Abu Dhabi: Enrolments at Paris Sorbonne University in Abu Dhabi (PSAUD) are increasing annually and are up 20 per cent this year, a senior official said.
After completing its Dh1.6 billion campus on Al Reem Island late last year, PSAUD celebrates its inauguration today.
General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and French Prime Minister Francois Fillon will attend the inaugural ceremony.
Today's event also commemorates the fifth anniversary of the PSAUD's establishment in the UAE in 2006. It is the first French institution to offer programmes in the country. French President Nicholas Sarkozy participated in the special ground-breaking ceremony of Al Reem Island campus in January 2008.
Increased capacity
The new campus has increased capacity for 2,000 students, as well as related faculty and support staff. It features approximately 93,000 square metres of newly built, teaching and recreational facilities, including accommodation for students, a library that accommodates 200,000 books, an auditorium, a sports centre and a spacious cafeteria.
The new campus has been described as the new Latin Quarter in Abu Dhabi, similar to the area where the parent campus is located, right down to the distinctive dome of the original building in France.
According to Fillon, enrolments at the university are increasing annually and is up 20 per cent this year. The university now has 763 students from 60 nationalities with 35 per cent of the student population comprising Emiratis. So far, 98 students have graduated with Bachelor degrees and 83 with Masters degrees.
PSAUD offers Bachelors and Masters degrees in a wide range of majors in Humanities and Law. It has recently launched new programmes, including a Master's in Art History and Museum. Programmes offered will tie in with the Louvre and other museum projects. "We are thus providing a direct response to education and labour market needs in the UAE," Fillon said.
— With inputs from WAM
