Careers UAE 2006
For more information on hiring a Zayed University graduates or working at Zayed University, click here.

Noor Ali Rashid Student Documentary Photography Award
The deadline is fast approaching for still photography and video entries for the 2006 Zayed University Noor Ali Rashid Student Documentary Photography Award. The competition is open to students from institutions accredited by the Commission on Academic Accreditation of the U.A.E. Ministry of Higher Education. Sponsored by Zayed University’s College of Communication and Media Sciences, the award is named in honor of U.A.E. Royal Photographer Noor Ali Rashid. Complete rules, a list of eligible institutions, official entry forms and other details may be found at www.nooraward.com. Closing date for entries is 30 April .

Photo Exhibition on Abu Dhabi Campus
The student Photography Club on the Abu Dhabi Campus of Zayed University have hosted an exhibition of photographs by local photographer, Dr. Hamed Al Falasi. The exhibition was opened on 16 April by ZU Vice President Dr. Sulaiman Al-Jassim.

EPRU launches Working Papers Series
The Economic & Policy Research Unit is pleased to announce its new Working Paper Series, which has recently been published online. The purpose of the series is to disseminate research outcomes and findings of the Unit and to encourage discussion and debate prior to possible publication. Four papers from 2005 are included: "Are the UAE Financial Markets Efficient?"; "Openness and Access"; "Preferential Trade Agreements and their Implications for Customs Services"; and "A Sectoral Efficiency Analysis of the Amman Stock Exchange." More for 2006 expected shortly, and all can be viewed at www.zu.ac.ae/epru. For more information, contact Kenneth Wilson.

Zayed University wins at UAE Educational IT Challenge
Zayed University's InfoOasis has won the 'Best University Teacher Project' at the UAE Educational IT Challenge 2006. The award was announced at a ceremony attended by His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan on 22 April.

InfoOasis was the entry of Library & Learning Resources Supervisor, Carol Hanson and was developed by a team drawn from the Library & Learning Resources Center and the Center for Teaching and Learning. It is an open access interactive e-course empowering UAE students with foundational information literacy skills supporting academic success and life-long learning. It is developed collaboratively by a team of librarians and teachers.

The UAE Educational IT Challenge 2006 events continue on 23 April at the Grand Hyatt Convention Center in Dubai.

Zayed University Anthem
Zayed University now has an official anthem. It was commissioned especially for Zayed University and was played for the first time at the university's graduation ceremony on 15 April.

The music and lyrics were composed by Marwan and Ghadi Al Rahbani and the anthem was recorded by the Lebanese Orchestra and Chorus.

The first verse declares proudly that the university is based on a foundation of intellect, and that a spirit of modernity and progress shines through it.

The second verse describes a bright future which is made possible by the Mother of the Nation (Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak). As a wellspring of knowledge bearing the name of the revered leader (His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan), Zayed University will contribute to the flourishing of a new era.

The anthem’s chorus proclaims that (His Highness Sheikh) Zayed established the university in the pursuit of knowledge, and that its students will enjoy a bright and promising future.

You can download the anthem here.

Prospective students orientation
Information evenings have taken place on both campuses of the university for the families of prospective undergraduate students. Attendees heard from ZU Vice-President Sulaiman Al-Jassim, faculty, staff and representatives of the Student Council.

ZU Signs Agreement with SDOA
On March 31, Zayed University signed an agreement regarding future initiatives with the School of Business Management and Organization of the Foundation Antonio Genovesi Salerno (SDOA). The SDOA is an Italian foundation which focuses on research and management education. It specializes in fashioning cultural and business education relationships in particular with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern institutions, taking into account cultural specificities and the particular needs of the Middle East labor market. In the summer of 2005, a delegation of Zayed University students completed a study tour including some short courses at SDOA. The success of this program has led to the establishment of The Intercultural Project, a program consisting of summer courses as well as post-graduate management courses. The recently signed agreement codifies this relationship and opens the possibility of ZU students pursuing Masters programs in business management, logistics and tourism at SDOA.

To widen the educational opportunities for its students, Zayed University is currently engaged in cooperative relationships with a number of leading institutions throughout the world. Some of these include the Al-Maktoum Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies in Australia and in Scotland, Waseda University, Japan, the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain, and the Australian National University. For more information about these relationships, click here.

The University also offers Masters programs in Education, Business Administration, Public Administration and Health Care Administration which partner with prestigious universities in the United States.

Algerian minister visits Zayed University
The Algerian Minister of Postal Services and Information & Communication Technologies, Boudjemaa Haichour, visited Zayed University's ITI offices in Dubai Internet City on 12 April. During his visit he met with ZU Vice President Dr. Sulaiman Al-Jassim and ITI Director Dr. Abdullah Abonamah.

Research Seminar - UAE banking and local efficiency performance
Dr. Bruce Budd of the College of Business Sciences will address the topic: “Does efficiency matter when profits are high? The case of UAE banks” on Wednesday 19 April at 12:00 in N-028 of the Dubai Campus. This study sets out to answer several important questions: Are the record profits enjoyed by local UAE banks consistent with best-practice or do they conceal inefficiencies? Do banks with the largest profit achieve the greatest efficiency scores? Has productivity improved during the period of rapid asset and profitability growth? Are profits concealing underlying productivity inefficiencies? Finally, are efficiency performance measures explained by structural factors? More information in pdf format here. All welcome; refreshments served.

Zayed University's fourth Graduation Ceremony takes place
The Fourth Graduation Ceremony of Zayed University took place on 15 April 2006 at The National Theatre of the Ministry of Information and Culture, Abu Dhabi.

Held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, President of the UAE Women's Union, the graduation ceremony honored 127 students who graduated from the university in January and June, 2005.

At the ceremony, Sheikha Fatima said "Every graduation gives us the pleasure of reaping benefits of the excellent accomplishments of our wonderful, esteemed graduates and the opportunity to reassert that education is the means to growth and development and our primary resource to surmount future challenges."

"This wonderful experience strengthens my optimism and urges me to call upon all civil society institutions, especially the private sector, to be actively and effectively involved in devising training programs for graduates in a joint effort to assist generations of national women to graduate fully equipped with the knowledge, skills and ability that will enable them to meet the needs of the labor market,” Sheikha Fatima added.

“The late President, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan believed very strongly that excellence in acquiring knowledge is the best means to loftiness, glory and distinction; his conviction was that knowledge can only be attained through exerting constant, concerted efforts and deepening acquisition of knowledge. For knowledge is an essential pillar of a nation’s development, well-being and prosperity.”

Research Seminar - The myth of the awesome thinking machine
On Monday 17 April, Dr. Dianne Martin, Dean, College of Information Technology, will speak on her research about "The myth of the awesome thinking machine" at 12:00 in Y-228 of the Abu Dhabi Campus. This research seminar will present an analysis of typical headlines about ENIAC that appeared in 1946 and present the thesis that these headlines were a major factor in the public perception of computers for decades to come as demonstrated by research on public attitudes about computing. More information in pdf format here. All welcome; refreshments served.

Presentations on knowledge management to chartered engineers
Dr. Yoosuf Cader of the College of Business Sciences gave two presentations on "Knowledge management and marketing" to the UAE-based Chartered Engineers Dubai and Abu Dhabi chapters recently. The group is affiliated with the United Kingdom Professional Chartered Engineers and those present are employed as engineers and managers of engineering firms. He also surveyed this group to research the status of the practice of knowledge management in these UAE organizations.

Sehba Musharraf visits Zayed University
Sehba Musharraf, wife of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, visited ZU's Abu Dhabi Campus on 3 April. She was accompanied by Nilofer Bukhtiar, Pakistan's Minister for Women's Development. During their visit they met with His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, President of Zayed University, and Dr. Sulaiman Al-Jassim, Vice-President of Zayed University.

DERA Awards Ceremony
The Department of Economic Development and Zayed University honored the winners of the first Dubai Economic Research Award (DERA) at a ceremony on 3 April.

The first prize of AED 50,000 was awarded to Dr. Hugo Toledo, of the American University of Sharjah, for his research titled ‘An exposition of the problems and prospects of Emiratization.’ Dr. Masood Abdulla Badri, of UAE University, won the second prize of AED 20, 000 for his paper ‘The business value of Dubai e-Government: A path analytic model and measurement’ while the third prize of AED 10,000 was won by Dr. Kamal Amin, of Dubai University College, for his paper ‘FDI Inflows to the UAE: Determinants & policy issues’.

In the student category, Zayed University College of Business Science students placed first and second. Iman Al Sayegh and Hana Alawi won the first prize of AED 10,000 for “An investigation into the inflation rate in the UAE’. Laila Albadi, Zainab Darwish and Fahima Kamali received the second prize of AED 6,000 for their paper titled: “Is margin trading appropriate for the UAE Stock Market?’. The third prize was awarded to Luigge Romanillo, Lydia Wright and Enjy Kiwan of the American University in Dubai for their paper ‘Ownership amid shifting dunes: Property rights and the future of Dubai's real estate boom.’

ZU teams place second and third in tournament
At the finals of the recent American University of Sharjah street ball tournament, Zayed University teams fared well. ZU Dubai-A picked up the silver medal after winning 2 of their 3 final matches, while ZU Dubai-B finished in the bronze medal position.

ITI Director joins regional telecommunications council
Dr Abdullah Abonamah, Director of ITI, has been invited to join SAMENA, a newly formed Telecommunications Council, for the South Asian, Middle Eastern and African region. 

SAMENA is a non-profit organization which aims to promote the free flow and interchange of ideas related to the telecommunications industry throughout the region by providing a political and industry neutral environment for leading operators, ministers, manufacturers and private industry entrepreneurs to come together to discuss relevant telecommunications issues.  SAMENA plans to promote the free exchange of ideas between these groups by providing a platform for discussion though a series of conferences and seminars.

Accreditation for College of Communication and Media Sciences
Zayed University's College of Communication and Media Sciences has been accredited by the International Advertising Association (IAA). The announcement was made during the IAA World Education Conference 19 March in Dubai as part of the IAA’s 40th World Congress.

“This is a significant recognition of the quality of our program,” said Kenneth Starck, dean of the college. “Eighty percent of our majors are studying in the area of marketing communication, and the accreditation will help them to get internships and, upon graduation, jobs.”

Starck said the college faculty had been working more than a year on curriculum revisions and fine tuning the program. “Our faculties on both campuses in Dubai and Abu Dhabi deserve immense credit for reaching this plateau of achievement. It signals greater things to come.”

Starck also thanked officials of the local chapter of IAA for their support. “One of the laudable goals of IAA accreditation is to bring professional and academic communities closer together,” said Starck.

Announcement of the accreditation was made by Dr. John Holmes, the IAA's director of educational programs and alliances. He presented a certificate of accreditation to Starck as part of the educators meeting which took place on the campus of American University of Dubai.

Career quiz on Abu Dhabi Campus
A qualifying round of a national career quiz took place 29 March on the Abu Dhabi Campus. The quiz, organized by the Centre for Career Guidance and Planning of Tanmia, the National Human Resources Development and Employment Authority, is part of Careers UAE 2006.

Teams from both campuses competed in the qualifying round. A team from Dubai Campus emerged victorious and they will represent ZU at the finals of the Tanmia-Damas National Career Quiz on 23 April. The winning team consisted of the following students: Aishah Mosabbah Saeed Hashel Zahmi, Amira Asad Abdelrahman Asad Amiri, Asma Ibrahim Hassan Saif, Asma Saeed Sabt Mubarak Al Marri, and Shamsa Khalifa Abdulla Khalifa Al Marri.