ArtDayME: A new university has been announced in Sharjah, on Monday, December 15, 2025, by the Ruler of the emirate.

Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, who also serves as a Supreme Council Member, has announced that the establishment of the University of the Arts Sharjah, and has said that Sheikha Hoor bint Sultan Al Qasimi, his daughter, will serve as its president.

The announcements were made as Sheikh Dr Sultan chaired a meeting for the Sharjah Council of Higher Education and Scientific Research — an organisation of which he serves as Chairman.

The meeting addressed the importance of unifying higher education in the arts, and bringing all disciplines together, in order to enhance teaching and learning.

To this end, the Ruler also announced that the Board of Trustees of the Sharjah Performing Arts Academy would be dissolved and a new one would be created for the University of the Arts Sharjah, chaired by Sheikha Hoor.

Dr Peter Barlow has been appointed as Director of the Academy of Performing Arts, and Dr Nadia Mahdi Al Hassni as Director of the Academy of Visual Arts at the University of the Arts Sharjah.