Sharjah 24: Chaired by Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, President and Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of American University of Sharjah (AUS), the AUS Board of Trustees approved several academic and operational resolutions at its recent meeting.

‘Our strategic priority is to ensure the American University of Sharjah continually improves and enlarges its proposition, and this raft of decisions taken by the Board takes us closer to that vision. With new degrees, an expanded online offer, and plans afoot for new research centres, we’re laying the ground to meet the expectations of tomorrow’s students and academics in a fiercely competitive marketplace. The Board of Trustees is fully aligned on our priorities, and I’m grateful to this remarkable group for the deeply insightful discussions that led to these very positive steps forward,’ said Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi. 

The meeting concluded a week of executive committee meetings and a two-day AUS Board of Trustees retreat in the Al Badayer Retreat by Sharjah Collection, during which board members approved the introduction of an online Master of Business Analytics programme through the AUS School of Business Administration. 

Members of the board also considered initial proposals for the launch of new research centres. 

During the meeting, extensive discussions were also held on the upcoming strategic planning process for AUS, which will include both an engagement strategy with the campus, a benchmarking exercise to indicate opportunities for the university in the next planning period, and an examination of the organisational structure and the operational plans needed to execute the university's strategy.

The board further endorsed the commencement of four new degree programmes in Fall 2024, including Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Biological Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Digital Construction Engineering and Management, Bachelor of Science in Intelligent Systems and Mechatronics Engineering, and Master of Science in Machine Learning. These programmes have recently obtained initial accreditation from the Commission for Academic Accreditation of the UAE Ministry of Education's Higher Education Affairs Division and will see their first cohort of students begin classes in the fall semester. 

Headed by Sheikha Bodour, the board comprises Dr. Amal Abdullah Al Qubaisi, former President of the Federal National Council, UAE; Dr. Nawal Al-Hosany, UAE permanent representative to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA); Sheikh Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi, Founder of Barjeel Art Foundation, UAE; Dr. Gong Qihuang , President, Peking University, Beijing, China; Dr. Daniele C. Struppa, President of Chapman University, USA; Dr. Chaouki Tanios Abdallah, Executive Vice President for Research at Georgia Institute of Technology, USA; Mohamed Ali Alabbar, Founder and Chairman of Emaar Properties, UAE; Mohammed Issa Alhuraimel Alshamsi, Executive Director - Head of UK Investment Programme at Mubadala, UAE; Abdulfattah Mansoor Sharaf, Chairman of the Board of HSBC Bank Middle East (HBME) UAE; Abhijit Choudhury, Founder and CEO of Athena Advisory Limited, UAE; Ahmad Mohamed Fawzi Abu Eideh, CEO, Invest Bank, UAE; Bedour Saeed Al Raqbani, Director and Founder of Kalimati Communication and Rehabilitation Centre, UAE; and Dr. Tod A. Laursen, AUS Chancellor.