By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Maggie Ensign has been reappointed president/vice chancellor of the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola with effect from June 1.
She first served in the post from 2010 to 2017 before taking up the job of president of Dickinson College, one of the oldest and distinguished liberal arts colleges in the United States, from which she announced her resignation on May 14.
AUN Governing Council Chairman, Ben Obi, expressed the confidence of the board and council that Ensign has the best credentials and experience to lead the university through this critical stage in its development.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, AUN founder, described the decision to ask her to return as “one of the easiest in recent times” in order that she may “continue the excellent work that [she has] started at AUN.”
Recruiting the brightest and the best
He urged her to achieve the plan she developed for the university in her first seven-year tenure, which aims to deploy the latest American technology to train a new generation of African leaders and to find solutions to economic and social challenges on the continent.
Atiku implored Ensign to reposition AUN and recruit the brightest and best students from all over Nigeria and across Africa who are inspired by the call to leadership and service.
“Your return to Yola must bring back those creative community outreaches that enabled our institution to impact so greatly not only on the Yola community but across the country and the world,” Atiku stressed.
“I remember, with a combination of pride and humility, how you mobilised the Yola community and personally led the fight for the continued education of the abducted Chibok girls.
“You opened the AUN campus, first to those Chibok girls that escaped the onslaught of Boko Haram, and eventually to those few that were freed in 2016.
“You will be reuniting with some of this determined generation of young women who have continued to pursue their education dreams at AUN.”
Under Ensign’s first tenure AUN became a pioneering and innovative development university. She promoted academic research and deepened entrepreneurship and leadership training as a component of students’ learning experience.
Awards
Through academic support systems – such as the Mathematics Resource Centre, Writing Centre, and Student Advising and Retention Centre – AUN students participate in exchange programmes with universities in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Asia.
They have won awards at the annual Model United Nations Conference in New York, the Facebook Challenge, and the campus Hult Prize competition.
In 2015, the American University of Paris honoured Ensign with a causa honoris for aligning the development mission and core values of the American University to the specific needs of Adamawa State.
She was cited for her leadership role in using education to promote peace, community development, and empowerment through the Adamawa Peace Initiative (API) which has helped refugees fleeing Boko Haram.
Adamawa women’s wing of the Jama’atul Nasril Islam in Nigeria (JNI) has also conferred an award on Ensign for her contribution to leadership, philanthropy, and the education of women and girls in the North East.
“I feel most profoundly honoured to welcome you back to the American University of Nigeria, Yola, your home away from home,” Atiku said.