Supporters honored at annual AUS Corporate Appreciation Gala

American University of Sharjah (AUS) hosted its annual Corporate Appreciation Gala last night, November 23, to recognize its collaborators from business and industry and celebrate their impact.

Sponsored by and held at the Grand Millennium Business Bay Hotel in Dubai, more than 120 business leaders and senior executives from leading international, regional and local corporate entities were present. They were recognized for their support of the advancement endeavors of AUS throughout the academic years 2019−2020 and 2020–2021

In conjunction with the event, Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC) pledged AED 1 million towards the establishment of the Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC) Endowed Scholarship Fund at AUS. The fund will help to cover the tuition fees of AUS students who are facing financial challenges, regardless of their majors or nationalities.

Dr. Susan Mumm, Chancellor of AUS expressed her appreciation to the companies and organizations recognized at the event and said: “AUS is always looking for ways to support its students and to prepare them for their professional journeys after graduation. Hence partnership with, and support from, industry friends of the university are essential to the advancement of our student-centered mission. As we explore future collaborations and build on existing ones, our students and faculty will continue to benefit from engagements with leading companies and organizations like yours.”

Speaking on the importance of corporate partnerships, Rania Morsi, Director of Development and Donor Relations at the AUS Office of Advancement and Alumni Affairs (OAAA), said: “The university’s relationships with its friends from industry is essential in creating many engaging student and alumni initiatives. We want to ensure that our association with leading companies helps to meet their talent requirements. As our graduates embark on a future full of possibilities, our partnerships will help our graduates to succeed in their roles in these organizations."

Organized by the OAAA, the event included an appreciation ceremony where Dr. Mumm and Dr. Juan Sanchez, AUS Provost and Chief Academic Officer, recognized major donors for their continuous support and generous contributions to AUS. These included Al Maktoum Foundation, Fast Building Contracting Co. and General Electric.

Organizations that helped AUS achieve its academic mission by supporting its institutional advancement endeavors with major and significant contributions were recognized with the Leaders of Excellence Award. The companies honored included All Prints, Arada, Bee'ah, Crescent Enterprises & Crescent Petroleum, D&B, Emaar, Petrofac and Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC).

Impact Leaders were also recognized for their contributions and special relationship with AUS. Supporters recognized as Impact Leaders included H.E. Mirza Al Sayegh, Chairman, Al Maktoum Foundation; H.E. Shihab Alhammadi, Authority Director, Sharjah Media City (Shams); Khadija Al Bastaki, Executive Director, Dubai Design District (d3); H.E. Mohammed Alabbar, Founder and Managing Director, Emaar; Issa Ataya, CEO, Alef Group; and Hatem Al-Mosa, CEO, Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC).

For this year’s event, OAAA also introduced the Corporate Campus Engagement Award that gives the opportunity for AUS students and graduates to vote for companies and organizations they feel have most meaningfully connected with them during the past two academic years. The result of this poll saw the recognition of Chalhoub Group, Dubai Design District (d3), L’Oréal Middle East and Sharjah Co-operative Society.

During the evening, the inaugural Alumni Volunteer Service Award was also presented to recognize the exceptional institutional engagement and service of alumni in supporting the educational mission of AUS, especially during the pandemic.

The recipients of this award were Melissa Bayik, Head of Brand, Arada (as named by the Dean of the College of Architecture, Art and Design); Jamal Almawed, Founder and Managing Director, Gambit Communications (as named by the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences); Muhannad Nabulsi, Field Service Operational Marketing Manager, Schneider Electric (as named by the Dean of the College of Engineering); and Sirine Mahou, Community Marketing Specialist, Canon Middle East (as named by the Dean of the School of Business Administration). Honorable mentions went to Rashed Al Sadiq, HR Director, P&G, and Tala El Kalache, Talent Acquisition Lead, L’Oréal Middle East.

For more information on collaborating with AUS, please visit www.aus.edu/about/partners-and-community.