As a double-alumna of Michigan State University (and having worked with MSU Study Abroad), I am always intrigued by MSU's international efforts.
I was so impressed by MSU's call for study abroad and international education several years ago. I recently discovered that MSU now has a Dubai campus! This is exciting, and shares MSU with a whole new audience of students.

MSU Dubai's motto? Advancing Knowledge, Transforming Lives. Indeed.  I am so happy to share MSU Dubai with our Wandering Educators - it is an excellent model of offering our universities overseas. We were lucky enough to be able to sit down and talk with Kaye Dunn, Director of the MSU Dubai Academy, about cultural differences, faculty, students, academic programs, and more. Here's what she had to say...

 

 

WE: Please tell us about MSU Dubai...

KD: MSU Dubai has just finished its first academic year. It is situated in Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) on
the outskirts of Dubai – one of many new developments. We had just
under 50 students in our first year and now we have about 100 new
applicants. The scale is quite small comparatively. The challenge is
trying to grow the campus while preserving standards and ensuring the
learning experience is as similar to that on the home campus as
possible. We share the location with a number of other international
campuses.

Students studying at MSU Dubai study the same courses taught by the
same faculty and are awarded the same degree as those studying in East
Lansing, USA. All admissions and registration goes through the home
campus. That means that students are accepted to MSU, not just MSU
Dubai and can transfer between campuses.

Dubai is an interesting location. On the surface it is very western and
modern; but scratch the surface and it is a traditional, relatively
conservative Muslim country that, until the early 1970s, was not a
country but a group of nomadic tribes. This context puts some
constraints on what you can do – some of this is legal and other
involves a large amount of respect for the local culture. We are an
American University, but located in a very different environment. This
impacts everything from management style, contact with the local
authorities, rules and regulations to teaching style and student
preparedness. We need to fit into all of this but without sacrificing
educational quality.

We have a small but dedicated team of academic faculty, managers and
administration staff who are working together in this start up. There
is a very strong commitment from the home campus and a great deal of
communication to do everything we can to ensure that we are working in
the same direction and giving students a positive academic experience.
We all take on several roles and pitch in to make sure that this start
up grows and becomes a dynamic educational institution contributing to
the educational and economic development of the region.

 

 

 

WE:  What was the impetus to open a MSU campus in Dubai?

KD: MSU was initially approached by Dubai International Academic
City in 2006 to open a branch campus here in Dubai. After considerable
discussion at all levels, final approval was given by the board and
things started to move ahead.

The Dubai campus was a natural step for MSU in extending its
international reach and its reputation as a globally engaged university
offering world-class academic programs. MSU in Dubai also serves as a
vehicle to engage the state of Michigan and its economic interests with
the Middle East. As major Michigan corporations explore expansion into
the Middle East, MSU’s presence provides an instant connection and
support in the region.

 

 

WE:  Who are your faculty on the ground there - and students?

KD: Most of the academic faculty members come from the home
campus. They are either here on a rotating basis for a semester, or
assigned for a longer period. There are also some local hires. These
faculty members generally have some connection with MSU, mostly as
alumni. As such, their country of origin is just as diverse as on the
main campus.

The students largely come from the gulf region. Some are local; others
are the children of expatriates based in the gulf. There is a very wide
range of country of origin. Most students come through International
schools in the region.  We are hoping to attract more students from
Arabic and Ministry of Education schools via our MSU Dubai Academy,
which offers our academic preparation course.

 

 

WE:  What academic programs do you offer the students?

KD: We offer both undergraduate and graduate courses. These are largely a
response to Dubai’s economic needs and market demand. I have
summarized our current offerings below:

Undergraduate:
Business Administration and General Management
Child and Youth Development
Computer Engineering
Construction Project Management
Early Childhood Education
Media Management and Research
(We will be offering Electrical Engineering in the fall of 2010)

Graduate:
Masters degree of Human Resources and Labor Relations

We also offer a pre-university academic preparation program and also some outreach programs, mostly in IT.

While there is enormous demand for an MBA, we are being somewhat coy
there. There are currently 18 MBA programs being offered in the UAE –
somewhat of a market glut. Our program offerings will gradually expand
in response to local demand and interest and budgetary constraints!

 

 

WE:  What intercultural challenges has MSU Dubai faced?

KD: There are a number of challenges if one is based in the UAE. There are
gender roles – which might mean anything from segregated dorms to not
shaking hands or engaging with people who are fully covered. There is
the very different management and organizational style which we need to
deal with. We deal with schools and teachers in quite a different way.
Even our working week is different - we work from Sunday to Thursday.
Friday is the Muslim day of prayer, so that is very important to
accomodate.

There is a totally different educational atmosphere – our students come
from a more teacher centered educational environment than we are used
to. So, not only do we teach content, we also need to engage students
in a very different style of teaching and learning that that which they
are accustomed. Our students are also very international – most are
from expatriate families. Many of our students have Arabic as a first
language, but there is also Hindi, Urdu, Persian, French and much more.

Our whole experience here is very much a learning one for MSU - and not
at all one sided. I don't think that I am exaggerating when I say that
we are learning almost as much as our students! We can't simply
transplant a university - this would be very disrespectful to our hosts
and the local culture. However, we can share our courses and develop a
greater understanding in the region of what is meant American culture
and quality American education within the context and still maintain
the very high standards that one would expect from MSU.

 

 

WE:  How is campus life structured at MSU Dubai? Are there residence halls, clubs, study groups, etc?

KD: We do have residence halls available. However, unlike the
US, our dorms have to be gender segregated. This is obligatory from
both a legal and a cultural standpoint. The dorms are great, probably
more luxurious than dorms in the US. Rooms are shared; each room has a
private bathroom. There are male and female gyms as well as a pool with
separate timings for male and female. Students can eat in the dining
hall or have room service. There is even a laundry service! Many
students, however, will choose to live at home and travel to the campus
each day.

As Dubai is so dispersed, we offer transport pick up and delivery
throughout the city and to neighboring emirates. We also assist with
visa formalities. All students other than Emiratis and GCC nationals
require a visa, and many are sponsored by the campus.

We have clubs, but these are still being developed as we need to
facilitate the club constitution writing and so on. We have a student
council which interacts via video conference with the student bodies on
the main campus. We have a Wtiting CenterThere are also study groups
etc.

Our library collection is still fairly small. However, we have access
to all the electronic resources at MSU. Students have an MSU email and
ID card that come from East Lansing and allows them full access to all
facilities.

We try to create a US-style educational environment although that is
not always possible.  We have to be extremely sensitive to cultural
norms. This even affects our dress and how we greet people. However,
there are many aspects of US education and culture that while we cannot
push, we can lead by example.

MSU is housed on a shared campus at DIAC and this provides us with a number of shared facilities including commercial outlets.

 

 

 

WE:  Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?

KD: Studying at an American campus in the Middle East offers a wealth of
unique teaching and learning opportunities. Students will develop a
network that will center on the Middle East but will have global reach.
They will learn more about a region that will be one of the economic
hubs of the future. With an oil-producing income of only 6%, Dubai has
used the expansion of tourist, commercial and corporate activity
together with the construction boom to diversify its economy. Although
Dubai is a man-made hi-tech city, it still has a strong Islamic
culture. Whilst some may view this as a conflict of old meeting new, it
is also a captivating city that offers both extremes; a traditional
past interlinked with an innovative, hi-tech, present. At the same
time, our degrees are the same as those awarded from the US. Students
and academic faculty really do have will have the best of both worlds!
I know I really enjoy living and working here.

 

 

WE: Thanks so much, Kaye - I am very impressed with MSU Dubai and all of MSU's international and intercultural work there!

For more information, please see:

http://dubai.msu.edu/