Move to Dubai Boosts International Presence for MSU

In August, Michigan State University (MSU) will open its doors in Dubai, giving the school an international presence and access to global markets and innovation. MSU's facility will be in Dubai’s International Academic City.

According to excerpts from the article:

"Our presence in Dubai will broaden MSU's reach into an important region of the world," Brendan Mullan, executive director of MSU Dubai, said in an e-mail from Dubai. "It also reflects our dedication to building international partnerships that provide enhanced global educational opportunities and experiences for all of our students."

The government of Dubai formally invited MSU to open the facility in its International Academic City, Mullan said.

The university, which had long wanted a presence in the Persian Gulf region, jumped at the chance because of Dubai's growing global importance and MSU's commitment to being a "world-grant university."

"What MSU required was the right environment, right location, right culture and the necessary funding required to establish the campus," Ayoub Kazim, executive director of Dubai International Academic City, said in an e-mail. "Dubai was able to match the expectations of MSU."

At least 10 professors will move from East Lansing to Dubai to teach the inaugural class, with students who will originate largely from the Middle East. An advertising campaign that kicked off this month is expected to generate scores of applications for the 200 or so spots available this year. Dubai paid for the full-page ads in leading newspapers in the United Arab Emirates to welcome MSU to the region.

Universities setting up campuses overseas to educate foreign students is a trend but "it's a little one so far," said Allan Goodman, president of the Institute of International Education. The Observatory for Borderless Higher Education has identified 82 universities worldwide that have international branch campuses, about half being American.

Qatar's Education City is home to many of these international branch campuses, including Texas A&M, Georgetown and Carnegie Mellon.

"The demand for higher education is just enormous," Goodman said. "More and more young people are graduating from high school, and they just have no place to go. … And not everybody can fit into East Lansing.".

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