American Global University defends its name

Last month at a press conference at the Belize Institute of Management, serious claims were levied at the American Global University School of Medicine, an offshore medical university that has moved to a building on the International Airport Road. In a nutshell, the allegations were that the AGUSM was bogus and a scam. Well today, University representatives dealt with the long list of charges concluding that the smear campaign is being funded by the competition. To establish legitimacy, the AGUSM pointed out that the Minister of Education went to their graduation ceremony held in Ohio in 2010. Duane Moody reports from the VIP room of the Radisson Fort George.

Duane Moody, Reporting

American Global University School of Medicine and Washington University Heath and Science have been operating in the country for years now. That was the information coming out of a media brief this morning at the Radisson held by executives of the medical schools. For almost a month now, the legitimacy of the American Global University School of Medicine came under fire by activist, Philip “Faada” Henry. Henry claimed that the institution is bogus and a scam. President of the universities, Doctor Malik Soudah, gave a background on the universities.

Malik Soudah

Dr. Malik Soudah, President, American Academic Services

“We approached a lot of Caribbean islands and governments. We got approval from the island of Turks and Caicos, the government of Antigua. And then at the same time in 2005 or 2004, we got the approval from the Ministry of Education, the Government of Belize.   Close to forty percent of all practicing physicians in the United States and Canada are foreign medical trained. There is not enough seating in the United States system to accept medical students. We have probably close to twenty contracted hospitals in the states based in Florida, Ohio, Washington DC, West Virginia, Tennessee, Chicago, Denver. So when someone finishes from here, we take them back to the clinical.  This thing that we are a shell school and all the stuff, I would challenge anyone from outside to do a full investigation on this. What were we doing in Belmopan for four years? We were there for four years. How about San Pedro? Doctor Giovanni taught for us there. We have students. We have local students, American students.”

Some twenty-five to thirty students enroll with the institution each semester. But prior to an attachment in the United States for six semesters for clinical sciences, the medical students are taught basic science in Belize for four semesters. Several Belizean professors currently teach at the university including Dean of Basic Science, Doctor Eduardo Giovanni Solorzano.

Eduardo Giovanni Solorzano

Dr. Eduardo Giovanni Solorzano, Dean of Basic Science

“Courses offered at the moment include anatomy, pharmacology, histology, neo-anatomy, genetics, embryology, behavioral science, etc. We have Belizean professors working. I will like to mention their names if you are interested in getting to know their names. Some of them work part time, some of them work full time. We have Doctor Javier Zuniga, from Cayo. He got a scholarship at the moment. He just left and in studying in Australia, but he was a professor of ours, teaching pathology and micro-biology. We have Doctor Noellie Nicholson, she at the moment is teaching genetics. We have Doctor Lorenzo Nicholson, at the moment he is teaching physiology.”

The school has been very active in the community says Doctor Soudah. And present today to attest to this was Student Government Association President, Sarah Thompson.

Sarah Thompson, President, Student Government Association, Washington University

Sarah Thompson

“We want to be a positive influence in the community. I am president of the student government association, so we have a lot of community activities planned. We are actually trying to organize some beach cleanup, we’ve been working with the humane society and we are trying to possibly get a blood drive going which would be a first in San Pedro.”

Dr. Malik Soudah

“When we were in Belmopan, we took some of the students to Belmopan; they rotated with some of the physicians. We went to Cayo District for outside clinic—hypertension and diabetes awareness. We have a person in the school in charge of this; but our students in San Pedro, they are very active in the community.”

But why would anyone want to discredit the university? Doctor Soudah says that he believes that a smear campaign is being funded by competitors.

Dr. Malik Soudah

“I don’t consider anyone competition in Belize; and I say this from confidence because I know what we can offer. We have the best clinical in the states, we have state of the art facility in San Pedro and the one in Belize City is going to look just like the one in San Pedro. So any medical school here in Belize, I don’t even look at them as competition; they can’t even come close. When we were in Belmopan, we had this school from here from Ladyville. I don’t know who this guy Henry is. Is he medical authority? Can he talk about curriculum? Can he talk about medical school? So he goes and spread all this lies about this school; all this stuff.”

Doctor Soudah says they have been following protocol since 2006 when American Global University signed its charter with the Ministry of Education and in February 2012 for Washington University. In fact, Doctor Soudah says that in 2010, Minister of Education, Patrick Faber, attended its first graduation exercise in Ohio.

Dr. Malik Soudah

“We definitely have graduates. We graduated a class in 2010. How many graduates? From AGU probably a hundred and plus—bout one forty, one fifty plus. I don’t have exact statistics, but we do have graduates. And I told you, the government was there in 2010 when we graduated forty people from our AGU campus and we have the pictures to prove it. Minister Faber was there in attendance. We had a big graduation in Columbus Ohio, their family was invited.”

Doctor Soudah says that they have contacted their legal team to sue whoever defames the school’s name and credibility. Duane Moody for News Five.

According to the university representatives, two Belizeans are enrolled in the program among the twenty-five students currently studying here in Belize.