Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the deepening Russia-China partnership continue to pose a major threat to the United States, NATO, and the European political and security order. Close allies Finland and Estonia have been at the forefront of this more volatile context with Russia and China, prompting key changes in their approaches (such as Finland joining NATO earlier this year).

H.E. Mikko Hautala, Ambassador of the Republic of Finland to the United States, and H.E. Kristjan Prikk, Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia to the United States, will discuss these major challenges in conversation with SIS Professor Garret Martin

Register for the event here.

Please note: Family Movie Night has been moved to Friday, October 27^th. All are welcome to join us!

AU Community Relations is excited to partner with Horace Mann Elementary School to host a fun-filled movie night on Friday, October 27. Bring some blankets and the whole family to campus for an outdoor screening of the animated movie, Elemental.

The movie will be screened at the Woods-Brown Amphitheatre. The movie will begin at 7:00 pm. Free popcorn and crafts will be provided.

Please RSVP here so we can better estimate the number of attendees.

We are excited to welcome back guided moonlight tours of the AU Arboretum. Join AU Community Relations and the AU Arboretum on Friday, October 27 at 6:00 pm for this special tour.

Did you know that the American University Campus is an accredited Arboretum with over 5000 trees and more than 500 different species and varieties of woody plants. Stroll with us through the campus under the light of the full moon and learn about the history of the university, as well the information on the trees, gardens and sustainable features throughout campus.

Please arrive in front of the School of International Service (SIS) building at 6:00 pm for refreshments and check-in. Parking is free after 5:00 pm in our AU garages. The closest garage to the check-in location is the SIS garage. The entrance is at the corner of Nebraska Ave NW and New Mexico Ave NW. This is a family friendly event and pets are welcome.

Please RSVP for the Moonlight Tour here. We look forward to seeing you there!

Overture welcomes to the stage AU’s newest actors from the dynamic class of 2027. Showcasing the talents of its performers, this production features music, text and movement assembled and devised by the student company, in collaboration with faculty director Nancy Bannon.

Tickets: Free for AU students with ID, $10 for alumni, staff, faculty, children (under 18), and senior citizens (55 and older), $15 general public.

The American University Farmer’s Market is back! The Farmer’s Market is open every Wednesday, beginning August 30 through November 8, from 11:00 - 2:00pm on the Eric Friedheim Quadrangle.  AU's own Airlie Farm will have fresh meats, produce, and honey for sale brought in from the local Virginia farm.

Learn more about the Farmer’s Market featured vendors and their offerings:

• Enjoy RavenHook Bakehouse's fresh-baked bread and treats.
• Mesisam the Ethiopian Eatery serves a variety of authentic Ethiopian vegetarian and non-vegetarian ready-to-eat meals.
• Blu December offers loose leaf teas and honey.

A hilarious, exuberant celebration of love, Head Over Heels follows the escapades of a royal family on an outrageous journey to save their beloved kingdom from extinction—only to discover the key to their realm’s survival lies within each of their own hearts. This laugh-out-loud love story is set to the music of the iconic 1980s all-female rock band The Go-Go’s, including the hit songs, “We Got the Beat,” “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “Vacation,” Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven is a Place on Earth,” and “Mad About You.”

Content: The production includes sexual innuendo, simulated intercourse, violence, and death.

Tickets: Free for AU students with ID, $10 for alumni, staff, faculty, children (under 18), and senior citizens (55 and older), $15 general public.

We are excited to announce the first ever AU-Airlie 5K Fun Run Race and Fall Festival this November 11 at AU’s Airlie Hotel, Conference Center and Farm near Warrenton, VA! This event is a partnership between Auxiliary Services, Human Resources, Airlie and our sponsor, Quantum Health, that is designed to offer the AU community a chance to enjoy health and wellness on our scenic Airlie property. 

The 5K race will be available for runners and walkers. The 5K is entirely within the Airlie property and will be followed by a Fall Festival. Lace-up those sneakers, grab your family and friends, and join us for a day of active enjoyment. Our 5K Fun Run is open to all ages and fitness levels. Whether you're a seasoned runner or just looking to enjoy a leisurely stroll through beautiful scenery, this event is for you. 

After the run, the festivities continue with our Fall Festival. This family-friendly celebration will feature an array of exciting activities and attractions including live music, BBQ eats from our Airlie Berkshire Farm and Airlie Kitchen, lawn games, and hayrides. 

Please visit our registration website here to register for the 5K Fun Run, Fall Festival, or both. This event is open to the entire AU community. However, spots are limited to 200 and available on a first-come, first-served basis.  

If you are interested in staying overnight before or after the race and festival, please use this link when booking.

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at AU fall semester begins on Tuesday, September 26, but there is still plenty of time to register for classes. Some of our open courses include The Grey Zone of War, Film Genres and Gender, Introduction to Cell Biology, Classical Indian Philosophy, and more! Take up to four classes for $300 (AU alumni, faculty, etc. receive a 10 percent discount). Registration is open until Friday, October 6. Be a part of a community where curiosity never retires! Go to our website: olli-dc.org or call 202-895-4860 for further information and to register for classes.  

View our fall semester course offerings.

On August 30, 2023, over 400 students participated in the Nonprofit Networking Fair hosted by American University's Center for Community Engagement & Service (CCES).

AU partners with local nonprofits across the DMV to foster "Community-Based Learning" (aka "Service-Learning"), an experiential learning approach that helps students build a deeper understanding of their course content through working with nonprofits.

Students go beyond the classroom and reflect on what they're learning in class with the added perspective of community experiences and observing how nonprofit organizations "take theory to action" with the services they provide.

Every semester, CCES hosts about 20 local nonprofit organizations from around the DMV that work with different communities and respond to local issues so that students can learn how they can contribute as Changemakers. Every year, hundreds of AU students are committed volunteers with DC schools and nonprofits and many students are inspired to join the nonprofit workforce after graduating to continue to make a stronger, more supportive DMV community.

This year, our Fair included organizations actively fighting food insecurity, providing care for senior citizens, empowering youth with disabilities, connecting housing services to those experiencing homelessness, preventing youth crime and gang violence, supporting refugees and immigrants with English lessons, and strengthening family wellbeing.

If you have a nonprofit organization you'd like to connect with AU, explore our "Nonprofit Partnership Center" here. If you'd like to support Service-Learning and empower more students to connect their academic experience to community-based organizations, you can donate to the Community Services Initiative Fund here.

Sponsored by the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) and the Aspen Institute

Immerse yourself in the transformative power of music as we delve into its ability to heal wounds, bridge divides, and unite communities. This event is a unique opportunity to witness firsthand how music can break down barriers and ignite conversations that lead to lasting change.

The Jerusalem Youth Chorus is a choral and dialogue program for Palestinian and Israeli youth in Jerusalem. The evening will seek to explore the historic challenges faced by both Israeli and Palestinian communities and shed light on how music can build bridges that will ensure a brighter future for all. Performances by the Jerusalem Youth Chorus and AU Chamber Singers will be followed by a panel discussion.

CAS and the Aspen Institute are grateful to Bruce Levenson (WCL '76), for his generous support of this event.

Click here to register for the event.

AU's Child Development Center provides high-quality education and care for children 2-1/2 to 6 years of age. The Center uses a research-based system that offers a comprehensive, evolving set of resources that emphasizes the developmental uniqueness of each child. The Child Development Center has openings for fall enrollment. You can learn more about the Child Development Center online. For questions, please contact Beth Root, Director for the Child Development Center at eroot@american.edu.

Join us for a literary performative event with poems and literature by Ukrainian writers. This event is inspired by our photography exhibition Lost Europe, which explores the lives and culture of rural Ukrainians just before the current war. Included among the authors are Taras Shevchenko, 1814-1861; Ivan Franko, 1856-1916; Lesya Ukrainka, 1871-1913; Mykola Khvylovy, 1893-1933; Lina Kostenko, 1930; Vasyl Stus, 1938-1985; Serhiy Zhadan, 1974; Oleg Teplykh, 1971; and others. Reading of Ukrainian poems translated into English will be done by variety of participants including locally based curators, artists, and professionals from universities and their students.

Reader: Leeya Mehta, Interim Director, The Alan Cheuse International Writer’s Center, George Mason University

Reader: Irina Denischenko, Assistant Professor, Department of Slavic Languages, Georgetown University; Assistant Professor, Women’s and Gender Studies Program, Georgetown University

Reader: Aneta Georgievska-Shine, Senior Lecturer, Department of Art History at the University of Maryland 

…and others.

Click here to learn more and sign up.

Please consider joining the AU Neighborhood Partnership which works to provide a consensus-based forum to resolve issues affecting the communities near American University. Interested members of the community may join one of the Partnership’s five standing working groups, comprising community stakeholders and AU leadership. 

The AUNP held virtual orientation sessions that served as an introduction to the partnership, explored Zoning and Campus Planning in DC and offered ways to get involved in the partnership through one of the five working groups.

If you did not have a chance to attend any of the sessions, the Zoom recordings can be found on AU's webpage under the AUNP Orientation Materials tab.  

For more information about the AU Neighborhood Partnership and the Office of Community and Government Relations can be found online at https://www.american.edu/communityrelations/.

Still have questions? Email us at communityrelations@american.edu.