Hassan Hamdan Al Alkim

AURAK knows it needs to provide not only quality education but also the necessary facilities in terms of labs and infrastructure and fostering innovation.

Why are you using the US 3+2 course model, and how does it set your university apart from others?

We initially began with the study abroad program and then moved on to the 3+2 model. Both serve the objective of going to the US and experiencing and understanding the culture and its way of life. Being a member of SACSCOC, we attend conferences to network, and the idea of 3+2 came up as an opportunity for our students, which could also set AURAK apart from others. If you are part of SACSCOC, any American university will be happy to work with you. We cannot make any changes to our programs without getting approval from them, and this quality assurance process from SACSCOC assures other universities about the quality of our program. We also wanted to save students’ time, and while they receive an AURAK degree, they can start doing a master’s degree, without having to fulfil the other requirements like GRE, GMAT, or TOEFL. They can also pursue a PhD, and by then they will have adapted to the American culture and system. It is a win-win situation for AURAK, the students and the American partner institution.

What is your perspective on this process of Emiratization? How is your university contributing to it?

Every country wants to help prepare their nationals and open the doors for them to assume the position they would like, but I do not think that means we should close doors to others. We must apply equal opportunity based on qualifications and merits. For Emiratization, we need professionals who are well-prepared, open-minded, possess the necessary skills required in any position they might apply for. As such, you are helping to achieve the goal of Emiratization.

AURAK is renowned for using cutting-edge resources including the launch of a nanosatellite, Meznsat, built by AURAK engineers. How important is it to the university to be at the forefront of innovation and technology?

In education today, you have to combine the theoretical and practical methods in all disciplines, especially for engineering, basic sciences, business, etc. You cannot send a student today to the job market without the right tools. We currently have an entrepreneurial center, both in the school of engineering and the school of business, in order to encourage and support start-ups. We want to support people, the community, and the economy. Maybe one of a hundred will succeed and make a revolution in the economy. In engineering, we have the ICONET center established in collaboration with the Telecommunications Authority of the UAE. It financed that lab, and we applied for a research grant from the UAE space agency and got it. We had students working hands on to build that satellite, and the students managed to get that satellite into space. They really enjoyed the project and were really proud when the launch took place. We had 92 million viewers on social media for the launch. We have applied for a grant to develop another satellite. We now have a small space center, and we hope to grow it. We are also participating in the zero-energy builders, a competition with around 30 universities, where we are partnering with University of Dubai that would be exhibited at EXPO 2020. It is interdisciplinary, with the participation of students from the architecture and engineering departments. We are preparing our students for a job market focused on sustainability and renewable energy.

What are your goals and expectations for this year?

We are working on quality assurance, including the QAA accreditation from the European quality assurance agency. We expect a committee for re-accreditation for our engineering programs by the American Board of Engineering & Technology (ABET). We are also concluding the accreditation of the business school by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). We are focusing on assuring safety, quality, and to start few online programs.