ABU DHABI // Abu Dhabi University is to open a campus in Dubai.
The private institution, accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education, is in the early stages of its expansion plans.
The chancellor said he envisaged the move to be beneficial for students and industry in Dubai.
“It’s a very different city,” said Dr Nabil Ibrahim, chancellor of the 10-year-old university.
“It’s a very important region, mainly because of the fact it’s a trade hub. It’s a very dynamic region and also highly competitive in terms of the education market.
“It’s vital that we exist in international regions like Dubai.”
Dr Ibrahim said the expansion had been in the pipeline for some time.
“The economic situation four years ago prevented us making the move but now is an opportune time,” he said.
The university has a campus in Al Ain, largely serving the military, and is looking to branch out to Al Gharbia to serve the region’s emerging industries.
It is already in talks with the Western Region Development Council, which has said it would support the university’s move to the area.
At the moment Al Gharbia can offer residents degree programmes only at the Higher Colleges of Technology and Fatima College of Health Sciences.
Dr Ayoub Kazim, head of Dubai’s education clusters, Knowledge Village and Dubai International Academic City, said he welcomed the plans for the university to expand to Dubai.
“Abu Dhabi University has played an important role in the development of the region’s higher-education sector,” he said.
“The quality of the faculty and the courses on offer are truly world class and tailored to the demands of local industries.
“We would welcome any plans for the university to expand in Dubai, as would our students from the UAE and neighbouring countries.”
Dr Ibrahim said the Dubai campus would differ from its original campus, catering to the specific needs of the emirate.
“We will partner with existing businesses on programmes that will be beneficial to them, like we do in Abu Dhabi, and do it in a way that shows a major contribution to their business,” he said.
There are 48,058 university students at more than 50 institutions in Dubai – some in free zones that fall under the Knowledge and Human Development Authority and elsewhere under the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
But residents say the more choice, the better.
Heba Noor, a mother of two, is already wondering where her son Ahmed will study when he graduates from high school in two years.
“He wants to stay in the UAE to study his undergraduate degree and the more choices there are, the easier it is to find a quality university,” she said.
“I know Abu Dhabi University has a lot of choice of programmes, but I think he would prefer to be in Dubai where his friends are.”
mswan@thenational.ae
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid
Results
Stage Two:
1. Mark Cavendish (GBR) QuickStep-AlphaVinyl 04:20:45
2. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin-Fenix
3. Pascal Ackermann (GER) UAE Team Emirates
4. Olav Kooij (NED) Jumbo-Visma
5. Arnaud Demare (FRA) Groupama-FDJ
General Classification:
1. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin-Fenix 09:03:03
2. Dmitry Strakhov (RUS) Gazprom-Rusvelo 00:00:04
3. Mark Cavendish (GBR) QuickStep-AlphaVinyl 00:00:06
4. Sam Bennett (IRL) Bora-Hansgrohe 00:00:10
5. Pascal Ackermann (GER) UAE Team Emirates 00:00:12
UAE%20athletes%20heading%20to%20Paris%202024
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5