ABU DHABI // Zayed University is going global this academic year, with the launch of an International College that is expected to show students they can compete and succeed globally. Classes in Abu Dhabi and Dubai will begin in September, with internationalisation and exposure to foreign faculty and students as the theme. Dr Christopher Brown, the founding director of the college, said it would introduce students to different cultures in an increasingly globalised economy and world.
Through partnerships with institutions such as Pembroke College and the University of Oxford in the UK, foreign faculty and students will be brought to the UAE and Zayed's students could be placed in exchange programmes that would enable them to study abroad. "We're giving students experiences on their home campus with students, faculty from around the world, and giving those who wish to pursue them opportunities to go to a foreign culture to study and see how things work in Singapore, in Beijing, in London," Dr Brown said.
The International College is one of several new efforts for UAE students on the foreign front. The country's first Confucius Institute, for studying Chinese language and culture, will be established in the new semester at Zayed University in partnership with the Beijing Foreign Studies University and the Chinese government. A new master's programme in diplomacy and international studies will also be offered, evolving from the Zayed Diplomatic Academy.
@Email:mkwong@thenational.ae