First Group Selected as Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed University Scholars

Seventeen men and women have been named as the inaugural class of the Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed University Scholars Program, which recognizes outstanding students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and provides them with special academic and leadership opportunities. The scholars program—named after His Highness, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi—is a major initiative of the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute, which will be established in fall 2008 to jump-start academic and intellectual activities while the NYU Abu Dhabi campus is being developed.  
    The Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed University Scholars Program, created in conjunction with the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC), draws on students in their third and fourth years of study in the UAE’s national institutions of higher learning—United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), Zayed University (ZU), and the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT). Some 42 students were nominated by the three institutions to be considered for the program. Of these, 23 were selected as finalists and were interviewed, and 17 were selected as Sheikh Mohamed Scholars by a distinguished panel of judges.
    As part of the scholarship program, the inaugural class will participate in a course on religion and government taught by NYU President John Sexton in fall 2008, the first NYU course to be taught in Abu Dhabi; participate in special English language training and enrichment programs; travel to the U.S. to visit the Supreme Court and NYU’s Washington Square campus; and attend selected programs, lectures, and conferences sponsored by the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute.
    Scholarship students will also receive preparation for graduate and professional study, and those demonstrating the highest merit and motivation who are accepted at NYU graduate or professional schools will be offered full scholarships.
    “The students selected to be part of the inaugural class already have academic records to be very proud of,” said Her Highness Sheikha Mariam bint Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, co-chair of the Scholars Program Steering Committee. “Participating in this program over the coming year will provide them with even greater access to opportunities to enhance their leadership skills and academic capabilities.”    
    An advisory steering committee composed of NYU faculty, administrators, and ADEC officials will be formed to forge relationships between NYU and the UAE in order to promote the visibility of the scholars program and enhance the experience of the scholars. The committee is co-chaired by Mariam and NYU Vice Chancellor Mariët Westermann, and will be administered by Executive Director Diane C. Yu, chief of staff and deputy to the President of NYU.
    NYU Abu Dhabi, the first comprehensive liberal arts campus to be operated abroad by a major American university, will welcome its first class of students in fall 2010. The NYU Abu Dhabi campus is being developed on Saadiyat Island and will be a key part of NYU’s extensive and expanding global network, which includes nine NYU academic facilities on five continents.