Sharjah Ruler awarded honorary doctorate

President of the University Dr Duck-Ho Lim decorated Shaikh Sultan with the doctoral robe and presented to him the honorary PhD degree in political science in recognition of his outstanding contributions in the fields of policy, economics and culture, and in appreciation to his role in strengthening bonds of friendship between South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.

In his speech, Shaikh Sultan said he was extremely honoured to be felicitated by one of South Korea’s most prominent universities. He praised the educational programmes offered by the university to the students which had a stake in the economic and industrial progress being made by South Korea.

He also spoke about the importance Sharjah gives to higher education, saying that the emirate has two universities; the American University of Sharjah and the University of Sharjah which cater for thousands of students and with a combined alumni of over 16,000 graduates from 85 countries.

“We view Sharjah as a bustling emirate that plays a crucial role in the East-West interaction, while maintaining the remarkable and peculiar traditions and heritage of the country, he added.

Earlier, Shaikh Sultan met with Professor Duck-Ho Lim and deans of the faculties and discussed with them ways to enhance academic cooperation between Huanyang University and the Sharjah-based universities.

Hanyang University was founded in 1939 with the aim of building a nucleus of engineers and technicians necessary for an independent Korea. In July 1948, after independence of Korea, the school was accredited as the first four-year engineering college in the nation. Later, in February 1959, its status was raised to that of a four-year university. In the 1960s and 1970s, Hanyang University graduates, particularly those from the College of Engineering, led the way in Korea’s national drive for industrialization and modernization. In 1979, Hanyang University at Ansan was established and has recently been renamed as the Education Research Industry Cluster at Ansan.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Hanyang University launched research in new directions in a variety of fields ranging from economics to engineering. The university attracted several National BK21 programs organised Hanyang Industry Digital Park, and established several research institutes.