Student Union

Student Union

Formation of Student Council

Student Council members were elected for the academic year 2024-2025 and serves as the voice of the students, assists the University in addressing student concerns, fosters relationships within the University community, enhances communication within and outside the University.

Main activities of the student council include: addressing students concerns to the administration, organizing events and activities on campus, receiving university guests and representing the students at important university events, providing educational, religious and personality develop- ment workshops for students.

Goals and Objectives of Student Council

• Provide students with the opportunity to develop their Leadership skills.

• Provide students with the opportunity to develop their Events Planning and Public Relations skills.

• Foster relationship among students and the members of the University community.

• Represent ZU for different organizations, companies, VIPs, local and international media, and other institutions of higher education in the UAE.

Student Council Initiatives

The Student Council is dedicated to enriching the student experience through a variety of initiatives that promote community service, student advocacy, cultural awareness, and collaboration with external organizations. Below are some of our key initiatives:

1. Student Advocacy: Your Voice Campaign

We believe in empowering students to actively participate in shaping their university experience. The Your Voice Campaign encourages student involvement and representation, ensuring that your concerns and ideas are heard.

2. Major Campus Events: Winter Festival, National Day, and Emirati Women’s Day

These campus events celebrate the vibrant cultural diversity of our community while promoting student engagement. We aim to foster unity and cultural appreciation through activities that highlight the spirit of the season and national pride.

3. Community Service Initiatives: Bridge of Giving

In collaboration with the Red Crescent, the Bridge of Giving initiative supports victims of natural disasters, such as earthquake survivors, by providing essential aid and resources.

4. Collaboration with External Organizations: “How Innovation Serves Youth Energies” Dialogue and Federal Nations Elections

The Student Council actively collaborates with government and community organizations, to encourage student involvement in national discourse and societal development.

5. Cultural & Religious Initiatives: Ramadan Iftar

Promoting inclusivity and tradition, we organize Ramadan Iftar gatherings and share meaningful posts on Instagram to connect with students, celebrate religious diversity, and honor the spirit of Ramadan.

Graduate Student Council

Zayed University is committed to graduate student involvement in fostering a quality academic environment by meaningful participation in university governance. Graduate students are represented through elected members of the Graduate Student Council (GSC) and the Graduate Council (GC). GSC meetings are held no less than once each month during the Fall and Spring semesters.

GSC will serve as the main support organization and the official voice for graduate students to advocate for student needs and interest at all levels.

The charges for the GSC are as follow:

• Act as the official support council for all graduate students from the different Colleges which offer graduate programs.

• Officially represent graduate student interests in university governance.

• Act as a liaison between graduate students, faculty and the University administration, ensuring that graduate students’ collective ideas, interests and issues of mutual concerns are heard, information is distributed, and graduate student success is promoted.

• Provide advice and support to the Deanship of Graduate Studies with regards to professional development opportunities for graduate students.

• Contribute towards fulfilling Zayed University’s goal of becoming a national research university by promoting and supporting academic research.

• Allocate and oversee fund distributions that best serve graduate student's needs by supporting graduate research and planning graduate student-led events and social activities for graduate students.

• Assist the University administration in fostering a quality academic environment.

• Represent graduate students in the community and facilitate the continued role of Zayed University graduate students in the community and beyond.

Membership

All graduate students are given the opportunity to become a candidate for GSC membership. The GSC is made up of a chair and members. Membership consists of one (1) representative elected/appointed from each graduate program offered by all Colleges. No single member will be serving as the representative for more than one program. The Dean, Graduate Studies will appoint the chair and members for one academic year.

The duties of the Chair shall be as follow:

• To serve as the chief executive officer of the GSC.

• To serve as the official spokesperson and primary point of contact for the GSC.

• To serve as the primary liaison between GSC, faculty and University administration.

• To schedule and preside (or appoint someone to preside) over GSC meetings.

• To oversee the preparation of the GSC annual budget and submit it to the Deanship of Graduate Studies by the deadline set forth for approval.

• To serve as a signatory on GSC financial matters to present to the Dean, Graduate Studies for final approval.

• To deliver proposals and reports on GSC grants and activities when requested to do so, i.e. Graduate Council meetings.

• To actively promote graduate student-led events and social activities for graduate students.

• To manage content creation for the GSC website ensuring content remains up to date and relevant.

• To ensure that all University committees requiring graduate student representatives are appropriately staffed with respect to their requirements for participation.

• To serve as a Student Representative on the Graduate Council.

Career Advocate Leaders (CALS)

In 2018, Student Careers and Alumni Department initiated the Career Advocate Leaders (CAL’s) program with a mission to equip Zayed University students for career success in the real world.  Students apply to become members of the program and commit to supporting career activities, community service and developing oneself. The following are examples of activities CAL members are actively engaged in:

• Promoting professionalism, leadership, and career development.

• Supporting student CV development.

• Conducting career educational activities and events such as offering workshops.

• Representing the university during internal and external job fair and career related events.

• Calling alumni to conduct biannual Graduate Destination Survey

• Represent the Student Careers & Alumni Department in the colleges.

Members of CAL’s are committed to the development of the following characteristics:

• Leadership

• High academic achievers- GPA of 3.0 and above.

• Role models.

• Career driven.

• Ambitious.

• Determined to excel in life.

• Someone who can balance between her/his academic and personal life.

• Flexible.

• Team players.

• Professionalism.

Peer Ambassador Leader (PAL)

 

The PALs Program at Zayed University offers tutoring and mentorship to students of all genders, from first year to upper level across all colleges. It fosters a supportive environment emphasizing role modeling and encouragement, crucial for student retention and aiding first-year transitions.

The PALs Program caters for first-year students at university as well as upper-year levels. It was established in recognition of the fact that students like to help each other with their studies. Therefore, establishing a peer-mentoring program has helped their area of interest, mentor/tutor their peers, usually beginning students, in a supportive and encouraging relationship. This type of relationship usually involves the characteristics of role modelling, encouragement and positive reinforcement of achievable academic goals.

In terms of student retention, this kind of program is an important strategy to help first-year students during their transition to university. Furthermore, this kind of program complements and enhances existing advising methods or programs already in existence at Zayed University.

What sets PALs apart is its focus on leadership beyond tutoring, engaging PALs in diverse on and off-campus activities to enhance their employability post-graduation. The peer tutors are provided with numerous leadership opportunities during each semester representing Zayed University in an ambassadorial role. It is because of these experiences, that peer tutors are able to develop their personal skill portfolio that will enhance their employment prospects upon graduation.

The responsibilities are:

Tutoring: Academic support and guidance is provided to fellow students fostering a culture of collaborative learning and success.

Networking: Connections are facilitated among students, faculty, and resources, thus promoting a supportive community.

Volunteering: Engaging in meaningful service initiatives, contributing to the prosperity of the campus.

Social Field Trips: Social outings and events are organized thus fostering the community among other PALs.

Internal & External Workshops: Internal and external workshops are conducted to equip students with valuable skills and knowledge to excel in various fields.

PALs Alumni Network: Experiences and connections are leveraged post-graduation, accessing a supportive network for career growth, collaboration, and learning opportunities.

Collaborating: Social outings and events are organized, fostering the community among other PALs.

Student Clubs

The university offers a wide variety of student clubs and organizations. These clubs can either be social clubs or professional clubs. The goal of these clubs are to offer students opportunities to meet their interest and work collaboratively with their peers to maximize their learning and campus engagement.

Clubs are formed at Zayed university to attract students to be involved in Extra-Curricular Activities and exhibit their talents by having a group of students with similar interest. Also it encourage students abilities in term of creativity and motivation through competition with other clubs. Students are invited to participate in club activities to expand an existing interest, to experiment with new activities, to enhance a classroom experience and also to meet new people, develop friendships and have fun.

Few examples of some annual activities that the clubs get involved:

• Student’s Club Fair

• National Day Celebrations

• Korean / Japanese Heritage day, Asian Food Festival

• Reading Month

• Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign

Examples of Current Clubs at ZU:

ACAI Club	Kulna-Environmental Club
Alef Arabic Club	Media Literacy Club
ASL Club	MEPRA (public relations) Club
Beyond Books Club	Model United Nations Zayed University Club
CCMS Honor Society Club	Music Club
Chess Club	Nutrition Club
Culture through the senses club	Poetry and Poets Club (P.P.C)
Debate Club	Research Club
Digital Transformation Club	Robotics Club
Emirati Legacy Club	Self Improvement Club
Flashlight Media Club	Social Awareness Club
GEN ZU Tech Club	Sustainability Club
Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Club	Techno-Art Innovators Club
Information Technology Student Association Club (ITSA)	The Gamers Club
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Club	The Journaling Club
Japan Club	The Majlis Talk Club
Korean Club ‏	Tolerance Club