Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and President of the University of Sharjah (UoS), inaugurated on Monday, the 14th exhibition of graduation projects for students of the College of Communication at the University of Sharjah under the slogan “Sultan, 50 years of giving and growth.”

The opening ceremony began with verses from the Holy Quran, after Prof. Hamid Al Naimiy, Chancellor of the UoS, gave a speech in which he thanked Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed Bin Sultan Al Qasimi for attending the exhibition and sponsoring various scientific and academic events, praising keenness on the progress of the university and the development of the knowledge and capabilities of its students in various fields.

Chancellor of the UoS indicated that choosing the title of the exhibition for this year is an embodiment of the dedication of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, in building and developing the Emirate of Sharjah, since he took over the reins of government in the Emirate of Sharjah in 1972.

The attendance of the opening ceremony watched a visual presentation that dealt with the story of building Sharjah, by monitoring stations from the experience of the Ruler of Sharjah, and his great and continuous efforts over the past years in various fields, focusing on the educational, scientific and knowledge renaissance and others.

Dr Jairo A. Lugo-Ocando, Dean of the College of Communication, gave a speech in which he praised the strategic vision that the University of Sharjah is working on in various fields to support its students in all faculties and disciplines, and its commitment to distinguished levels in education and learning, which makes it an appropriate environment for innovation and creativity.

At the end of the opening ceremony, Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed honoured the sponsors and partners, and visited graduate students’ projects pavilions from the College of Communication, which amount to 78 projects completed by 113 students in the college’s various disciplines, where he listened to a detailed explanation from the students about their various projects, which included creative and distinguished ideas in the fields of media, and addressed a number of themes in years of building of Sharjah.

The opening activities were attended by Dr Khalid Omar Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Media City (Shams), Mohammed Hassan Khalaf, Director General of Sharjah Broadcasting Authority, Tariq Saeed Allay, Director General of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau, Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, CEO of Expo Centre Sharjah, and Shehab Ahmed Al Hammadi, Director of Sharjah Media City (Shams), Hassan Yaqoub Al Mansouri, Secretary General of the Sharjah Media Council, and a large number of faculty members and students.

The University of Sharjah is the first university in the Arab World to earn a Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) Gold rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) in Florida, United States.

STARS, is a global rating system and a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance in a comprehensive manner.

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) classified 1,085 registered universities, representing 40 countries at the international level.

The STARS Gold rating was only awarded to 82 international universities including the University of Sharjah. In addition, the association works on assessing universities sustainability achievements in five areas: academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration, innovation and leadership.

In response to this achievement, Prof. Hamid MK Al Naimiy, Chancellor of the University of Sharjah, recently emphasised the university’s keenness to focus on fields of sustainable development, commitment to clean environmental standards, and support sustainability projects to address environmental challenges, in accordance with the vision Sheikh Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi.

In addition to the directives of Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Qasimi to make the university a regional and global benchmark for sustainability excellence in higher education, as well as raise awareness among society members on the importance of the sustainability concept in various fields.

WAM