BIG-NAME AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES SET TO ESTABLISH CAMPUSES IN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUBAI 000240

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT: NEA/ARP BAGWELL AND MASILKOSIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO SCUL PGOV AE
SUBJECT: BIG-NAME AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES SET TO ESTABLISH CAMPUSES IN
DUBAI

REF: A. DUBAI 167

DUBAI 00000240 001.2 OF 002



1. (U) Summary: Michigan State University (MSU) and the
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) have formally announced
plans to establish permanent campuses in Dubai. MSU currently
aims to enroll 800-1000 students, while RIT plans a full-scale
residential campus of up to 3000-4000 students. Both
universities will begin classes in the fall of 2008 and will
gradually expand enrollment, facilities and degree offerings.
Dubai authorities have warmly welcomed the two universities (and
will fund a significant amount of the infrastructure costs),in
line with clear guidance from HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al
Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler
of Dubai, to transform Dubai into a regional education and
knowledge hub. End Summary.


Classes to Begin in the Fall of 2008, Expansion Plans Are
Already Underway
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2. (U) HH Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of
Higher Education and Research, and HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al
Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (and better
known as the Chairman of Emirates Airline) signed the formal
agreement for the UAE with RIT on June 9. RIT President William
Destler and Chairman of the Board Michael Morley represented
RIT. Situated in the multi-billion dollar Dubai Silicon Oasis
(DSO) complex, a government-sponsored high-technology park for
microelectronics and semiconductor research, development, and
production that reports to Sheikh Ahmed, RIT Dubai will begin
offering courses in the fall of 2008. Continuing its
"cooperative" tradition of combining hands-on work experience
with traditional classroom curriculum, the university has
established partnerships with regional and international
companies to "foster an environment of innovation and
creativity" that will compliment Dubai's developing business and
industrial sector, said Dr. Mohammed Al Zaroni, Vice Chairman
and CEO of Dubai Silicon Oasis. The school will initially offer
six master's degree programs including electrical engineering,
mechanical engineering, networking and systems administration,
finance, human resource development, and service leadership and
innovation. Prospective students can also choose between three
advanced certificate programs in service leadership and
innovation, project management, and computer information
assurance. In subsequent years, the university plans to add
additional graduate and certificate programs, as well as launch
a comprehensive undergraduate curriculum on a residential campus
in DSO. Over the next decade, RIT Dubai expects its enrollment
to grow to approximately 4,000 students.


3. (U) MSU (with some 46,000 students in the US) Dubai will also
launch its undergraduate and graduate programs beginning in the
fall of 2008. "MSU brings its status as a top research
university, its commitment to civic engagement, and its
tradition of global connectivity to this program," said MSU
Dubai Executive Director Brendan Mullan. The university's
campus will be located in Dubai International Academic City, a
free zone dedicated to higher education. Initial undergraduate
majors will include computer engineering, construction
management, and telecommunication, information, and media, and
family community services; master's degree offerings will
include supply chain management, advertising, public relations,
human resources and labor relations, and packaging. As
additional undergraduate and graduate programs are offered over
the next five years, MSU Dubai expects its enrollment to reach
between 800-1000 students, also via a residential campus.


Strengthening Cross-Cultural Linkages
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4. (U) The establishment of the RIT and MSU campuses in Dubai
will create additional opportunities for study abroad. Each
school will feature exchange programs that provide opportunities
for Dubai-based students to study in the US, as well as for
American students to study in Dubai. Faculty will also be
encouraged to participate in short and long-term teaching
assignments in both Dubai and the US. All MSU and RIT degrees
will have equal validity and equal requirements as those issued
by both universities in the US.


Comment
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5. (U) The establishment of RIT and MSU campuses in Dubai adds
significant academic firepower to the list of American
educational institutions that currently exist or have concrete
plans to establish a presence in the UAE. The American

DUBAI 00000240 002.2 OF 002


University of Dubai, while independent, pursues an American
curriculum, and the larger American University of Sharjah just
graduated from its 10-year affiliation agreement with American
University in Washington, DC. Virginia state school George Mason
University currently operates a campus in the emirate of Ras Al
Khaimah and the New York Institute of Technology has a campus in
Abu Dhabi. The largest and highest profile story has been New
York University's plans to open in Abu Dhabi. NYU has already
made plans for academic conferences and seminars in 2008 and
2009, expects to enroll its first students in temporary space
downtown in 2010, and looks forward to opening a newly-built,
permanent campus in 2013 on Saadiyat Island (built with a $50
million investment by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed
Al Nahyan). Other institutions, such as University of Nevada
Las Vegas, have not yet formally committed but are actively
pursuing the possibility of establishing a presence in the UAE
(Ref A).
SUTPHIN