The American University of Nigeria’s (AUN) Governing Council has approved the construction of two new academic buildings.
“There is a Greek proverb that states ‘A society grows great when we plant trees whose shade we will never sit in.’ We are pleased to announce we have begun construction on a new building for our School of Engineering and an extension of our building for the School of Law. Said AUN Vice-Chancellor, Dawn Dekle.
This means that the University can now cater to more students without compromising the standard spacious classrooms of 25 students and lecture theatres seating 120. “These buildings will be for current and future students, faculty, and staff, signaling the next chapter in the growth of our learning community. We are continuing on the path of fulfilling our vision of being a full-service university, for future generations to be transformed by our unique American-style education, focusing on development and entrepreneurship.” Dr. Dekle further explained.
AUN’s calculated focus on development and entrepreneurship is by no means coincidental. The University has gained a reputation for producing student entrepreneurs, graduate job creators, and improving the quality of life of its host communities. The impact transcends beyond local communities up to Nigeria’s capital cities. With a teeming population pegged at over 214 million people, many Nigerians find themselves scrambling for scarce resources with a bleak impact on the quality of life of citizens and residents.
A generation of highly qualified tech entrepreneurs and innovators is the last hope for accelerated development in the country. That is why the American University of Nigeria is focused on training future leaders. Giving them life skills in entrepreneurship, research, and innovation to help improve the state of affairs. In the School of Engineering, students are trained to apply scientific principles to analyze complex systems. The end result is a human-centered design and solution. The new School of Engineering houses a general laboratory for 30 users, a chemical laboratory for 16 users, a computer laboratory for 24 users, a Computer Engineering & Robotics lab for 12 users, a Telecom laboratory for 20 users, and an Electrical Engineering laboratory for 20 users. Other facilities include carpentry, machining and welding workshops, IT room, electrical room, machine room, janitor, and storeroom. The new drawing studio will provide a serene environment to inspire creativity and design.
Outside these state of the art facilities, AUN’s novel approach to solutions means that students are thrust into a real-life laboratory in the host community. A prime example of this is the brand new Moot court with 180 seating capacity an adjoining Judges Chamber, lawyers’ chamber, and dressing rooms for male and female lawyers. AUN has often hosted judges and lawyers who preside over cases in the moot court. The Law library with an unrivaled digital repository will have a resident librarian to guide students through legal history, research, and current proceedings. Professors of Law offices will also be situated in the new building to enable easy access for guidance on copious legal treatise. This is most significant because AUN’s School of Law trains students on three traditions; the American, British, and Nigerian legal systems making it easy for graduates to pursue a legal profession anywhere in the world.
Merging academic theory with practical solutions is the AUN way that is why from first year, students undergo mandatory hours of community service. This tradition is aimed at building resilience in the host community and giving students a taste of the real world outside of school.
In 2018, Nigeria’s youth unemployment rate rose to 36.5 %. AUN is reversing this trend by training a highly qualified young generation of legal professionals and tech innovators. This will greatly improve private sector contribution for further inclusive economic growth, improved infrastructural development, productivity, and profitability of industries in Nigeria and beyond. In the words of Vice-Chancellor Dekle, AUN’s emerging landscape is futuristic, signaling the next chapter in the growth of the University’s learning community for future generations to be transformed by a unique American-style education.