(April 11 - Riffa, Bahrain) – The American University of Bahrain (AUBH) hosted a hybrid event welcoming His Excellency Shaikh Abdullah bin Rashid Al Khalifa, the Bahraini Ambassador to the United States, on its state-of-the-art 75,000 square meter campus in Riffa. During the session exclusively hosted for AUBH, H.E. Ambassador Al Khalifa introduced his role as Ambassador, prior to highlighting the integral role of Bahraini-US relations, in regards to commerce, culture, and education, in a panel discussion setting. Featuring a dual-modality structure and in line with COVID-19 restrictions, a limited number of socially distanced attendees attended the event in the University’s Auditorium, while 100+ attendees from the AUBH Community joined online. The session was followed by a tour of the University’s contemporary campus, led by Dr. Susan E. Saxton, the University’s Founding President.

During the tour, Dr. Saxton presented H.E. Ambassador Al Khalifa with an overview of Bahrain’s thriving educational landscape, highlighting the University’s commitment to positioning Bahrain as the regional hub for quality higher education, producing graduates with the skills, knowledge, and behaviors required to succeed in the global economy, while contributing to the sustainable and competitive growth of the Kingdom, such as through the forming of its academic partnership with California State University, Northridge (CSUN).

In his speech, H.E. Shaikh Abdulla bin Rashid Al Khalifa expressed his gratitude to Dr. Saxton for organizing the event at the AUBH’s marvelous institution, and to the participating students whom he met with both virtually and in person. H.E the Ambassador discussed the important role that AUBH plays in improving the quality of education in Bahrain by providing an American style education and experience to a dynamic and diverse student population. H.E. The Ambassador touched upon his role as the Ambassador of Bahrain to the United States of America, while highlighting the vital role of Bahrain-US relations. H.E. the Ambassador went on to highlight the phenomenal achievements that the Kingdom of Bahrain has achieved over the past 20 years, which include Bahrain’s continuous efforts to become the center for leading financial technologies, Bahrain’s globally recognized efforts in combating COVID-19, and most of all Bahrain’s leading role in the empowerment of women which can all be attributed to the vision of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.  Finally, H.E. the Ambassador wished all the students continued success with their endeavors at AUBH.

Dr. Saxton commented: “We were both honored and thrilled to welcome H.E. Ambassador Al Khalifa on our beautiful campus. In the last year, we have seen how technology can transform education by facilitating engaging and interactive learning experiences that go beyond communicating via video. Students have opportunities to “meet” experts in their field of study and interact with inspiring professionals around the world. While students are learning online, they are concurrently sharpening technical skills and online protocols that will be necessary for a global workforce—a great advantage for AUBH graduates as collaboration at a distance becomes the norm and not an exception.”

The University’s innovative and “borderless” approach to creating a globally-minded and technically savvy workforce is in line with its mission to offer an accessible, American-style teaching and learning experience in Bahrain, on par with the best universities around the world.

AUBH’s role in such events solidifies its promise to offer an innovative, American-style teaching and learning experience. The University welcomes collaborative events with the Bahraini Embassy in D.C., who in turn have been supportive of AUBH.