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Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown to Speak at NYU Abu Dhabi’s Second Graduation Ceremony

Ceremony also to include remarks from H.E. Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development

Press Release

The Right Honorable Gordon Brown will be the keynote speaker at NYU Abu Dhabi’s second commencement ceremony on May 24, 2015. NYU Abu Dhabi’s graduating class is comprised of some 149 students from 47 countries around the globe, who were admitted through an extraordinarily selective admissions process. The graduation exercises will be held at NYU Abu Dhabi’s campus on Saadiyat Island.

Gordon Brown served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. His tenure coincided with the start of the global financial crisis. He was one of the first to initiate calls for global financial action, while introducing a range of rescue measures in the UK. Previously, Brown served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1997 to 2007. In July, 2012 he was made UN Special Envoy for Global Education and he is a passionate advocate for global action to ensure education for all.

“We are delighted to welcome the Rt Hon Gordon Brown as the keynote speaker for the NYUAD 2015 Commencement,” said NYUAD Vice Chancellor Al Bloom. “He has been amongst the closest friends of this institution and a formidable source of empowerment to our commitment to building a cooperative world and a united humanity. Gordon Brown’s exemplary service to his nation and to the betterment of our globe will inspire our graduates to invest with even greater energy and care their wisdom and talent in responding to the critical challenges of this century.”

Rt Hon Brown has advised the World Economic Forum and chairs their Global Strategic Infrastructure Initiative. He also serves as New York University’s inaugural Distinguished Global Leader in Residence. He has been a Member of Parliament since 1983 and is the founder, with his wife Sarah Brown, of Their World, a charity which engages young people, business leaders, health and education professionals and civil society to create a brighter future for every child.

In addition to the Keynote Address by Gordon Brown, His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, will offer remarks and be presented with the NYUAD Vice Chancellor's Medal, recognizing individuals for outstanding service to the University and to society. The Vice Chancellor's Medal will also be awarded to Graça Machel, renowned international advocate for women’s and children’s rights as well as a social and political activist over many decades. Ms Machel will deliver remarks to graduates and their families at a ceremony the day before graduation.

About NYU Abu Dhabi

NYU Abu Dhabi is the first comprehensive liberal arts and research campus in the Middle East to be operated abroad by a major American research university. NYU Abu Dhabi has integrated a highly selective undergraduate curriculum across the disciplines with a world center for advanced research and scholarship. The university enables its students in the sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, and arts to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world and advance cooperation and progress on humanity’s shared challenges. NYU Abu Dhabi’s high-achieving students have come from over 115 countries and speak over 115 languages. Together, NYU's campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global university, giving faculty and students opportunities to experience varied learning environments and immersion in other cultures at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents.