour. The judging took place
in New York City and was based on Innovation,
Commercial Viability, User Focus, Design knowledge,
and Craftsmanship. Each student will receive a $500.00
cash prize and the promise from the sponsor to develop and market the student’s designs. Design #1 is a
Hair Accessory, #2 a Handbag or Purse, #3 a free
choice accessory.
Other incentives are a Photo/Bio on the packaged
product, publicity in major magazines, and a Design
summit conducted in Atlanta for 3 days, 2 nights with
all paid expenses worth $1500.00. I am very proud of
my class, and the students are delighted to see their
designs being developed for the Accessory Market
beginning fall 2007.
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Welcome!
By Lacretia Harris, Marketing Director –
AIU Dunwoody
Dr. Joseph P. Plumley has joined American
InterContinental University Dunwoody , as Vice
President of Academic Affairs.
Dr. Plumley will provide academic leadership and
work with department deans and faculty to formulate
and implement long-range plans for academic programs. He will also participate in strategic planning at
the senior administrative level and coordinate instructional development and enrollment management with
academic departments.
He earned his bachelor's, masters, and doctorate
of education degrees from the University of Georgia.
Most recently, he was the graduate dean at the Keller
Graduate School at DeVry University in Atlanta.
Three New Additions
With an educational background spanning over thirty years Dr. Plumley is a valued and welcome addition
to our university.
A new full-time professor in business administration
and adjunct professors in information technology and
mathematics have joined the faculty at American
InterContinental University Houston for the spring 2006
term.
_______________________________________
American InterContinental University Dunwoody
announced the appointment of Dr. Joy M. Richman, as
chair of the Entertainment and Sports Marketing (ESM)
study concentration.
Dr. Richman brings a wealth of expertise and experience to AIU-Dunwoody’s ESM concentration program.
She has extensive sport management experience and
was the former Director of Athletics for NCAA Division I,
II, and III collegiate sport programs. Her research,
teaching, and clinical interests focus on the role of
women in sport and sport marketing fields. She is also
the author of numerous scholarly articles and is noted
as a polished presenter at international and national
sport management and athletic conferences.
AIU Houston
Full-time business professor Dr. Binta Abubakar,
who earned her doctorate in marketing at the highly
regarded Monash University in Australia, comes to AIU
Houston from Morgan State University in Baltimore.
She taught in both graduate and undergraduate programs at several Australian universities from 1997 until
coming to the United States last year. Before embarking upon her academic career, Dr. Abubakar served as
a banking officer for a major corporate bank in her
native Nigeria. She has authored or co-authored more
than 30 scholarly articles in referenced publications and
has made presentations at professional conferences in
London, South Africa, and Australia.
Along with his M.S. in Computer Information
Systems, adjunct Professor Roy Beatty brings a wealth
of real-world experience to his class in Advanced
Internet Technologies at AIU Houston. Professor Beatty
spent ten years in Louisiana and Arkansas as a project
manager, administrator, and financial analyst for various
companies after earning a bachelor’s degree in
accounting from the University of Louisiana. He is currently responsible for administration of a 300-user network in Houston and has a strong background in usertraining and support documentation.
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New adjunct professor Leonard Thomas loves
math, and his AIU-Houston students in Precalculus
Mathematics this term will be able to draw upon his
nearly 30 years of experience in the high school and
college classroom to make the going a good deal
smoother for them. Professor Thomas holds an M.S.
and a B.A. in mathematics from Texas Southern
University and has also done postgraduate work at the
University of California-Santa Barbara and the Institute
for Advanced Study at Princeton. He has taught most
recently at University of Houston-Downtown and Rice
University as an adjunct faculty member. Among
Professor Thomas’ many honors are the Outstanding
Educator Award from the National Organization for the
Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and
Chemical Engineers in 1996 and the Excellence in
Teaching Award for Math and Science in 1992.
Meet The Faculty
By Jenny C. Rhee, Director IEAR –
AIU Los Angeles
American InterContinental University Los Angeles
would like to welcome its two newest additions to the
faculty, James Carroll, Ph.D., and Tina Means.
Joining us as the new Chair of the Business department, Dr. Carroll brings with him years of business and
teaching experience. His initial career culminated with
the position of President and CEO of a leading underwater products company chaired by Jacques Yves
Cousteau. Dr. Carroll’s extensive career has also included management consulting with over sixty clients in
over twenty-five industries. In the educational field, he
has been the Chairman of the Marketing and Strategy
Department at a major University, and has taught the
capstone course in the MBA program for Universities on
Miami and Jamaica campuses, as well as teaching in
the West Indies.
Administration/Criminal Justice. She is currently seeking
her Ph.D., with her dissertation interest in “institutional
isomorphism and community policing.” Ms. Means is a
member of the American Sociology Association, the
American Society of Public Administration, the
American Society of Criminology, and the Association
for Criminal Justice Research. Due to budgeting constraints, the department she had long been a part of
was disbanded in January of this year, encouraging her
to seek her first teaching position here at American
InterContinental University Los Angeles.
Houston Welcomes
New President
AIU Houston
Dr. Harold Griffin has taken the reins as President of
American InterContinental University Houston.
Speaking at an all-employee meeting in early April, Dr.
Griffin told faculty and staff that “AIU Houston is the
best kept secret in the Texas Gulf Coast region, and we
intend to move quickly and aggressively to make our
excellent educational opportunities well-known to all.”
Dr. Griffin comes to American InterContinental
University Houston from a local for-profit competitor in
Houston, where he served as Dean. He holds a Ph.D.
in Human Services, with a specialization in Healthcare
Administration, as well as an M.B.A. in Finance from
Capella University and an M.A. in Health Services
Management and Public Administration from Webster
University. Dr. Griffin’s previous academic career included teaching posts at public and private, non-profit, and
for-profit institutions of higher learning. While Director of
Graduate Programs in Health Administration, for a local
university, he oversaw that department’s growth to the
10th largest program of its kind in the U.S. and Canada.
Before entering the higher education arena, Dr.
Griffin spent ten years in the armed forces as a healthcare manager and administrator. Most recently, he
worked in management for a large Houston-based
healthcare delivery system as System Director of
Human Resources and Director of the system’s Center
for Professional Excellence, an entity dedicated to
advancing the art and science of nursing through leadership, development, and research.
A Houston area native, Dr. Griffin says that he looks
forward to helping AIU Houston realize its full potential
by drawing upon the many contacts that he has developed in the local business, healthcare, and education
communities over the past several years.
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The newest member of the Criminal Justice department, Ms. Means is dedicated to both the criminal justice field and education. She spent many years working
as part of the Pasadena Unified School District School
Police Department. While there she was involved in
informative programs and addresses, as well as trainings, in addition to her policing duties. Upon being promoted to Sergeant, Ms. Means decided to continue her
education and earned her Masters in Public
“...AIU Houston is the
best kept secret
in the Texas...”
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We Have Grown
By Alysia Hall, Project Manager, AIU –
Dunwoody
The Media Center at American InterContinental
University Dunwoody has been expanded to include
additional resources for our students!
There are now 22 new terminals installed to supplement the 25 terminals in the Media Center proper. All of
the software and databases on the terminals in the
Media Center proper are also on these new terminals
which all include USB ports for students to save their
work. Due to our ever-expanding book collection, new
book shelves have been installed, and a door has been
added from the Media Center into the adjoining classroom, 163-C.
This room will be used for the librarians to teach
classes on Media Center resources to our students. It
will also be used for the student overflow from the
Media Center proper terminals when not reserved for
class instruction.
Come take a look at our “New Look”!
Time Off In Tokyo
By Tony Skitt, Student Affairs –
AIU London
Over 60 students and staff members of American
InterContinental University London have just returned
from Tokyo where the group spent Spring Break studying Japanese commercial culture and the fashion and
arts scenes in one of the world's most vibrant capital
cities.
The Tokyo trip formed part of the University's annual
study tour program, which seeks to offer students the
chance of visiting various parts of the world to help
acquaint the student with an understanding of a variety
of international cultures (from the perspective of their
academic program). In previous years, AIU groups
have visited Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Cape Town,
Bangkok, and Mumbai. This year, students from our
schools of Business, Visual Communication, Media
Production, and Fashion were able to enjoy Tokyo.
Our tour was organized around a series of site visits
aimed at educating the group into the traditions and
cultural norms and practices of the Japanese people.
We then sought to develop this knowledge further with
an examination of the contemporary commercial and
artistic culture of Japan, to develop an understanding of
the environment that commercial organizations (both
Japanese and multi-national) and artists operate within,
being based in the Japanese capital.
Our days were spent visiting businesses, along with
business leaders and professionals within the arts, fashion and media industries who helped us to make sense
of the commercial environment of Tokyo for the arts and
business and how it fits into that of the rest of the Asian
region and the rest of the world.
To cap off a memorable trip, we were fortunate
enough to be in Tokyo, just as the Cherry Blossoms
Season hit full bloom. A time of the year that is deeply
symbolic to the Japanese, it provided a spectacular
backdrop to a wonderful trip.
On A Mission
By Jaime Scholnick, Faculty, Visual
Communication – AIU Los Angeles
The mission of American InterContinental University
Los Angeles’ Xit Gallery is to foster an exchange
between the burgeoning art community in Los Angeles,
the student population, and the community at large.
The exhibitions that are presented here seek to serve as
a “hands-on” learning tool for our student population
and others in the community, exposing each to a variety
of art forms that are both contemporary and traditional
in nature. In this regard the upcoming 2006 - 2007 season is host to many notable international and domestic
artists.
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The last show ran from April through May, and featured L.A. artist Martin Durazo's “Examinations of
Harmful Living and Alternative Spirituality”.
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June through July, the Xit Gallery is presenting "The
Senior Thesis Show." This show consists of works done
by graduating AIU Los Angeles seniors in the Interior
Design, Visual Communication, Fashion, and Media
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Production departments.
July and August will present a new installation by
L.A. artist Julia Latane. Ms. Latane has exhibited her
work in Amsterdam, Tokyo, and throughout the USA.
Her work is an exploration of scientific theories (i.e.,
super string theory) and organic forms found in nature.
These ideas are brought to life in a sculptural, highly
crafted manner, which is easily accessible to the public.
September and October will feature Los Angeles
based photographer James Graham. Mr. Graham's
photographs of traffic cones and everyday objects are
pushed far beyond their realm. These objects are
infused with brilliant colors making them "other worldly."
In 2007 AIU Los Angeles professor Claudia Huiza
will guest-curate a show of artists from Los Angeles and
Latin America. We have also scheduled exhibitions with
L.A. graphic designer and artist Sally Coates, L.A. artist
Tom Nolan as well as an exhibition featuring our own
highly recognized AIU Los Angeles faculty.
New York Study Tour
By Loree McConnell, Chair, Department
of Fashion – AIU Los Angeles
This past April, American InterContinental University
Los Angeles took 47 students and 6 instructors from
the Fashion, Interior Design and Visual Communication
departments to the Big Apple for their annual New York
Study Tour. Students were able to meet with industry
professionals who gave them insight into internships
and career paths. They also received a real-life view of
the industries, behind the scenes views of various firms,
and a chance to have questions answered by professionals with plenty of experience and secrets to share!
In addition to the work involved there was plenty of
fun as well. Students and faculty enjoyed sightseeing
around our hotel near Times Square, shopping on nearby 5th Avenue, walking the few blocks to Central Park,
subway rides to visit sights, ice skating at Rockefeller
Center, and catching a Broadway show.
Fur Your Information
By Krista Wasson, Instructor – AIU
South Florida
We would like to congratulate Fashion student
Anitra Harrington for her “Honorable Mention” award
from the 2006 DAF (Design Against Fur) National poster
contest! This poster contest was used as the final project for fashion students enrolled in FAS 250: CAD 1
during the winter 2006 term.
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Anitra’s poster will soon be placed on the Fur Free
Alliance web site for all to see! www.infurmation.com
Congratulations Anitra!
And They’re Off...
AIU Dunwoody
The campus was filled with anticipation and excitement as the first annual Dunwoody Derby was set to
begin. The Derby had been announced in February just
shortly after Dr. Kim Williams was asked to take the
reins of faculty development. The derby concept was
multifaceted although it served two basic functions: 1)
completion of required in-service training sessions and
2) an avenue to build collegiality on campus.
Preparation for the derby included the creation of
Embassy Downs, a bulletin board inclusive of a track,
clubhouse seating, grandstands and of course the race
horses. Horses are owned by groups of teams consisting of fulltime and adjunct faculty. Each team was
assigned a list of team-building activities which included
naming the horse, choosing a team name, the election
of equestrian titles for each team member, etc.
Each team and respective owners were listed on
the bulletin board, thus representing the grandstands.
Horse selection took place in President Buswell’s office,
betting chips, trophies and a lot of horse talk occurred
at this event. Long stem red roses were given to all the
participants. On race day…President Buswell led the
Parade to the Derby Post and the race began at
Embassy Downs.
Horses progressed around the track as the owners
(the team) successfully completed in-service trainings.
Upon completion of the annual requirements the faculty
was seated and pictured in the elite group of Jockey
Club Level Suite Owners, although their horses were still
in the competition. The trend among the faculty was to
complete the required trainings and take the information
into the classroom. This gave the faculty members an
opportunity to hone their teaching skills throughout the
remaining calendar year.
The winter quarter assessment showed that 100%
of the full-time faculty were in compliance with the quarterly requirement and 33% of the adjunct faculty had
made progress toward the annual requirement. As of
the end of April, 50% of the full-time faculty (excluding
new faculty) and 10% of the adjunct faculty had met or
exceeded the annual requirements for in-service training. President Buswell gave his full support of the Derby
and is extremely proud of the faculty!
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Watch The Presses Run
By Linda Hamburger, Adjunct Instructor,
Advertising – AIU South Florida
Over thirty AIU South Florida students in the school
of Visual Communications enjoyed a half-day tour of
one of the world's most advanced presses in action at
a South Florida printing production plant. This company
is the major daily newspaper provider of Broward and
South Palm Beach counties in Florida. On a typical day,
at least 170 pages of news and advertising information
reach more than 600,000 readers, and more than
850,000 on Sundays.
On the tour, AIU Viscom students were shown how
robots are used to carry rolls of paper to the presses,
how newsprint is stored, and how presses operate.
They were also told how the paper's pre-press and
packaging areas work. In addition, students received
close-up pointers from professional graphic designers in
the layout and pagination departments.
Survivors
AIU Dunwoody
Forensic students from the American
InterContinental University Dunwoody recently attended
an autopsy at the Fulton County Medical Examiner's
Office.
These students are enrolled in the Medicolegal
Death Investigations and Introduction to Forensic
Science classes.
A total of nine students attended the Saturday
morning autopsy and saw everything from the process
of initial photographs to the sewing of the body. The
students were able to interact with the pathologist during the autopsy via intercom with any questions.
All of the students survived the experience!
Passion For Fashion
By Jim Vernon, President – AIU South
Florida
American InterContinental University in Weston held
their third annual student fashion show earlier this year
appropriately titled “Passion: A Tribute to Fashion”.
Thirty student designers were able to show off their latest creations in front of over 800 people.
Student designer Omar Mornan said seeing his creation on the runway was inspiring, it was like “magic”!
PJ Brown, a senior at the university has already been
involved in several fashion shows and had also been a
designer for the Miss Caribbean pageant. Each new
show allows him the opportunity to show off his latest
creations.
It all starts on paper and then the student’s designs
come alive on a model. Neali Hamilton who was making
her fashion debut said “I’m super excited. I’m nervous,
but I can’t wait”.
Gordon Russell, dean of the School of Design said
“This is about learning and this is about passion by students and staff”.
Gun Control
AIU Dunwoody’s New
FATS Lab
AIU Dunwoody
Michael Gwen, pictured here is an Atlanta Police
officer and one of the technicians for the Dunwoody
Firearms Training System Lab (FATS).
The Dunwoody FATS lab is a Virtual Training System
that allows students to get training opportunities that
would be difficult or impossible to otherwise replicate in
a real world setting. The FATS system will provide repetitive training in a controlled environment with instant
feedback, after-action reviews, force-on-force training,
and geographically diverse environments. Mr. Lee
Brooks is the lead professor/technician that will be
operating the lab.
Mr. Brooks showed the Executive Team several dif-
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ferent scenarios on handling risky situations and
whether to use a gun, pepper spray, or just talk with the
troubled individual(s) in question. Mr. Brooks says that
he will focus on the academic side of the decision making part of each scenario with the students. He wants
to make students understand the whole practical network of the Criminal Justice program. Lee went over
some of the differences in the way the scenarios can
play out and the way the student can actually change
the way it plays out. He mentioned that the Gaming
students are also going to utilize the FATS lab to learn
how to develop high-end illustrations. From the
Business Management students to Visual
Communications Illustrations to CJ professionals, all of
our students here at AIU Dunwoody will benefit from
using the FATS lab.
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Abandoned
By Gill Stark, Fashion Dean – AIU
London
Cracking The Case
By Ronald E. Armstrong, Faculty,
Criminal Justice – AIU Los Angeles
Walking into a gloomy, slightly smoky atmosphere,
the audience crowded into a packed theatre.
Since its inception in the fall of last year, the
Forensic Sciences Laboratory at American
InterContinental University Los Angeles has transitioned
from little more than a fledgling thought to a fully working and breathing crime lab in spring of this year.
As the lights dimmed, three figures emerged from
the gloom and performed a dance which was both
edgy and fluid at the same time. Surprising at times—
evocative figures glimpsed in a forest, fading back into
the audience as the catwalk element of the show
began.
The lab holds 16 seats, a portable fuming hood,
models, casts, charts, and graphics of human anatomy,
biology, and pathology. It also has a student computing
center with several electronic journals, including forensic
software for crime scene reconstruction and analysis,
the estimations of age, sex, race, and stature from
human skeletal remains, and facial reconstruction.
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With the popularity of television shows depicting
this field, the Forensic Sciences have become a hot
topic, and students are clamoring for the coursework.
Here at AIU Los Angeles we are ready to meet that
challenge and look forward to serving our student population with real world equipment and supplies, and by
giving them the training that they need to succeed.
The 2006 winter term at American InterContinental
University London saw a busy term culminate in a fashion show, produced by Fashion Marketing students,
with designs on the runway by Fashion Design students.
While a mere 34 feet by 19 feet in size, the laboratory has holdings that will allow it to conduct research
and teachings in several of the Forensic Sciences
including fingerprinting, pathology, serology, radiology,
ballistics, scent evidence, photography, anthropology,
entomology, and osteology.
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It is the hopes that this new center of learning at
AIU Los Angeles will attract new students while retaining and rekindling the imaginations of our existing students. In the little time that this lab has been undergoing
its genesis it has created much interest, and the students and public have taken to it with great enthusiasm.
A recent “Forensics Day” open house drew over 100
prospective students to our campus and another event
is already scheduled due to the increased interest.
Shadows became models, stepping out through a
haze and onto the runway with hair dishevelled and
make-up streaked.
The audience were treated to work by students
across the design program, from students in their first
term at the campus, to those on level 300 design
courses; Denim, Women’s wear, Men’s wear, clever
Pattern-Cutting, Embroidery, Knit and Millinery; everything had a common theme, which was dark, sombre,
and above all … ABANDONED.
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Travel Log
By William Moore, President – AIU
London
Associate Professor Dr. Susan Marchant-Haycox,
Psychologist and Chair of the Faculty and Staff
Development Committee at American InterContinental
University London, is one of AIU’s intrepid travelers.
She has accompanied business students on study
tours to South Africa, Hong Kong, and Japan. On
these visits students have had the opportunity to attend
presentations given by leading figures at local and international companies (e.g., advertising agencies, tourism
boards, banks, Chambers of Commerce and airlines);
and take part in cultural activities extending their knowledge of highly diversified countries.
Over the last few years Susan has given psychology
lectures and presentations on AIU London to a wide
range of institutions in Malaysia where she also organized articulation agreements and attended education
fairs. Recently she was the guest of honor speaker at
Malaysia Institute of Art graduation dinner at Crown
Princess Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, and attended an
International Professional Women’s conference at the
Mandarin Hotel also in Kuala Lumpur.
Not only is Susan involved in academia she enjoys
being active in the mass media; appearing on television
and radio and writing for national and international
newspapers and magazines.
Tough Love
By Jim Vernon, President – AIU South
Florida
Our Criminal Justice Sociodrama group performed
a “sociodrama” about dating and relationships in
today's society at a local High School auditorium in
Weston called “Tough Love”.
Tough Love is geared towards student audiences
and addresses problems young people may face such
as abusive relationships, substance abuse, and
acquaintance rape.
This kind of theater is used to educate the public
and raise awareness about these very real issues.
All That Jazz
By Jim Vernon, President – AIU South
Florida
The Jazz band at American InterContinental
University in South Florida performed earlier this year at
the 14th Annual President’s Festival in the Park.
Playing for well over an hour, the band closed with
the “National Anthem” while the crowd enjoyed the
spectacular fireworks display.
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A Map for the Future
By Alan Drimmer, Ph.D., President American InterContinental University
Online
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seminars in their field of study, travel programs, discounted items for purchase, and much, much more.
The Alumni Association is reviewing all of the feedback
we received, and we will be announcing future offers to
AIU students soon.
At American InterContinental University, our dedication to our students doesn’t end with graduation. Our
alumni are also very important to us. The AIU Alumni
Association is proof of this commitment.
We believe it is important for a graduate to stay
connected to the university. Whether we are able to foster this connection via networking, career assistance or
reunions, we are committed to being there for our graduates.
American InterContinental University's mission is to
provide for the varying educational needs of a culturally
diverse and geographically dispersed student body with
the goal of preparing students academically, personally,
and professionally for successful careers.
Breeze Makes a
Smooth Entrance
Our Alumni Association is committed to supporting
this mission by making it easier for graduates to remain
connected to the university. Our goal is to build on the
relationship between our graduates, their peers and the
university through networking, communications, professional development and educational benefits.
The AIU Alumni Association has over 20,000 members. Each member has access to the Career Services
department. AIU Online alumni also have lifetime access
to the Virtual Campus and all services located within the
campus.
Recently, AIU Online surveyed its alumni to find out
what services and resources they would like the Alumni
Association to provide. The response was tremendous!
The most popular requests included a newsletter, short
In session 0602A we began using an exciting
upgrade to our real-time learning environment in our
BFA and graduate-level classes – Macromedia Breeze.
We selected Breeze because it is easy to use,
offers enhanced multimedia functions, and is easily
accessible to nearly all of our students. It also has been
well-received by faculty members who are currently
using it to teach our BFA and graduate programs. Dr.
Donna Liljegren, an instructor who has used Breeze to
teach the General Education curriculum, had this to say:
“Everyone agreed that it was much more like a regular classroom experience, and it was much easier to
understand what was going on. They liked the presentations as much as the voice. What a great experience!
The ability to provide more in-depth answers in support
of the presentation (as opposed to trying to type
responses) is a huge improvement.”
Here are a few of the benefits and features of
Breeze:
• It is a rich web communication system that lets
you reach your audience at any time with engaging multimedia content.
• Breeze is deployed using Macromedia Flash
Player, which is already installed on more than
98% of browsers worldwide, so your audience
can join your chat sessions instantly without having to download special plug-ins.
• Using this platform to conduct chat sessions will
provide your students with valuable communication, design, presentation, negotiation, and collaboration skills, which will be helpful toward successful careers in the workplace.
• Breeze can be customized to support your individual session, and the meeting room configurations and content are automatically saved and
always available for reuse.
• With Breeze, you can personalize presentations
with voiceover narrations and add video, animations and simulations.
• Breeze allows instructors to present material
using text chat, streaming audio, whiteboard,
and instant polling.
• All presentations are recorded and archived, so
students who have missed a live event can
replay it at any time.
Breeze will replace CommonGround in all remaining
classes in the 0603A session. There will be training sessions during the week between the 0602B and 0603A
sessions for all faculty members.
Institutional Effectiveness
The words Institutional Effectiveness can cause you
to envision a variety of thoughts. Institutional
Effectiveness, or IE for short, is the methodology an
institution utilizes to benchmark itself in comparison to
the institution’s goals and mission. Inspiring goals and a
well-defined mission are the cornerstones of an institution, and it is IE’s responsibility to provide guidance for
and assist in determining effective assessment methods, data analysis, strategic improvement, and documenting the implementation of various processes within
each individual department, thus helping the institution
as a whole accomplish its goals and mission.
AIU is a student-centered university, and our mission focuses on student learning outcomes and providing opportunities for higher education. AIU‘s IE provides
an opportunity for all departments to thrive through the
continuous improvement of their practices. Each
department prepares a quarterly assessment report to
evaluate its performance. Every department member is
involved in this process, helping further the benefits
achieved through the use of these reports. Tools utilized
for assessments include student and faculty surveys,
grade distributions, call logs, and web usability studies,
as well as other departmentally specific assessment
benchmarking devices.
Departmental IE meetings are held bimonthly. The
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strategic committee meeting includes the Vice
President, Director, and a representative from each
department, while the working committee meeting is
comprised of department representatives.
Institutional Effectiveness is involved in all aspects of
the university. IE reports are an essential tool in strategic
planning, providing guidance for future plans and areas
requiring improvement. IE also affects budgeting and
other financial aspects of the university in much the
same manner. IE is an integral part of AIU, leading the
institution’s continuing efforts toward self improvement.
Prior Learning
Assessment
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AIU Online’s Prior Learning Assessment staff, a division of Student Affairs, comprises 64 Academic
Planners who work full-time to assess the prior learning
experiences of our students. These experiences
include attendance at other post-secondary institutions;
educational and occupational experiences in the Armed
Forces; standardized assessments taken for college
credit, such as those from the College Level
Examination Program (CLEP) and Advanced Placement
Examinations; professional training and certifications;
and other types of “experiential learning”—college-level
learning that took place outside of the classroom or
testing center, usually in a student’s career.
At AIU, we believe that learning is not limited to the
classroom, and that students want and deserve the
opportunity to demonstrate their prior learning for
potential credit at the University. Academic Planners
examine students’ academic credentials and experiential learning in order to determine if transfer or proficien-
cy credit may be awarded, and to construct a “degree
plan,” which provides the student with a class schedule
from the beginning of school and through to graduation.
Another service provided is the exploration of potential
credit opportunities, outside the regular classroom, that
students may pursue while working on their degree programs. Academic Planners work with students
throughout their degree programs, helping to adjust
degree plans as necessary on the road to graduation.
By maintaining a staff devoted to the assessment of
students’ prior learning experiences, AIU Online provides its student body with a fair and understanding
level of attention to the important and valuable experiences students obtained before enrolling at the
University.
Helping our Students
Better their Future
All active and alumni AIU Online students have the
opportunity to work one-on-one with an experienced
Advisor in developing skills and techniques for finding a
position in their degree field. The Career Services
department excels in educating students in how to
identify potential employers, uncover hidden job markets, connect with hiring managers and discover the
benefits of networking.
Expert advice is also provided on how to create a
resume and cover letter that will entice hiring managers.
Advisors provide guidance on mastering the interview
process by offering mock interviewing sessions, advice
on how to answer difficult interview questions, phone
screen instructions and additional tools that allow students to articulate their salary requirements.
AIU Online students also have 24-hour access to a
virtual Resource Center which offers a variety of tools in
order to continue a successful job search. The Resume
Builder, available on the Campus, is a fantastic tool that
guides students through the steps of creating a resume
or allows students to upload a resume to be reviewed
by the Career Services department. In addition, alumni
students have a site in which they can network with fellow alumnus and submit their success stories, while
staying in touch with the university.
The skilled professionals in the Career Services
department are dedicated to upholding the highest
standards of excellence in student career development.
Financial Aid Online
The Financial Aid Department is here to assist our
students though the Financial Aid Process. We currently
have 106 Financial Aid Advisors and 45 Financial Aid
Specialists dedicated to helping our students through
the process. We help students maximize Title IV funding, Military Benefits, Employer Reimbursement
Benefits, Grants and Scholarships, and Private Funding
Options. We are open seven days a week and students
can contact us via phone or through an instant messaging system known as live chat.
Last quarter we had two employees that received
Employee of the Quarter Award. The winners were Kelli
Hayes on the Continuing Year Team and Jeff Busam a
Team Leader on the 1st Year Team. Kelli and Jeff both
show outstanding customer service and an exceptional
attitude at work. We also had a “Team Player” award
that is voted on by the advisors and specialists for their
peers in the department. The winners were Team
Leader Jeff Busam on the 1st Year Team and Mike
Caraker of the 1st Year Team. Jeff and Mike have continuously provided guidance and support to advisors
and specialists in the department.
“Leading the Way”
As any college graduate knows, there is a delicate
balance that must be maintained in order to be successful academically, personally, and professionally. AIU
Online Student Advisors assist, guide, and support students on a daily basis while also providing them with
direction and resources in order to help them maintain
focus and ultimately achieve their educational goals.
Every day students contact their advisors and insist
that they have to quit because one of their courses is
too difficult or they just don’t have enough time due to
family and work obligations. At AIU Online, our advisors
help their students see the “Big Picture”, and how at
times, it’s easy to sacrifice what we want most, for what
we want at the moment. In the past, these obstacles
would have deterred these students from achieving their
goals, but at AIU, our Advisors make it their responsibility to ensure student success.
AIU Online Student Advisors serve as advocates,
coaches, leaders, and most importantly, friends to their
students, always focused on student service and career
success. The Student Affairs department is committed
to helping students reach their personal and professional goals. We serve our students—acting in their best
interests and are committed to helping students see
graduation. We break down barriers and provide a
unique educational opportunity for students to reach
their goals, better their lives, and accomplish tasks they
might not have had in a traditional institution of higher
learning.
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founded in 1970,
American InterContinental University offers
a wide range of Associate, Bachelor's and
Master's degree programs.
Our multi-campus institution of higher
learning is focused on helping students
acquire industry-current knowledge and
skills as they pursue, build and advance
their careers in many of today's most indemand fields.
AIU Buckhead, Georgia
AIU Dunwoody, Georgia
AIU Houston, Texas
AIU London, England
AIU Los Angeles, California
AIU Online
AIU South Florida
AU Dubai, United Arab Emirates
American InterContinental University
6600 Peachtree-Dunwoody Road
500 Embassy Row
Atlanta, Georgia 30328
1-888-912-4888
American InterContinental University's
mission is to provide for the varying
educational needs of a culturally diverse
and geographically dispersed student body
with the goal of preparing students
academically, personally, and professionally for successful careers.
We welcome the opportunity to answer
any questions you may have about our
degree programs, our campuses and how
we may support you as you begin the pursuit of your personal, professional and academic goals. Please contact us for additional information or to learn more about
the university.