American University in Dubai

We visited AUD yesterday and it was really interesting. They have 2700 students and they have five majors: business administration (57.3%), information technology (12.1%), visual communication (11.7%), interior design (7%), and engineering (5%). 6.9% of the students are undecided majors. it is a private, non-sectarian, for profit, teaching focused institution of higher education based on an American model of higher education. 55% of the students speak Arabic, but it seems that everyone speaks English there.

Their president told us about the five pillars of AUD:

1. high standards: for entrance, graduation (which is unusual). The idea that students will be asked to leave for poor performance is incredible in this region of the world (and because it's a for-profit school).

2. focus on teaching: about 20% of the faculty time is spent on scholarship and research. They tend to teach 4 courses a term rather than the typical 3. There is a high value placed by faculty on the development of imagination and creativity, which is new to these students.

3. skill centeredness: AUD wants its students to be familiar with the theory and tools/techniques used by practicing professionals.

4. personal growth: lots of extra-curricular activities, athletics, etc. Cultural tolerance is a hallmark of an AUD education. Students are taught to respect themselves but to respect equally those who are different than themselves.

5. personal attention: students are treated as individuals, AUD seeks to fulfill individual needs of its students. They even have due process for procedures with students, which is also unusual for the gulf region.