Observations on startup and operational challenges for US engineering programs in the Middle East

The increasing need to educate students to prepare them for work in a global workforce has resulted in a rapid increase in the number of western universities establishing campuses abroad. While international exchange programs and collaborations are widely applied and offer a valid alternative to convey global competencies to the students, the establishment of a branch campus offers additional systemic advantages, such as the seamless integration of the academics, a more international projection of the university, and additional global access points for students. In addition, the host country often is very interested in attracting highly regarded western institutions, and generally provides appealing conditions for the establishment of a branch campus. While this framework depicts a winning combination, the reality of startup and day-today operation often uncovers unexpected challenges; this work discusses observations in establishing a branch campus and implementing US engineering education in the Middle East (specifically in Dubai, UAE). Startup challenges may manifest at many levels, ranging from alignment of expectations among between host and the US Institution, to student recruiting and market penetration, to classroom challenges regarding the implementation of typical US education values (such as independent thinking and personal initiative, which often represent a new approach to learning for the local and regional students, who originate from school systems that stress other approaches). In addition to attaining name-recognition and visibility for the institution in a highly competitive market, the difficulty in recruiting top students is compounded as typically the tuition of US Branch Campuses needs to be significantly higher than that of the local government supported institutions (which are typically free for nationals). Moreover, the academic success of the students is also conditioned by social values and rules, which may differ from those typical of the western world (and due to the highly diverse student population of the region may differ significantly within a single cohort), and can have a direct impact on the effectiveness of a US style engineering curriculum delivery. It is important for institutions with the intention to deploy internationally to consider these challenges for a successful program implementation, and this paper reviews observations and lessons learned, as well as some specific initiatives undertaken by university faculty and administration to enable Middle Eastern students to succeed in a US Engineering program.