Celebrating our Silver Jubilee
25 Years of AUS
American University of Sharjah is the fulfillment of the vision of our founder, His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed AlQasimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates, Ruler of Sharjah and President of AUS.
When His Highness raised the UAE flag to inaugurate AUS in Fall 1997, our pioneer students, faculty and staff took hold of his vision to see this new institution shape and impact society and future generations through science, education and research.
Our 25th anniversary provided the opportunity to celebrate the way the AUS spirit continues to be lived out in our lecture halls, studios, laboratories, classrooms, and offices on campus, and indeed around the world, as proud AUSers carry out the vision of His Highness.
From Fall 2022 to Spring 2023, the AUS community enthusiastically celebrated 25 years of impact and achievement. This page features some of the key highlights from this year of impact.
A Year of Impact
- Creating the Silver Jubilee Emblem
The official AUS Silver Jubilee emblem was designed by proud AUS alumna and designer Rola Faour.
Her design is a striking representation of both our Arabic heritage and our digital future, as seen in the Arabized code-like font. The text comes together as building blocks, representing the many endeavors of the university over the past 25 years, and features two domes with the number 2 mirroring the number 5.
This further aligns with our commitment to our founder’s vision to impact the region through teaching, learning, research and creative work—because tomorrow matters.
- Celebrating Our Alumni
AUS Alumni Silver Jubilee Reunion
Under the patronage and in the presence of our founder His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed AlQasimi, Supreme Council Member, Ruler of Sharjah and Founding President of AUS, the AUS Alumni Silver Jubilee Reunion was held on Saturday, January 28, 2023 at the AUS Main Plaza.
This year's celebration brought the AUS community together under the theme #AUSis25, with thousands of alumni and high-profile delegates attending from all over the region.
The night's festivities included a magnificent light show highlighting the university's iconic Main Building, a performance by the AUS Choir debuting the official AUS anthem, a motivational presentation by UAE entrepreneur Anas Bukhash and a spectacular fireworks display. His Highness also recognized several outstanding members of the AUS alumni community for their achievements and contributions to the community, which included alumni inducted in the AUS Hall of Fame 2023, and winners of the AUS Alumni Volunteer Service Award 2023 and Most Active Council Member Award 2023.
The following corporate sponsors were also acknowledged for their generous support: Alef Group, Arada, Bee’ah, Crescent Petroleum, Emaar, Etisalat, Invest in Sharjah, Petrofac, Sharjah Media City (Shams), Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sharjah Islamic Bank, Sharjah National Oil Corporation, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority and Commerce Development Authority, and Talabat.
- Looking to the Future of Knowledge and Education
The Next Lap | The Future of Knowledge and Education Forum
Under the distinguished patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed AlQasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member, Ruler of Sharjah and Founder of AUS, and in the presence of Her Excellency Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, President of AUS, the inaugural forum set the stage to discuss the new dimensions of technology and its effect on the education sector.
The forum brought together policymakers, decision-makers and high-profile speakers, including leading experts from academia, industry and government to share knowledge, insights and learn from best practices.
- Creating Monuments for Future Generations
- AUS Gratitude Park and Recognition Wall
The AUS Gratitude Park and Recognition Wall were inaugurated on Saturday, January 28, 2023 by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed AlQasimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates, Ruler of Sharjah and Founding President of American University of Sharjah, as part of the AUS Alumni Silver Jubilee Reunion.
The Gratitude Park was commissioned to mark the 25th anniversary of the university and pay tribute to the contributions AUS alumni and friends of the university have made to AUS, helping it to become one of the region’s leading institutions. The park’s design comes from two notable architects who are AUS alumni, Eman Shafiq and Samrakshana Suresh. The architects graduated from the AUS College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD) in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
The Gratitude Park acknowledges these achievements with its field of rising columns, anchored by a foundational stone wall at its center. Set in a 310-square-meter space on the AUS campus, the columns rise as they radiate away from the center wall, representing the commendable work of AUS students and alumni. The timber columns display the names of notable alumni and recognizable contributors to the university’s success over the past 25 years. New columns will be added in future years to mark the new contributions alumni and other supporters will inevitably make to the university.
The surrounding park celebrates the educational standards and methodologies of AUS as it celebrates a quarter of a century of outstanding education. Employing a non-invasive landscape strategy with a landscape palette consisting of plants suited to the environment of Sharjah, the park has a reduced environmental impact, consistent with AUS’ position as an international leader in sustainability.
While visiting AUS, His Highness also inaugurated the Recognition Wall, which acknowledges major supporters and contributors to AUS’ educational mission.
- AUS Anthem
In 2022, a competition was held among students to write an anthem to reflect the AUS spirit, our values and aspirations. Thanks to the College of Arts and Sciences and the Performing Arts Program, the new AUS Anthem was performed live by the AUS Choir at the Alumni Reunion.
Future leaders we educate
Pearls of wisdom we graduate
Hand in hand we stand up tall
AUS the best of all
- History of AUS Timeline
We created a digital timeline highlighting key milestones and achievements in AUS' history. This timeline will continue to be expanded as we mark important moments in the university's growth and development.
Early Years: 1997–2001
1997In 1997, AUS was founded by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed AlQasimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Sharjah.
- October 4, 1997: First day of classes
AUS had 285 students on the first day of classes, taught by 30 faculty members.
1998- Dr. Roderick French appointed first chancellor of AUS
- Celebrating the AUS Spirit
- Inaugural AUS Leopards Day 2022
As part of our Silver Jubilee celebrations, we started a new tradition to ignite the AUS team spirit.
Hosted by the Office of Student Affairs, AUS Leopards Day will be an annual campus-wide event involving students, faculty and staff.
The inaugural event was held on Thursday, November 17, 2022 in the Student Center.
- Global Day 2023
We celebrated our annual Global Day, a festival of culture and color, on March 10, 2023. Her Excellency Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, President of AUS, inaugurated the event, which is one of the university’s most anticipated celebrations of the cultural heritage of the AUS community.
This year’s celebrations turned the AUS Main Plaza into a carnival, with visitors strolling in and out of the colorful pavilions of more than 30 cultural and student-interest clubs, as they enjoyed the beat of folkloric music and dance, took in the tantalizing aroma and taste of delicious traditional cuisine, and observed elaborate traditional fashion from countries around the world.
- AUS Spring Jubilee Concert
The wide-ranging musical talents of the AUS community were shared in a special concert held by the Performing Arts Program on Monday, March 20, 2023 as part of the AUS Silver Jubilee celebrations.
The concert featured a suite of celebrated Arabic songs by revered artists such as Adul Halim Hafiz and Majida Al Roumi, Western classical and popular music, and saw the debut of the brand-new AUS Children’s Choir.
Proceeds from ticket sales were directed to the AUS Jubilee Scholarship Fund, which will be used to support AUS students and address their critical needs so they can pursue their academic goals.
- Little Shop of Horrors
As an homage to our most successful performing arts production originally held in 2016, the Performing Arts Program put on a fantastic reprise of the famous musical, Little Shop of Horrors.
Our talented students were involved in every aspect of the show, including building the set and creating the costumes under the guidance of their professors. Proud AUS alumnus and visiting lecturer Abishek Nair directed the musical sensation.
The cast included Vighnesh Prasad (English literature major) who played Seymour; Tala Al Shukairy (architecture major) who played Audrey; Ahmed AlAli (mass communication major) who operated the Audrey II puppet; and Dr. Damon Dandridge, who voiced the puppet.
Costume design was by Assistant Professor Isabela Tavares; lighting design was by AUS alumna Farah Morra; keyboards were played by CAS faculty Natalie Tykhonova and Guilherme Godoi; and set design was by Assistant Professor James Gross.
All proceeds from the show went towards the AUS Silver Jubilee Scholarship Fund.
- Silver Jubilee Podcast
Created by student and faculty from the Department of Mass Communication in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), the AUS Silver Jubilee Podcast features interviews with key individuals who have contributed to the success of our university over the past 25 years.
Listen here, on Spotify and other platforms.
- QR Code Campus Tour
We created a campus tour by placing QR codes at our 25 favorite locations that linked out to fun facts and fascinating figures about the AUS campus and its history. You can still view the tour online by following the link below.
- CEN Silver Jubilee Competition
The College of Engineering (CEN) coordinated three multimedia competitions to give students, alumni and employees the opportunity to showcase their talent and creativity while celebrating the AUS spirit.
- Welcoming Special Guests and Experts
- School of Business Administration | The Future of Work and Well-being
Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, President of AUS, welcomed Nobel Prize-winning economist Sir Christopher Pissarides to the campus on February 16, 2023. The visit was organized by the School of Business Administration (SBA) as part of its Distinguished Lecture Series, which was held as part of the AUS Silver Jubilee celebrations.
Sir Christopher's lecture on "The Future of Work and Well-being" highlighted his expertise in the economics of labor markets, economic growth, and structural change. The Nobel Laureate engaged with students and faculty to discuss current economic developments and the implications of artificial intelligence and automation in the labor market.
- College of Engineering | Hall of Fame Series
The College of Engineering (CEN) celebrated 25 years of contribution to innovation in engineering, science and technology by hosting prominent speakers in academia and industry, including some of its most successful alumni. Over three separate occasions, CEN hosted the following distinguished AUS alumni:
- Her Excellency Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology
- Malakeh El Haj, Director of Knowledge and Innovation at the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation
- Hind Al-Mutawa, Senior Manager at Dubai Electricity and Water Authority
- Rawan Abu Alwan, Research Associate at Khalifa University of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi
- Hawazen Diab, Area Manager at Amazon
- Majd Abudagga, Lead Consultant at Software One
- Amin Al Zarouni, CEO of Bedu
Dr. Vian Ahmed, Professor in Industrial Engineering and event coordinator, said: “These event aimed to inspire students by role models who are making a difference in society, including our alumni. We are honored to be part of AUS as it carries forward the vision of its President, and we are proud of our students who enrich our academic community through their hard work, creativity and diversity. I am also extremely proud to see how our talented alumni have conquered the world with great confidence.”
- College of Architecture, Art and Design | CAAD at 25
The College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD) hosted a two-part symposium series focused on celebrating the contributions of alumni and exploring the future of design education.
The two events included discussions between AUS alumni from across a variety of design disciplines, looking back to learn from the past 25 years of design education at AUS and within the region, and then looking ahead to consider the future of design education and practice.
The symposium events were coordinated by CAAD faculty members Kevin Mitchell, Professor of Architecture; Hala Al-Ani, Assistant Professor of Art and Design; and Dr. John Montague, Associate Professor of Architecture.
- Reaching Out to Our Community
- Reflecting on 25 Years of Community Impact
- Community Partners Recognition Reception
On March 2, 2023, Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, President of AUS, honored 30 national philanthropic organizations in recognition of their long-standing partnerships with AUS and unwavering commitment to serving communities in need at the Community Partners Recognition reception.
Organized by the Community Service and Outreach Division at the AUS Office of Student Affairs, the event honored AUS’ community partners, with whom AUS has built strong partnerships throughout the years, offering its students diverse and unlimited volunteering experiences.
The event featured a celebratory video highlighting the role of the many organizations that worked tirelessly with AUS throughout the years in some of its most impactful initiatives, such as the Hand in Hand project with the Sharjah Social Empowerment Foundation, which saw an average of 100 students every year volunteering to rehabilitate schools and orphanages; the AUS Blind Group with the Emirates Association for the Visually Impaired, which help provide audiobooks for people with visual impairments; UAE Red Crescent collaborations; Sharjah Police collaborations on the annual AUS Awareness Day; and most recently AUS’ contribution to build a classroom in Ghana on the occasion of the AUS Silver Jubilee, in collaboration with Sharjah Charity International.
- Executive Engineering Learning Days
The College of Engineering (CEN) delivered a series of Executive Engineering Learning Days free to the general public. The learning days consisted of a series of scientific and professional workshops and short courses delivered by CEN's world-class faculty members.
More than 250 people took advantage of these free sessions, with Total Quality Management and Lean Six Sigma proving to the be the most popular courses offered.
The full list of courses included:
- Smart Cities Technologies from the Ground to the Cloud | Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Ali, Dr. Ra'afat Abu-Rukba, Dr. Salam Dhou
- Empowered Women in the Workplace | Dr. Vian Ahmed
- Introduction to MEMS Technology | Dr. Mehdi Ghommem
- Total Quality Management | Dr. Moncer Hariga
- Lean Six Sigma | Dr. Mahmoud Awad
- The Art and Science of Design Thinking | Dr. Abdulrahim Shamayleh
- Fundamentals of Structural Earthquake Engineering | Dr. Mohammad AlHamaydeh
- Fundamentals of Fire Protection Engineering | Dr. Rami Haweeleh
- Raising Funds for Future AUSers
- #AUS25for25 Initiative
As part of our Silver Jubilee celebrations, the Office of Advancement and Alumni Affairs spearheaded the #AUS25for25 initiative, which aimed to raise the equivalent of 25 scholarships for 25 AUS students.
By participating in some of the initiatives and events in our Silver Jubilee calendar, friends and supporters of AUS community were able to contribute to AUS Silver Jubilee Scholarship Fund—an unrestricted non-endowment fund that will be used to address the critical needs of our students. The students who benefit from this fund will be selected for their good academic standing and demonstrated financial need as determined by the university’s financial grants and scholarships review process.
For more information about how you can still to contribute to the AUS Silver Jubilee Scholarship Fund, please email [email protected].
- Silver Commemorative Coins
In collaboration with the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE), AUS issued 1,000 commemorative silver coins to celebrate 25 years of achievements since the establishment of AUS in 1997, in fulfillment of the vision of our founder, His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed AlQasimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the UAE, Ruler of Sharjah, and Founding President of American University of Sharjah.
AUS alumni were able to acquire the commemorative coins, and the proceeds were allocated towards the Silver Jubilee Scholarship Fund, which aims to provide the equivalent of 25 scholarships for 25 students in celebration of AUS’ 25th anniversary. The coins were sold out within 24 hours of announcing this initiative.
Each coin weighs 40 grams. The front side includes an image of AUS with the year of its establishment in 1997, surrounded by the name of the university in Arabic and English. The reverse side of the coin includes the official AUS Silver Jubilee emblem with the name of the Central Bank of the UAE written in both Arabic and English.
- Limited Edition Merchandise
A collection of limited edition AUS Silver Jubilee merchandise was available for purchase at the AUS Alumni Silver Jubilee Reunion and online.
The merchandise featured the official AUS Silver Jubilee emblem designed by CAAD alumna Rola Faour, along with original watercolor artwork by Hatim Al-Sharif, CAAD alumnus and Senior Graphic and Multimedia Designer in the Office of Strategic Communication and Marketing at AUS.
Proceeds from the sales of all official AUS merchandise go directly to the AUS Silver Jubilee Scholarship Fund as part of the #AUS25for25 initiative.
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