NYU holds on-site commencement ceremony for Abu Dhabi students

Flying for as many as 20 hours, graduates from NYU Abu Dhabi's Class of 2020 and 2021 travelled from around the world to attend a commencement ceremony at New York City's Yankee Stadium.

“We decided to invite our classes, our NYU Abu Dhabi classes, back because we are one New York University,” said vice chancellor Mariet Westerman.

“And it just seemed so incredible to be able to be with thousands of graduates.”

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NYUAD graduation ceremonies traditionally take place on the Saadiyat campus in the UAE, but they have been held online for the past two years because of the pandemic.

During the pandemic, graduates had to watch the live-streamed commencement from home without experiencing the pomp and circumstance of a ceremony, wearing caps and gowns and surrounded by proud family members.

The postponed commencement ceremony, held right after the earlier Class of 2022 event, gave alumni the chance to celebrate their university in achievements.

Confetti drops on graduates as they celebrate during a graduation ceremony for New York University at Yankee Stadium. AP

Students kept away from in-person ceremonies in 2020 and 2021 were given the opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments with friends. Reuters

It was a sea of purple and gold. Reuters

Graduates celebrate at New York University's 2022 commencement ceremony at Yankees Stadium in the Bronx borough. It was followed by special ceremonies for the classes of 2020 and 2021. EPA

US singer Taylor Swift receives an honourary doctorate in fine arts. EPA

Swift in the sea of celebrating graduates. Reuters

Swift addresses the graduates at the commencement ceremony. EPA

Family and friends held up cardboard cutouts of the faces of graduating students in a show of pride. Reuters

Some graduates still prefer social distancing. Reuters

NYUAD students come to the UAE from around the globe and commencement is often the first time their parents come to visit.

So, when the pandemic caused the ceremonies and all travel to be cancelled, many felt the loss of being able to share a slice of their university life with their families.

“They wanted to much to see me graduating,” said Michal Andrzejewski, Class of 2020, who flew in from Italy.

“And I remember — I would even say a pain, that was to skip that opportunity that they were awaiting at least for four years of my education.”

But many students simply came by themselves to reunite with former classmates.

Those who already lived in New York City hosted those who flew in from across the US, as well as Japan, Italy, the UAE and elsewhere.

Almost 100 of the alumni-graduates sat in the lower levels of the stadium, surrounded by graduates from other NYU schools, while guests watched from the upper levels.

The alumni commencement speaker was Judith Heumann, a disability activist who led the effort to create the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990.

In her speech, she — like many of the students and faculty speakers — acknowledged that the advice and inspiration usually given to graduates did not apply.

“I'm already kind of out there in the world,” said Andres Lopez Schrader, Class of 2021, who flew in from Louisiana.

“So, this is a time for us to celebrate something that we know is an achievement from the past, but we weren't given the proper space and time to commemorate that.”

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Our legal advisor

Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.

Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.

Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.

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The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950