UAE- Hamed bin Zayed chairs Khalifa University Board of Trustees meeting, tours campus expansion

ABU DHABI, 28th September, 2016 (WAM) -- HH Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court and Chairman of Khalifa University's Board of Trustees, chaired a meeting of the University's board today.

During the meeting, HH congratulated faculty and staff for the recent announcements that Khalifa University is the top ranked university in the UAE, according to leading international university rankings publications, QS and Times Higher Education.

HH said that Khalifa University's achievement reflects the vision of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE President, for the higher education sector and developing it in parallel with the economic development and growth that the UAE is witnessing. It also reflects the follow-up and care shown by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nayhan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, for backing quality education initiatives and obtaining cutting-edge technologies to build the UAE's education system, which is currently enjoying high levels of growth and prestige.

He also stressed the importance of working harder to further Khalifa University's world rankings to even higher levels.

The Board was briefed on the recent achievements of Khalifa University being named the fourth best university in the Arab world and the top university in the UAE. They also discussed suggested change to the University's logo, financial items, key factors affecting the University's international effectiveness, new academic programs, and updates on the establishment of a College of Science and hiring its Dean. In addition, the Board received an update on 2016/2017 admissions, which were the highest since the University's creation.

Board members also discussed Khalifa University's strategic planning initiative, which highlights areas of importance, on an academic and community level, and were given updates on manpower recruitment.

HH Sheikh Hamed also toured the new campus expansion, where he viewed the sports facility, which spreads over four stories and will consist of separate two-level men and women's facilities, featuring state-of-the-art cardiovascular and weight lifting equipment. He also toured the parking garage, which includes over 1200 parking spaces, the four-story library, the auditorium with over 600 seats, the student services and student recruitment offices, the data center and classes.

Sheikh Hamed, accompanied by members of the Board, also visited the advanced nanotechnology lab, run by Dr. Mohamed Rezeq, who recently developed the world's smallest electronic source. In order to create nano-probes, Dr. Rezeq and his team designed and built a special microscope that enables the observation of surface atoms on the nano-probe apex. This research contributes to the advancement of the electronic industries, both locally and globally.

Sheikh Hamed expressed his content after he toured the new building and new facilities. He highlighted that that state-of-the-art facilities and equipment such as labs, classrooms, sports and social facilities available to students, as part of the new campus expansion, reflect the high standards that Khalifa University has developed. He expressed his hope that the new environment would contribute to increasing academic achievements for students and provide a comfortable environment for them.

He renewed his congratulations to the University's leadership and to its students, faculty and staff for the results that Khalifa University has achieved at the Middle Eastern and international levels, which are results to be proud of. He also affirmed his aspiration that the University continues to excel in the future.