For their second meeting of the academic year 2022/23, the Board of Trustees of the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) has held a two-day retreat in Abu Dhabi, chaired by the university Chancellor, H.E. Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh, Cultural Advisor to H.H. the President of the UAE.

In connection with the UAEU’s comprehensive two-year action plan that is designed to accelerate the advance of the university’s global ranking, the Board received an update presentation on the priority research themes and a feasibility study including financial analysis that supports the plan’s implementation.

The Board continued its evaluation and assessment of several transformational projects that the UAEU proposes to implement to ensure a focus on the nation’s ten principles and priorities for the next fifty years, in line with the new methodology of government work for Federal entities.

The Board received an evaluation report on the performance of the Board and the Board Committees. The report had been prepared by an external and independent specialist consultancy in governance. The Board noted the overall conclusion that the Board has fully committed Trustees and is working in a cohesive fashion in general alignment with effective governance practice. The Board accepted several recommendations to enhance its governance practices and agreed to a timeline for their implementation.

The Board received a presentation on proposals for the internal restructuring of the university. After full consideration, the Board agreed to undertake further assessment of the proposals at its next meeting on 14th December 2022.

H.E. Dr Abdulla Al Karam, Chair of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee presented the Board with the Committee’s periodic report and recommendations. The Board accepted the report’s conclusions and duly approved: a new policy that would allow delivery of a postgraduate, online Diploma in Educational Excellence; several amendments to tuition fees for all MSc programs in the College of Engineering; the extension to other disciplines of the existing dual degree Doctoral program between the UAEU and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven); and a new dual degree Doctoral program between the UAEU and McGill University, Canada.

H.E. Dr Tariq Bin Hendi, Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee presented the Committee’s periodic report on financial affairs, Enterprise Risk Management, and Internal Audit.

The Board received and duly noted a presentation of the UAEU’s financial performance for the third quarter of 2022.