A new, friendly face on the University of Minnesota Crookston campus this year is that of Anas Al Fattal, Ph.D. As an assistant professor of marketing teaching both on-campus and online courses, Al Fattal provides a unique perspective about the marketing field with his international roots. Al Fattal was born in Morocco and raised in Syria. He learned English in middle school with the help of his parents’ language school. During his collegiate studies, he lived in the United Kingdom and later moved to Oman and the United States.
Because of Al Fattal’s international background, he is able to share new insights about his culture with the students of this campus. In his recent International Week presentation, Al Fattal gave students the opportunity to learn about the Arabic language, food, music, and dance style. Through informative videos and the opportunity to try basbousa, an Arabic dessert made with almond, semolina, and coconut, Al Fattal allowed everyone to experience a hands-on view of his culture. Another activity included in the presentation was offering the attendees a translation of their names written in the Arabic language. Al Fattal hopes to continue helping out in more ways in the future as he continues at UMN Crookston.
