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The United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) welcomed 3,954 new students (both male and female) for the first semester of the 2015/2016 academic year on Tuesday, August 18^th in the Great Hall in the Crescent Building of the Maqam Campus. This was done in the presence of His Excellency Dr. Ali Rashid Al Noaimi, Vice Chancellor of UAEU, representatives of the respective colleges and university departments and the parents of new students.

His Excellency stressed the importance of UAEU being located in Al Ain as part of the vision of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan (God rest his soul) to prevent geographical differences within the UAE and to help forge national uniformity. He added that he was, “happy you are here today at UAEU. This will be vital in shaping your future as you strive for excellence and to become future leaders.”

He further stressed the role of the university in providing national graduates who can contribute to the future of the UAE. He was quoted as saying, “we provide you with the skills and knowledge to equip you for future leadership.” The Vice Chancellor urged the students to take advantage of their time at university, especially one ranked among the top universities nationally, regionally and also globally. He also called on students to take advantage of the extracurricular activities available to enhance their capabilities. He ended his speech with good wishes for a successful university career.

In a new initiative a robot greeted students and answered their questions about studying at UAEU. The program also included a film about the university followed by a panel discussion entitled ‘the Pride of the University’, where graduates of the university became virtual advisors. They were Saeed Al Dhaheri, an IT consultant to the Foreign Minister, and Judge Khaled Saeed Al Rashidi of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department. They offered their experiences of university life and described the challenges they encountered, as well as giving other advice and guidance to the new students.