Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. (21 May 2015) – A group of graduates, family members and supporters, and university leaders gathered today at Abu Dhabi’s InterContinental Hotel to celebrate the graduation of New York Institute of Technology-Abu Dhabi’s Class of 2015. Twenty-three bachelor’s and 10 master’s degree recipients were congratulated for completing their degrees and joining the ranks of nearly 100,000 NYIT alumni around the world.
After a recitation from the holy Qur’an by graduate Abdulla Alqubaisi, the outgoing chairperson of the NYIT board of trustees, Linda Davila, welcomed the graduates and their supporters. Davila graduated from NYIT in 1978 and is now first vice president, investments, at Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management. Special guest Ethan Goodrich, Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy, then congratulated the new graduates on behalf of the Honorable Barbara A. Leaf, Ambassador to the U.A.E. NYIT degrees are accredited in both the United States and the United Arab Emirates.
In his address, NYIT President Edward Guiliano, Ph.D., said that while change is constant, the graduates are well prepared to adapt. “As you face the unknown of tomorrow,” he stated, “take heart in the knowledge that nine out of 10 NYIT graduates obtain jobs in their chosen fields within six months of graduation.”
Graduate speaker Mona Ahmed, who earned an NYIT Master of Business Administration degree, noted the teamwork she and her classmates learned and experienced at NYIT. She encouraged her fellow graduates to “stand together” and “work towards achieving excellence and serving this community and this country in the most honorable manner.”
NYIT-Abu Dhabi’s graduation ceremony follows NYIT’s 54th commencement at Old Westbury, N.Y., which celebrated all 2790 members of NYIT’s Class of 2015 on Sunday, May 17. NYIT’s final graduation ceremony of 2015 will take place on 29 May at its campus in Vancouver, Canada.
NYIT is Abu Dhabi’s first licensed and accredited American university, offering bachelor’s and master’s degrees since 2005. Its alumni in the Middle East number more than 5000.
About NYIT
New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) offers 90 degree programs, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, in more than 50 fields of study, including architecture and design; arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing sciences; health professions; management; and osteopathic medicine. A non-profit independent, private institution of higher education, NYIT has more than 12,000 students attending campuses on Long Island and Manhattan; in Nanjing, China; in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.; in Vancouver, Canada; at other global partner universities; and online.
Led by President Edward Guiliano, NYIT is guided by its mission to provide career-oriented professional education, offer access to opportunity to all qualified students, and support applications-oriented research that benefits the larger world. To date, nearly 100,000 graduates have received degrees from NYIT. For more information, visit nyit.edu.
