Regional

Report on International Branch Campuses Issues Warnings and Suggestions

A new statement issued by two university groups warns that the growing trend of North American colleges creating branch campuses abroad threatens the quality of higher education at home, while also undercutting the rights of faculty members. The statement “On Conditions of Employment at Overseas Campuses” issued in April by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) states:

“The pace of overseas expansion also threatens to affect the character of higher education in the United States and Canada. The sheer number of faculty employed in foreign operations is increasing, and most are contingent employees on temporary contracts. Because foreign programs and campuses are usually less costly, colleges and universities may make decisions favoring their development over more expensive U.S.- and Canadian-based equivalents staffed by tenure-track faculty,” the statement says. “Continued pursuit of this path will accelerate the casualization of the academic workforce, taking its toll on the quality of instruction as well as adversely affecting faculty rights.”

The main theme of the statement is that the standards and procedures used by campuses in the United States and Canada should be followed when American and Canadian colleges create foreign branches. The report also issues warnings with regards to the commodification of higher education services, talking to issues such as education as a public good and the maintenance of “hard-earned standards.” With a nod to recent growth of foreign branch campuses in the Gulf region, the report also brings up issues related to freedom of speech, censorship and academic freedom.

– AAUP & CAUT
April 2009

Dubai

Manchester in Dubai

Britain’s Manchester Business School has announced that it will be launching an MBA in Dubai. The program, lasting 30-36 months, is to be taught through a mixture of self-study, residential workshops in the Emirates and virtual learning.

– The Economist
April 24, 2009

Saudi Arabia

French School to Offer Business Programs

Grenoble Graduate School of Business is to offer business programs in Saudi Arabia. The French school will collaborate with the College of Business Administration (CBA) in Jeddah to run its Master in International Business and Doctorate in Business Administration. The programs will be taught in English by Grenoble faculty on the CBA campus. The school said it also hoped to offer Saudi versions of its MSc in Innovation and Technology Management, MSc in Construction Management and executive education training in the future.

– The Economist
April 24, 2009

United Arab Emirates

Michigan State to Open Pre-university Campus in Dubai

In response to recent complaints from international branch campuses in the region that many regional university students are unprepared for Western-style university studies, Michigan State University has announced that it will open a bridge academy for students who aspire to enroll in a foreign institution.

The UAE-based National newspaper reports that students at MSU Dubai Academy will study a range of subjects, learn how to take standardized tests, and improve their ability to think critically — a challenge in a region where rote learning is the norm. Students will undertake a series of three 10-week terms.

The newspaper reported that Michigan State, which opened a campus in Dubai last fall, has enrolled just 60 students so far. Most other foreign campuses in the Gulf have similarly small enrollment numbers, and last month George Mason University decided to close its local campus, in part, for lack of qualified students.

– The National
March 31, 2009

Five Overseas Campuses for RAK

The National newspaper reports that five foreign universities are expected to open branches in the Ras al Khaimah Free Trade Zone this year. The report is based on comments made by Oussama el Omari, the director general of RAK Free Trade Zone, in an interview with the English-language daily. The free trade zone was home to America’s George Mason University, until it announced plans to leave the Gulf region after a very short two-year tenure. The campus opened in 2006 with fewer than 40 students enrolled.

The director general said there was “an increase” in interest from foreign universities.

“I think in 2009 I’m looking at another five universities minimum opening from Japan, Singapore, the US and Australia,” he said.

– The National
April 15, 2009