Caledonian College of Engineering (CCE) celebrated 15 years of achievement since its inception in 1996 through an evening of reflections, awards and recognition of long-serving staff members on 24th January 2012.  The occasion, which took place on a surprisingly chilly evening in the College’s Renaissance Court, was graced by the presence of the college founders, the Board of Directors and over 200 staff members from across the college.

The event was marked by staff recollections and a college video of how CCE began as a college with 27 students and 7 staff members and has grown to become a premiere engineering institution with 2700 students and over 270 staff members.   The college now has an international presence and has produced over 1,700 graduates and 1,300 diplomates over the past 15 years.  

Long serving staff members, who have worked in the college with dedication and commitment for over ten years, were recognised for their part in achieving the college’s growth in size and reputation.  They were awarded with crystal mementos to commemorate this, the college’s crystal anniversary.

The programme commenced with an address by the college’s Acting Dean, Dr Ahmed Al Bulushi, who welcomed the chief guests and staff members.  Dr P Mohammed Ali, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, shared how he and fellow founders instigated the idea of establishing a private engineering college – the first in Oman – and how fortune helped direct them towards the use of the original villa (now referred to as Caledonian’s Heritage Building) as premises.  

Sheikh Salim Al Fannah Al Araimi, another founder of Caledonian College, talked fondly about the early days of the college in an interview with Mr Hussain Al Farsi, the Marketing Manager. Mr Nizamuddin Ahmed, Deputy Dean and Registrar, paid moving tribute to another of the four founders, the late Mohamed bin Rashid Al Fannah Al Araimi; given in the presence of three of his family members, two of which have close connections with the Board of Directors, the tribute combined memories of the founder with Mr Nizam’s own early recollections of the college’s development.

The highlight of the event was the unveiling of the portraits of the four founding members of the college, together with framed photographs of the four former deans.  This coincided with the launch of several prestigious scholarships and awards that were introduced by Prof A Vallavaraj, Associate Dean- Undergraduate Studies, and by Dr Ahmed: Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Araimi Memorial Scholarship, Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Fannah Al Araimi Citizenship Award, Dr P Mohamed Ali Gold Medal Award for Academic Excellence and Dr P Mohamed Ali International Student Internship.

The event, which was organised and compered by Ms Jenny Walker, Associate Dean of Professional Development, concluded with a gala dinner under the stars, a dance performance given by two staff members and live music.  CCE’s Crystal Anniversary Celebration was an evening not just of reminiscence but also of hopes for a promising future.