SHARJAH: His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah and Founder of University of Sharjah (UoS), attended in the presence of Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and President of the UoS, the university’s celebrations of its silver jubilee at its main campus on Saturday evening.
His Highness received a certificate of “distinguished professor”in literature, humanities and social sciences from Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, President of the University of Sharjah, in appreciation of his important academic, cultural, literary and historical contributions, besides role in supporting all works that enhance and expand the university’s horizons and goals locally, regionally and globally.
His Highness highlighted the evolution and development of the UoS in terms of buildings, staff, students and scientific and educational degrees, accepting high school graduates with averages of at least 75 per cent, and now almost 100 per cent.
Talking about the educational opportunities the university has provided the students in the various colleges, he highlighted the role of the ambitious community college which welcomed students of low educational averages and those graduated from the high school without joining higher education for long years. The college qualified these students and gave them distinguished diplomas in many specialisations.
He said that nearly 40,000 students have graduated in several specialisations, including medicine, engineering and others sciences and fields of knowledge.
He said the university has introduced Masters and PhD programmes to help students pursue their higher education in all areas of knowledge, including scientific research, innovation, and management of large institutions.
The Silver Jubilee ceremony of the University of Sharjah began by welcoming His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, after which he clicked on the launch button of the lights show on the main building. The show featured the university march since its inception in 1997 by an Emiri Decree by His Highness. The steady progress of the university, its achievements and its prestigious position among world leading universities have also been featured.
The University of Sharjah has contributed to advancing the development process in the UAE in general and in the emirate of Sharjah in particular through qualifying the people of the country with the sciences and skills that qualified them to contribute to the advancement of the nation and to lead institutions with efficiency and competence. Highly regarded in many countries, large numbers of students from Arab and foreign countries and nationalities have joined the university.
University’s top ranking
The University of Sharjah is ranked first at the UAE level, fifth at the level of Arab countries, among the top 300 universities in the world, and 68th in terms of the number of credits according to The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023, not to mention the many high classifications by global high bodies and institutions.
The University of Sharjah was launched with four colleges having 572 male and female students in 1997, and with the support and directives of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, the university has now three branches, 14 colleges, 86 buildings housing 18,233 male and female students.
His Highness also unveiled the memorial that was designed on the occasion of the university’s celebration of the Silver Jubilee, where the names of 7,069 distinguished graduates from various colleges and specialisations over the past 25 years are mentioned.
The ceremony concluded with fireworks displays that decorated and lit up the sky in celebration of a quarter of a century of success and progress for the pioneering scientific edifice - the University of Sharjah.
Attending the ceremony alongside His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, were Sheikh Khalid bin Abdullah Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Ports, Customs and Free Zones Authority; Sheikh Salem bin Abdurrahman Al Qasimi, Head of the Ruler’s Office; Sheikh Khalid bin Essam bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Department of Civil Aviation; Sheikh Muhammad bin Humaid Al Qasimi, Head of the Department of Statistics and Community Development; heads of government departments, members of the university’s board of trustees, senior officials, and a group of academics and university graduates.
