have been experiencing great moments since joining the FXUA Faculty in the Fall 2011 semester. I have felt right at home from the first time I walked through the doors of FXUA’s Pender Drive Campus. There is an open friendliness and professionalism that makes FXUA a truly remarkable place to be. I enjoy the small class sizes, as they afford me opportunity to interact with all students.

The diversity of students at FXUA is a great asset and one of the reasons I like it here so much. I have had the privilege of working in multinational organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington DC (with 188 nationals) and the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, England (with 54 nationals). So you can understand my excitement about the diversity in FXUA. It is what I am used to and I enjoy meeting people from different parts of the world. I applaud our international students. They are not letting the fact that they are so far away from home deter them in any way. They remain focused, expectant, hard working, and very committed to their educational goals.

I can proudly say that FXUA is like one big family. You walk along the corridors and everyone has some kind of cheerfulness about them. The Faculty and staff operate an open door policy, which is rare in much larger universities. I make it a point to know not only the students’ educational goals but also any hindrances toward those goals and see how I could assist or refer them to the right channel.

Even though our students are now in the United States, it may be difficult to fully accept or even understand a different culture. I will encourage our students to be more interactive; to speak up; ask questions; and to feel free to speak with their professors about any academic challenges. I have very high expectations of our students because I want them to be fearless in the real world irrespective of their nationality. Language must never be a barrier to success. Students’ involvement and engagement is very important in the classroom.

Students are so far from home and for most of them, being here in the United States is the first time ever separating from their families. Other challenges include different culture, struggling with the English language, networking, and proper exposure. I am excited about all the new programs introduced this summer and I believe there more programs to come. At such, there will be continued expansion in enrollment. We are also hoping to be in a position to bring in more local students, so they too can be partakers of the benefits of studying in FXUA. So for FXUA, the best is yet to come!

Dr. Victoria Ashiru:
School of Business