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Shaikh Saud Awarded Honorary Doctorate

RAS AL KHAIMAH — Shaikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, received 
an honorary doctorate from the University of Bolton at the first degree congregation ceremony held by the University of Bolton-Ras Al Khaimah here on Saturday.

Shaikh Saud received the honorary doctorate from University of Bolton’s Chancellor, The Rt Hon. Baroness Morris of Bolton, OBE, DL, at a glittering function held at the Hilton Ras Al Khaimah Resort and Spa.

The Doctor of the University degree was awarded to Shaikh Saud in recognition of his services to education.

In his acceptance speech Shaikh Saud said, “Knowledge is the cornerstone of any society. It is a vehicle by which we can master our destiny and overcome our challenges, a vehicle by which we can invent solutions to our problems and turn them into opportunities.”

Shaikh Saud said the UAE as a country has undergone a meteoric change in the last forty years. “Four decades back we were looking for someone who could just read and write Arabic. Now as we look around we can see people from all over the world come here to get educated, for treatment, to invest and as tourists to spend the best times of their lives,” he said.

“In the globalised age of today, the international dimension of our lives has come to stay. For those of us who want to be relevant and successful has to understand the nature of change and adapt to it,” Shaikh Saud said.

As many as 25 undergraduate students received their Bachelor’s degrees in Business Management, and approximately 30 post-graduate students received certificates or diplomas from the University’s Vice Chancellor, Dr George Holmes at the function.

The event marked the graduation of the first cohort of students from University of Bolton’s first international campus, which is also the first and only British university operating in RAK under the RAK Free Trade 
Zone umbrella.

Also in attendance were various dignitaries, including Edward Oakden, British Ambassador to the UAE, Shaikh Faisal bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Chairman of the RAK Free Trade Zone and RAK Finance Department, Shaikh Mohammed bin Saud Al Qasimi, other shaikhs, heads of government departments and members of the British Council and British Embassy.

The University of Bolton-RAK Campus currently has 300 students registered in a range of programmes, including Business, Computing, Engineering, Electronics and Supply Chain, all of which follow the control, assessment and curriculum of the University’s UK centre. All progression and awards are conferred by the same UK examination boards assessing University of Bolton students in the UK.

Therefore, the University is able to award a UK degree to RAK campus students. The Ras Al Khaimah campus is part of the University of Bolton’s strategy, focusing on internationalisation.

Zubair Hanslot, Academic Director of the RAK Campus, is supported by the University’s International Campus Learning Unit, based at the UK campus. The unit provides support to ensure quality control over procedures 
and processes. “The internationalisation agenda is providing global opportunities to many communities who otherwise would not be able to access UK education.”

ismail@khaleejtimes.com