Culture & Education | Saturday 14 October, 2017 4:04 pm |

The American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) celebrated its 6th commencement ceremony in the presence of H. H. Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, at RAK Cultural Center.

 

The evening saw a total 141 students awarded their degrees – 84 bachelor’s and 57 master’s – in front of their proud family members and professors, after years of effort and dedication.

 

The guest of honorary, His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, took to the stage to congratulate the graduates for their achievement.

 

Professor Hassan Hamdan Al Alkim, AURAK President, proudly addressed the university’s latest group of students to graduate under his presidency. He focused on how the class of 2017 have grown and matured as young adults, while the university has grown alongside them.

 

Prof. Al Alkim highlighted that the university, in less than ten years of existence, has now reached 1,000 enrolled students. The university has achieved more than anyone expected in such a short period of time due to the tremendous support and vision of HH Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah. In addition to growing student and faculty numbers, he pointed out that this growth is a direct consequence of the university’s burgeoning reputation, as it continues to earn international accreditation for its schools and programs, such as its recent ABET accreditation for its engineering programs.

 

As a final testament to the university’s quality, Prof. Al Alkim extolled the university for earning candidacy status from SACSCOC, one of the United States’ regional accreditation bodies.

 

Finally, before the conferring of the degrees, the valedictorian for the class of 2017, Aktham Alchaar, who graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, addressed his fellow graduates on this joyous occasion, emphasizing the magnitude of what he and his classmates have achieved: “The completion of your degree is an accomplishment of a considerable significance, but this is not the end. It is, in fact, the beginning of a new journey in life. From this day forward, let us commit to serve the community honestly and with dignity, and represent our university as proud alumni.”