CCMS News
CCMS Re-Accreditation by the International Advertising Association (IAA)
The College of Communication and Media Sciences is delighted to announce the re-accreditation of the College’s Integrated Strategic Communications Concentration by the International Advertising Association (IAA). The IAA is the world’s most influential network of marketing and marketing communications professionals. Established in 1938, the International Advertising Association is the only global association that represents all spheres of the marketing and marketing communications industry. The strategic goal of the International Advertising Association’s education pillar is to help prepare marketing communications students for a future in the global marketplace. With their academia focused content hub & regular events, IAA endeavors to help students and their faculty navigate the transition from academia to a career in marketing communications and advertising.
This is the 5th time the concentration has received IAA accreditation. The initial accreditation was awarded in 2006 and then re-accredited in 2011, 2016, 2021 and now 2024.
Zayed University's MEPRA students visit Acorn Strategy at TwoFour54 Yas Creative Hub
ABU DHABI – Twelve students of Zayed University’s Middle East Public Relations Associations (MEPRA) club, Abu Dhabi Campus, visited Acorn Strategy at TwoFour54 Yas Creative Hub for an informative session where the company’s experienced team members shared their career stories and Agency insights, on Friday 19 January 2024.
During the session, the students got the chance to know more about how Acorn Strategy came to be and what they do today, as well as meet key figures such as Kate Midttun, Founder and CEO of Acorn Strategy, Rose Carbonell, General Manager - UAE, Sumitra Roy, Account Director, Ian Butlin, Senior Marketing Strategist, and Paul Parsons, Digital Director. Sharing their stories and professional journeys, the team members highlighted the diversity within Acorn Strategy and proved their proficiency in the marketing and communications field.
“Acorn Strategy was kind enough to invite us in at TwoFour54 and help us better understand each employee's role. The information based on their professional experience was very helpful and it’s something that we’ll implement in our career,” said Salama Khalifa Al Teneiji, a MEPRA club member.
In addition to career advice, students gained a deeper understanding of the distinctions between working for a client and working within an agency. All team members urged students to gain experience in both client and agency roles to comprehend perspectives from both sides. Midttun also encouraged students to join associations to expand their networks and "to know what's happening outside [their] bubble."
“I enjoyed learning more about the world of media and marketing, especially the different methods used by the agencies that help understand their clients and market, like social studying, which is something that we can pick up to help us get a kick-start in our future careers,” said Shama Alwahedi, a MEPRA club member.
The students were then greeted by three Zayed University Alumni, Maitha Khalid, Head of Creative Lab, Athari Alsaadi, Creative Projects Senior, and Zeinab Alshekaili, Creative Projects Officer, at the Creative Lab. They provided a tour of the facilities, presenting opportunities available for them as current students and future interns. Finally, the students explored the Community Hub, discovering its available vibrant coworking spaces.
Zayed University’s MEPRA Students Attend The First Climate Media Majlis
ABU DHABI – The students of Zayed University’s Middle East Public Relations Associations (MEPRA) club, Abu Dhabi campus, attended the first Climate Media Majlis (CMM), on Tuesday 20 June 2023.
Hosted by H.H Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahayan, the president and the CEO of the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA), the majlis aimed at tackling the topic of climate change and bridge the gap between climate change and climate communication.
The event's attendees included subject matter experts in the field of climate change, policymakers, journalists, and thought leaders. The event started with two keynotes followed by two discussion panels. The keynotes were by H.H Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan and Nivine Afiouni, a global climate reporter. The first panel discusses “Planet in Peril: Decoding the science of Our Warming World” featuring the guests Martin Jagger, energy transition expert and Manuel Rodrigues, vice president at the secure power division gulf at Schneider Electric. While the second one discusses “Climate Change Communications: Bridging the Gap Between Science and Society” featuring the guests Saima Rana, chief education officer at GEMS Education and Qais Al Suwaidi, vice president of sustainability at Abu Dhabi energy company, Taqa. The two lively panel discussions simplified the issue of climate change and made it relatable.
“It was an honour to represent Zayed University at the first CMM ever. It was a wonderful and informative experience that made me look at the issue and the importance of media communication from a different point of view. I would love to attend future CMM panels and watch how the UAE fulfils their commitment for a net-zero nation by 2050,” said Maryam Alteneiji, a MEPRA club member.
Zayed University’s MEPRA students were able to interact with different journalists and see first hand how panels like these work and what their role as future journalists and media experts is like.
Hajer Aljneibi, president of the MEPRA club, expressed that meeting journalists and other successful individuals at the Climate Media Majlis gave her the motivation she needed to attend similar events in the future and to achieve more success as a future media expert. She realized how grateful she was for majoring in Integrated Strategic Communications because it allows her to make a difference in the future regarding any issue that the world is facing.
On March 17, 2022, Dr. Filareti Kotsi organized in conjunction with the Association for Tourism and Leisure Education (ATLAS) Middle East a webinar on Dubai EXPO 2020. The webinar provided an opportunity to gain insights into the World Expos that was held in Dubai between October 2021 and March 2022. Presentations from students of the College of Communication and Media Sciences (CCMS) provided a behind-the-scenes look at the Expo whilst research analyzing dimensions of time at all 192 pavilions provided wider academic insights into some of the tourism geographies inherent in such a large-scale event. The invited keynote provided an international perspective and industry speakers discussed inter-cultural dialogue giving the webinar a local and international perspective of the Expo and its impact.
Transcending Limits of Hope, Aspiration, and Fear | Reimagining Social Media | A CCMS-CACE Collaboration
Transcending Limits of Hope, Aspiration and Fear
Exhibition: 30 September – 30 October
Opening: 30 September, 6 – 10 pm
Reimagining Social Media
Exhibition: Thursday, 17 October - 30 October
Opening Reception: 17 October, 10:30am – 3.30 pm
Exhibiting Artists: Aisha Al Ahmadi, Alia Al Ansari, Amira Albastaki, Ayesha Essa AlMuhairi, Hassana Arif, Hessa Al Fahim, Malina Server, Mariam Abdulla Al Mhairi, Moza Mohammed Alnuaimi, Sara Hamed Alrefaei
Now what?! After final exams hope, aspiration and fear are the overwhelming emotions felt by some of our brightest recent grads. With a well-deserved summer vacation on the horizon, the prospect of navigating the art world’s hazy landscape in search of exhibition opportunities, commissions and exposure is a daunting new reality. The spotlights have dimmed on the creative pinnacles of academia, the fresh paint is finally dry to the touch, and the first phase of professional creativity takes its place. This next chapter of life sees student through to artist and it is undefined, unclear and rife with self-doubt. No one is watching. Does anyone care?
In recognizing the challenges our graduates are facing, the College of Arts and Creative Enterprises (CACE) and the College of Communication and Media Sciences (CCMS) at Zayed University have teamed up to greet them head on. This inter-college collaboration between media and art & design nurtures community growth through mutual expertise. CACE graduates and CCMS social media students are working to advance the promotion of art and design beyond the gallery and social media, and beyond the limits of commercial advertising and branding.
The visual scope of social media platforms, including Instagram and Snapchat, are redefining how artists and their public interact with art. As an evolving medium social media has the aesthetic scope to expand the immersive and conceptual framework of its own digital boundaries. It is an increasingly commercialised endeavour and the CCMS-CACE collaboration hopes/aims to facilitate critical and creative engagement with the state of the medium through social media art. This innovative initiative, fusing Zayed University’s artists, designers and social media storytellers, explores the conceptual potential of visual expression and interpretation.
This CCMS-CACE collaboration will take place at the Zayed University Urban Satellite Space (ZUUSS) a new exhibition and project space presented in partnership with Alserkal Avenue. The space is open to the public and operates as an off-campus art and design hub for the university’s students, alumni, faculty and staff hosting exhibitions, workshops, lectures, panel discussions and community events.
ZUUSS is located in warehouse 48, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai.
