A three-day event, the Times Higher Education Mena Universities Summit, is set to take place in Abu Dhabi ahead of COP28, featuring prominent education leaders as speakers. Themed 'Innovation in times of change,' the summit, hosted by NYU Abu Dhabi in partnership with Times Higher Education, will run from November 13 to 15.
NYUAD's Vice Chancellor, Mariet Westermann, highlighted the theme's alignment with the university's mission to educate and empower youth, conduct research for addressing global challenges, and drive innovation for societal and environmental improvement. The summit aims to showcase universities' contributions to sustainability, the influence of artificial intelligence on education, and higher education's enduring role in supporting the COP agenda.
Prominent speakers at the event include cultural adviser to President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the Chancellor of the United Arab Emirates University, Zaki Nusseibeh, along with Ahmed Dallal, President of The American University in Cairo, Professor Dame Heather McGregor, Provost at Heriot-Watt University Dubai, Toyin Tofade, President of Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and Eric Xing, President of Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, among other regional education leaders.
Nick Davis, President of Middle East and Africa at Times Higher Education, expressed his excitement about bringing the summit back to the UAE for the first time since 2016. He commended the enthusiasm and creativity of NYU Abu Dhabi's team in organizing the event and noted that the summit would bring together diverse delegates from the university, corporate, and government sectors. The event will also mark the release of the third edition of the Arab University Rankings, featuring an updated methodology, and announce the winners of the first-ever Times Higher Education Awards Mena 2023.
During the summit, leaders in higher education will emphasize the importance of promoting innovation, agility, and strong national and regional collaboration to advance sustainability and equity across all aspects of a higher education institution's strategy. The summit reflects the commitment of regional universities to positively influence the future by highlighting their research, graduates, and efforts to contribute to the goals of COP28