Welcome to the Academic Year 2022-23

The American Institute of Applied Science in Switzerland (AUS) is proud to start a new academic year with a renewed focus on quality enhancements as we relentlessly transform ourselves for greater impact and recognition. We wish all our new students a good start and welcome back the others for new discoveries and learning opportunities on the Swiss Riviera.

We strive to build a reputation as a prestigious and well-known private higher education institution in Switzerland that attracts diverse students and highly-qualified faculty members from all over the world. This status is unlikely to be achieved or retained by just maintaining the status quo. To achieve our vision, we are committed to implementing significant new changes outlined in our ambitious strategic goals and specific directions for the next five years.

The three strategic pillars of AUS are based on the following strategic goals:

• Knowledge: AUS graduates have theoretical, professional, and applied-research competencies that can be applied in professional business fields in our 21st-century knowledge-based society.
• Tools: AUS graduates learn innovative tools to make an economic, social, and sustainable impact locally in the Canton of Vaud and internationally.
• Training: AUS graduates are trained in a supportive learning environment by highly qualified faculty who are engaged in significant professional and research activities.

While our three strategic pillars of ‘Knowledge”, “Tools”, and “Training” continue to drive us forward, greater weight is given to applied research and sustainable development.

A key strategic goal is to successfully offer students niche programs and specialization options as competitive differentiators. The dual degree program partnership with Tiffin University in Ohio, USA enters its second year with over 15 students enrolled, a major increase from the previous year. The Aviation Management specialization offered at the Master level has the attention of several local businesses and organizations, such as Geneva and Sion Airports, thanks to our excellent new faculty members and continued IATA partnership.

AUS is dedicated to fostering and growing practical research skills and competencies for its students and faculty members. Our research mission is to increase the visibility and impact of applied research at AUS by fostering students' and faculty members' research skills and competencies. Our three strategic research pillars are:

• Visibility: Improve communication about AUS Research internally and externally.
• Impact: Introduce internal process changes to increase research resources and productivity impact.
• Leadership: Increase support for fostering research skills and competencies for students and faculty members.

This year, we are delighted to welcome and introduce Dr. Giuseppe Catenazzo as the Head of Research. He has a Ph.D. in Management from the University of Geneva with expertise and research interest in Consumer Behavior and Marketing. This new appointment will invigorate AUS’s academic programs with increased applied research activities for our students and faculty members and external collaborations, further fulfilling our research and institutional strategic goals.

AUS is committed to becoming more sustainable and incorporating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations across its operations. These objectives consider the social, ecological, and economic aspects of sustainable development. Our goals are to:

• Improve: build and upgrade its campus to be more accessible for students with diverse needs. We will develop a range of quantitative indicators that include Co2 emissions and a number of sustainability-related courses and events to track its goals related to sustainability.
• Increase: support faculty and students to endeavor in research that is focused on sustainability-related topics.
• Integrate: AUS curriculum and courses have been redesigned to integrate the 17 SDGs.
• Intensify: create educational events and activities accessible to the public and bring added value to the local community.

As we embark on a new Academic Year with great anticipation, we are confident that we are moving in the right direction with great things to come. There is important work to be done based on our REAL values of Respect, Excellence, Accountability, and Leadership involving all our students and faculty members.