We’ve had a busy semester at AUAF.  Our increasing undergraduate enrollment, the quality of our faculty, and our growing list of activities are all powerful evidence that AUAF is an institution on the move.

While all of us at AUAF are proud of our accomplishments to date, we are even more excited about our ambitious plans for the near future.  Our enrollment projections continue to look very encouraging, and we are especially pleased about the potential results of our increased focus on recruiting women. Construction plans for our new campus are progressing nicely, and if the mild fall weather continues, there is a chance we will be able to break ground on new buildings before the end of the calendar year.  And finally, our plans for new degree programs – most especially our discussions about launching an MBA program in fall 2011 – are attracting tremendous interest, not just from students and potential students, but from government leaders and the Afghan business community.

The most important key to accomplishing all these goals is our ability to secure the necessary resources.  We are grateful beneficiaries of funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development, but it diminishes annually and is currently scheduled to end in two years. During this same time our activities, and thus our expenses, are expanding aggressively.  We must attract significant additional support if we are to fulfill our mission of providing world-class education for Afghan students and producing the country’s next generation of leaders.

As 2010 draws to an end and you consider your charitable giving plans for the year, please give careful thought to including AUAF.  Every gift makes a difference for the people of Afghanistan.   Our greatest need is financial aid for the many deserving students – especially women – who without help will simply not be able to afford the advantages of American-style higher education.  But we also need money for constructing the new campus that will allow us to enroll more students, launch new programs, and positively affect more young lives and careers.  Of course, unrestricted giving to the university gives us maximum flexibility for addressing our most pressing needs or taking advantage of unexpected opportunities.

Whether you have given before or not yet had the opportunity, please take a moment of your time today, in this season of giving, to reach out to the young men and women in Afghanistan who are struggling to get a high quality university education.  They have suffered hardships and discrimination and conflict through most of their lives, often forced to move from place to place, often losing members of their families to hostilities.  Your support will literally mean the world to them.

Please consider making a generous gift to change lives in Afghanistan.   The entire university – and especially our students – will be tremendously grateful.

With appreciation,

C. Michael Smith, Ph.D.
President

The American University of Afghanistan

“Marjorie’s intelligence, keen wit, and steadfast dedication to building a better world through education serves as a model for all young women.  It is an honor for us to celebrate her legacy through this scholarship for deserving Afghan women.”

Leslie M. Schweitzer, Chair, Friends of The American University of Afghanistan and Trustee, The American University of Afghanistan

To honor her memory, The American University of Afghanistan has established the Dr. Marjorie Peace Lenn Scholarship Fund.  This fund will support women students at The American University of Afghanistan who strive to shape the future of Afghanistan.  It is our hope that this fund will serve as a lasting tribute to Dr. Lenn’s contribution to higher education throughout the world.

For More Information Click Here.

KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The first five Bayat Foundation (NGO) American University ofAfghanistan (AUAF) scholarships were awarded to two women and three men on October 17, 2010.  Four of the five recipients are business majors and the fifth is a science major.

The Bayat Foundation (NGO) has donated US$100,000 to the AUAF for academic scholarships over the next four years.  Each recipient will receive US$5000 towards their tuition, room and board for one year.  Recipients were chosen by AUAF in accordance with criteria determined by the Bayat Foundation (NGO) headquartered in Kabul.  All recipients must maintain minimum grade point averages of 3.5 or higher.

Ehsan Bayat believes strongly in the mission of AUAF and said, “With these scholarships, our goal is to help young Afghans develop the skills, knowledge and ethics needed for the rebuilding of Afghanistan.”

These scholarships represent another pillar in Bayat’s efforts to help rebuild Afghanistan.  The Bayat Foundation has built many hospitals, orphanages, mosques, schools, etc. throughout Afghanistan over the past five years.  The Bayat Foundation has previously rebuilt the Michelle Bayat Gymnasium and the Saleha Bayat Building on the AUAF campus, and hopes to do more in the future for higher education in Afghanistan.

About the Bayat Foundation

Since 2005, the Bayat Foundation, led by Ehsan and Fatema Bayat, has contributed to over 200 projects to improve the quality of life for the youth, women, poor, and elderly of Afghanistan by constructing new facilities and infrastructure; and to promote health, education, economic and cultural programs. The independent Kabul-based Bayat Foundation NGO,www.bayatfoundation.org.af promotes the well-being of the Afghan people.  In 2002, Ehsan Bayat also launched Afghan Wireless Communication Company, www.afghan-wireless.com, the first GSM wireless service and Internet Service Provider inAfghanistan; followed by the 2005 launch of Ariana Radio and Television Network (ATN), www.arianatelevision.com, which includes Ariana Radio (FM 93.5).  For more information, please email info@bayatfoundation.org

Source:  PRNewswire

Read the article on the American University of Afghanistan website.

(September 22, 2010) — U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, along with his wife Ching Eikenberry, made their first visit to AUAF on Wednesday.  Accompanied by USAID and U.S. State Departiment staff, they toured the university campus, met with two groups of students, and enjoyed lunch in the AUAF cafeteria.

During their visit they explored the Bernice Nachman Marlowe Library, dropped in for an inmpromptu game of table tennis in the Michelle Bayat Gymnasium, and marveled at the university’s state-of-the-art videconferencing facility.  “I may have to ask if I can borrow this; it is better than what we have at the embassy,” the ambassador remarked.

In a wide-ranging discussion sessions, the ambassador and a group of student leaders discussed a variety of topics including the development of the university’s new campus; the need for residence halls, especially for women; possible new programs at AUAF including engineering; and the progress the university has made in the past four years.

Mrs. Eikenberry, a former journalist with an interest in women’s education issues, met with a group of female students who talked about the challenges facing women seeking higher education, particularly the expense of high-quality education and the need for scholarships for women.

Both the ambassador and Mrs. Eikenberry commented favorably on the energy and enthusiasm shown by AUAF students and expressed the desire to support the university in future projects

The following article appeared in the Press Democrat on October 9, 2010.

By TED ELIOT

A recent week’s visit to Kabul on behalf of the Asia Foundation, revealed positive developments in Afghanistan that are seldom mentioned in media reports.

The foundation this year has a $30 million program directed primarily at building the Afghan government’s capacity and efficiency and at women’s empowerment. Of its 240 staff members, 216 are Afghans.

During my visit, I met with cabinet ministers, top U.S. and foreign military and diplomatic officers, leaders of women’s organizations, religious leaders and many others. I visited schools, universities, a new media center. Compared to my last visit in 2004, Kabul is a vibrant, bustling city with traffic jams, street crowds and markets full of fresh produce.

The ruins of the 1989-96 civil war have been 90 percent cleared. Security is tight, with ministries and foreign embassies surrounded by high walls and guarded by men with automatic weapons. It is the capital of a country at war.

I was much impressed by the dynamism of almost all of the Afghan leaders I met, including women leaders. Most of them are working hard to rebuild their country shattered by 30 years of violence. They radiate optimism, determination and competence.

Here are some specifics:

• Novel ways to fund development at the local levels are producing results with transparency.

• Seven million children, including 2.5 million girls, are now in schools, and 90,000 graduated from the 12th grade in 2009.

• Sixty-three thousand men and women are in higher education institutions, and the new American University of Afghanistan will graduate its first class next spring. These students are essential to fill middle-level, professional and government positions that are woefully short of trained men and women.

• Childhood and maternity death rates are still high but falling.

• The recent parliamentary election, while flawed in many respects, attracted 4 million voters despite security concerns in many areas.

• Maybe the best news is the continuing growth and professionalism of the Afghan army which is partnered with and mentored by NATO, including U.S. forces.

• A new Karzai-appointed peace commission is beginning its work, supported by NATO and the U.N., to open possibilities for the reintegration of some Taliban fighters.

• Most of the northern and central parts of the country are peaceful.

Huge problems remain. The insurgency has grown in strength and continues to use Pakistani territory as its safe haven. American and allied casualties are grim reminders of the cost of this war. But both Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Karl Eikenberry say they now have the military and civilian resources they need.

That’s the first time that could be said since our invasion in 2001. They are cautiously optimistic about the future of the war and the prospect of turning some parts of the country’s security over to Afghans next summer.

Karzai’s government is often corrupt and indecisive. But some of its problems are also our fault, especially in the way we disburse huge amounts of money to contractors. New efforts are being made to resolve problems like these between the Karzai and U.S. governments at their highest levels.

When asked if I am optimistic or pessimistic, I reply that the fundamental question is whether the palpable positive developments mentioned here, especially the commitment of so many Afghans to a better future, will create a momentum for progress that will become irreversible. I think that is entirely possible, but not without our continuing assistance to Afghanistan’s security and development. The alternative is the descent of Afghanistan once again into a chaos which will attract terrorists, cause conflict between neighboring countries and threaten even greater disorder in Pakistan, the security of whose nuclear weapons is at stake.

Ted Eliot was U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan from 1973-78. He lives in Sonoma.

In fall 2007, Afghanistan had a new Constitution and eager students lining up to learn its laws. What it didn’t have was law books.

Seven thousand miles away, two students at Stanford University’s law school thought they could help.

Stanford law Professor Erik Jensen smiled as he recalled the two law students, Alexander Benard and Eli Sugarman, standing in his office doorway, asking him to help them write textbooks for law students in Afghanistan.

“I gave them a few ideas, wished them luck and turned back to my computer,” he said. “But, in the end, I have a hard time looking commitment in the eye and saying no.”

Read more of the story from the San Francisco Gate.