Describe your first impressions of our campus.
When I arrived at this beautiful campus, I was very impressed. I believe AUS’ campus rivals those of many of the top universities I’ve been at when I was in Canada and Australia. I’m looking forward to inviting people on campus to experience AUS, and to appreciate the love of education that His Highness had in envisaging such a place.
Would you like to tell us more about your career and the years of education you are bringing to this university.
I came from commercial life, managing and leading international businesses before coming into academia. I experienced first-hand how the various departments and people within organizations and companies worked together to create something that was greater than the sum of its parts.
I moved into the higher education sector four and a half years ago. In this region of the world, the field of advancement is still in its infancy. What I aspire to do at AUS is to bring some maturity into Alumni Relations & Development by emulating the highest standards of North American and European universities, as AUS alumni deserve. This is something I know we can do.
We need to acquaint our current students and alumni with what being an AUS graduate is all about. Students in our region don’t necessarily understand the value of being an alumnus or alumna of a great university like AUS for their future endeavors. Networking, contacts, as well as business and academic opportunities are some of the benefits that alumni gain in the ‘real world’ by being associated with their alma mater.
University graduation rings are a standard purchase for North American graduates because they display the wearer’s pride and loyalty to their institute, and serve as an ice-breaker or talking piece when meeting new people. Workplace colleagues will immediately see that you have graduated from a university, and you can start talking about your experiences, professions, and education. This is extremely helpful in developing networks, so when you notice someone wearing a university ring, ask where it’s from, and say that you come from AUS.
Students and alumni need to have a confidence in their AUS education and a loyalty to their alma mater. We want all alumni to know that their association with and life at AUS doesn’t end when they graduate, but that AUS will always be with you. We all have difficulties when we are students. But after the many years since I graduated, I can’t remember the difficulties - I only remember the good times. We hope that when our current students become alumni, they will all feel that same pride and attachment to this university. I hope we can teach that to our students - past, present, and future.
Why is it important for AUS graduates to stay connected to their alma mater?
Being connected makes you part of a family of all 12,000 plus students who have graduated - and not just the ones in your year of graduation. Your network instantly grows, and every young person today knows the value of that because they are all on Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, or other services built on growing your network. Not only is there value just in terms of getting to know people, but these relationships could also translate into jobs, business, and investments, to say nothing of personal and social connections. When you have an idea, you immediately have a pool of people you can reach out to and discuss this with. They already know the quality of your education and where you are coming from, and have something in common with you. It is an extended family. Last but not least, you may want to return to AUS in the future to continue your education.
What can alumni expect from the university in the years to come?
For one thing, we’re going to try to strengthen our alumni networks and improve the opportunities for networking between current students and our 12,000 plus alumni. We’re also going to try to grow our alumni chapters, including the ones outside the UAE. We’d like to connect the chapters with those of prestigious American universities elsewhere in the Middle East so that we can all extend our networks and reap the benefits of this.
We’re also planning ways to engage our alumni more, and to show them the value of AUS. We’d like to bring our graduates back for lecture series, further education, and indeed fun events. We hope when they have kids who graduate from school, they will become the next generation of AUS students.
AUS graduates will gain much of the huge value we are generating from our efforts to become more of a research-oriented university. We expect our focus on research to elevate the status of AUS, not just by improving the quality of education offered, but also by boosting our place in various rankings. This prestige gained by AUS will be passed on to our alumni and will be a source of pride when they apply for jobs or talk to their colleagues. Long after graduating, the alumni of Harvard or Oxford continue to benefit from the growing reputations of the institutions at which they studied. We hope to replicate this for our graduates. AUS alumni already have a great story to tell and we are working to make it an even greater one.
What message do you have for AUS graduates?
Congratulations to all of you for graduating. Please stay connected with your alma mater and let us know what you are up to. We’d love to hear what you are doing in your career, in the marketplace, and in your life. In this way, your successes become our successes, and indeed stories we can share with the world. You may no longer be a student here, but we are as proud of you as we have ever been, and hope you remain just as proud of AUS, so maintaining that connection is really important.