The newly-opened Michigan State University campus in the UAE is expected to be a hub for students from around the region seeking an American education. Maysam Ali reports
US-based Michigan State University (MSU) officially inaugurated its new campus in Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) last week. MSU president Lou Anna Simon and several members of the MSU Board of Trustees along with senior representatives of the Dubai Government were present at the opening.
MSU is the first American university to open a full-fledged branch in the UAE, according to government officials.
Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of Dubai Holding, said the establishment of the branch in Dubai reinforces the role it is playing in higher education.
"There are many international students in the UAE today and they have a plethora of education opportunities. Boston University, Harvard University, New York University, Sorbonne University have established their presence here... . The UAE has once again proved itself as the new education centre for the whole region," he told the media.
Dr Simon said the university brings access to quality education to students in Dubai as well as the region.
"This is one step in a long journey to create a successful future for Dubai and to reach a level of prosperity that we need in society," she said.
Simon told Notes that MSU will also be engaged with the community, devising recommendations on public policy and providing commentary through research.
She added that MSU is working with the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) to enhance the science and maths curricula for K-12 students.
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Dr Abdullah Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General of KHDA, said that MSU is the first American university to open a branch in Dubai, the latest addition to 58 centres of higher education in the country. Thirty-five of them are located in free zone areas, he said.
The student population in the UAE is over 36,000, with 16,000 studying in international universities with branches in the UAE, he added.
"We are giving students options they never had before. Academic City was just a dream but now it is an academic destination for students from all over the world," Al Karam said.
He said that MSU is a representative of the American model of education which the UAE has been seeking to import for years. Bringing universities here, he said, is giving people education and changing their lives.
"Students from regional countries like Pakistan, Iran, Syria will come here to gain American education. It will change their lives. This is the American dream in a bigger context," he said.
Dr Ayoub Kazim, Executive Director of Dubai International Academic City and Dubai Knowledge Village, said the university will play a role in enhancing the quality of higher education in Dubai and the region. "Its higher education programmes will be in line with local industry needs," he told Notes.
"We are focusing on university facilities so that students are in a comfortable environment conducive for learning."
Starting out with 40 students, MSU, in its first academic year, will be expanding its campus as the need arises and will be adding graduate and undergraduate programmes, including ones in the field of business.
About the president
Dr Lou Anna Simon is the 20th president of MSU, and its first female president.
Asked about her experience so far, she told Notes: "I grew up being who I am. Eventually you develop the talents and capacities to work in a predominantly male society so you develop tools to be successful in that world.
"I have a sense of humour but I am grounded in values and principles, a belief structure... MSU gave me the opportunity as a vice president for academic affairs and then as a president."
By Maysam Ali, Staff Reporter