Academic Year 2019–2020
Resilience Through the Pandemic
This year saw both achievements and challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Student Life and Community Engagement Office hosted 30 student online activities and events during the Fall semester, including a Freshman Fun Day and one of the year’s most anticipated events, the Club Fair. In October, the AUE campus also welcomed the Dubai EXPO 2020 team to recruit students, faculty, and staff to work as volunteers during the EXPO.
September witnessed a new university first, as the university was showcased in the film “Midas,” screened virtually at the Burbank International Film Festival in California. The film was a semifinalist, representing an excellent achievement for the College of Media and Mass Communication.
As part of its social responsibility, the university also began teaching and provided short-training programs to prisoners. This initiative was launched in collaboration with Abu Dhabi and Dubai Police to prepare inmates to have a productive life beyond prison by giving them educational opportunities for employment. The initiative targeted 40 inmates a year, with an average of 20 inmates per classroom.
With the pandemic affecting the financial condition of students and their families, the university extended its support to students by offering more financial support in various forms, including scholarships, grants, and financial aid. While financial aids and scholarships were always available in the Fall and Spring semesters, they were extended to the Summer semesters too, to support students during the crisis. Also providing support was the AUE Student Council, which played a vital role in building community and pride among students.
In coordination with the Student Life & Community Engagement Office and the College of Education – and despite the challenges of the year – the university hosted guests from the Belarussian Embassy in the United Arab Emirates in November 2019 for a discussion with the Ambassador and a movie screening of the film “Fortress of War”.
In response to the global pandemic, AUE shifted its course delivery and services to distance learning. Through its Student Life & Community Engagement Office, the university was proud to maintain its mission during this life-changing crisis. Despite the onset of distance learning and social distancing, the Student Life & Community Engagement Office connected with students virtually via an online webinar series to maintain a sense of community and promote student wellbeing.
The Student Life Office also organized “C3: Connecting to Combat Corona,” a virtual student engagement and wellbeing program, where various students, professionals, and influencers were invited to participate in live webinars that incorporated a mix of the arts, wellbeing, and practical knowledge.
This year was notable too for the excellent academic contributions made by faculty scholarship. The number of publications in Scopus-indexed journals reached 100, with an overall increase in Q1 and Q2 publications. The total number of publications was 312.
To extend academic and student support services, the university also broadened access to a range of learning opportunities to enhance teaching, research, and creative activities for faculty members and students, and the library began offering online educational resources and databases through the Learning Management System. In addition, students were provided with electronic textbooks (ebooks) for each of the courses registered.
Similarly, the university began offering support and assistance in conjunction with academic advisers to track student academic performance. This intervention ultimately led to a dedicated online portal designed to monitor student status and progress, operated by the appointed Advisor and Student Success Officer.
Elsewhere, the university ensured that its systems became even more optimized so that students with physical or mental special needs could receive support physically and virtually from the Counseling and Disability Office. Likewise, the Guidance and Counseling Office, Career and Job Placement Office, and Student Support Services became more streamlined and efficient in their operations to ensure that the particular COVID-19-related challenges facing students could be overcome.
Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, AUE continued to live by its motto, “Nothing is impossible”. Students under faculty supervision helped the UAE governmental sector by making a virtual presentation to the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, a governmental entity that regulates the entry and exit of international travelers from Dubai and the residency of foreign nationals in the city.
The year also witnessed an industrial collaborative project between the university, Dubai Immigration, and Hewlett-Packard (HP), and another with the Roads and Transport Authority. Also, while the pandemic affected student mental health, the Counseling and Disability Office facilitated many workshops with experts to help students achieve their academic goals.
This year, the university had also planned a unique commencement, but the pandemic remained a significant challenge, so the ceremony was postponed. With great pomp and circumstance, however, its annual honors ceremony went ahead.
