AUS receives Brazilian Higher Education Association in collaboration with Ellucian

American University of Sharjah (AUS) has recently received a delegation from Semesp, the Higher Education Association of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The visit was arranged by Ellucian, a global provider of software solutions and technology services for educational institutions. The meeting demonstrates Ellucian's efforts to enable cross-border communication and best practice sharing among its 2,300 clients and the higher education community worldwide.

The gathering was led by prominent higher educational professionals from Semesp, AUS Chancellor Dr. Peter Heath and officials from Ellucian Middle East. The group discussed some of the challenges faced by the Brazilian private higher education sector including increasing competition, professionalization of administrative and governance functions, new international institutions entering the Brazilian market and investment in Brazil by private equity groups.

Speaking at the event, Rodrigo Capelato, Executive Director, Semesp, said, "We are delighted to be part of this strategic collaboration with Ellucian and benefit from AUS's expertise in developing a world-class institution of higher education in the region, while creating global connections and sharing best practices.  Our visit to AUS offered us valuable insight into private education and governance structures in the Middle East. Our relationship with Ellucian opens opportunities to build international relationships with this exciting region, and allows us to further foster ties and information sharing between the UAE and Brazil."

AUS Chancellor Dr. Peter Heath expressed his desire to continue to expand the network of like-minded research-orientated universities focused on academic excellence. "The UAE is directly linked with Brazil and has daily flights between the countries. Although the languages are different, we are pleased to welcome our visitors to share the vision established by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qassimi for University City and to reflect on our first 15 years as a university. We have many more exciting challenges ahead in building our research capacity and we recognize the vital importance of local collaboration, and regional and global partners to further this research mission."

The visit reinforced the benefits of becoming part of Ellucian's global community with a reach of more than 2,300 clients in 40 countries. The visit also reaffirmed Ellucian's commitment toward promoting international academic collaboration.  

"Ellucian approached AUS for this visit because of its reputation for excellence as a world-class institution," said Mathew Boice, Vice President, EMEA India, Ellucian.  "It acts as a role-model institution and has been supportive of others through sharing best practices and ideas. This is the first time a large delegation of Brazilian institutions has visited the region, and we are delighted to help foster these ties between UAE and Brazil." AUS is a pioneer of private higher education in the Gulf region and acts as a success model for institutions globally. AUS has adopted Ellucian's Banner Digital Campus and Advance solutions to help create a digital environment that provides world-class services to students, faculty, staff and alumni.