Academic Distinction
What distinguishes American University from other institutions?
Although place plays a role—AU's
campus has been designated a national
arboretum and our facilities stand out in urban Washington,
DC—location is not what truly sets AU apart. The hallmark
asset that distinguishes American University transcends place;
it’s the people—our faculty, our students, and
their compelling style of engagement.
The AU community is distinguished by its renowned
scholars, dynamic teachers, and highly talented and engaged
students. Their passion about ideas, action, and service is
contagious. Meet an AU professor or student and you’ll
catch the spirit!
AU has received outstanding scores in the National
Survey of Student Engagement—an alternative tool
to magazine college rankings—that assesses effective
educational activities. In the latest survey (2004), AU was
the top doctoral-extensive institution in three out of five
categories for seniors: level of academic challenge, student-faculty
interaction, and enriching educational experiences.
AU professors are recognized in the U.S. and
abroad for their academic expertise, as well as their active
involvement in government, law, policy, business, social services,
and the arts. The AU faculty includes award-winning authors,
policy-makers, artists, performers, scholars and researchers,
filmmakers, lawyers, scientists, journalists, and public intellectuals.
Ninety-three percent have the highest degree in their fields.
Professors, not assistants, teach the vast majority of AU
classes. And, while the world may know AU faculty as expert
practitioners, AU students know them as professors, advisors,
mentors, and friends.
The AU student body is too diverse to be easily
characterized. AU students are often described, though, as
activists deeply engaged in social and political issues, as
leaders who are already making a difference, as cosmopolitan
citizens energized about AU’s international orientation,
as enthusiastic Eagles, high academic achievers, and award
winners. The quantity and variety of prestigious national
merit awards won by AU students tells much about the range
of student interests and talents.
- In the last five years, AU has produced
31 Fulbright Scholars, 29
Boren Graduate Fellows, 22 Boren Undergraduate Scholars,
4 Goldwater Scholars, 3 Truman Scholars, and 1 Marshall
Scholar.
- As well, for the past five years, AU students
have been the most
published students in the Proceedings of the National Conference
on
Undergraduate Research.
Read
more about AU merit award winners in 2005...
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