AUS signs MoA with Al Futtaim Education Foundation

The AUS Sharakah Program aims to foster partnerships between AUS and select schools in the UAE and region. Al Futtaim Education Foundation entered into the agreement on behalf of its schools, Deira International School and Universal American School.
 
The agreement highlights several areas of cooperation between the two institutions, including partnering in the recruitment of outstanding students from varied socio-cultural and economic backgrounds to AUS, providing partial merit scholarships to deserving students of high academic performance and offering Sharakah Scholarships to students nominated by the schools, and offering students the opportunity to participate in AUS on-campus and online activities.
 
The signing ceremony was attended by Dr. Susan Mumm, Chancellor of AUS, and Mira Al Futtaim, Member of the Al Futtaim Education Foundation Board, in the presence of senior officials from the two institutions, including Dr. Juan Sanchez, Provost and Chief Academic Officer at AUS; Ali Shuhaimy, Executive Director of Enrollment Management at AUS; Dr. Farah Sarraj, Acting Managing Director of Al Futtaim Education Foundation and Director of the Centre for Excellence in Arabic; and Joyce Nicodeme, Government Relations and Compliance Manager.

“We are delighted to formalize our cooperation with the Al Futtaim Education Foundation, and we look forward to offering educational excellence and collaboration with Al Futtaim schools and to strengthen and deepen our relationship with the foundation,” said Chancellor Mumm.
 
Highlighting the importance of this agreement and the foundation's commitment to education, Al Futtaim said: “Al Futtaim Education Foundation is always looking for academic excellence. It is our responsibility to go beyond the schools and seek to build relationships and partnerships, and this collaboration with AUS goes beyond the Sharakah Program as both institutions seek to fulfill the UAE’s national agenda, including in Emiratization. We seek through our agreement to establish a long-term collaboration where not only our students get the opportunity to come to AUS, see its campus and participate in its programs, but also allow university students to explore internships and work placement opportunities as part of corporate partnership between us.”  
 
Dr. Sanchez emphasized the positive impact the AUS Sharakah Program has had on school students, welcoming this new partnership. He said: “We have no doubt that Al Futtaim joining the Sharakah Program will significantly enrich it,, and we are delighted to have you join us and look forward to working with the foundation for the benefit of students, which is our mutual goal.”
 
Putting the student at the center of this collaboration, Shuhaimy said that the aim of this agreement is to involve high school students in programs and activities that introduce them to the multiple possibilities an AUS education has to offer and have a better understanding of university life.
 
“Our aim is to collaborate in different programs and enrich the students' experience. This comes as part of our social responsibility as a university towards our community. This also aligns with Al Futtaim’s mandate as a foundation. Contributing to the UAE national agenda is one of the university’s main objectives. We are very pleased to start our partnership with Al Futtaim Education Foundation and look forward to a fruitful collaboration,” he said.
 
A number of select schools from across the UAE currently participate in the Sharakah Program at AUS, with their students and staff benefiting from a variety of opportunities. For more information about the program, please visit www.aus.edu/sharakah.