Ivan Szelenyi

NYU's agreement with the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to create NYU Abu Dhabi is the outcome of a shared understanding of the essential roles and challenges of higher education in the 21st century a common belief in the value of a liberal arts education, concurrence on the benefits a research university brings to the society that sustains it, a conviction that interaction with new ideas and people who are different is valuable and necessary, and a commitment to educating students who are true citizens of the world. NYU Abu Dhabi is a research university with a fully integrated liberal arts and science college. It draws students from around the world, and prepares them for the challenges and opportunities of its interconnected world. NYU Abu Dhabi equips students for leadership in all arenas of human endeavor. It fosters curiosity, creativity, and critical reflection. At NYU Abu Dhabi students extend themselves and the frontiers of knowledge. The residential life of students is central to the academic mission. Learning takes place across the campus, not only in classrooms, but also in residential houses, in clubs and sports, in informal campus gatherings, and in the wider community. NYU Abu Dhabi stimulates advanced research. The NYU Abu Dhabi Institute is a major research center. Research is integral to the undergraduate experience at NYU Abu Dhabi, and it also drives the university's graduate programs.