ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 18th Nov, 2019) The 2019 batch of students at the Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, SUAD, graduated on 17th November, 2019, in the presence of Zaki Nusseibeh, Minister of State and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of SUAD, where Nusseibeh echoed the sentiments of the Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and shared a powerful message for the graduating class of 2019.
He said, "It is a great pleasure for me to witness this academic commencement, which started with the graduation of the first batch of students in 2009, under the wise guidance of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces."
"When the great Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan rose with his fellow rulers to build our modern nation, he did so with a handful of academics who graduated from universities from around the world. Students resorted to studying abroad due to a lack of educational opportunities in the UAE. Sheikh Zayed was a visionary who recognised that education is the golden gate through which the sons and daughters of the nation embark on a promising path of development, prosperity and creativity across various developmental fields. With science, civilisations are built, and by science, nations advance," he added.
He observed the rapid infrastructural change that the UAE experienced in the last few years and identified the establishment of SUAD in 2006 as central to the academic renaissance of the emirates.
The transformation of SUAD took place in 2018, through the merger of the Paris-Sorbonne and Pierre et Marie Curie Universities.
President and Vice Chairman of SUAD, Professor Jean Chambaz, said, "We are one of the most prominent universities in the world working on new programmes in Artificial Intelligence, AI, and setting infrastructure for research here at SUAD. So, we decided to set up a mirror AI centre at SUAD, which will host research education chairs here in partnership with French and Emirati companies. It is surely a big success for us and we are very happy to contribute to the development of SUAD."
The initiation of the programme will be decided during the next meeting of the board of trustees on 26th January, 2020.
French ambassador, Ludovic Pouille, addressed the graduates saying, "We are thankful for the remarkable development we get to witness under the directives of Zaki Nusseibeh, the leadership of our Chairman of the Board, Professor Jean Chambaz, and the university’s senior management, as well as the support and competence of our academic faculty and administration staff."
Pouille added, "SUAD takes pride in being one of the most outstanding universities worldwide. With our students at the heart of all that we do and a keen eye on the needs of the economy and public services, the university focuses all its energy on graduating exemplary professionals and innovators."
Laurence Renault, Acting Executive Director, said, "With more than 900 students currently enrolled, out of which 53 percent are Emirati nationals, SUAD has quickly taken root in the UAE. The university addresses various 21st-century challenges; gathering students from more than 65 different nationalities, it is a multicultural institution where the future leaders learn the values of tolerance. Additionally, with more than 70 percent of its population being female, the university advances women empowerment in the region."
