Journal of International Education Research – Third Quarter 2011 Volume 7, Number 3 Internationalization Of Higher Education: A Reflection On Success And Failures Among Foreign Universities In The United Arab Emirates Sepideh Mahani, Higher Colleges of Technology, Abu Dhabi Women’s College, United Arab Emirates Arman Molki, The Petroleum Institute, United Arab Emirates ABSTRACT Globalization has affected many sectors of the society, including higher education. In the current global economy, higher education institutions face numerous challenges. Factors such as the increasing international competition, achieving higher ranking among global universities, and the pursuit of creating world-class institutions has had a significant impact on higher education institutions. While universities respond to these challenges differently, some higher education institutions are increasingly moving toward the internationalization of their campuses. Internationalization of higher education programs includes branch campuses, cross border collaborative programs, exchange of international students, and establishment of English-medium programs and degrees. Over the past decade, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been on the receiving line of this phenomena. Internationalization of higher education has greatly affected the UAE as it continues to strive toward becoming a leading education hub in the Middle East. Until recently, the goal of the UAE has been to make higher education accessible to all students within the UAE by providing them with quality learning resources. However, over the past several years, in addition to providing its citizens with quality education, the country is working toward establishing itself as a world-class regional education hub through inviting prominent universities to set up campuses in the country. This paper examines the current trends in internationalization of higher education and analyzes the recent successes and some unanticipated outcomes of this phenomenon in the UAE. Keywords: globalization; internationalization; higher education; United Arab Emirates; Middle East INTRODUCTION he efforts of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to improve its higher education system through collaboration with Western universities represent a current trend in the higher education sector. For T decades, countries such as Singapore, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and South Korea have all engaged in similar collaborations in an effort to improve the quality of the higher education institutions in their countries. However, globalization of higher education is not a trend exclusive to recent years. In the 19th century a group of American students travelling to Germany had the opportunity to attend German universities. At the time, the German higher education system was the first to combine research and teaching activities. This and latter trips resulted in the establishment of American universities based on the German model, such as Johns Hopkins University and the University of Chicago. Today, the American higher education system has not only perfected the concept of renowned universities, but a system such as the German higher education system that once used to be a role model is now looking to the competitive culture of American universities for inspirations to restore it’s struggling higher-education system (Wildavsky, 2010). Over a century later German students are traveling to the United States to gain access to a better education. For example, during the 2008-2009 academic year, Germany was among the top 10 countries having the highest number of foreign students studying in the USA (Almanac of Higher © 2011 The Clute Institute 1 Journal of International Education Research – Third Quarter 2011 Volume 7, Number 3 Education, 2010). This indicates the ever-changing nature of higher education and the difficulty of making long- term predictions about the growing global higher education market. Globalization has affected many higher education systems over the past two decades. Many students now seek oversees education in order to be well prepared for the global market. Studying oversees has become a new trend; nearly three million students worldwide now study outside their home countries, a 57% increase in just the past decade (Wildavsky, 2010). The number of international branch campuses has also grown dramatically, with more than 160 around the world. Countries worldwide are becoming aware of the economic benefits of educational institutions and are working hard to improve their enrollment rates (Wildavsky, 2010). It is estimated that the number of globally mobile students will nearly triple to eight million by 2025. India and China are said to continue to be the world’s leading exporters of students, although China has started to import students from other Asian countries (Wildavsky, 2010). International research collaborations amongst universities are another growing trend, and have almost doubled in the past two decades. Such international collaborative work in education ensures that academic progress in one part of the world could result in advancements and growth in another part of the world. Allowing people and knowledge to freely move beyond campus walls is constructive to all parties involved. EDUCATION STRUCTURE IN THE UAE The higher education system in the United Arab Emirates has undergone substantial change since the establishment of the country almost 40 years ago. As a country, the UAE was established in 1971 through a union between the rulers of the seven emirates of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khimah, and Fujairah, with Abu Dhabi being the capital city. While Dubai’s economy is mainly generated through tourism and the financial sector, Abu Dhabi’s economy relies largely on its oil revenues. In 2007, Abu Dhabi’s contribution to the UAE’s GDP was almost 55%, while Dubai contributed just over 30%, and the remaining 15% was contributed from the other five Emirates (Bitar, 2009). At the time of the country’s establishment in 1971, a total of 74 schools existed throughout the seven emirates, and those who chose to pursue a higher education had to travel oversees. In 1977 the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) was established as the first university in the UAE, followed by Higher Colleges of Technology in 1988, which was initially a vocational school but today offers both graduate and postgraduate degrees across 17 campuses. Zayed University was the third university that was founded by the federal government in 1998. Today, Zayed University has expanded its campuses from Abu Dhabi to Dubai and is planning to open a state-of-the-art flagship campus in September 2011. According to Zayed University’s provost, Dr. Daniel Johnson, the university forecasts that their enrollment would increase from the current 4,820 to 9,000 in 2014, reflecting an intense increase in the number of Emiratis reaching university age (Bardsley, 2009). Article 23 of the constitution of the UAE recognizes the important role of education in the development of the nation, and therefore guarantees free education to all Emiratis at all levels. Hence, all Emirati students who graduate from high school are entitled to attend one of the three federal higher education institutions (Wilkins, 2010). Aside from federal higher education institutions, a large number of higher education institutions exist in the UAE. Private universities in the UAE are either owned locally or they are extensions of and managed by foreign institutions. One of such institutions is the American University of Sharjah, which was established in 1997 by the ruler of Sharjah. In 1997 the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry established the Dubai University, and in 2006 the Abu Dhabi Education Council established Paris-Sorbonne University, which is locally managed (Wilkins, 2010). Nearly 40 years after the establishment of the United Arab Emirates, the country is moving towards becoming a competitor to countries such as China, Singapore, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia who have each invested considerably in establishing top-tier research universities. The efforts of the UAE in investing in its higher education system will most likely continue given its wealth and the vision of its leaders. Currently there are 73 higher education institutions licensed by the UAE Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA), of which 28 institutions are based in Abu Dhabi, 28 institutions based in Dubai, and the remaining 17 institutions are located in the other emirates (Commission for Academic Accreditation, 2011). It should be noted that not all institutions of higher education are accredited by the CAA; for example, in the emirate of Dubai, 28 non-accredited institutions of 2 © 2011 The Clute Institute Journal of International Education Research – Third Quarter 2011 Volume 7, Number 3 higher education are in operation (The Higher Education Landscape, 2010). These intuitions are located in one of 5 Free Zones and are instead required to undergo the University and Quality Assurance International Board (UQAIB) quality assurance process established by the Dubai Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) which oversees the quality of higher education in institutions in the Free Zones. Many of UAE’s higher education institutions are international branch campuses, such as Herriot Watt University, University of Wollongong, Middlesex University, University of Pune, and New York University, Abu Dhabi. What remains to be seen is the long-term academic and economic results of these