American University in Dubai's Fifth President
I am elated and truly honored to be chosen as the fifth president of the American University in Dubai. I have been impressed with AUD since I first stepped foot on campus eight years ago. The faculty, staff, and students inspired me with their enthusiasm for the university. Since then I've admired from afar AUD's ability to prepare students for meaningful careers with innovative teaching and learning strategies. I look forward to becoming an active participant in this noble work. Indeed, it will be the greatest privilege of my career to return to campus with the specific obligation to lead one of the Middle East’s most vital institutions of higher learning.
Dr. Kyle Long, President
Kyle Long is a strategist and scholar at the intersection of higher education and international affairs. He served on the faculty at the George Washington University and has also taught at Northwestern University and Columbia University. Previous leadership roles include Senior Director of Organizational Strategy and Change at Northwestern University, UNESCO Co-Chair of International Education for Development at the George Washington University, and Vice President of the American University of Iraq Foundation. He has led change management, communications, development, and research units for universities and has advised higher education leaders, government officials, and private entrepreneurs about university governance, academic development, and enrollment management.
Dr. Long is an award-winning author and internationally recognized authority on American education outside the United States. He is a sought-after conference speaker and regularly comments on international education issues in the press. His scholarship has appeared in Current Issues in Comparative Education, International Higher Education, and Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, among other venues. Dr. Long founded and directs the Global American Higher Education research initiative, which provides timely data and analysis to academics, policymakers, and journalists. He holds a PhD in International and Comparative Education from Columbia University.
President Long was recommended to the Governing Board by its Presidential Search Committee, led by governing board chair Mr. Justin G. Cooper. The committee also included founder Mr. Elias N. Bou Saab, interim president Dr. Lance de Masi, and governing board member Stephen G. Franklin. The search committee drafted a presidential prospectus that elicited applicants from a global pool of 65 distinguished individuals. The search committee selected and reviewed a group of top candidates and, following three rounds of interviews, selected a finalist. Based on the results of this extensive evaluation process, the search committee unanimously recommended Dr. Long to the full governing board.
