Zayed University

Infobox University
name=Zayed University


image_size=120px
established=1998
type=Public
president=Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan
provost=Vacant
city=Dubai & Abu Dhabi
country=United Arab Emirates
website= [http://www.zu.ac.ae www.zu.ac.ae]

Zayed University (ZU) is a higher educational institution United Arab Emirates. It was established in 1998 and named in honor of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the country's first president.

Zayed University's mission, according to its website [http://www.zu.ac.ae/] , "is to prepare Emirati students for a meaningful and successful twenty-first century personal and professional life; to graduate students who will help shape the future of the UAE; to support the economic and social advancement of the UAE; to lead innovation in higher education in the UAE through teaching, learning, research, and outreach; and to do so in a culturally diverse, humane, technologically advanced, and increasingly global environment."

Zayed University has two campuses in the emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, serving around 3,000 female students. The Dubai Campus moved to a new purpose-built location in September 2006, and enrollment is hoped to increase to 5,000. Zayed University is organized academically into five colleges: Arts and Sciences, Business Sciences, Communication and Media Sciences, Education, and Information Technology.

English is the medium of instruction except in courses in Arabic and Islamic studies. Because of this, students may need to spend up to two years in an English language preparatory program before entering the bachelor's program. The first two years in the university are in a general education program (Colloquy), providing a broad grounding in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Students then move into the majors which are housed in the colleges.

The university offers a number of graduate programs in business, health care and educational leadership.

On June 30th, 2008, it was announced that Zayed University had been granted accreditation by the U.S.-based Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

The College of Communication and Media Sciences has recently had its Public Relations and Advertising major accredited by the International Advertising Association. [Al-Hussaini, Rania. (29 October 2006). "A career out of people skills." "Gulf News." Available on Gulfnews.com [http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/06/10/21/10076508.html] ; accessed 11 April 2007. ] This program has the distinction of being the only major program at Zayed University which has achieved full accreditation by an external agency.

Controversy

Zayed University has recently come under fire for allegedly implementing a divisive pay policy. According to the Abu Dhabi-based newspaper "The National", local Emirati staff are to receive a 28 percent pay award, whereas foreign faculty will only receive 5 percent. The response to this has been, predictably, one of outrage, and many observers have reported that the university's vice-president, Dr Sulaiman Al-Jassim, will soon be removed after such a large gaffe. [Cite web |first= Daniel |last=Bardsley |title=Meagre pay rise angers academics |url=http://thenational.ae/article/20080818/NATIONAL/937585280/0/PAGETHREE |publisher="The National" |date=2008-08-18 |accessdate=2008-08-21]

References

External links

* [http://www.zu.ac.ae/ University website]
* [http://www.msche.org/ Middle States Commission on Higher Education]
* [http://www.dubaifaqs.com/universities-colleges-list-in-dubai-UAE.php Universities and colleges in Dubai] — Comprehensive list for Dubai and the UAE