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Eisenhorn
Joined: 25 Oct 2009 Posts: 146 Location: HCT Land. UAE
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Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 7:52 pm Post subject: George Mason... i mean AURAK....I mean non american uni rak. |
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apparently is hiring everyone.
http://chronicle.com/jobs/0000713858-01
But then again, if you look at their current teachers, there are only 3 western names on the entire campus registery...
http://www.aurak.ae/about_AURAK.asp?sid=JNKQKNP4&id=JODRMQE0
So to get it straight...
George Mason opens and gets run into the ground by SS.
SS is fired
George Mason pulls out of the deal because of the incompetence
SS is brought back and the school reopens as AURAK
SS is fired again for incompetence and has run the school into the ground again.
Almost all westerners are fired
and now they are hiring again...
But they have lower standards (look at the positions seeking librarians, assistant librarians, PR folks, registars... they all require a bachelors degree (not in the field) and the applicant be bilingual.
whew....I'm glad I didn't take a job there when it was offered a few years back. |
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diodeone
Joined: 30 Sep 2011 Posts: 28
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 9:47 am Post subject: Re: George Mason... i mean AURAK....I mean non american uni |
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Eisenhorn wrote: |
apparently is hiring everyone.
http://chronicle.com/jobs/0000713858-01
But then again, if you look at their current teachers, there are only 3 western names on the entire campus registery...
http://www.aurak.ae/about_AURAK.asp?sid=JNKQKNP4&id=JODRMQE0
So to get it straight...
George Mason opens and gets run into the ground by SS.
SS is fired
George Mason pulls out of the deal because of the incompetence
SS is brought back and the school reopens as AURAK
SS is fired again for incompetence and has run the school into the ground again.
Almost all westerners are fired
and now they are hiring again...
But they have lower standards (look at the positions seeking librarians, assistant librarians, PR folks, registars... they all require a bachelors degree (not in the field) and the applicant be bilingual.
whew....I'm glad I didn't take a job there when it was offered a few years back. |
Anyone with a related PhD
Qualifications. Successful applicants will have a strong commitment to teaching excellence. A PhD in related field is required for those seeking positions in Business, Environment and Health Sciences and Liberal Arts. For School of Architecture & Interior Design, A PhD degree in Architecture, Interior Design, or a closely related discipline is preferred, but Master degree in these areas may be considered. For the positions of lab instructors, Master degree in relevant engineering fields will be preferred. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 3:40 pm Post subject: |
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I'm confused... the job link to the chronicle is for the Canadian University in Dubai. What does that have to do with RAK and the ex-George Mason University debacle and its current form as AURAK?
As to the list of faculty and staff at AURAK... I wonder if any of them hold a US passport. Rather makes a travesty of having "American" in the name I'd think. As a student I would think I'd been tricked...
VS |
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Eisenhorn
Joined: 25 Oct 2009 Posts: 146 Location: HCT Land. UAE
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Badar Bin Bada Boom
Joined: 01 Jun 2011 Posts: 192 Location: Fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man
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Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2012 10:25 am Post subject: |
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In any case the only English-related position listed here is a PhD in English--i.e., content/literature.
GMU-RAK for its first two years was a disaster run by Indian bureaucrats who worked as contractors for the RAK government, not GMU. GMU just sold its name to the campus and sent over a teacher-trainer as head of the intensive English unit. Then with the failure to recruit more than 30 or 40 students after two years of operations, GMU first fired SS and then folded the campus altogether. Indian bureaucrats promptly rehired SS to mismanage the new "American" campus and then re-fired said SS. Personally I can't see the school being more than a third-rate ripoff any time soon. |
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dunteslin
Joined: 20 Jul 2010 Posts: 20 Location: australia
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 2:58 am Post subject: |
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I agree with most of what Badar BBB says: but the full story is even more entertaining. Both the first head of the English unit, RR, and the despised SS were classic examples of a type--the Ugly American. They were two culturally insensitive, arrogant, boorish women, who were clearly unsuitable to deal with the inevitable problems bound to arise when setting up an American university campus in an Arab country. What could George Mason have been thinking in appointing either of these people? But then GMU never did its due diligence. It was always going to end up with egg on its face.
One of the few sensible things Mason did do was to sack the Indian administrator, SM, presumably for incompetence. After the changeover to AURAK, he was brought back. A palace coup was mounted, SS was dismissed, to be replaced as 'President of American University RAK' by--wait for it--Indian administrator SM! A year later, this Indian administrator of an 'American' university was dismissed again, and went back to India, to be replaced with--an arab Emirati.
Clearly, the story still has some way to run. In the meantime, I've got to cry to keep from laughing! |
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Badar Bin Bada Boom
Joined: 01 Jun 2011 Posts: 192 Location: Fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man
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Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2012 9:15 am Post subject: |
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Oh, gee, personally I thought it was fun to have weekly meetings being lectured on how not to teach. And it was inspirational to accept any warm body off the street as a classroom seat-warmer. When the "students" rebelled in class at the notion of learning and got out of control, we were told we weren't inspiring the little dears. Oh, and the English head (who was a teacher trainer, which meant, of course, that we had to be taught how to teach all over again) even tried to tell PhD mathematicians how to teach. Understandable, you see, because only ESL administrators know what's best for us. But then I've said it before many times on these pages: that administrators with ESL/EFL teaching backgrounds are the worst managers I've ever seen. Hey--they want professional development?? Let them all get rigorous MBAs and then come back and earn their bossing rights. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA
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Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2012 4:06 pm Post subject: |
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Even just a measly management course would be immensely helpful!!
VS |
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ecocks
Joined: 06 Nov 2007 Posts: 899 Location: Gdansk, Poland
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Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2012 9:10 pm Post subject: |
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All these schools seem to go this route. Even the private tech schools in the US (Phoenix, DeVry, ITT, Barnes, Broadview, National, etc.) are run with more academic integrity and marketing honesty than any of these I have seen so far overseas. |
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adorabilly
Joined: 20 May 2006 Posts: 430 Location: Ras Al Khaimah
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 9:07 am Post subject: |
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A little bird I know that works at AURAK says it isn't that doom and gloom. They stay it is getting better than it has been in years and the school is expanding because they have high enrollment numbers. Just to set the record straight. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 3:17 pm Post subject: |
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Hey adorabilly... long time no see!
How many native speakers do they teaching English there now?
VS |
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adorabilly
Joined: 20 May 2006 Posts: 430 Location: Ras Al Khaimah
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 7:15 am Post subject: |
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I've been told it is 3 or 4 and they are hiring for all those positions because they have a higher enrollment than before.
Who knows if it is really happening, but that is what my informant says.
(long time no type VS.... I have been away to keep my head down because some employers in the UAE won't hire you if you post on daves and they know who you are.... even if you only say good things. Go figure.) |
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It's Scary!
Joined: 17 Apr 2011 Posts: 823
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 2:27 pm Post subject: |
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Quote: |
I have been away to keep my head down because some employers in the UAE won't hire you if you post on daves and they know who you are |
That's what I figured. Here's a hint: It doesn't matter if you keep it neutral or not, even being identified of viewing the truth...er, this board is a cardinal sin to those who want to keep their dirty wash hidden.
Tubby the Kamal thinks that hiding his dirty work won't be identified by the accreditation boards that he lures to the UAE.
Hey, Tubby! They'll ALWAYS find out no matter how much you terrorize the "help".
It's been written by Allah! |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 3:48 pm Post subject: |
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adorabilly wrote: |
(long time no type VS.... I have been away to keep my head down because some employers in the UAE won't hire you if you post on daves and they know who you are.... even if you only say good things. Go figure.) |
Sensible decision. You might want to get a new screen name. Discretion is important in the Gulf because we tend not to know what may upset "those" who are irrational about these things.
VS |
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adorabilly
Joined: 20 May 2006 Posts: 430 Location: Ras Al Khaimah
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Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2012 1:19 pm Post subject: |
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Well unfortunately for me, the places to teach at in RAK are rather limited and most of them know who I am IRL. I didn't think I needed to hide my identity, especially since I haven't been bad mouthing anyone/anyplace. |
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