The American University in Dubai (AUD) has officially inaugurated its school of architecture, art and design, which now houses the existing departments of architecture, interior design and visual communication.

The new school will offer a five-year Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.), and a four-year Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Interior Design, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Visual Communications.

All three degree programs are accredited by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

This restructuring comes as part of a master plan for reorganization of AUD's academic units, approved by the university's governing board earlier last year.

Dr Jihad S Nader, provost/chief academic officer at AUD said, 'The dormant synergies between the three programs will now be more fully exploited in ways that will position the new school and AUD more prominently on the higher education map in the fields of architecture, art and design.'

Dr M. Nabyl Chenaf, one of AUD's longest-serving faculty members and chairs, has been appointed the dean of the newly formed school of architecture, art and design.

His qualifications, experience, energy and vision were the qualities needed to lead the new school and chart its future path, said Dr Jihad.

'Dr Chenaf has made significant contributions to the process of building AUD over the years, not the least of which was his leadership of the team that developed AUD’s five-year Bachelor of Architecture Program.'

He has been teaching interior design, architecture and urban planning since 1989- year of completion of his Ph.D. from Nottingham University in the UK.

He is an active member of the UAE National Society of Engineers serving on the architectural committee, and the chairman of the organizing committee of the international annual conference on contemporary architecture, art and design held at the AUD. He also serves on juries for international competitions in architecture and design.

On his appointment, Dr Chenaf said, “It is an honor for me to serve as the dean of the new school at AUD, a university, which, thanks to its wise leadership, shares the success story of Dubai, as it gained much maturity and achieved excellence in a relatively short time.”

“I am confident that under Dr Chenaf’s leadership, the core competencies residing within the three departments and the remarkable successes that each department has achieved separately, will be consolidated and amplified,” said Dr Jihad.-TradeArabia News Service