ABU DHABI: Sheikh Mohamed ibn Zayed Al Nahayan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces, on Monday officially opened the Downtown Campus of New York University (NYU) Abu Dhabi. This is the first comprehensive liberal arts campus established in the UAE by a major US research university.
Located in the city center of Abu Dhabi, the Downtown Campus will house all major academic and cultural activities for NYU Abu Dhabi during its inaugural years, until construction of the residential campus on Saadiyat Island is completed in 2014, under an agreement established between the government of Abu Dhabi and New York University.
In addition to providing classroom and administrative space for students, faculty and staff at NYU Abu Dhabi, the Downtown Campus will serve as the new location for the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute, a leading research center that has been hosting academic conferences, workshops and other events in the UAE since its establishment in 2007.
The campus, consisting of two three-story buildings connected via a pedestrian bridge, features a combination of academic and gathering spaces for students, faculty, and staff. It also provides community spaces that will be open to the public, including a café with indoor and outdoor seating; a bookstore and NYU Abu Dhabi merchandise; gathering space for lectures and performances; and a welcome center.
State-of-the-art classrooms equipped with voice, video and data capabilities allow multimedia teaching, and videoconferencing in common spaces and classrooms will connect NYU Abu Dhabi directly to NYU's campus in Washington Square and other NYU global sites.
Since the announcement of its establishment in October 2007, NYU Abu Dhabi has attracted distinguished educators and researchers from around the world. Twenty world-class academics with specialties ranging from particle physics to urban planning have joined the standing faculty. In addition, more than 15 members of NYU's faculty from the Washington Square campus will be teaching in Abu Dhabi during its inaugural year as members of NYUAD's Affiliated Faculty, helping to ensure strong connections between the two campuses.
The inaugural undergraduate class of 100 students, drawn from the top high school students around the world, will begin classes in August 2010. The opening ceremony was also attended by Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahayan, Lt. Gen. Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahayan, Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahayan, Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nahayan, NYU President John Sexton and Alfred Bloom, vice chancellor of NYU Abu Dhabi.
