AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN DUBAI: A STUDY ABROAD DESTINATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

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 Bridging the gap between East and West has been a goal for the American University in Dubai (AUD) since its inception fifteen years ago, one which guides all the university’s activities and relations. From a newly established certificate program in Middle Eastern Studies, to extensive study abroad and exchange programs, AUD has given a new meaning to the word globalization.
 
By offering a genuinely American university experience and remaining respectful of Arab culture and values, AUD has created an outstanding environment enabling students from all over the world to gain openness and understanding on how communities can function as a whole within their diversities. Through the External Relations Office, AUD has been establishing local, regional and international relations, fostering intercultural understanding among its students and preparing them for the global community.
 
According to Ms. Peggy Awad, External Relations Manager at AUD:
“The benefit a student can expect to gain from participating in a study abroad program goes beyond the classroom walls. The student learns to adapt to different teaching styles, new lifestyle and social rhythms, in-depth knowledge of another culture’s customs, people, and language as well as a better understanding of international, political and economic issues. AUD is proud to contribute towards broadening the student’s perspective of the region and preparing them to become global citizens.”
 
Notably, this spring 2010 semester, AUD has welcomed over 20 new study abroad students from different universities in Europe, the Middle East and the US, including Florida International University, Miami University of Ohio, Morehouse College, Northern Kentucky University, The American University Of Beirut, University At Albany in New York, University Of Passau in Germany, University Of St. Gallen in Switzerland, Bocconi University in Italy, Cornell University, University Of Alabama in Birmingham, Pratt Institute, University Of Illinois At Urbana in Champaign, University Of The Arts London, and Northern Arizona University. Many of these students are part of the Clinton Scholars Program at AUD, an established partnership between the Clinton Foundation and the university that grants forty scholarships to American students to study at AUD, enabling them to get a first hand understanding of the Arab world. 
 
Building enduring partnerships between the university and its external community, and managing local and international university relations, are all part of the strategy to fulfill the university’s mission.
 
To this end, the university has signed agreements with the following institutions of higher learning, which among other collaborative measures provide opportunities for student/faculty exchange, professional development, and curricular consultancy: Florida International University (Miami, Florida); Georgia Tech (Atlanta, Georgia); International University in Geneva (Geneva, Switzerland); Ohio University (Schools of Education and Communication), (Athens, Ohio); Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi (Milan, Italy); University of St. Gallen (St. Gallen, Switzerland); University at Albany, State University of New York - SUNY (Albany, New York); University of Southern California - Annenberg School for Communication (Communication & Information Studies Program), (Los Angeles, California); University of Southern California - School for Cinematic Arts (Communication & Information Studies Program), (Los Angeles, California), and Siena Heights University, (Siena Heights, Michigan).
 
In addition, AUD welcomes each term many study-abroad/visiting students from top tier universities all around the globe. Regional and foreign students have shown an increasing interest in developing an understanding of the Middle East region and in seeking employment here, hence their need to gain a deeper knowledge of and sensitivity towards its historical, cultural, social and political environment. For that purpose, AUD has created its Certificate in Middle Eastern Studies, which introduces students to an array of factors that have shaped the Middle East through time, and enhances their knowledge of the profile and texture of the current Middle Eastern landscape. This program has become an attraction to many of our visiting students while earning credit at an American-accredited university.
 
Notably, AUD has established a consortial agreement with Florida International University (FIU), through which FIU students have the opportunity to enroll at AUD to study courses in the Middle Eastern Studies Program, and AUD students have the opportunity to attend FIU’s Certificate Program in Middle East and Central Asian Studies in order to broaden their perspectives of additional regional concepts.

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