From the Desk of Chancellor Seghir

A Monthly Statement Issued by the Chancellor of Ajman University

Higher Education worldwide is currently in the grip of a colossal paradigm shift. Disruptive challenges are surfacing at a pace faster than the ability of many institutions to adapt. Moreover, conventional academic wisdom is falling increasingly short of offering solutions born from radical thinking outside any box.

One of the most well-known shifts and accompanying challenges is the ethical and sustainable use of Generative AI. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Right now, higher education is being called upon to reinvent itself for a future that bears little or no resemblance to the classical approaches we have followed for at least a century.

Among these challenges is changing our teaching approach from content-based to process-based, allowing significantly more time and space for resilience, resourcefulness, social awareness, and the ethical foundations of higher education.

A key premise in this new way of thinking is that universities today must open their doors to influences from multiple external directions that were previously disregarded. Such influences include: technology, political and economic upheavals, evolving dynamics of the learning process, new industry expectations, the shifting employment landscape, unique characteristics of Generation Z, and the imminent arrival of Generation Alpha into higher education.

The greatest challenge, however, is resourcing Higher Education sustainably, ensuring market readiness for students, and adjusting to a world where innovation is polycentric and no longer exclusive to universities. These challenges fall under the most pressing need: interfacing with industry through effective partnerships that are mutually beneficial and equally critical to both sides.

As we approach our 40th anniversary in 2028, we are acutely mindful that what made us successful in the past will no longer be adequate for the future. Our future strategy is to seek and enter into effective partnerships with as many organizations in as many sectors as possible to join efforts, cross-fertilize agendas, and add value in a dual or multilateral mode. We refer to this strategy under the slogan: Taking Gown to Town for a University without Borders.

A Monthly Statement Issued by the Chancellor of Ajman University

Karim Seghir, Ph.D.
Chancellor
Ajman University

© Ajman University. All rights reserved.

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

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

May 2025

The Journey from Gown to Town

Edupreneurship runs deep in AU's culture. We firmly believe in the unique benefits of mutually conducive industry relations, applied research as a locomotive for the knowledge economy, and the virtues of a creative combination of theory and practice. Our human-centered values and our forward-thinking value proposition drive us toward an even higher education. One that merges the classroom with the community and connects studies with service. One that instills lifelong learning as an empowering path to adapt, grow, and lead an ever-evolving world.

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Powered by Generosity, Driven by Purpose

We already have a plan for industry's far-reaching involvement in the next chapter of our story. We are on a pathway of possibility paved by strong partnerships and novel alliances that unlock the best in both parties. For industry, it means customized applied knowledge and solutions to complex problems. For AU, it means a lifeline for sustainable resources.

The intersection of shared interests could produce distinct advantages for AU, notable among which are:

• Greater industry advocacy 
   Promoting AU and advancing its cause as a leading private, non-profit university,
   among their circles and social networks.
• Stronger business-to-business connectivity
   Linking AU to prospective donors they know, have influence with, or can
   convince to give.
• Sustainable resources for lasting impact
   Engaging repeat donors who are personally and professionally committed to one
   or more of AU's many community-centered fundraising programs.

The value of these partnerships is fivefold: advancing industry-relevant research; providing student training opportunities, promoting experiential learning, fostering lifelong learning, and supporting fundraising efforts.

Aligning partnerships with purpose is the strategic anchor for our positioning as a private, non-profit university in the UAE. From this foundation, we will bridge the region's skills gap en route to a future without fences. The map ahead includes the development of:

• An industrial park on campus where significant Research & Development work
   can be initiated and jointly run.

• New and enhanced degree programs of strategic value to industry: Data
   Sciences, Generative AI Applications, Machine Learning, Environmental
   Sciences, Co-op programs, etc.

• A thoughtfully planned series of micro-credentials in all our colleges to provide
   industry leaders with fast learning in a rapidly changing world.

• More talent from industry teaching as adjuncts at AU, providing our students with
   new opportunities to learn from leading practitioners.

• Fundraising projects to attract industry funding of key university assets. Some
   such projects are already being marketed, and others will follow soon.

• New research centers for Bio-Equivalence, Sustainability, and AI, and naming
   opportunities for our colleges.

An Invitation to a New Era

Ajman University is dedicated to leading the creation and cultivation of a new era of a collective learning community united in the pursuit of a knowledge economy – where ideas are products and value is derived from human capital. This is the shape of the future, and those who don't take action now will be left behind. AU is already full steam ahead. There is no going back. As Virgil, the great Roman poet, said: Fortune favors the bold.

AU is at the forefront of a new Edupreneurship dynamic that will change the face of universities and the communities they serve. We need to travel this journey of learning, excitement, and accomplishment together.

What happens next is up to all of us.

We already have a plan for industry's far-reaching involvement in the next chapter of our story. We are on a pathway of possibility paved by strong partnerships and novel alliances that unlock the best in both parties. For industry, it means customized applied knowledge and solutions to complex problems. For AU, it means a lifeline for sustainable resources.

The intersection of shared interests could produce distinct advantages for AU, notable among which are:

• Greater industry advocacy 

Promoting AU and advancing its cause as a leading private, non-profit university, among their circles and social networks.

• Stronger business-to-business
   connectivity

Linking AU to prospective donors they know, have influence with, or can convince to give.

• Sustainable resources for lasting
   impact

Engaging repeat donors who are personally and professionally committed to one or more of AU's many community-centered fundraising programs.

The value of these partnerships is fivefold: advancing industry-relevant research; providing student training opportunities, promoting experiential learning, fostering lifelong learning, and supporting fundraising efforts.

Aligning partnerships with purpose is the strategic anchor for our positioning as a private, non-profit university in the UAE. From this foundation, we will bridge the region's skills gap en route to a future without fences. The map ahead includes the development of:

An industrial park on campus where significant Research & Development work can be initiated and jointly run.

•

•

New and enhanced degree programs of strategic value to industry: Data Sciences, Generative AI Applications, Machine Learning, Environmental Sciences, Co-op programs, etc.

A thoughtfully planned series of micro-credentials in all our colleges to provide industry leaders with fast learning in a rapidly changing world.

•

More talent from industry teaching as adjuncts at AU, providing our students with new opportunities to learn from leading practitioners.

•

Fundraising projects to attract industry funding of key university assets. Some such projects are already being marketed, and others will follow soon.

•

•

New research centers for Bio-Equivalence, Sustainability, and AI, and naming opportunities for our colleges.