We couldn't be happier that AU students now have the opportunity to study at the American University of Nigeria. AU's African studies program, which duly boasts of a reputable and knowledgeable faculty, lacks the depth and variety that the other regional programs in SIS offer. And short of a call to revise the area concentration's curriculum, we're happy to hear that AU's commitment to well-rounded international education is more than just a rhetorical platitude.
The courses and programs AUN hopes to provide students seem equally as exciting. Any abroad opportunity that includes schools other than SIS is noteworthy, and we can only hope that AU Abroad sufficiently follows through on its promise to integrate other majors' "core curricular values" into the Nigeria program.
But our optimism certainly has its limits: We can't help but recall our special report on AU Abroad's shortcomings last semester. According to the article, the office offers too many programs for its meager staff to keep track of all of the specifics. As a result, our unscientific study concluded, students often found themselves lacking vital information before departure or, even worse, during their stay in a foreign land. Not to say that AU should refrain from offering new abroad opportunities because of staff inadequacies, but we can only wonder if the office's inconsistencies will also plague the Nigeria program.
Our uncertainty is only compounded by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's investigation into the office's financial practices. The Nigeria program is an unparalleled experience in multiculturalism and political diversity, but if its offering is the result of kickbacks or other dubious practices, we want nothing to do with it.
Admittedly, our concerns might be unfounded. AU Abroad has yet to release its application for fall 2008, so AUN's specific course offerings and living arrangements - not to mention the program's price tag - aren't quite available. But if AU Abroad can effectively avoid the problems that plague its established enclaves and partnerships in other parts of the world, the Nigeria program will prove an overwhelming success that far surpasses any other college's offerings in Africa.
