Sentinel: Stallions Newsletter Fall 2021

fall 2021
SENTINEL
stallions newsletter
highlights
thecb - oer grants to nau
report on annual conference 2021
student corner

contents
Message from the Editors 3
Administration 4
NAU’s Annual International Conference 2022 4
Counseling Service 4
Employee Lunch with Administration 4
End of the Semester Key Dates and Reminders 5
Holiday Schedule 5
NAU’s Annual International Conference 2021: A Report 6
Business Administration Department 8
Enactus 8
Small Business Expo 8
ETS Test for Business Administration Students 8
Speaker Series: Global Supply Chain 9
Computer Science Department 10
Criminal Justice Department 11
Education Department 12
Gulf Language School (GLS) 13
Athletics Department 14
Financial Aid 15
2022-2023 FAFSA 15
Graduating? 15
Human Resources Department 16
New Employees Hired during Fall 2021 16
New Athletic Coaches - Fall 2021 16
Institutional Effectiveness and Planning (IEP) 17
Library 18
Library Committee 18
Free Books Event at the Library 19
Registrar’s Office 20
Important Announcements 20
Students Affairs Office 21
Fall 2021 Events 21
Tutoring 21
Help Sessions 21
FALL 2021 Career Events 21
2021/2022 SGA Board Members 22
NAU Club List - Fall 2021 22
University Advancement and Development (UAD) 23
THECB-OER Grants to NAU 23
Wellness Committee 24
Fall 2021 Step Challenge 24
Faculty and Staff Corner 25
Students Corner 26
Student Life 26
Country’s Discovery of the Semester 26
Student Interview of the Semester 28
NAU Rankings 30

message from the editors
Higher education institutions around the world are still dealing with a great deal of uncertainty
due to pandemic and attempting to strike a balance between a variety of factors such as
online and face-to-face learning, synchronous and asynchronous learning, virtual and in-person
learning, live sessions and recordings, online testing and academic integrity, e-resources
and print materials, open educational resources and traditional textbooks, workplace burnout
and mental wellness, and so on. North American University too is sailing in the same boat. We
would like to take this opportunity to commend the NAU family on their continued perseverance,
optimism, and commitment to excellence despite challenging circumstances.
We are pleased to present the Fall 2021 issue of the NAU newsletter, Sentinel, which is full of
the most recent university-related news and announcements, and we appreciate all the departmental
heads who contributed to the publication of Sentinel – Fall 2021. Our special thanks to
the Newsletter Committee members, who went the extra mile in collecting and compiling the
information for all of us!
Hope you enjoy reading Sentinel. Please email your feedback to the Editors at editor@na.edu.
Have a safe, cheerful, and restful Winter Break!
Editors
Shweta Shroff, Librarian
Dr. Faruk Taban, Interim President, Provost and VP for Academic Affairs
Graphic Design
Abdulhalim Yusuf, University Marketing, Communications and Relations
Newsletter Committee
Shweta Shroff, Librarian
Dr. Faruk Taban, Interim President, Provost and VP for Academic Affairs
Furkan Paligu, Instructor, Computer Science Department
Omer Kilinc, Coordinator, University Marketing, Communications and Relations
Pete Tijerina, Instructor, General Education Department
Amon Tarmo, Student Representative from the Department of Computer Science
3

administration
Dr. Faruk Taban has been NAU’s Provost and VP for Academic Affairs since 2017 and will now
serve as the Interim President. We are so excited to have him include this in his title as he will
continue to oversee his respective departments.
Dr. Serif Ali Tekalan will provide his talent to NAU and serve as NAU’s VP for International
Affairs and continue to build relationships between NAU and the international academic
communities.
Congratulations, Dr. Taban and Dr. Tekalan!
NAU’s Annual International Conference 2022
NAU is planning to organize its second Annual International Conference on Internationalization of
Higher Education on Tuesday-Wednesday, July 19-20, 2022, in Houston, TX. In this invitation-only
conference, presenters will be eminent senior administrators from various higher education
institutes across the world. More information will be posted soon on the conference website.
Counseling Service
This past year and a half have been a trying time for most of us. Not only are we struggling with
the pandemic, but also with many changes that come along with it. At times, maintaining a
balance and normalcy in our lives can be overwhelming.
If you are experiencing stress, anxiety, and grief or have any mental health wellness related
concerns, please feel free to contact Dr. Linda Hart at LHart@na.edu for counseling service.
Employee Lunch with Administration
Thank you to all employees who participated in a Lunch with Administration on either November
10 or November 12. Hope you enjoyed the opportunity to get together and share comments,
thoughts, and suggestions on a variety of topics. Going forward for next semester, we plan to
host a monthly lunch so that we can continue to meet with you and share good food and
conversation. We are also looking forward to incorporating a celebration of birthdays into the
lunch and restarting the tradition of ordering delicious birthday cakes.
4

administration
End of the Semester Key Dates and Reminders
Early registration for the Spring 2022 semester opened online for students on November 15.
Faculty, please encourage students to meet with academic advisors to review course selections
and register early for classes. The Registrar posted the Spring 2022 Course Schedule,
and it is available online at this link: https://www.na.edu/academics/course-schedule/
NAU’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness sent out links to faculty for course evaluations.
Faculty, please post your course evaluation link on your course page and provide opportunities
for your students to complete the survey. Students should be filling out the surveys
between November 19 and December 13. The surveys will close after this time. Let us all
remind and encourage students to take these surveys and provide us with helpful feedback.
The last day of classes is December 9, 2021, and the final exam period is December 13 to
December 20. In case you may need to refer to it, the schedule for finals is posted at this
link: https://www.na.edu/documents/academics/finals.pdf. The last day to submit final
grades and the official close of the semester will be on December 21, 2021.
Holiday Schedule
November 23
November 25 – 26
December 24
December 25 – 30
December 31
- Thanksgiving Luncheon
- Thanksgiving Holiday
- Christmas Holiday
- Winter Break
- New Year’s Holiday
5

annual international conference 2021
A REPORT by Ms. Shweta Shroff, Librarian, NAU
North American University (NAU) hosted its first Annual International Conference on its campus in Stafford,
Texas, USA on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. It was also broadcasted live from the NAU’s website to benefit the
audiences that were not able to attend the conference in person due to the pandemic situation. Having a
theme of Future of Higher Education in an Online Environment, this international conference was aimed at
sharing experiences, learning about how higher education in different countries has been transforming and
what is perceived as a future of higher education in an online environment. It was educational in nature.
The audience for this conference was vast and encompassed participation from across the globe and
engaged university administrators, scholars, educators, professionals and interested community members
from eleven countries: Argentina, Brazil, El Salvador, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan,
Tunisia, and the USA. A total of 55 people participated, out of which 44 were in person and 11 were online
participants. The event was viewed about 450 times on YouTube by November 23, 2021. It was indeed a unique
and fruitful learning experience for all involved.
This one-day conference had three sessions. All ten
presenters (3 face-to-face and 7 online) and four
closing remarks (3 face-to-face and 1 online) were
enlightening and provided extremely helpful and
productive information. The first session had opening
remarks by the NAU President Prof. Dr. Serif Ali
Tekalan, which was followed by a keynote from Prof.
Dr. Mohammed Taleb Obaidat, President of Jadara
University, Jordan, on Future of Higher Education in
Jordan. The other three presentations in this session
were:
· Growth Hacking in Higher Ed in Emerging
Technologies by Mr. Prasad Mavuduri, CEO,
University of Emerging Technologies, CA, USA.
· Why Higher Education Still Needs Offline
Learning While Doing Online Learning: Sociological
Reflection by Prof. Dr. Amany Lubis,
Rector, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic
University, Jakarta, Indonesia.
· Online Teaching and Learning in Higher
Education During the Coronavirus Pandemic:
Administrators’ Perspective by Prof. Dr.
Sanzharbek Erdolatov, Rector, Ala-Too
International University, Kyrgyz Republic.
6

The second session took place after a short break and had five presentations. They were:
· Online Learning and Teaching Approaches During the Coronavirus Pandemic by Dr. Safa Fennia, Mr.
Gailen Ben Marzouk, and Prof. Dr. Jihed Majdoub which was presented by Dr. Safa Fennia of IT Business
School, Nabeul, Tunisia.
· Online Teaching and the Economics of Knowledge and Wisdom by Prof. Dr. Farhat Nasreen, Professor of
History in the Department of History and Culture, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India.
· Future of Higher Education in an Online Environment by Prof. Dr. Rossana Valéria de Souza e Silva,
International Cooperation Group of Brazilian Universities-GCUB, University of Brazilia, Brazil.
· Managing Higher Education Under Pandemic: El Salvador’s Experience by Dr. Nadia Menjívar Moran,
General Director of the Graduate School, Universidad Evangelica de El Salvador (UEES).
• Internationalization of Higher Education: Virtual Mobilities & Challenges on a Digital Transformation
Moment by Mr. Luis Ernesto Franchi and Mr. Ezequiel Mateo Martinich, which was presented by Mr. Franchi,
Rector, Universidad de la Marina Mercante, Argentina and Mr. Martinich, Secretary of Institutional Relations,
Universidad Abierta Interamericana, Argentina.
Just before lunch, North American University signed an MOU with Jadara University, Jordan. The post-lunch
third session concluded the event with closing remarks offered by eminent personalities. They were:
· Future of Higher Education in an Online Environment by Hon. Dr. Teta V. Banks, Director, University
Advancement and Development, North American University, TX, USA.
· Future of Higher Education in an Online Environment by Prof. Dr. Mosleh Duhoky, President, University of
Duhok, Iraq.
· COVID-19: A Disruptive Game Changer for Online Learning by Prof. Dr. Javaid Laghari, Former Chairperson
of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan.
· Education | The Greatest Gift by Ramiz Tafilaj, Albanian-American businessman, philanthropist, activist,
and publisher.
The Conference Proceeding is available at
https://www.na.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/NAU_Conference_Proceedings.pdf
7

Enactus
business administration department
Zainabou Oumarou Medjiguida, Blerona Zulfaj and Saida Meidinova (MBA) are participating in the Enactus Entrepreneurial
Exchange Program. This is a 6-week entrepreneurial immersion program that takes students through project ideation, implementation,
and impact phases. They are collaborating in small teams with Enactus students from Morocco and other U.S. universities. The
program concludes with each team developing a project pitch to create impact and compete for prize money. The program runs
from October 25 to December 10. For more information about Enactus, please contact Dr. Oscar Gonzales, ogonzales@na.edu.
Small Business Expo
Mary Leeyn Martinez Santos, Melisa Pino Oliva, Zainabou Oumarou Medjiguida
(students in MNGT 4314 Small Business Management) together with Abdoulkarim
Oumarou Medjiguida (Computer Science) attended the Small Business Expo event
held on November 16, 2021, at the Bayou Event Center. The Small Business Expo is an
annual networking and educational event for small business owners and entrepreneurs.
Topics focus on business growth strategies and increasing revenue which relate
well to the MNGT 4314 class taught by Mr. Jose Velarde.
The final project in MNGT 4314 is a business plan for the creation
of a small business. Mr. Velarde works closely with students in his class and challenges them to be ready to launch their
business by the end of the class. He asked his students to attend the Small Business Expo to see first-hand the options
currently available should they decide to open a small business after graduation.
ETS Test for Business Administration Students
Prior to graduation, students in the Business Administration department take an Educational Testing Service (ETS) Major Field Test.
This is a comprehensive, national test used to measure each student’s level of achievement and to evaluate the Business Administration
department’s degree programs. The test covers business knowledge in a combination of areas such as marketing, management,
finance, and accounting. For undergraduate Business students, testing is administered in BUSI 4317. For graduate-level
students, the ETS test for the MBA is taken in MBA 5317. Dr. John Topuz coordinates this effort with Dr. Tawfiq Abu-Raqabeh, who
is teaching MBA 5317 and BUSI 4317. This Fall 2021 semester, Dr. Topuz has worked with several students in MBA 5317 to schedule
testing, and next semester, students taking BUSI 4317 or MBA 5317 will receive more information from him regarding the ETS test.
For questions about the ETS test, please contact Dr. John Topuz, john@na.edu.
Speaker Series : Global Supply Chain
December 6: Speaker Series focused on Supply Chain Management, 12 – 1 PM.
Mr. Jose Velarde (NAU Adjunct Faculty Member in the Business Administration Department) and other
members of Houston’s Association for Supply Chain Management held a discussion on the nature and
significance of supply chains. The panel commented on the global supply chain crisis, the importance of
cyber security in supply chain, and ASCM Houston events and resources.
8

computer science department
One of the NAU graduated students, Daniyar Kaiyrbolatov, has been hired by Google, who
has the following LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniyarkaiyrbolatov/
ACM and ACM Woman clubs had a kickoff meeting and started their activities this Fall.
9

criminal justice department
The Criminal Justice program has been successful over the Fall semester and currently has 25
students. The program added a full-time Coordinator, Mr. Peter Alvarado and full-time
Instructor Dr. Stancie Chamberlain. The Criminal Justice program still in its infancy has
taught a total of ten different courses and adding two new ones in Spring 2022. As the
program progresses, we hope to continue to add more students to the program and more
courses for graduation in the near future.
This semester, the Criminal Justice department had the great honor of hosting several guest
speaker/lecturers from the FBI, local Fire Marshal’s Office, State agencies and Forensic
Experts for the students. Looking forward to the future of the program and Spring 2022.
10

education department
Congratulations! The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) has renewed the
approval of North American University to continue to operate as an approved educator
preparation program in Texas. This accomplishment comes as the result of the time, energy,
and hard work of the Chair of the Education department with his team and NAU leadership.
11

gulf language school
Fall 2021 brought forth some great milestones for Gulf Language School.
• The school continues maintaining its enrollment and offers classes seven days a
week. The current Fall tally includes 232 students from more than 20 countries.
• The Medical English course offering has shifted to being a test preparation for
students to take their OET (Occupational English Test), which applies to doctors
and nurses applying for positions in the US. The test has been formally recognized
by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates|Foundation for
Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (ECFMG|FAIMER).
There are 28 international physicians preparing for the OET exam at GLS. Mr. Marc
Passeneau, GLS director, completed the OET “Preparation Provider Programme.”
Three faculty members are starting the provider course in December 2021.
• The Fall semester saw a renewed interest in English test preparation, and the
subsequent opening of an evening IELTS preparation class.
• Gulf Language School currently has 12 faculty members who are teaching a
total of 16 sections, encompassing both Intensive English 8-week (IENG) and
General English 16-week (GENG).
• GLS Students continued online access to Townsend Press Textbooks, which had
reduced their Cost by 73%.
• GLS started offering an ESL/Citizenship class twice a week. It is designed for
adults who are preparing for the United States Naturalization Test.
• The school made itself available with free English class offerings to organizations
dealing with the Afghani refugees.
12

athletics department
School spirit was at an all-time high with things coming back to normal from COVID-19
restrictions. Everyone was excited to get things started in the Athletics Department.
Homecoming (9/22-9/24) was a great week and first in school history. We had different
activities on campus like twin day, blast from the past, and spirit day. Our school mascot
was out every day encouraging school spirit. Families also showed great support at the
varsity football game. We are looking to continue a rich tradition.
• Football returned this fall for their 2nd football season led by Head Coach
Apande. In July and August, we started off by giving back to the community with
Gulf Coast Blood center. It's a great event we do once a year and potentially
saving lives. The program has grown tremendously with a total of 160 athletes. The
football program had 2 teams. For Fall 2021, varsity has been playing a mix
divisions (NCAA, NAIA, & Juco) schedule and the JV has been playing prep
schools. The varsity finished this season 5-4 and the JV went 2-0. Our young
teams put together a great season. Things are looking bright for the future.
Twitter: @NAU_Athletics & @NAU_FB
Watch NAU Athletics football games: https://twitch.tv/naufootball
• Men's soccer returned this fall with new faces. Head Coach Dane Smith and
Assistant Donaldo Fuentes have been doing a good job keeping the athletes
focused on their goals. NAU played in the Fort Bend Adult Soccer Association
League and exhibition games. So far, they are (win-draw-loss) 5-3-4 record. They
planned to continue the fall season and make the FBASA playoffs.
Twitter: @NAU_Athletics & @NAU_MSoccer
• Men's basketball returned this fall led by Head Coach Higginbotham. In September,
the team took a day to give back and serve their community at The Center
For Pursuit. This is a nonprofit agency that serves individuals with intellectual and
development disabilities. Men's basketball has grown and now has a JV program.
Varsity played in mix divisions (NCAA, NAIA, Juco, & Prep) schedule and JV
played in Dub sports league with a few exhibition games. Varsity won their 1st
game verse PSAT post grad and started the season 1-0 in October. Overall, so far
for varsity is 3-7. The JV participated in the DUB sports and their overall record is
6-9. Twitter: @NAU_Athletics & @NAU_menbb
• Women's basketball returned this Fall led by Head Coach Joulevette. Coach was
geared to having a strong start to their season. The women's program started by
volunteering their time at the Hampton at Meadows place, a retirement community.
They helped senior citizens with their everyday activities. They played in mix
divisions (NCAA, NAIA, & Juco) schedule this season. Women's basketball started
their season on October 22nd verses Dillard University in New Orleans. Current
overall record is 0-3. Please come out and support your stallions.
Twitter: @NAU_Athletics & @NAU_WBB
13

#GOSTALLIONS
View home games’ pictures: https://aliciamerrifield.smugmug.com/Sports
Visit GoFundMe campaign: gf.me/u/y2h3z7
Twitter page: @NAU_Athletics
14

financial aid
2022 - 2023 FAFSA
• 2022-2023 FAFSA now available:
https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
• 2022-2023 awards and documents will appear in
student’s financial aid portal during the Spring 2022
semester.
Graduating?
• All expected graduates who borrowed federal student
loans while attending NAU are required to complete
Student Loan Exit Counseling before graduation.
• Login to the following link using your Federal Student
Aid ID and password to complete Exit Counseling:
https://studentaid.gov/exit-counseling
15

HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT
New Employees Hired during Fall 2021
• Peter Alvarado has joined NAU full-time as the Criminal Justice Coordinator and
helping Student Success. His office is located on the 8th floor.
• Dr. Marvin Johnson has joined as a full-time instructor in the General Education
Department. He teaches Math courses.
• Dr. Alice Gong has started teaching Business courses this Fall 2021.
• Amir Boltaev is the new Database Administrator with a focus on the J1 (Jenzabar)
Platform. His office is located on the 7th floor.
• Saida Meidinova and Gaukhar Parzhanova, have joined the NAU family as full-time
Student Account Specialists and work at the Bursar’s Office on the 7th floor.
• Ali Kucuk is the new Assistant Director of Finance/Bursar at NAU, and his office is
located on the 9th floor.
• Jesus Molina has joined NAU as the Accounts Payable Specialist and his office is
on the 9th floor. Mr. Molina, a Houston native and an NAU graduate, has 5 years’
experience in accounting in the oil industry.
New Athletic Coaches - Fall 2021
NAME
TITLE
LeNequa Jackson Athletic Administrator/ Athletic Event Coordinator
Daniel Stokes
Strength and Conditioning Coordinator
Jeremy Peters
Assistant Coach
Kaitlin Caudill
Assistant Coach/Team Manager
EJ Valentine
Assistant Coach/Athletic Admission Rep
Forrester Goodrich Off. Assistant Coach/RA (JV)
Brad Goodrich
Off. Assistant Coach
Dane Smith
Head Soccer Coach
Jamiyla DeBoise Assistant Coach/Team Manager
Roderick Morris Assistant Coach
WE WELCOME AND CONGRATULATE YOU ALL!
16

institutional effectiveness
and planning (iep)
The Office of IEP (OIEP) is happy to announce it is responding to feedback from NAU’s
application for regional accreditation. Under the direct supervision of the NAU Administrative
Team, OIEP is actively gathering data to ensure our application process is continuing a
positive trajectory. We are excited about this step of the application process and are
preparing to submit our response by the end of the semester.
Collaborating with the Athletic Department, OIEP has applied to the National Association
of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). This is a tremendous step forward in the maturity of our
athletic programs and our ability to potentially compete with other institutions who are
NAIA members. We are anxiously awaiting a response from the Association.
In addition, the Strategic Objectives Committee (Goal 2: Strengthen Institutional Effectiveness)
met October 22nd. Agenda items included reviewing the previous academic year’s
progress in institutional effectiveness and planning organizational training sessions in the
use of technology that enhances the efficiency of processes throughout the university.
Finally, OIEP would like to welcome Mr. Larry Whittington as our Interim Assistant Director
of IEP. Mr. Whittington, who is currently the General Education Coordinator, has agreed to
take on additional duties working in the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning
during our transition period. We look forward to continuing our productivity under his
leadership!
17

library
NAU Library is committed to assist all enrolled students and
current faculty and staff in their search for attaining knowledge
by providing information resources and services that encourage
learning, support education, and promote intellectual growth.
• NAU Library advocates for Open Educational Resources (OER). Many NAU instructors have started
using OER textbooks in their classes, and some have transitioned to completely OER courses. For OER
courses, all course materials are free of cost to students, including textbooks
44% courses offered at NAU in Fall 2021 used OER textbooks, and 15 courses were completely OER courses.
Congratulations to following instructors offering OER courses to NAU students in Fall 2021.
Abdulkerim Oncu, Amanda Boyaki Wilson, David Jung, Janice Harder, Janie Master,
Larry Whittington, Marvin Johnson, and Oscar Gonzales.
• Library's website gets updated regularly. It is https://www.na.edu/library/
• Open Educational Resources (OER) information has been updated and is available at
https://www.na.edu/library/open-educational-resources/
• Information on plagiarism, citation, writing help, public libraries in and around Houston, leading newspaper
links etc. are updated and available at https://www.na.edu/library/library-helpful-links/
• Library Catalog is available at https://www.na.edu/library/library-catalog/
• One more database from EBSCO - eBook Open Access (OA) Collection - has been added to the NAU's
online databases.
NAU Library's online resources/databases have a plethora of electronic books, full-text articles, peer
reviewed articles etc. and are available 24/7. To access these databaseso
Log in to Office 365 Portal with NAU email and password
o Go to All Apps
o Select EBSCO (If you don't see EBSCO in your All Apps, contact IT at support@na.edu)
o Select Research Databases for eBooks, scholarly articles etc. or Flipster to read eMagazines
o If you need further help for searching in EBSCO databases, please consider viewing video tutorials
at https://www.na.edu/library/library-databases/ or contact the library at naulibrary@na.edu.
Library Committee
The Library Committee met on October 7, 2021. Agenda items included library updates from the University
Librarian, including library resources – print, electronic, OER, website, outreach activities – and the library
statistics. Information was also shared with the committee on professional memberships with other library
networks and associations, professional development of library staff, the University Librarian’s active
participation and contribution in various campus committees and library’s advocacy on OER. The committee
also discussed and recommended library advancement to further enhance efficiency and outreach.
18

Free Books Event at the Library
NAU Library organized a Free Books event on October 29, 2021, at the library on the 9th
floor for two hours. However, looking at the overwhelming response, this event was
extended for the entire next week, concluding it on November 5, 2021. Those who picked
up more than five books/periodicals were given an NAU Tote Bag for free.
19

registrar’s office
Important Announcements
November 15 - January 2, 2021
December 9, 2021
December 13 - 20, 2021
December 21, 2021
December 21, 2021
January 18, 2022
January 19, 2022
January 21, 2022
February 8, 2022
- Spring Registration
- Last day of classes for the Fall semester
- Final Examinations
- Last day to submit final grades
- Official close of the semester
- Payment due date. First installment due for payment plan students.
- First Day of classes
- Last day to add a course
- Last day to drop a course or withdraw without a "W"
20

student affairs office
Fall 2021 Events
October 23
October 25
October 28
November 5
November 19
November 19
November 23
December 6
- Football Game at Stafford High School
- Fall BBQ
- Halloween Contest
- Morning treats with Administration for students
- NASA Trip
- Women Basketball team dinner with sponsors
- Thanksgiving Luncheon
- Speaker series: Supply Chain: Jose Velarde
Tutoring
Tutors were available to help the students. Students who were struggling in a
class could meet with a tutor, who helped them understand assignments and
strengthen their study skills.
Tutoring sessions were available by appointment for the following subjects: Math,
English, History, Biology, Computer Science, and Education. To request a tutoring
appointment, students were requested to use this link to complete the online
request form https://forms.office.com/r/zMsK7X7YFz . After submitting the
appointment request, they were requested to check their NAU email regularly as
they would receive an email (within 24 hours, M-F) to confirm their appointments.
Help Sessions
In addition to tutoring, general help sessions were available with
Instructors for the following subjects: Business, Computer Science,
English, and Freshman Seminar.
For more information, students were requested to scan QR codes
posted at several places in the campus or contact success@na.edu.
21

Fall 2021 Career Events
October 01
October 08
October 15
October 22
October 29
- Career Drop In Day, Zoom sessions
- Freshman Meet Up
- Resume Writing Workshop, videoconference/in person
- Mock Interview Sessions
- Accenture Workshop by Career Guidance Accenture
November 05
November 12
November 19
November 26
- Career Speed Dating Session, in person event
- Career Elevator Pitch Workshop, virtual session
- Exxon – Diversity Supply Chain, virtual session
- Interview Suit Competition
December 03
December 10
- IBM, virtual session
- Career Services Wrap Up Session
For more information, contact career@na.edu
2021/2022 SGA Board Members
• President: Abdoulkarim Oumarou Medjiguida aoumarou@na.edu
• Vice President: Ainazik Kamaldinova akamaldinova@na.edu
• Secretary: Yusuf Cemal Gurses ygurses@na.edu
• Member (Event & Activities): Dalila Baibolatova dbaibolatova@na.edu
NAU Club List - Fall 2021
CLUB NAME
ACM (Association for
Computing Machinery)
CLUB PRESIDENT
Abdoulkarim Oumarou
Medjiguida
EMAIL
aoumarou@na.edu
ACM-Woman (Association
for Computing Machinery)
Ainazik Kamaldinova
akamaldinova@na.edu
22
Boxing Club (NAU
Boxing Team)
Art Club
Yusuf Civelek
Beyzanur Tuzen
ycivelek@na.edu
btuzen@na.edu

university advancement & development (UAD)
THECB - OER Grants to NAU
NAU is proud to announce it is the recipient of a total of ten grants from the Texas Higher
Education Coordinating Board (THECB) for the OER Course Development (five grants) and OER
Course Implementation (five grants). Most recently, six grants were awarded in August: Dr.
Tijerina and Dr. Smith received a Development Grant for the ENGL 1311 - Composition I.
Faculty receiving Implementation Grants were Mr. Whittington for the MATH 1313 - Precalculus,
Dr. Nguyen for the MATH 2315 - Calculus II, Dr. Kurban/Dr. Johnson for the MATH 1312 - Statistics,
Dr. McGinty for the PYSC 2311 - General Psychology, and Dr. Harder for the GOVT 2312 -
Texas Government.
During this academic year, faculty will develop course materials to assist in reducing costs for
educational materials for students, as well as materials and course texts that can increase
accessibility for students and increase student achievement in these courses. Some of the
courses have already begun implementing the use of the newly developed OER materials in
courses this fall semester. Others will be implementing the materials in the spring semester. The
grants will also assist in upgrading and expanding library resources and technological equipment
and platforms.
North American University is one of the top awardee recipient institutions of higher education
in Texas in both Development and Implementation Grants. Congratulations to our NAU faculty
for this achievement and contribution to higher education.
23

wellness committee
The Wellness Committee has a new Chair for the upcoming AY21-22. Please congratulate Ms.
Rachael Bell who will oversee the Wellness Committee meetings and contests. Email
wellness@na.edu to contribute to employee-led contests sponsored by CIGNA like a recent
Step Challenge started in October 2021.
FALL 2021 Steps Challenge
The Wellness Committee thanks everyone who
participated in the challenge. If you did not get a
chance to participate, there will be more challenges
and activities in the future.
Shout out to all of our steppers!
FALL 2021 Steps Challenge
1st Place: Sami Tbeileh (600K steps)
2nd Place: Fuat Can (500K steps)
3rd Place: Saida Meidinova (400K steps)
24

faculty and
staff corner
Dr. John Topuz has been appointed to the Editorial Review Board for the Global
Journal of Accounting and Finance. It is a journal published through the Institute
for Global Business Research, IGBR.
In August 2021, Dr. John Topuz completed a post graduate program in Artificial
Intelligence and Machine Learning: Business Applications presented by the
McCombs School of Business, UT Austin.
Congratulations, Dr. Topuz!
--
Shweta Shroff, University Librarian, was invited by Advance Information Network
of Libraries in Gujarat (ADINET), India in November 2021 to present a webinar on
Open Educational Resources.
Congratulations, Ms. Shroff!
25

student corner
by Amon Tarmo, Student Representative on the Newsletter Committee from the Department of Computer Science
Student Life
Coming back to campus from the pandemic, no one knew how the school would be running and handling its daily
activities. Most students were excited about going back to the campus and seeing their fellow friends, colleagues,
and professors. From a student’s perspective, the hardest part of attending school remotely is the social isolation
from our classmates and teachers. At NAU, we always feel like we have a community around us, and it is tough to not
feel that same sense of community when learning online at home. Although some students were still unsure of how
this whole situation was going to pan out, North American University has done a solid job in ensuring the safety of the
students through observing all the CDC COVID-19 guidelines and precautions in campus.
With the campus being open, clubs such as the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery), the art club and the
boxing club have been opened for this fall semester and they were free to join for any student. Other most popular
activities that have been going on so far during this fall semester were our annual Fall BBQ, NAU’s Halloween party,
and the Free Books Library event which were all successful and played a vital role in connecting students and staff
and also keeping the Stallion spirit alive.
Country’s Discovery of the Semester
As announced in the Fall 2020 newsletter, we cover three (3) randomly chosen countries in each issue of Sentinel and
present some facts about those countries. We have chosen Kosovo, Indonesia, and Zimbabwe for this issue of
Sentinel. A student from one of these countries, Kosovo, was interviewed and her answers are included in the “Student
Interview of the Semester” section.
1. Country: Kosovo, Continent: Europe
The name Kosovo is derived from a Serbian placename meaning “field of blackbirds.” It is a self-declared independent
country in the Balkans region of Europe. Kosovo is the second-youngest country in the world, declaring its independence
from Serbia in 2008. Kosovo is bordered by Serbia to the north and east, North Macedonia to the south, Albania
to the west, and Montenegro to the northwest. Kosovo, about the same size as Jamaica or Lebanon, is the smallest
country in the Balkans. With a median age of 29.1 years, Kosovo has among the youngest populations in Europe.
Captial: Pristina
Area (Sq Mi): 4,210
Population (2021 est.): 1,770,000
Official Language: Albanian, Serbian
Did you know?
About 40% of the country is covered by forest. Majority of the trees in the forest are oak and pines.
And most of the forests are in southwestern Kosovo.
Source:
Lampe, J. R., Young, Antonia and Allcock, John B. (2021, April 7). Kosovo. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/place/Kosovo
26

2. Country: Indonesia, Continent: Asia
Indonesia is a country blessed with countless wonders. What makes this country unique is its diverse
culture and magnificent nature, which should be celebrated and preserved by everyone. The country is
located off the coast of mainland Southeast Asia in the Indian and Pacific oceans. It is an archipelago
that lies across the Equator and spans a distance equivalent to one-eighth of Earth’s circumference. The
country consists of five major islands and about 30 smaller groups. There are a total number of 17,500
islands, of which about 7000 are inhabited.
Captial: Jakarta
Area (Sq Mi): 740, 122
Population (2021 est.): 269, 804, 000
Official Language: Indonesian
Did you know?
The world’s biggest flower, Rafflessia Arnoldii, lives in Indonesia. It can grow to be 3 feet across and weigh
up to 15 pounds! It is a parasitic plant, with no visible leaves, roots, or stem. It attaches itself to a host
plant to obtain water and nutrients.
Source:
McDivitt, J. F., Wolters, Oliver W., Adam, Asvi Warman, Leinbach, Thomas R., Legge, John David and
Mohamad, Goenawan Susatyo (2021, November 24). Indonesia. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/place/Indonesia
3. Country: Zimbabwe, Continent: Africa
Zimbabwe is a beautiful country in Southern Africa that is known for its dramatic landscapes, its diverse
wildlife, and its hardworking people. Home to the Great Zimbabwe Monument, the mighty Victoria Falls
and the majestic Eastern Highlands, the country also boasts of world class national parks in which a
variety of animals, including the Big Five, can be found. The largest of these are Hwange National Park in
the west, and the Gonarezhou Trans frontier Park in the South. Zimbabwe shares a 125-mile border on the
south with the Republic of South Africa and is bounded on the southwest and west by Botswana, on the
north by Zambia, and on the northeast and east by Mozambique.
Captial: Harare
Area (Sq Mi): 150, 872
Population (2021 est.): 13, 982, 000
Official Language: There are 16 official languages: Chewa, Chibarwe, English, Kalanga, Khoisan, Nambya,
Ndau, Ndebele, Shangaan (Shangani), Shona, sign language, Sotho, Tonga, Tswana, Venda, and Xhosa
Did you know?
Victoria Falls is one of the Wonders of the World. Stretching 1.7 kilometers wide and shared by the
countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Source:
Sanger, C. William, Ingham, Kenneth and Bradley, Kenneth (2020, October 6). Zimbabwe.
Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/place/Zimbabwe
27

Student Interview of the Semester
Interviewee: Elena Huseni, a student of B.S. in Computer
Science, Software Engineering concentration
Interviewer: Amon Tarmo, Student Representative on the
Newsletter Committee from the Department of Computer
Science
Q: What is your name?
Hello all! I am Elena Huseni, a senior student at North
American University.
Q: Where are you from?
I come from Kosovo, a small but a beautiful country in
Southeastern Europe. What’s interesting is that I have dual
citizenship from North Macedonia as well!
Q: How did you learn about North American University?
While in High School, I got the chance to know more about
NAU and I thought it would be a great opportunity to
develop the beginning of my academic career.
Q: How do you feel being back and learning on-campus?
Among many other things that having online courses has
taught us is the importance of being on-campus. Despite
the uncertainty, I believe that being back and learning
on-campus will provide us with better academic and
professional support. It feels good to be back and I am
excited to make this last semester count!
Q: What do you think about NAU?
As an NAU student I believe NAU has a vibrant and diverse
community, that is well-supported and encouraged to
enrich students’ knowledge and their lives.
28

Q. Which has been your most memorable or favorite NAU event?
The most memorable event was part of the education club, where we had the opportunity to
meet with our guest speaker, Alicia Baturoni Cortez from the office of STEM Management, who
came from NASA Johnson Space Center, to present us the NASA Opportunities & Tools for
Educators & Students.
As for my favorite event, where I had the most fun, is the BBQ Event of Fall 2021, where we had
the chance to enjoy the food, climb walls, and play foosball.
Q. Are you a member of any clubs at NAU?
Throughout my student life at NAU, I have had the chance to be part of some of the great
clubs at NAU, such as:
• Math Club, where I was the Vice President, where we aimed to impact our growth and
the life of our students here at NAU.
• Turkish Student Organization (TSO), where we have had some amazing water
marbling classes (I know it sounds FUN!)
• I am currently a member of ACM Woman Club. Worth mentioning is the TamuHack
event of 2019 at Texas A&M University!
Q. What is your favorite thing about Houston? Do you have a favorite place?
As an international student, Houston never fails to amaze me. I have many places in my mind, from
various parks and attractions, where you can enjoy your free time, read a book, and coffee shops to
29
being outdoors and enjoy the Houston’s beautiful skyline.
If I had to choose, the award of my favorite place would go to Sugar Bean Coffee Shop on Galveston
Island. You can enjoy your cup of coffee, the beautiful aesthetic atmosphere, and have a nice walk
around the beach to clear your mind.

nau rankings
#1 Ranking Among 25 Most Affordable Private Nonprofit Colleges with Online Master’s Degrees
NAU secures the first place in AffordableSchools’ ranking of the most affordable private nonprofit online
master’s colleges. The complete ranking is available at
https://affordableschools.net/25-most-affordable-private-nonprofit-colleges-online-mastersdegrees/
#4 Ranking Among the Best Master's in Computer Science Degree Programs of 2022
NAU’s Computer Science department has earned #4 ranking among the best master's in Computer
Science degree programs award by Intelligent.com. The complete ranking is available at
https://www.intelligent.com/best-masters-in-computer-science-degree-programs/
#7 Ranking Among the Best 15 Criminal Justice Colleges in Texas in 2021
NAU's Criminal Justice department has acquired #7 ranking among the best 15 Criminal Justice
colleges in Texas in 2021 and got featured in BestValueSchool.org’s page at
https://www.bestvalueschools.org/criminal-justice-colleges-in-texas/
#7 Ranking Among the Top 20 Online Counseling Degree Programs
NAU’s Education Department has obtained #7 position among the top 20 online counseling degree
programs in 2021 by BestValueSchools.org. The complete ranking is available at
https://www.bestvalueschools.org/online-counseling-degree/
#10 Ranking Among the 30 Most Affordable Private Colleges in the US
NAU has been identified #10 among the 30 most affordable private colleges in the US according to an
article published in Newsweek on August 23, 2021. The analysis for this ranking is based on the U.S.
Department of Education's IPEDS data center up to the most recent reporting year (2019-2020). The
complete ranking is available at
https://www.newsweek.com/most-affordable-private-colleges-us-college-raptor-1620904
NORTH AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
11929 W AIRPORT BLVD
HOUSTON, TX 77477
(PH) 832 230 5555
INFO@NA.EDU | WWW.NA.EDU
30