An eminent professional, educationist, Professor Muthanna Abdul Razzaq, completed his Bachelor Degree in Business Administration and Accounting from Al Mustansirya University. He got his Postgraduate Diploma in Cost Accounting from Baghdad University and moved to the UK to finish his Ph.D in Management Accounting, form the University of Manchester (UMIST).
Starting his career with the Ministry of Irrigation, soon his passion towards education compelled him to join Baghdad University, where he continued for more than five years, including as Vice President for Financial Affairs. Taking a step further Muthanna joined in 1997 as the acting chair of the Accounting Department at the College of Business Administration/ Applied Science University, Amman, Jordan and later in 1999 as the Deputy Dean of Faculty of Business Administration at Ajman University of Science and Technology, Ajman/ United Arab Emirates (UAE). He has gained a prominent position in the region due to the exemplary work he has done in his career. His raise to eminence in such a short span can be attributed to his strong will power, competence, principle, commitment, and leadership quality.
His passion towards bringing educational excellence in UAE motivated him to propose and establish Abu Dhabi University (ADU) in the year 2000 as a founder and one of the owners and consistently and diligently for five years he continued his academic journey at Abu Dhabi University, that is now one of the leading quality institutions in the region. Professor Muthanna also served in various capacities such as Chairman of Academic Committee, Member of the Board of Trustees, Vice President for Scientific Research, Member of the Board of the Governors, Vice Chancellor for Administrative and Financial Affairs at ADU and member of the Board of Trustees at American University of Afghanistan.
His constant drive to excel inspired him to establish the American University of the Emirates (AUE) in the year 2006, also serving as the President and CEO and Member of the Board of Trustees. He always aimed to spread education among the young generation and strongly believes that the young generation is truly sincere, dedicated, and keen to adopt new practices of learning, provided their energy is channelized in the right direction. He was determined to research the market needs of the region and provide quality education in the niche areas. His strong determination led to propose and offer such academic programs that are not available in the region including but not limited to Graduate programs in Diplomacy, Security and Strategic Studies, Sports Management, Security and Intelligence, Intellectual Property Rights, Arbitration, Criminal Justice and many more. His recent proposal to initiate Bachelor Program in Equine Studies is a true example of creative leader.
His strong belief is that the young generation can enter any challenging arena and achieve success if they receive focused attention, inspiring atmosphere and a bit of extra care and the culture of American University in the Emirates demonstrates such culture. This is testified by the University’s track record of increasing number of students and diverse portfolio of academic programs. His focus is on nurturing the young minds and developing the soft skills that are critical to their success.
As an accountant by profession, Professor Razzaq is a visionary who carries with him a perfect blend of administrative and academic exposure, with equal grip on accounting related subjects. He nurtures a sense of pride in his roots that lie in the great tradition and glorious history of Iraq.
Professor Razzaq has always been at the forerunner of the social and value awakening movement like annual forums on breast cancer awareness, health care management, fraud and risk management, digital forensics and similar critical issues that has exercised a tremendous impact on the minds of young generation. In a recent move, recognizing the need of peace in the region, a Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution was born from his immense desire to further strengthen the peacebuilding interventions in the region. To inculcate higher order critical thinking skills, he established a Debate Center at the University to have active and engaging students. In addition, another unique initiative was the first democratically elected Women’s Council, International Majlis for Women to support gender equality.