the heaven of academia, the pearl in oasis Learn this desert city from a University

ZhangYing

Dubai is a familiar and mysterious place among many peoples impression. Becoming more familiar with the city， Ive heard too many stories and legends about Dubai. The desert oasis is full of sparkling gold. The worlds tallest building， Burj Khalifa， stands here. The Burj Al Arab is shining in the sun， waiting for tourists all over the world to explore more novelty and luxury.

Dubai has become more familiar for many of us， but still remain mysterious. The familiarity comes from hearsay and facts -- the floor of Dubai is paved with gold bricks; the worlds tallest building， Burj Khalifa， stands here; the most luxury hotel is shining in the sun; it is a wonderland for tourists.

Naturally， Dubai is surrounded by desert and sea. While it is actually the stories of Dubai attract peoples attention as the going said that the distance generates strangeness. If someone decides to study in Dubai， his courage certainly will ignite others curiosity – Is t serious to choose Dubai as the destination to study abroad？ Why Dubai？ What to study in Dubai？ Taking consideration of the same curious questions，  the journalist of Studying Abroad Magazine cordially interviewed Professor Mohamed Vall Mohamed Salem Zein， the President of the University of Wollongong in Dubai， and listened to his story in Dubai by spotting from a university in Dubai， which is like a castle in the wonderland of imagination.

UOWD： a sea breeze from Australia

Before 2015， the Chinese name of the University of Wollongong （UOW） was also called “Wollongong”. Because of this name， it became a frequent occurrence in “excellent universities with unknown to Chinese” and “universities with a weird Chinese name”. Due to the localization of translation， many people misunderstood it as a Chinese university but actually it is a university from Australia which situated only one hour away from Sydney. “Wollongong” was originally related to the sea， meaning five islands on the coastline.

In 1993， “Wollongong” brought the sea breeze into the desert and a branch campus was established in Dubai， United Arab Emirates. It was originally called the Institute of Australian Studies （IAS）. The University of Wollongong in Dubai （UOWD） is the first foreign university in the UAE and the first Australian university in the Persian Gulf. Since then， the ocean and the land have held hands. With the solid foundation of higher education resources and the unique geographical advantages of Dubai， a skyscraper metropolis， the University of Wollongong Dubai has gradually become one of the most prestigious universities in Dubai.

Prior to be appointed as the President of the UOWD in 2015， Professor Salem joined this fast-growing， emerging college early. He has worked in software engineering for many years in Mauritania and Canada. After receiving his doctorate， President Salem came to Dubai in 2004.

“My interests and expertise lie in both technical and non-technical aspects of computers， and academia has always been of great interest to me.” President Salem said that he is not only devoted to the research of software engineering， performance analysis and scalability of information technology， but also has experience in innovation， information technology ethics and other more dominant and humanized concepts. In his mind， academic teaching and industry development do not conflict with each other， and he has his own pursuit of both.

The University of Wollongong Dubai is just such a place that can satisfy his two pursuits. “ The University of Wollongong Dubai （UOWD）， located at the heart of the vibrant city of Dubai where all major international key players in the industry are located， presented to me a unique opportunity to pursue both my interests. I never looked back.”

In 2008， Salem served as the Dean of the School of Information Technology and was appointed Dean of the School of Engineering and Information Science at the end of 2009. Until 2015， he became the President of this school. He has witnessed most of the development of UOWD. Exerting his efforts， President Salem has accompanied UOWDs “infant” and “adolescent” periods. “We have grown immensely over the past 26 years – beginning with eight students in 1993 to currently more than 3，500 students.  We look forward to moving into our new campus later this year where we will have room for more.”Salem is also very pleased about the achievements of the university over the years.

As the President Salem said， at UOWD， you can not only learn technical subjects such as information technology， computer science， engineering， but also understand the non-technical aspects of these industries. UOWD offers not only science and engineering programs， but also business finance， media communication and other popular disciplines for international students.

Due to its native Australian ancestry， the university naturally has unique advantages in subject resources and academic qualifications. All students studying at UOWD do not need to travel to Australia and gain the same degree certificate as Wollongong， Australia. If they want to study in another environment， they can also take the exchange program to learn a part of courses in Australia.

“UOWD follows the Australian education system. However， we are triple accredited. This means that our degrees are accredited locally， regionally and internationally. “The President of Salem explained， “UOWD degrees come from Australia and are TEQSA Australia Quality-Assured degrees. On a local level， within the UAE， UOWD is accredited and attested by the highest bodies within the country – the Ministry of Higher Education （MOHE） UAE， Commission for Academic Accreditation （CAA） UAE and Knowledge and Human Development Authority （KHDA）， Dubai. “

Behind the triple accreditations are triple regulations. The Dubai campus is accredited by both the Australian and The UAE governments. President Salem is confident of this： “our university is heavily regulated to ensure the highest quality of degrees possible.”

Why study in Dubai

Studying at UOWD means learning and living in Dubai. The city is little-known to Chinese people but famous world widely. What kind of charm lets Dubai attract foreign students？ Will parents and students be satisfied with the answers in terms of learning environment， living habits， personal safety and so on？

President Salems answer is YES. “Dubai is a great city for students and graduates. With the advent of the internet and businesses going global， we live in a global village， and Dubai is a perfect example of this universal model. Citizens of more than a hundred nationalities have turned the city into a melting pot of culture and traditions.” he said. “ If you study in Dubai you can learn about multiculturalism， which is so valued in the professional world across multiple industry sectors.

At the same time， more than 80% of the foreign population contributes Dubais highly inclusive culture， which enables most of the foreign people to find their own lifestyle and cultural experience. Dubai， located in the center of the Middle East， is one of the most important transportation core cities in the world， just like a pearl inlaid in the Eurasian continent. Here， the busy airports welcome flights from and to all over the world， and endless vehicles transport people from all over the world. The mature system and perfect geographic location make international students convenient to take set out？ from here to explore the world.

“It is much easier to obtain a study visa for the UAE compared to America， the UK and Canada， making the study abroad process seamless.” When it comes to visa issues that many students worry about， President Salem is quite optimistic about the employment prospects of graduates in Dubai. “ Dubai is also one of the top five growing economies in the world and events such as Dubai Expo 2020 are creating more jobs in industry sectors such as hospitality， tourism， healthcare， manufacturing， transport and logistics. The city is also home to multinational organizations which pose great opportunities for young graduates. The UAEs regulatory authority has also opened up opportunities for graduates， as exceptional students are now able to get a visa for up to ten years， should they wish to remain in the country.”

President Salem， who has three young children studying in Dubai， fully understands the importance of safety for international students and their parents. “According to Crime Index 2019 by Numbo， The UAE is ranked as one of the top 3 safest country in the world and is also stable on politics. At the same time， Dubai is also quite welcoming to international students， so parents and students can rest assured that international students will be well taken care of here. “

Infiltration of international learning environment shapes the leadership advantage

Even with the fashion of globalization and internationalization， “seeing is believing” will never be out outdated. Experience in person is significant for one to give respect， to accept cultural difference， to seek common ground in the collision of distinct kinds of cultural thinking. When students step out of school and enter the society in the future， it will be their foundation to fully understand different civilizations and values in the world.

UOWD not only brings together international students from all over the world， but also forms a group of teachers from different cultures and fields. “UOWD takes pride in being a centre of excellence for learning and research. Today， we have a team of qualified academics who are not only leaders in their respective fields but are also helping shape the leaders of tomorrow. “ President Salem told Studying Abroad Magazine that UOWDs 104 professors come from 29 countries， including Australia， UK， US， India， Singapore， Europe and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. They are divided across three major faculties， including business and finance， engineering and computer science， humanities and social sciences. Speaking of the teaching team， President Salem is very confident about the internationalization and professional capabilities of the team. “As part of our accreditation requirements from the UAE Ministry of Education， all of our lecturers are PhD holders. To address the industry demand， currently， we have more than 30 PhDs involved in research activities across 100 different fields. “

In President Salems view， internationalization is reflected in all aspects of UOWD. For UOWD students， they can enjoy far more than the educational resources of the city of Dubai. In addition to the branch campus in Dubai， UOW has expanded to regions including Malaysia and Hong Kong SAR” . Students also stand to benefit from the UOW global family of educational institutions in Asia – thereby giving them access to a much wider network of resources and alumni. Globally recognized degrees that enhance the employment outcomes of UOWD graduates both in Dubai and internationally.”

Because of learning and working in many countries， President Salem believes that in highly competitive market， it is becoming increasingly crucial to stand out from the crowd. “When students are still in college， they will not be encouraged to pay attention solely on academics. In order to be considered more valuable by employers， students should participate in internships and volunteer activities willingly， trying to master their academic knowledge in their work， and develop their interchangeable skills in areas such as technology， communication， leadership and teamwork. “

Accordingly， in order to cultivate students literacy in these aspects， UOWD has a rigorous and comprehensive system to ensure that students receive continuous feedback from exams， essays， seminars， case studies， and assignments throughout the year. “These assessments also help our faculty to keep track of students progress in addition to offering course corrections where needed.” President Salem told Studying Abroad Magazine that the purpose of various assessments in the school is to optimize the curriculum and promote the overall quality of students. “Our Masters students also have the added advantage of participating in business pitches and industry engagements which help them to assimilate into the workplace.

Chinese students in Dubai

China in the 21st century is still on the road of reforming and opening. Nowadays， many students have regarded it as a common experience to study abroad in another country or region. In President Salems eyes， compared to studying in which country， Chinese students value more on the learning experience， the prospects after graduation， and helpfulness to career development.

“In our university， currently there are 150 Chinese students.  It is our fastest growing sector of students.  They are enrolled in both undergraduate and post graduate courses， the most popular degrees being MBA， Master of Business and Master of Education.” President Salem told Studying Abroad Magazine that with the further development of bilateral relations between China and The UAE， the number of Chinese students in the school has increased significantly in recent years， and Chinas status as a student source country is increasing as well. “We have signed agreements with multiple Chinese academic counsellors and regularly visit cities around China to meet with potential students.  China is our number one growth market and as Dubais Chinese population increases， so does demand for our degrees from Chinese students. The growing Chinese population in Dubai increases demand for our degrees. No doubt that China is our biggest growth market. “

Besides the currently available majors， President Salem also specifically mentioned that UOWD will launch new courses in 2020. “ There has also been an increased interest from Chinese students for our Global Executive Master in Luxury Management （GEMLux） Masters degree created in partnership with the prestigious Italian business school， Politecnico di Milanos Graduate School of Business （MIP）. Set to launch in August 2020， the degree caters to the growing worldwide luxury market， driven by increased spending from Chinese consumers. “

As an international Australian university based in Dubai， under the KHDA， Chinese students in UOWD receive visas on arrival and degrees are automatically verified by the Chinese Service Centre for Scholarly Exchange （CSCSE） and the Ministry of Education in China.  Therefore， Students dont need to worry about the degree verification after graduation.

As The UAE s second largest trading partner， China， which has proposed “the Belt and Road” initiative， also attaches great importance to political and economic relations with The UAE. “More than 4，000 Chinese companies operate in The UAE and their headquarters are in Dubai， including technology giants Huawei， Tencent and HORNOR. Chinese students will play an important role in the economic growth of The UAE nation in the future. As the China - UAE bilateral relations strengthen seeing an influx of Chinese businesses grow as well as Chinese visitors to the region. The need for qualified graduates with Dual English/Mandarin language skills is extremely advantageous in the UAE.”

Speaking about this topic， President Salem said that Chinese students can find suitable internships or jobs in Dubai， which is easier to achieve in UOWD. “We also have agreements in place to provide graduate students and interns with companies such as Huawei， which has an office located directly opposite our current campus.”