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ADU bid farewell and good luck to 1,435 graduates in what was its 16^th graduation ceremony since first opening its doors in 2003. The graduation included 858 undergraduate students and 577 postgraduate students. A sign of the academic excellence of this year’s graduating class, 749 students were given special recognition, graduating with distinction. The ceremony also witnessed the graduation of the first cohort of Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) students with a concentration in "Entrepreneurship and Innovation". Since its establishment in 2003, ADU has graduated over 24,000 students, many who have gone on to play leading roles across sectors and industries, both locally and globally.

The graduation ceremony was attended by Professor Waqar Ahmad, Chancellor of ADU, Professor Thomas Glas-Hochstettler, Provost of ADU, Dr. Hamad Odhabi, Vice Chancellor of ADU, Professor Philip Hamill, ADU’s Associate Provost for Research and Academic Development, Salem Mubarak Al Dhaheri, Executive Director of Community Relations at ADU and the Deans of ADU colleges, in addition to faculty members, administration staff and parents of the graduates.

H.E. Dr. Ali Saeed Bin Harmal Al Dhaheri, Chairman and Founder of ADU affirmed that since its inception in 2003 ADU continues to take pride in its academic achievements, especially as it strengthens its position as one of the leading universities nationally, regionally and internationally. Dr. Al Dhaheri stressed that ADU has provided its graduates with an innovative educational environment that further improves creativity in accordance with the best scientific and practical practices and highest standards. These efforts are in line with the university’s strategy that focuses on building competent and successful national cadres capable of meeting the needs of the National Development Agenda and the UAE Centennial 2071.

Professor Waqar Ahmad, Abu Dhabi University (ADU) Chancellor, said during his graduation ceremony speech: “On this very special occasion, we extend our sincerest gratitude and appreciation to the President of the UAE, H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; as well as members of the Federal Supreme Council. We are proud to graduate bright, confident, competent and ambitious young students who are ready to leave their mark through the skills and values that enable them to transform our world for the better. We are committed to our position as a world-class university and one of the best academic institutions nationally, regionally and internationally according to prestigious global accreditations and classifications.”

Prof. Waqar added: “In order to ensure our students have an exceptional academic experience, we continue to collaborate with some of the world’s leading academic institutions, including Monash University, Arizona State University, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Toronto, University College Dublin and others. In order to provide our students with training and job opportunities, we have strengthened our partnerships with corporate and government entities in the UAE and the region, such as ADNOC, Mubadala, Siemens, ExxonMobil, Emirates Steel, Bloomberg, IBM and other major entities. We have also invested our efforts in support of our communities and one such effort has been the ‘Investing in our Community’ virtual platform whereby we hosted initiatives, applied workshops and free sessions that have attracted 20,000 participants in the past two years. By investing in our students, academic and corporate partnerships and community at large we continue to grow stronger as a leading academic institution in the UAE."

The valedictorian of ADU’s class of 2022 said during the ceremony: “This graduation is the start of an exciting new chapter. Our education at ADU and the degrees we have earned today have undoubtedly prepared us to pursue our dreams and goals, so that we can all make a positive impact on our communities. Through diligence and perseverance and armed with the knowledge and skills that we acquired here at ADU, we will collectively ensure a bright future for our generation and future generations. God willing, we will reach the farthest extent of our dreams. We will strive to place innovation and creativity at the center of our daily lives so that we can shape a bright and promising future that will contribute to the realization of our wise leadership’s ambitions for the next 50.”

The valedictorian added: “This chapter of our life at Abu Dhabi University (ADU) will always remain a fond memory, as ADU has paved for us successful paths across every field. ADU has invested in our talents and endowed us with the skills of tomorrow. We are proud of the knowledge and education we have received from this prestigious university. We would like to thank all faculty members and administrative staff, our parents and everyone who contributed to this successful journey.”

During the graduation ceremony, a short film was screened highlighting the development of ADU’s academic journey. At the end of the ceremony, ADU’s Chancellor and Deans the graduates by handing them their graduation certificates and taking a group photo to mark the closing of the graduation ceremony.

ADU continues to strengthen its position in the region. In addition to being ranked among the top ten universities in the UAE, ADU received a 5 QS Stars rating by the prestigious Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) - Stars Rating for the year 2022, acquiring the highest rating possible across the categories of teaching, employability, internationalization, research, online learning, facilities and inclusiveness. Additionally, ADU’s College of Business (CoB) received a global ranking of 501-550 from the prestigious Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject, topping the universities in the UAE in the documentation index for each research paper.