University of New England to Offer Students New Gateway to Global Opportunities With Morocco Campus


Portland, Maine (PRWEB) June 25, 2012

University of New England Chair of the Board, Mark Doiron, and Associate Provost for Global Initiatives, Professor Anouar Majid, signed an agreement Friday, June 22, that formalizes UNEs plans to globalize the university with a campus in Morocco. The UNE delegation included President Danielle Ripich and Mike Morel, former chair of the UNE Board.

Doiron and Majid signed the papers on the leafy campus of the American School of Tangier (AST), the oldest American school in Morocco, where UNEs newest campus is slated to open a year from now.

President Ripich states: UNE is preparing students to be innovators, leaders and problem-solvers in our increasingly global society. By establishing a presence in the Moroccan city of Tangier, we are creating the cultural and educational opportunities that make this possible.

Associate Provost Majid said that UNEs presence in Tangier will add a new chapter to the historic friendship that unites the United States and Morocco, and that such a project will build the foundations of a much-needed dialogue between the West and the Muslim world.

U.S. policymakers have been struggling to reach out to the Arab and Muslim worlds, said Majid, but we, at UNE, have decided to live up to our ideals and invest in friendship. Our presence in Tangier, the meeting point of Europe, Africa, and the Arab world, will build trust and allow our students to discover multiple cultures and languages at once.

UNEs new campus is within walking distance to downtown Tangier, the Mediterranean Sea, and the citys beaches, hotels, soon-to-be built marina, and major cultural activities. The city of Tangier is the historic gateway to Morocco, home to an international contingent of painters and writers, and is now emerging as one of the major economic and cultural hubs in the country.

UNEs Tangier campus will house academic programming as well as student and staff residences in buildings that reflect both Moroccos traditional architecture and the high-quality standards of UNEs facilities in Maine.

UNEs unique program is offered at no additional cost to students. UNE students can choose to spend a semester or a full academic year in Morocco, living on campus or with host families while taking courses in the sciences, humanities and languages. Moreover, students can stay on track with their majors curricular requirements by taking lab courses and other classes onsite or online. From Tangier, students can travel to other parts of Morocco, connect with UNEs programs in Spain, and explore other European countries and cities.

To strengthen UNEs presence in Morocco and the region, President Danielle Ripich and Professor Houdaifa Ameziane, the President of University Abdelmalek Essaadi, the main public university system in the province of Tangier, also signed an agreement to explore faculty exchanges, research collaborations and common projects.

With its diverse geography, Morocco is at the crossroads of civilizations and languages. The main cultures of the Mediterranean basin from the Phoenician to the Muslim, the Arab and the Berber, the European and the African have mingled in Morocco to create a colorful and rich society, famous for its world-class cuisine, its kaftans, and its legendary hospitality. A stable and mature nation, Morocco offers an ideal setting to examine some of the major issues facing the world today, such as water scarcity, the future of energy, and the tensions between Islam and the West.

About University of New England

The University of New England is an innovative health sciences university grounded in the liberal arts. UNE has internationally recognized scholars in the liberal arts, sciences, health and medicine; offers more than 40 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs; and is home to Maines only medical school. Its two other distinctive campuses, in Biddeford and Portland, Maine, offer student-centered interprofessional programs in the College of Pharmacy, Westbrook College of Health Professions, College of Osteopathic Medicine, College of Arts and Sciences, and College of Graduate Studies. The College of Dental Medicine will enroll its inaugural class in 2013. For more information, visit http://www.une.edu.







More Architecture Planning Press Releases

Withee Malcolm Architects Projects Win Four Gold Nugget Awards of Merit: The Gateway at City Center, City Center Ontario, Central Park Village Brea, Unical Aviation,Inc.


Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) June 15, 2012

Withee Malcolm Architects is no stranger to the Gold Nugget Awards having won more than a half dozen in recent years. Nonetheless, this years quartet of winners is especially noteworthy as the awards honor a diverse range of projects that include mixed-use, affordable senior housing, industrial renovation and a site plan for a new community. Established in 1963, the Gold Nugget Awards are one of the leading competitions in the building industry and winners share one common denominator: excellence and innovation in addressing complex design/build issues.

Our work is driven by the desire to provide better solutions to challenges facing our clients and the communities we serve be it a constrained urban site, a new mix of uses, the revitalization of an outdated facility or social and environmental sustainability, said Dan Withee, founding partner of the architecture firm. The Gold Nugget Awards are confirmation that we are focusing our energy and creativity on the right issues.

On June 28, when this years awards are presented during the annual Pacific Coast Builders Conference in San Francisco, Withee Malcolm will be recognized for their work in four separate categories: Rehab Commercial/Industrial, Unical Aviation, Inc., City of Industry; Mixed-use Project, The Gateway at City Center, Carson; Seniors Housing Community Affordable, City Center, Ontario; and On the Boards Site Plan Central Park Village, Brea.

For Unical Aviation, Withee Malcolms radical renovation turned a bare bones warehouse into an inviting, efficient work environment that reflects the spirit of the new tenant, a fast-growing aviation parts supplier. The adapted facility includes new executive office space, warehouse, shop areas, laboratories and testing operations as well as lunch, exercise, and game rooms, and even a quiet space for yoga.

The Gateway at City Center is a mixed-use community that provides senior affordable housing over ground floor retail. The facility, developed by Thomas Safran Associates, is one of the first to be built in the Carsons Downtown Corridor and its design defines the context for a pedestrian-oriented street scene.

City Center, developed by Related Companies of California in close collaboration with the City of Ontario and the Ontario Housing Authority, as part of the city’s central redevelopment plan, brings senior affordable housing to a convenient downtown location. Withee Malcolm worked Gary R. Collins, design architect, to deliver a building that reflects the civic character and quality of the surrounding community.

Central Park Village, the new masterplan for J.H. Real Estate Partners, Inc. for a centrally located site in the City of Brea introduces a mix of uses that will transform a 14-acre vacated hospital site into a vibrant, sustainable, mixed-use village, where, in exchange for increased densities, the city gains a one-acre park.

Successful projects are the result of shared vision and hard work, says founding partner Dale Malcolm. We are fortunate to be a part of teams that are committed to making a positive difference with their developments and we celebrate these awards with them.

Withee Malcolm Architects serves clients in the residential and commercial industrial markets throughout the West from their offices in Torrance, California. For more information on the firm, visit http://www.witheemalcolm.com

CONTACT:

Nancy Egan

New Voodou

egan(at)newvoodou(dot)com

310.943.7194