When American University of Sharjah opened on October 4, 1997, the campus was surrounded by nothing but desert.
Founded by Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, construction works for the new university were finished in just 11 months.
A grainy black and white photograph from the 1990s shows the scale of the endeavour, with the main auditorium and surrounding buildings edging to completion against this isolated backdrop.
On that historic day in 1997, just 285 students arrived for their first classes and were taught by 30 faculty members.
Twenty years on, the AUS campus has become a modern complex of buildings including a performing arts theatre. It now caters for more than 5,800 students and 370 staff.
Among those 30 pioneering faculty members was Osamah AlKhazali. A professor of finance at AUS, he arrived from the US where he had received his doctorate.
“To be honest, I thought ‘oh my gosh what did I do’,” he says of the decision to come from the US to Sharjah in 1997.
“I had a good job in the US and then I moved to the middle of the desert. It was an unusual experience because the school was not completed. We had to start from the beginning. But I made the right decision.”
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Prof AlKhazali, who is originally from Jordan, recalls a time when the closest supermarket was ten kilometres away and students, staff and faculty used a daily bus service to get there and back.
“Around 6pm the bus took us. We did our shopping and came back. It was called Fine Fair but it’s not there anymore. There were roads on campus but the roads to get on campus were not completed.”
Over those first few days and months, a pioneering spirit swiftly developed across the campus. It was a tight-knit community and a feeling of being among family was widespread.
“The faculty came from all over the world. They did not know each other and all of us were in one building,” said Prof AlKhazali.
“But despite that, we all felt like a family. The relationship among the faculty and students was amazing. These are the things that I miss and remember the most because the school is so much bigger now.”
AUS offers an American-accredited education and was recently named among the world’s top 60 institutions under 50 years old by Quacquarelli Symonds. It was ranked in the 601 to 800 band of universities worldwide and at number 14 in the “Best universities in the Arab World 2017” by the Times Higher Education ranking survey.
The student body is multi-cultural. About 17 per cent are Emirati with the rest coming from Egypt, Jordan, India, Syria, Pakistan, Palestine and more from across the GCC and world. It has 25 sports teams, 86 student clubs, while 440 students have participated in community service programmes.
On Wednesday, AUS marked the start of its 20th anniversary celebrations with a special event at its campus including a commemorative film; an address from prominent past pupil Aisha Miran, now assistant Secretary General for the Executive Council, Dubai government; and a parade of nations from its diverse student body.
When I ask the chancellor of AUS, Dr Björn Kjerfve, about the role the university has played since its establishment in 1997, he says AUS has supported Sharjah in its growth to become the capital in the Arab world in terms of culture and education.
“The world has changed enormously since 1997 – any such country without a university would have been left behind in the dust,” he said.
“If you didn’t have a university, you’d have a difficult time becoming a centre of culture. That’s not the case here, we have a university.”
When asked about AUS’s relationship with the emirate, he says it’s excellent but it can get better. Dr Kjerfve, who is originally from Sweden, regularly goes on trips with economic delegations from Sharjah to promote the emirate and education is central to that. “With the leadership we have in Sharjah, we are all looking at how we can hook onto each other.”
An oceanographer by trade, Dr Kjerfve’s tenure began in 2014 and plans to transform AUS into a research university are under way. He believes AUS is the best university in the country.
“Best can be measured in many different ways. I hold that if you ask hundreds of companies around the GCC which university graduates the best employees – the answer would uniformly be AUS. We only consider merit in all the decisions we make.
“We are a teaching centric, excellent university and are now going to become a research university on top of that. That’s going to be a remarkable transformation – certainly a first for the GCC and one of the few places in the Arab world where that is happening.”
AUS is planning a series of events throughout the remainder of the year to commemorate its anniversary and to honour the accomplishments of staff, faculty, students and alumni.
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Company Profile
Founder: Omar Onsi
Launched: 2018
Employees: 35
Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)
Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Section 375
Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat
Director: Ajay Bahl
Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL
Rating: 3.5/5
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Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Gully Boy
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 4 (Suarez 27', Vidal 32', Dembele 35', Messi 78')
Sevilla 0
Red cards: Ronald Araujo, Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
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iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
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iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
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Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances
All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.
Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.
Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.
Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.
Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.
Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.
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