Girne American University

GAU was founded in 1985 and has grown from its small beginnings with just seven students to being the 20,000 strong university that it is today 33 years later. From its very inception, GAU has maintained close contractual ties with universities in North America and Europe. GAU was one of the first university in Cyprus to receive recognition from YOK (Turkish Higher Education Council). This was followed by recognition from YODAK (Higher Education Council of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus). These required national accreditations were followed by a number of program accreditations and international recognitions. This year is our 33th graduation ceremony that will occur in June of 2018 when more than 1500 graduates will earn their degrees and go on to advanced studies or to excellent jobs in Europe, the region and the World.

In 1995 GAU started its expansion into the international higher education sector. Since then educational partnerships have been developed in India, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, the USA, the UK, the Czech Republic, Hong Kong and Moldova. These partnerships include student and faculty exchanges and the opportunity for students to experience different cultures and learning experiences.

The initial vision of the founders was to establish GAU as the pre-eminent institution of higher learning for the professions. The university now includes degree offerings in Business and Economics, Politics, Health Sciences, Engineering, Communication, Humanities, Law, Pharmacy, Education, Architecture, Aviation, Marine, Nursing, Sports, Performing Arts and Tourism.

While heading towards the 50th year, GAU, throughout its 33 years of development the management, faculty and staff of the university have balanced the requirements for growth, with the need for high levels of quality, both in teaching and in the overall experience of each student. Throughout its history, GAU has been guided by its focus on five core values: access, speed, relevance, value and community.

Girne American University is dedicated to making American model learning opportunities accessible throughout life and to making them challenging and relevant to a diverse population of young adults. Its aim is to make possible an education that is at the same time both accessible and excellent. It does this through exceptional management of the University operations and resources, innovative delivery systems, student services and relevant programmes that are learner-centred, success-oriented and responsive to technology. In support of its mission, a programme has been initiated to transform all courses into digital format. This effective format for course presentation is a practical expression of one of the University’s core values - that of providing access to higher education. The format helps students to complete their programmes expeditiously, thus reflecting another core value of speed.

Another aspect of speed is the ability to make adjustments in the curriculum to keep abreast of developments in each field. In this way Girne American University is able to offer new programmes promptly when new needs and opportunities present themselves. This responsiveness supports the core value of relevance. Even as GAU works to provide programmes that are current and relevant it also strives to provide them at an affordable price so that the student receives value. As GAU has matured the University has recognised that it cannot succeed without a sense of community. This it strives to achieve by creating an atmosphere of mutual respect, openness, honesty and attentiveness to the core values. The University has made significant progress in creating such a community among its members and it has thereby created opportunities for students to gain an appreciation of their own role in the community by building experience at national and local and international level. At Girne American University we strive to reach the unreachable, to provide learning and to encourage educational development worldwide.