AU students who are able to study abroad in Nigeria beginning this fall will gain valuable experience on the American University of Nigeria's campus, AUN President Michael C. Smith said at an information session Thursday.
"The students will be immersed with students from all over Nigeria - an international experience like none other," Smith said.
Nigeria's various languages and cultures converge in Yola, the city where AUN's campus is located, he said. The city is in the eastern part of the country.
AUN and AU have developed a strong educational link over the past five years, Smith said. Seven AUN students, who had never been to the U.S. before, are currently studying at AU.
Dr. Carl A. LeVan, a School of International Service professor and co-chair of the Council on African Studies, worked closely with AUN to start the new program. From 2003 to 2004, LeVan taught at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria's Oyo State, he said in an e-mail.
"I worked in Nigeria and I have taught there, so that's why I got involved in the program," LeVan said during the presentation.
Several AU schools, including SIS and the School of Communication, have worked to integrate core curricular values for students in the program. The new program is also less expensive than other abroad programs AU offers, Smith said.
Students in the program will have many volunteer opportunities that could count as course credits, LeVan said.
AUN is unlike anything else in Africa, said V.J. Garofaio, vice president of academic affairs at AUN. The faculty is from different parts of the world, but all received their education in the U.S.
LeVan said he is planning organized class trips throughout Nigeria so AU students can get a grasp of other areas of Nigeria.
Garofaio said Nigerian citizens speak 250 different languages, so AUN is an international experience of its own.
The program will be ready for the fall 2008 semester, according to Tina Murray, associate director of AU Abroad. The AU Abroad office has not yet set up an application for this fall's program yet but will be doing so soon. The office will also set up a Web site with additional information and an application later this semester, Murray said.
