American University of Sharjah (AUS) one of the world's top 500 universities, and The Protocol School of Washington (PSOW), the leader in professional etiquette, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which outlines future collaboration in various areas of mutual benefit, at a special ceremony at AUS recently.

The MoU was signed by Dr. Peter Heath, AUS Chancellor, and Pamela Eyring, President and Director of PSOW, in the presence of AUS alumnus His Excellency Ahmad Ali AlZaabi, Assistant Director General of the Protocol Department of His Highness the Ruler's Court, Dubai, and AUS alumnus Saeed Al-Salkhadi, Managing Director of The Protocol School of Washington, Dubai. Also present were Salem Al Qaseer, Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs; Dr. Nada Mourtada-Sabbah, Vice Chancellor for Development and Alumni Affair; and Dr. Hashem Dezhbakhsh, Interim Dean, School ofBusiness and Management.

"We are pleased to have entered into this collaboration with The Protocol School of Washington, which is a leading provider of the comprehensive protocol and etiquette training and certification programs available," said Dr. Heath on the occasion. "AUS looks to partner with leading organizations in fields of mutual interest and this agreement will explore and develop areas of mutual collaboration and benefit to aspiring alumni and leadership students," he added.

"The UAE is now hosting so many special events, from internationally-attended sporting events to presidential visits and the need to understand and work with other cultures has also grown," said Eyring. "We are proud to collaborate with AUS, as a leading educational institution highly recognized for its academic excellence, in providing universally accepted protocol and leadership trainings in the highest professional manner. The Protocol School of Washington will offer the AUS community the opportunity to gain wide knowledge on cross cultural, diplomatic trainings and international protocol aspects as business etiquette has become a vital skill in today's world."

The agreement outlines a number of areas of mutual collaboration and lists possible initiatives in this regard. The MoU will facilitate partnership on a wide range of endeavors and will also offer alumni, graduating seniors, post graduate students, leadership program students and executives within the community at large opportunities to attend a training workshop to be offered by the PSOW twice a year at AUS. The workshops will focus mainly on training the various constituencies mentioned above on internationally-accepted standards and skills that will enhance career and professional expertise.

The Protocol School of Washington has recently launched its activities in the region, with an office in the UAE, the first outside the US, under the direction of AUS alumnus Saeed Al-Salkhadi. 

Commenting at the signing ceremony, Dr. Mourtada-Sabbah said, "This MoU emphasizes the intent of both entities to provide a framework of cooperation and understanding in order to advance supportive ventures for mutual benefit. This collaborative partnership between The Protocol School of Washington and AUS addresses the need for protocol skills, foundational principles and practical applications which are of utmost importance in a world of rapid progress and evolution, in addition to the development of new initiatives that serve institutional advancement objectives," she added.

Members of the AUS Alumni Association Board and as well as the council recently participated in a two-day workshop to hone the skills basic to diplomatic training at a special workshop conducted for them by The Protocol School of Washington. The workshop, focused on "Cross-Cultural Communication; Forms of Address Business Etiquette," which is especially meaningful in the multi-ethnic student and alumni body of AUS both across the Gulf as one of the most pluralistic societies worldwide. The training included improving cross-cultural communication, leadership skills and forms of official address and business etiquette.