American University of Sharjah (AUS) announced today, November 16, the establishment of the Shabana and Faizal Scholarship, with a generous gift of AED 5 million by Shabana Faizal and Faizal Kottikollon, Co-Founders of UAE-based KEF Holdings. The scholarship is meant for needy and meritorious students to avail themselves of the excellent education provided at AUS.

Dr. Peter Heath, AUS Chancellor, expressed his gratitude to both Shabana Faizal and Faizal Kottikollon for their active support of the educational mission of the university and their farsightedness in partnering with higher education to benefit the community. "The Shabana and Faizal Scholarship will allow bright students whose finances preclude them from joining AUS, to benefit from this gift and permit AUS to select the best and brightest students irrespective of their financial background," he said.

Dr. Nada Mourtada-Sabbah, AUS Vice Chancellor for Development and Alumni Affairs, thanked both Shabana Faizal and Faizal Kottikolon for their generosity and said that "allowing the most talented students to avail themselves of the excellent education that AUS offers will certainly enrich the social and professional fabric of the UAE."

KEF Holdings is an integrated valve manufacturer and provider of steel castings to the oil and gas, chemical, mining and power industries. KEF serves over 70 clients including leading market players in the oil and gas industries such as Takreer, ENOC, Qatar Petroleum, KOC, PDO, Qatar Gas and Tyco. KEF was recognized for its best-in-class practices, as evidenced by their award of Best Foundry in the World by Weir Clear Liquid, a division of Weir Group.