SHEIKHA ADANA NASER SABAH AL AHMED AL SABAH, as the founder of American University of Kuwait, you have instilled in a nation the value of a liberal arts education. 

In the early 1990s, your own undergraduate studies in English literature at Kuwait University were abruptly cut short when you were forced to flee your home country as a Gulf War refugee. When you eventually were repatriated, your dream was to create your country’s first private liberal arts university, providing quality higher education to young Kuwait-based women and men, citizen and non-citizen alike. You sought to teach students—in your own words—“how, not what, to learn.”

In 2004, your dream became reality, and the very first class of students matriculated at AUK. You adopted for the institution the motto “Think. Learn. Become.”—an apt description of the aspirational growth and progression you inspire.

Since that time, you have guided the institution as Chair of the Board of Trustees with creativity, integrity, and a deep commitment to pluralism and global learning. As a devoted partner to Dartmouth, you’ve enriched the experiences of students, faculty, and staff at both institutions through robust cross-cultural internships, fellowships, and research partnerships.

For your pioneering spirit, for your commitment to academic excellence in the liberal arts tradition, and for your dedication to providing students in Kuwait with the breadth and depth of knowledge required for leadership in the contemporary world, Dartmouth is proud to award you the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.