AU Commencements 2025: Harvest Plentiful and Hope Abundant

The Life cycle at Ajman University (AU) is much like the succession of seasons: A season for sowing, a season for nurturing and growth, and a season for harvesting. This last season is one for joy and celebration as we witness a new procession of young men and women ready to take the world by storm. They carry the insignia of a university preparing for its 40th Anniversary.

From the Desk of Chancellor Seghir

A Monthly Statement Issued by the Chancellor of Ajman University

Karim Seghir, Ph.D.
Chancellor
Ajman University

University St., Al jerf 1, Ajman United Arab Emirates

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University St., Al jerf 1, Ajman United Arab Emirates

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June 2025

Much like our students, AU is an exemplar of self-renewal. In less than ten years, we reinvented the university to become the fifth in the nation, 17th in the region, and the 477th globally. Self-reinvention is a profound and decisive period in which fundamental assumptions are questioned and stereotypes are broken. It is something we do well at Ajman University, carefully balancing tradition and innovation, continuity and change – a past we are proud of, and a future of our own making.

Our commencement exercises epitomize years of toil, many months of sweat, and an iron determination to pursue a mission of excellence uncompromised, and impact undiluted. Our mission is to train future leaders to a level commensurate with the ambition of our country and its vision for the future.

When we send well over a thousand young men and women into the world as qualified professionals this month, we send them with an identity to be proud of. They leave campus well-equipped with technical, educational, and ethical skills. They step into the future market-ready and fully prepared to add value and make a difference.

They are competitive yet team-oriented, assertive yet modest, self-confident yet humble. They are leaders in compassion and innovation. And they are links: connecting the present to the future and preparing humanity for what is to come.

A Commencement for the Second Quarter of the 21st Century

Dr. Fatima Al Shamsi. A Lieutenant Colonel in Ajman Police and the first female officer in the force to earn a PhD in Law, Dr. Fatima is a shining example of what it means to lead with purpose and serve with excellence.

Raneem Hamoud, a student of determination, graduates with honors, and now empowers others like her through her work at the Center for Inclusive Learning.

AU has instilled in its graduates a set of core values that will serve them well and set them apart: the ability to reinvent themselves as needed, a drive to operate at the cutting edge of knowledge, and an enduring eagerness to learn and grow.

AU on the Move

As we graduate this new crop, we genuinely reflect the image of a university reinventing itself at multiple levels, and transitioning towards greater community engagement and serve, namely:

Transitioning from for-profit to non-profit status.
Moving towards multi-disciplinary excellence across a wide range of converging disciplines: digital transformation, AI, data sciences, machine learning, inter-professional health education (IPE), and others.
Complementing traditional degree programs with micro-credentials as refresher and upskilling windows.
Shifting from unilateral academic programs to bi-lateral and multi-lateral coop programs jointly undertaken with industry.
Transforming from funding based strictly on academic fees to a broad student safety network of financial aid – moving towards a greater reliance on fundraising.
Evolving from a traditional departmental and college structure to interdisciplinary clusters and specialized centers cutting across college lines.
Going from a university with average research output to a research powerhouse with over 1400 SCOPUS-indexed articles published in 2024.
Reaching beyond being a fully accredited and highly ranked university to become a high-impact institution that leaves the footprint of an enhanced ecosystem and makes a distinctive mark unmatched by any other.
Gradually building a donor base of engaged business and community leaders who are aligned with the university's mission and entering into strategic alliances for societal good.
Starting in earnest planning for our 40th Anniversary through a series of flagship events including three fundraising galas, an alumni conference, an executive education symposium, a new university impact magazine (AU Impact), and a number of new strategic fundraising initiatives including a “Center for UAE Heritage.”.
Launching a new wave of outstanding faculty recruitment on the international market to bolster our expert ranks for new interdisciplinary programs and specialized centers.
Rethinking our core “distribution courses” required of students across all colleges and specializations. These foundational courses aim to equip every student, regardless of their profession, with essential soft skills, character development, responsible citizenship, critical thinking, and a strong sense of community engagement.
Achieving a quantum leap in extra-curricular and co-curricular programs.

A University for the Future

Proud of our past as we indeed are, AU is primarily a university for the future. We realize that the current paradigm in higher education is in a state of demise and a new paradigm is steadily on the rise.

We are part of this new paradigm and eager to be among its makers. A paradigm that places the university at the heart of the knowledge economy, making it intricately intertwined with industry, connected to R&D hubs, and leading the way in generating knowledge that is functional yet critical, technology-enabled yet humane, technically advanced yet deeply committed to the welfare of mankind.

Joy took flight the moment the confetti fell. With diplomas in hand and futures unfolding, the Class of 2025 stood tall; each face a story, each smile a milestone.

AU Commencement 2025 is a celebration of excellence, a season for self-assessment, and a new dawn for a future of thinking big and achieving in proportion.

Thank you for partnering with us on this journey of curiosity and wonder, adventure and fulfillment, dreaming big and turning dreams into reality.

The Class of 2025 sat together for one last time. Years of hard work, shared dreams, and a deep sense of purpose filled the room. In their eyes was the promise of a generation ready to lead and give back.