Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid meets AUS students

His Excellency Sheikh Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance of the United Arab Emirates, and patron and sponsor of Al-Maktoum College of Higher Education in Dundee, Scotland, met in his palace in Dubai yesterday, Monday, students of American University of Sharjah (AUS) who have recently completed a training program in Al-Maktoum College of Higher Education in Dundee, Scotland.

The meeting was attended by the seven AUS students from the Student Leadership Program (SLP) at the Office of Student Affairs who have recently completed an intensive academic training program in multiculturalism and leadership, organized by Al Maktoum College. Present at the meeting were Dr. Moza Al Shehhi, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs; Salem Yousef Al Qaseer, Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs and Haifa Ismail, Director of Student Leadership Program.

Sheikh Hamdan discussed with the students their experience and the benefits they gained during their participation in this prestigious program in Al Maktoum College. The AUS students were among a total of 48 students from universities across UAE and Qatar who were selected to participate in this annual program. Al Makthoum College in Scotland provided an ideal setting for a multi-cultural learning environment.

The program gave students an opportunity to be able to develop and explore their leadership potential in a multi-cultural society, as well as familiarizing the people of Dundee with the Middle Eastern culture. The program was designed with a combination of comprehensive course lectures, tutorials and debates which allowed the students to explore elements of leadership, diversity and a multi-cultural society in more depth.

The students engaged in different structured activities which allowed them to explore their own strengths and work to develop their leadership skills. Along with an intensive training program, the students were also able to visit cultural and historical sites.

Dr. Al Shehhi thanked Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid for his generosity and hospitality. "Our students benefited greatly from this program. AUS mission is to develop students' leadership capacity and engage them in programs like this. This program goes a long way in the development of students' communication skills as well as social and cultural awareness. We look forward to future collaboration with Al Maktoum College of Higher Education in Dundee, Scotland," she added.

Speaking on the occasion, AUS student Alya Al Mansoori, International Studies, expressed her sincere thanks to Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid for availing this opportunity to AUS students. "We learned how to become independent, managed our time and we developed essential leadership skills. On behalf of all my friends and AUS, thank you your highness for granting us this memorable and life changing experience. We hope that we will be able to pressure the next level of this training to further develop our skills", she said.