Page 15 - ADU Voice Volume 4 Issue 1

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colleagues in the university, faculty and staff doing well. This what makes me really, really
happy. So while I sometimes feel nostalgic about the past, about the simple life, but at the
same time, I accept reality that I'm now leading the university, working with a great, visionary
chairman and senior colleagues in the university and colleagues. That gives me great
pleasure, to be honest, and I don't feel that I want to go back. Life goes on. Every phase in
life has different characteristics. So the childhood has a different context, different culture
from adulthood. Then you travel, you live overseas, and then you come back to the region.
Every phase has its own merits and achievements.

Rabiya: Young students can find it difficult to get into the job market these days, with more

competition and minimum requirements these days. Being from a small village and achieving
an inspirational rise from living in a small village to now being a much esteemed Chancellor
at Abu Dhabi University, how did you past help you strive towards what you have now?

Professor Ghassan: I’m a strong believer that, of course, you need a degree and that
technical knowledge… but I think that what is also important these days is a combination of
intelligences, including emotional intelligence, cultural intelligence, social intelligence,
digital intelligence, sustainability intelligence and media intelligence. In this marketplace,
which has become so competitive, you can really shine with your charisma and emotional
intelligence. And I think the most important thing for them is just to be positive about the
future. Be innovative, creative, and take calculated risks.

Rabiya: Thank you, Professor Ghassan. My last question for you will be: if you had
something to say to ADU students, what would you say? Maybe it's something that you

wish that this generation was doing different, or if it's a piece of advice that they could keep
with them in order to inspire them towards a better future. ▶