Does American education remain the most popular choice for universities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region? Recently, rumors circulated that Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI), Morocco switched from the traditional American model of education to the French system of tertiary learning. The rumors seemed counter intuitive during a time when the whole world, including the MENA region, is shifting to the American style of higher education which, in addition to the usage of English as the primary language of instruction and research, focuses on creative thinking and problem solving instead of rote memorization. Rethinking the American model of education would have not only been counter to popular notions of higher education but would have affected the foundations on which AUI is based. Located in a country desperate for efficient human capital, any move by AUI away from the American model would have brought into question the
