Cindy Baker, Instructor in Management at American University of Sharjah (AUS), recently received the Visionary Member Award for her extraordinary contribution to the SAP University Alliances Program and for starting the first SAP dual study program in the MENA region.

AUS and the SAP Training and Development Institute (SAP) signed an agreement in February to establish the Dual Study Program that allows AUS students to be certified in SAP software and graduate with industry credentials. SAP is a leading provider of business software that helps enterprises and governments around the world improve customer relationships, enhance partner collaboration, create efficiencies across their supply chains and business operations, and improve access to information.

"As an AUS faculty member with a professional background, I am always looking for ways to expose my students to the professional environment prior to graduation," said Baker. "The AUS Dual Study Program allows the students to obtain professional SAP certifications while still studying at AUS. Over the past year, these students have given up their AUS breaks to study for the certifications and sit for the exams. When these students graduate, they will have a considerable advantage over their peers. Many of the students had job offers prior to completing their internship."

"AUS and SAP have a close relationship and we appreciate their recognition of the work we do at AUS. This type of dual study program has been happening in the USA and Europe for quite some time, and we are glad to have this opportunity for our students here at AUS," added Baker.

The award was announced during the SAP Academic Conference EMEA 2014 in Berlin on September 9, 2014.