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As Dubai exploded on to the world scene, DWC was exploding on to the Dubai scene by providing young local women the opportunity to dream bigger dreams, discover new talents, build confidence and ‘Practice the Future’. The first 15 graduates in 1992 were pioneers for the nearly 4,000 working DWC graduates who have changed the rules for local women in the workforce and raised the standards and expectations for working Emirati women and men. These courageous working graduates changed Dubai more than all of the buildings and roads combined. They changed how Emiratis thought about themselves and how the rest of the world thought about Emiratis.
Where had all of this confidence, ambition, creativity and talent been hiding, and how did this ‘miracle’ called Dubai Women’s College happen? The short answer is that two extraordinary visionary leaders, H.H., the late President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahayan and H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, had the wisdom to provide young Emiratis with the opportunity and responsibility to prepare for a new era of development and globalization. These great leaders inspired the DWC Team to help educate a new generation of Emiratis who can help build a new nation. I recall His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan saying to me nearly 18 years ago, “DWC should be an HCT Flagship, it should be a world class institution for higher learning and your graduates should be a new type of Emirati.” I never lost sight of those words and throughout the years I shared them with hundreds of colleagues and thousands of students.
DWC’s amazing 20 years of success are filled with rapid enrollment growth from 135 to 2,200 students, recruitment of highly skilled and dedicated faculty and staff from 25 different countries, and many other highlights and firsts, but the essence of DWC’s success is attributable to five key elements:
1) H.E. Sheikh Nahayan’s continuous guidance and support;
2) Our focus on student success;
3) Students’ desire for a slice of the future;
4) DWC Team’s respect for and belief in our students, and;
5) Our relentless passion for doing everything better while relying on cutting edge technology and partners for support.
Without passion we would not have focused the education on the ‘whole person’, without that orientation we would not have emphasized the importance of nutrition and fitness, without the habits of a healthy lifestyle DWC graduates wouldn’t be leading the way in combating heart disease and diabetes in UAE. Without our partners the passion would have been less effective. And without the generous support of the Dubai Government none of this would have happened.
So how long is 20 years?
20 years is the time required for a really big dream to become a really big reality.
His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan, students, graduates and members of the DWC Team, past and present, should be proud of the value DWC has added to Dubai in just 20 years. In addition to over 5,000 incredible graduates, DWC is a model organization whose faculty and staff passionately strive for the success of our Emirati students as if they were our own children.
Even with these impressive achievements behind us, I still believe DWC’s greatest contributions are yet to come. I am deeply proud to have been the Director of this amazing College for 18 of those 20 years.
Dr. Howard E. Reed, DWC Director
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