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Goerge Mason University - Ras Al Khaimah

 
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dubaiteacher



Joined: 20 Jun 2007
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 11:41 am    Post subject: Goerge Mason University - Ras Al Khaimah Reply with quote

For anyone thinking of applying to the George Mason campus in Ras Al Khaimah because it is a "premier American university", word of warning. They sacked one of the Foundations faculty without warning and I have heard the Assistant Dean of University Life was given notice while on the last day of sick leave. Doesn't sound "American" to me.
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 2:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you have been around for any length of time, you should know that in the Gulf, any ties to an American or British or Australian university usually only mean that they have had help setting up with academic system.

Management will still be based to varying extents on the Middle East structure of wasta or influence. If you expect anything much different, you should probably avoid the Middle East altogether. The only large well-known tertiary places that have anything even approaching a Western management system are HCT, ZU, and AUS in the Gulf. You can find some small programs here and there that are more directly managed by overseas universities, but they hire few teachers.

One should only take a job in this part of the world with low expectations of management efficiency or fairness.

VS
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dubaiteacher



Joined: 20 Jun 2007
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 11:34 am    Post subject: George Mason University Reply with quote

Actually I have been in the Middle East for 15 years and do agree with what you say. However, in the case of GMU - they bragged about being an American University with American standards. From what I understood, the management was to come from the States, not be local hires with local management styles.
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 3:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If globalnomad were here, he could give us all the facts. Cool But, he is off somewhere playing for the summer.

VS
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007



Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom

PostPosted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 3:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
"premier American university",

There is no such �premier American University�, all is about money and business.
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
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Location: USA

PostPosted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 8:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Come back when you have something useful to contribute 007

Your constant remarks on the US are beyond tiresome and merely make you a boor...

VS
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trapezius



Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 1670
Location: Land of Culture of Death & Destruction

PostPosted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 9:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
There is no such �premier American University�, all is about money and business.


You mean outisde the US or inside? Because if inside the US, you are totally false. Ever heard of Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Cornell, etc?

GMU is not a top-tier university in the US to begin with, but still a goo university. So, I am shocked to read this thread. One would think they would try to maintain the same standards in UAE as in the US.

I am sure Carnegie-Mellon University's (CMU) branch in Qatar and Texas A&M University's branch in Qatar as well, are very very good. CMU is a top tier university to begin with, on par with MIT, and has the world's top program in robotics by far, and one of the top 3 in computer science. Texas A&M is also very good, somewhere between the level of CMU and GMU in the US.

And then there is also Cornell's branch, also in Qatar, but is a medical school only. Cornell is also top tier in the US.

Just wondering what happened to GMU's branch.
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007



Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom

PostPosted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 10:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

veiledsentiments wrote:
The only large well-known tertiary places that have anything even approaching a Western management system are HCT, ZU, and AUS in the Gulf.

ZU : American based university�
AUS: American based university �.
HCT: Canadian based colleges�

�.

Really? Do you mean only American and Canadian based universities/colleges which have anything approaching a Western management?
How did you come to the above conclusion?

What about the British university in Dubai, or Australian based university, or Singaporean based university?
Don't you think that they have the same management, or may be, better than the ones you have mentioned?

Trapezius wrote:
You mean outisde the US or inside? Because if inside the US, you are totally false. Ever heard of Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Cornell, etc?


Of course, I mean the ones in the Gulf region, they are for bussiness and money. Just look to the new American based universities (uncle Sam's ones Laughing ) in KSA, like PMU, PSU, Al-Faisal U., etc, all are for money and bussiness.
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 3:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You are babbling again 007... try reading slowly... and then not demonstrating that again you have no idea what you are talking about.

VS
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007



Joined: 30 Oct 2006
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Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom

PostPosted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 4:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

VS: Everytime you come to class with your books, correct uniform and good attitude, you bring a small stone with you and drop it behind you. As you progress you will have a mountain of stones which means you have achieved.

007: and if you carry on babbling, I'll kick that mountain down on you.
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
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Location: USA

PostPosted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 5:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I haven't decided if you are a boozer or a druggie, but sense rarely enters your posts...
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trapezius



Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 1670
Location: Land of Culture of Death & Destruction

PostPosted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 10:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Just look to the new American based universities (uncle Sam's ones ) in KSA, like PMU, PSU, Al-Faisal U., etc, all are for money and bussiness.


You are comparing apples and oranges. There is a heaven-earth difference between:

1) Branches in the Gulf of real established US universities (GMU, CMU, Cornell, Texas A&M). These are proper branches, not franchises as with fast food restaurants.

and

2) Local universities established with direct or indirect assistance from or collaboration with US universities (PMU, Al Faisal, etc). These are NOT "American based universities", "American universities" or even "Saudi-American universities", i.e., not joint ventures of any sort. They are 100% local. Receiving technical expertise from American universities does not make them joint ventures, let alone "American based".
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