AUS students take part in Sharjah Leadership Program

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qassimi, member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates, the Ruler of Sharjah, and President of American University of Sharjah (AUS), 25 Emirati students from AUS have been selected to participate in the Sharjah Leadership Program. The six-month program will run at AUS from May to November 2013.

The Sharjah Leadership Program is sponsored by the Sharjah Tatweer Forum. In addition to classroom sessions, the program will involve field trips to different industries. Many instructors for the sessions are from the university's School of Business and Management (SBM), with additional contributions from faculty members of the College of Engineering and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Sharjah Tatweer Forum is a nonprofit organization set up by Royal decree in 2005. Part of the forum's mission is to promote the development of young leaders in Sharjah. In addition to AUS' contribution, the forum is also sponsored by Bee'ah, a Sharjah-based waste management company. AUS has previously run leadership development initiatives for organizations in the UAE such as DP World and Etisalat.

"This program starts a partnership between the Tatweer Forum and AUS for the development of young leaders," said Dr. Robert Bateman, a faculty member of the Department of Management and Director Graduate Programs and Outreach at SBM. "It draws on our experience delivering executive development programs for industry and lets us work with young people at an earlier stage in their careers. We see this as an exciting new opportunity, and appreciate the active involvement of Bee'ah," he added.