Monday, 26 November, 2018

Employees of the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) were recently recognised for their outstanding achievements during the institution’s Annual Staff Excellence and Service Awards, held at its campus in Dubai Knowledge Park. UOWD staff recognition program is designed to recognise outstanding contributions of individual staff members or teams who have exhibited excellence at work and have exemplified our University’s values. Attended by the UOWD Board members, several academic and professional staff were honoured for their efforts in various categories reflecting the University’s values. Staff reaching five, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years of service were also recognised for their loyalty and dedication towards the University. Addressing the staff, Professor Paul Wellings CBE, Vice-Chancellor, UOW Australia said that a great university depends on the nature of its students and the quality of its staff, irrespective of the role they are playing in the organisation, to uphold its educational standards in order to deliver the next generation of industry professionals, and to produce new knowledge which is pivotal in driving research agendas, innovation courses and transformation. Based on global recognition of delivering academic excellence, he commended the University of Wollongong for being an example of such a university not only in Australia but also in Dubai. Mr Peter Robson, Chairman of the Board said that despite the challenges the University face, it will continue to provide students with a quality education and that the board is fully committed to provide UOWD with all the resources necessary to ensure its prosperity and growth in the UAE. Concluding the ceremony, Group CEO and Managing Director of UOW Global Enterprises, Ms Marisa Mastroianni, re-launched the organisational values and spoke about the importance of having these values in an organisation. “When an organisation declares its values, it makes a statement of who they are, what they stand for and how they will behave. Our values, in essence, shape our organisational culture”. “Values are absolute and not negotiable. In a world of constant change, they offer us touchstones that define our actions, influence the way we make decisions and the way we treat each other”, she said. The award ceremony concluded with a lunch reception and cake cutting to celebrate the University’s 25th Anniversary in the UAE. 2018 Staff Excellence and Service Award Recipients Excellence Award Winner: Rajith Attupurath Finalists: Joice Priya Excellence Award Winner: Shirin ElChami Finalists: Joice Priya Team Collaboration Award Winner: The Happiness Centre Project Team (Felix Lanceley, Franky Barreto, Babu Lal, Candy Montecillo, Rajesh Prema, Lorain Manoj) Passion Award Winner: Dr Alastair Watson Finalists: Hina Hussain, Sora Tacio Integrity Award Winner: Colleen Symss Innovation Award Winners: Masood Iqbal Outstanding Professional Service Award Winner: China Nicolas Finalist: Emily Francis Work Health & Safety Award Winner: Majid Munawar Diversity & Equity Award Winner: Maryah Qureshi Research Excellence Award Winner: Dr Mai ElBarachi Finalist: Dr Munyaradzi Nyadzayo Teaching Excellence Award 2018 Winner: Dr Munyaradzi Nyadzayo Long service staff awards 5 years Dr Abdelghani Benharref Dr Mohan Guruswamy 10 years Abdu Chelakkal Alajish Mohamed China Nicolas Hassain Chatheri Mohamed Nazer Dr Mohamed Watfa Rajesh Prema Rajith Attupurath Sabiha Banu Ruby Abraham Teena Chandy Vinu Abraham 15 years Arpana Sharma Franky Barreto Dr Munir Lutfi Dr Farhad Oroumchian 20 years Colleen Symss 25 years Talib Ahmed