AUBG Welcomes 225 New Students from 25 Countries
The new academic year at AUBG begins with 225 first-year students coming from 25 countries, including nearby Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia as well as distant places such as USA, Canada, Vietnam, India, Egypt and South Korea. Among the many impressive members of class of 2024 are a first-place winner at the International Competition in Mathematics and Projecting, a bronze medalist at the Metropolises International Olympiad in Chemistry, a winner of Russian and World Championships in biathlon, cross-countryskiing, running and ski-mountaineering, an author of a best-selling book, a Yale YOUNG Global scholar, a popular YouTube vlogger and an active volunteer for UNICEF.
“There’s so much in AUBG to look forward to,” said first-year student from Lebanon Mohamad Hachem. “But if I had to choose [one thing], it would probably be the spirit, that’s what made me interested in AUBG.”
This year, the university replaced the traditional Orientation Week with a virtual month of orientation where the new students took part in webinars on life and studying at AUBG, as well as online seminars on anti-stress and safety measures against COVID-19. Fall 2020 starts Sept. 7 with on-ground, online and hybrid classes and an array of health and safety measures, including aggressive cleaning schedules, access restrictions to campus buildings, and enhanced protocols for health and safety monitoring.
“Through the summer, we have been planning and taking measures for the students’ return to campus to be as safe as possible,” said AUBG Interim President Dr. David Evans. “We have worked to provide the safest possible classroom environment, and continue to develop strategies to support safety in the residence halls and elsewhere on campus. All of us in the administration know how important the AUBG community is, and how central our lives together are to the educational experience.”