American University of Sharjah (AUS) held its annual Corporate Appreciation Dinner recently, which coincided with the university’s 20th anniversary. The event recognized AUS’s many active corporate partners and explored future opportunities for enhanced collaboration.

Charles A. Diab, Executive Director of the Office of Advancement and Alumni Affairs (OAAA), welcomed the guests to the event and spoke about the importance of the generous contributions and support provided by corporate partners. He iterated how essential such support was to the university’s success in creating many engaging student initiatives such as Enterprising Youth, the AUS Careers Forum and the AUS Alumni Reunion, that allow the university to produce well-rounded graduates equipped with a wide range of skills upon graduation.

Speaking of the university’s role in the region, Diab said:

“AUS was founded to ensure that the region had an institution of higher education that would perform at the highest standards and deliver results for the community-at-large. The university’s relationships with its corporate partners is essential in allowing us to deliver on this promise. We want to ensure that our association caters to the needs of our corporate partners so that our graduates are prepared to succeed in their roles within their companies and in the job market.”

A special awards ceremony was held at the dinner, which recognized Leaders of Excellence, which are companies that have helped AUS achieve its academic mission by supporting its institutional advancement endeavors with major and significant contributions. The companies honored included: All Prints; Bee’ah; Crescent Enterprises, Crescent Petroleum; Emirates Global Aluminum; Fast Building Contracting Co.; Petrofac International Ltd; and Western Union. 

Awards were also presented to Corporate Contributors: organizations that have participated in university events through financial sponsorships; Community Builders: companies that participated in the previous AUS Career Fair; and Corporate Champions: organizations that have supported AUS with their time and effort.

For more information on how to be involved with AUS, please email oaaa@aus.edu.