AUD advertising student team world champion in IAA InterAd competition

The contest, drawing twenty-seven entries from universities on five continents, required the preparation of an integrated communications campaign for the Florida Tourism Board. This is the first time any University in the Middle East has won this award or anything comparable in the field of marketing communications. The AUD student team, "Jafeer Communications," consisted of the following members: Sara Al Ghurair, Miral Ali Nor Eldin, Pritesh Depala, Anjum Hatamleh, Yasmine Moursi, Ali Qudah, Eman Radwan, Sandra Saade, Tania Sawaya, Falestien Zoghayer.

Dr Lance de Masi, AUD President, and Dr Beverly Jensen, faculty advisor, will accompany student representatives - Pritesh Depala, Anjum Hatamleh, Yasmine Moursi, and Falestien Zoghayer - to the IAA World Congress in Beijing (September 7-10) to receive the award. While on several previous occasions AUD teams have claimed first place InterAd honors for the Middle East/Africa region, this year's team has claimed a position for AUD on the world stage by submitting an entry assessed by judges in New York to be worthy of the top honor globally.

The AUD victory represents a milestone in the history of the advertising program. Since its establishment in 1997 through the joint efforts of Dr. Lance de Masi and the Dubai Chapter of the IAA, the program has supplied the Middle Eastern market with top-flight entry-level talent in the account management, media and creative spheres. The program's curriculum is distinguished by its synthesis of robust theory and state-of-the-art practice. Students are taught marketing and communications principles, but the extensive use of real world case histories ensures the acquisition of analytical skills and the ability to devise relevant communications solutions. The University's advertising faculty consists of both career academics and communications professionals of various nationalities, so students receive exposure to a variety of national perspectives and diverse orientations and approaches. The American University in Dubai is an IAA-accredited institute, and advertising graduates are eligible to receive the IAA Diploma in Marketing Communications.

AUD's advertising program is only the first step in the expression of the University's commitment to the communications field. Last year, HH General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum gave the directive to establish a new School of Journalism and Broadcast Media. Shortly thereafter, AUD signed a memo of understanding with San Francisco State University for joint collaboration on the project.