Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of State for Tolerance and President of Zayed University, affirmed that Zayed University is proud and privileged to bear the name of the Founding Father of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who transformed the desert into a green haven.Her Excellency added: “Leadership is often characterized by the power to convince people, and the world knows many such leaders. But only extraordinary leaders with a strong belief are able to create a miracle transforming a desert into a modern state which is a real pride of the world now. This is the legacy of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who was the principle architect of United Arab Emirates and the president of UAE for over 30 years….And we at Zayed University strive to work to establish Zayed University as one of the leading centers of knowledge and scholarship, nationally and regionally, and a positive contributor to the wellbeing of the people of the United Arab Emirates.”
This came during Her Excellency SheikhaLubna’s keynote speech during the interactive discussion held at the Convocation Center in Zayed University under the theme of “Leading in a Complex World”, which was led by Her Excellency DrAmelKarboul, Secretary-General of Maghreb Economic Forum and Former Minister of Tourism in Tunisia.The event was also attended by Professor Reyadh AlMehaideb, Vice President of Zayed University, Dr Marilyn Roberts, Provost at Zayed University, Deans, faculty members, and students.Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna said: “Our guest’s portfolio is pretty wonderful and diversified; it covers a wide range of very interesting items relating to education, culture, and tourism. She is a social entrepreneur, businesswoman, author, and politician. She is passionate about working with leaders, teams, and organizations assisting them in creating breakthroughs in their thinking and transforming themselves.She was until February 2015 Minister of Tourism in the Tunisian transition government that has been appointed after the successful quartet negotiations and nominated as one of top ten leading young African politicians. She recently published her newest book Coffin Corner; outlining a new leadership culture suited to the complexity and dynamic of the 21st century.” Addressing Zayed University students, Her Excellency said: “The UAE government is very keen on developing leadership qualities in young people like yourselves, our students at Zayed University. Part of that is recognizing that we have a smaller world, full of diversity… to become leaders, all of us need to have the wisdom, character, and social skills navigate through this diversity.”
Afterwards, Her Excellency DrAmelstarted the interactive discussion with the “Globalization” and “Digitization” challenges that people arefacing nowadays, saying: “We are in the No man’s land that creates a lot of fears, doubts and uncertainty. The past is not here and the new is not here yet.”During her discussion with Zayed University students, DrAmel affirmed that leadership is not a position anymore; however, it is a process that everyone can participate in its creation and progression.She said: “Education means the ability to learn. Not only what you learn inside classrooms, but also what you learn to be innovative and practice leadership roles. And you are all privileged here in the UAE, which has huge potential in terms of benefiting the exceptional younger generations to be innovative leaders.”“And I see a lot of hope in our younger generations to change the world for a better place,” she added.DrAmel also emphasized that self-development is not a luxury neither a choice, it is a responsibility.“Creative and critical thinking are essential aspects of the education process and center of effective learning. Responding to the globalization and digitization challenges- with its complex environmental, social and economic pressures, young people are required to be creative, innovate, enterprising, and adaptable, with the confidence to use critical and creative thinking purposefully,” she added.DrAmel also pointed out that “Social changes can take a lot of resistance. Resistance means that you are changing something. The more successful you will be, the more resistance you will meet.”
About Zayed University
Zayed University is today the premier national university in the United Arab Emirates and a regional leader in educational innovation and change. It has created and implemented a skills-rich, outcome-based general education program that systemically develops student skills, knowledge, and values associated with liberal learning and provided a solid foundation for pursuit of disciplinary majors and future careers. Zayed University welcomes national and international students, and provides them with a high quality education, offered by seasoned teaching scholars to prepare them to shape the future of the United Arab Emirates.Zayed University offers Undergraduate and Graduate degrees in the following Colleges: College of Arts & Creative Enterprises (recognized as substantially equivalent by NASAD), College of Business (Accredited by AACSB), College of Communication & Media Sciences (Accredited by ACEJMC), College of Education (Accredited by NCATE), College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Natural and Health Sciences, and College of Technological Innovation (Accredited by ABET). For more information, visit www.zu.ac.ae