More than 200 students graduated from the Canadian University of Dubai (CUD) at the university\'s inaugural graduation ceremony held Tuesday under the patronage of the Minister of Higher Education in Dubai. The former Prime Minister of Canada, Joseph Clark, along with Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, conferred degrees to graduates from the schools of engineering, business administration and applied science and technology. \"The inaugural graduation ceremony of a university is a crucial event in its history,\" said Shaikh Nahyan. \"Today\'s graduates are pioneers for what they have achieved in their studies and what they accomplish in the future will be an essential factor in shaping the university.\" Shaikh Nahyan encouraged the graduates to embrace the concept of life-long learning as he said their future success depended on it. CUD opened its doors in September 2006 to just over 100 students; today it has a student body of almost 1,800 enrolled in its undergraduate and corporate training programmes. Mindful of the institution\'s success, university officials revealed expansion plans for the coming academic year. \"As CUD moves forward to a new academic year, we are excited to announce the launch of new communication programmes in both Arabic and English,\" said Professor Karim Chelli, president and vice-chancellor of CUD. \"We believe it will eventually become among the most popular academic programmes in our portfolio. Professor Chelli added CUD\'s business programmes are currently the most popular among incoming students, followed by architectural and interior design programmes. The CUD students\' preference for the school of Business Administration reflects the findings of a recent Knowledge and Human Development Authority report. The report revealed business programmes to be the top choice among Dubai\'s undergraduate students. From / Gulf News