Heriot-Watt university celebrates 10 years in UAE

Prof. Richard A. Williams, Dr Abdulla Al Karam, and Prof. Ammar Kaka during the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Heriot-Watt University. - Supplied photo

A successful exporter of Scottish education to the UAE, Heriot-Watt University celebrated its 10th anniversary in the UAE with a dinner at the Fairmont Hotel on the Palm Jumeriah.
The number of students at the university's Dubai campus has grown from 120 in 2005 to almost 4,000 from over 100 countries in 2015. The university is also ranked 34th in the world according to the latest QS world rankings Top 50 under 50.
The 10th anniversary celebratory dinner was hosted by Heriot-Watt University's principal and vice-chancellor Professor Richard A. Williams, OBE, and Professor Ammar Kaka, Vice-Principal and Head of the Dubai Campus.
A number of VIP guests attended the dinner including Dr Abdulla Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General, Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), and Andy McDonald, Senior Director, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, Scottish Development International (SDI).
Professor Richard A. Williams said: "This celebration also demonstrates our appreciation for our team and partners in helping us achieve significant milestones throughout the past ten years."
Andy McDonald, Senior Director, Europe, Middle East and Africa at Scottish Development International added: "The opening of the Heriot-Watt University Dubai campus 10 years ago was a bold step for Scottish Education in the UAE. The growth of the campus over the last 10 years is a testament to the hard work and commitment of the university, the staff and students to represent Scotland and demonstrates its world-class education in the Middle East."
In its first ten years the university's Dubai campus has helped develop talent in the UAE, across industries. Qasim Zubair, a former student, is now a UAE international cricket player and the first student to receive the university's most prestigious sports recognition, the Blues Award, in June 2008.
In 2010, another student, Kimberley Alphonso won the Grazia magazine/Swarovski Young Designer of the Year. And Electrical and Electronics Engineering student, Rakesh Joe Francy, beat 200 global entrants this year, in Germany's Phoenix Contact's Xplore Automation Award, winning second place with his initiative 'Mini Automated Farming'.
Heriot-Watt University was the first international university to open a campus in the Dubai International Academic City in 2005. One of the first higher education providers to be licensed by the KHDA, Heriot-Watt's degrees are also accredited by the Royal Charter in the UK.
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• Dubai