Understanding Why Few American Students Study Abroad: Evolllution: April 18, 2023 by Dean Hoke. Study abroad can be extremely beneficial but there’s many barriers in the way. Higher ed institutions must make study abroad more widely accessible as a service to their learners and their community.
Why Should Universities in Mena Region Focus on Market Research? Higher Education Digest October 30, 2021 by Dr. Senthil Nathan Universities and academics are often accused of living in ivory towers. An ivory tower, according to Oxford Languages, is “a state of privileged seclusion or separation from the facts and practicalities of the real world.” For those who straddle the world of academia and industry, this is often apparent – but not so for those who are entrenched within the four walls of the universities.
B School Opportunities in the Middle East: Higher Education Digest: June 1, 2021 by Dean Hoke Of the 28,000 higher education institutions worldwide, business degrees have been the most popular academic program for students and employers. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) states more than 16,000 schools worldwide offer business degrees. This is also the case in the 17 Middle East countries where there are approximately 700 post-secondary institutions.
How the pandemic accelerated the Gulf’s edtech revolution: ComputerWeekley.com: May 27, 2021 by Alicia Buller featuring Dr. Senthil Nathan The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital learning technologies in the Gulf region’s education sector
The Middle East Needs a World-Class Blended Learning University: Higher Education Digest: October 14, 2020 by Dr. Senthil Nathan There has been a small silver lining in these dark clouds of pandemic across the world. Most of the 2 billion+ students, faculty and administrators – in the developed world, emerging economies and even poor nations – have gone thru the first-hand experience of online education.
International Enrollment in the United States will experience a major decline due to COVID-19: Edu Alliance Journal: June 29, 2020 by Dean Hoke. Edu Alliance on June 6-12 surveyed university President’s and senior cabinet-level officers in which we asked the question, Do you expect at your university this fall a decline in enrolled international students? We received sixty-one responses representing eight countries and over 1.25 million students.
Next Steps for Online Learning Courses: Measuring Learning, Prevent Cheating: Al Fanar Media: May 26, 2020 by Burton Bollag With higher education forced online following the closing of virtually all campuses to stop the spread of the coronavirus, educators across the Arab region have been grappling with a new challenge—how to determine what students have learned. Dr. Senthil Nathan of Edu Alliance discusses the challenges
Where Does Higher Education Go from Here?: Al Fanar Media: May 11, 2020 Opinion Piece by Dr. Senthil Nathan Higher education leaders in the Middle East are generally upbeat about the results of the experiment in online learning that the Covid-19 pandemic forced on them, but many say the experience also exposed a number of problems that need to be addressed.
Building Faculty for the Future: Edu Alliance Journal: March 9, 2020 by Dr. Chet Haskell Less commonly acknowledged is the need to assure that institutions have the faculties they need for an uncertain future. Yet, in many ways continuing to attract, build, and support a faculty of quality appropriate for an institution is an absolute prerequisite for addressing most of the other problems.
Emirates’ Strong Research Growth is Charted by New Study: Al Fanar Media: February 13, 2020 by Benjamin Plackett A new analysis has retrospectively examined close to 40,000 academic papers published in English worldwide by United Arab Emirates researchers between 1998 and 2017 to chart the rapid rise of research produced in that country over the past two decades. Dr. Nathan discusses the growth in the UAE.
United Arab Emirates woos scientists with new visa: Chemical and Engineering News: February 10, 2020 by Benjamin Plackett In a rare move to relax immigration rules, the United Arab Emirates announced a new visa for scientists last year. Now, a government official has revealed that the country has already handed out thousands of these “golden visas.” Dr. Senthil Nathan of Edu Alliance discusses the impact
Growing a President – A Personal Journey, the path less traveled: Edu Alliance Journal: February 10, 2020 by Tom Davisson. Who and how a person becomes a university president has always been something of an enigma, and what are their day-to-day activities? The answer is generally as varied as the number of presidents. Each President has their own unique journey to the position, here is my path.
College Administrators Answer: “What Keeps You Awake at Night” Edu Alliance Journal: July 16, 2019 Opinion Piece by Dean Hoke. Being a leader of a university, college or an entire system has always been difficult and comes with real pressure, but during the past few years, I see a new level of urgency and complexity exist that I had not seen before.
Top US visa official plays down ‘scary’ Trump rhetoric and urges UAE students to study in America: The National: September 18, 2018 by News Staff A senior United States official has encouraged more students from the UAE to consider studying in America, against a backdrop of what critics say is increasingly hostile rhetoric by the Trump administration. Edu Alliance C-Founder Dr. Senthil Nathan argued the decline in numbers could well continue.
Strengthening Mexican public service education and governmental capacity through international affiliation : Journal of Public Affairs Education: March 6, 2018: by Dr. Chet Haskell & Guillermo Hernandez. This article examines public service education in Mexico for a strategy for international engagement with NASPAA.
Academic accreditation, quality and meeting student needs: Al Fanar Media; February 8, 2018 Opinion article by Dr. Chet Haskell. Students should look more closely at any program or institution in which they may be interested states Edu Alliance Partner Dr. Chester Haskell.
Up to 15% annual growth in enrolment for Masters programmes: Gulf News; February 3, 2018 by Samihah Zaman. Because of the growing demand for graduate education among working professionals in the UAE, the number and range of programmes are the rise. In fact, a wide range of Masters degrees are already on offer in the UAE, Dr Senthil Nathan, managing director and co-founder of educational consultancy Edu Alliance, told Gulf News.
Majority of delegates expect value for money in public-private partnerships: The Gulf Today; January 16, 2018 by Matovu Abdallah Twaha. The question was raised in the session; “PPPs: A Catalyst for Reform or Commercialisation of a Public Service?” moderated by the Managing Director and Co-founder of Edu Alliance Ltd, Dr Senthil Nathan.
Number of UAE students choosing to study in US drops, report shows: The National; January 1, 2018 by Roberta Pennington. Dean Hoke, co-founder of Edu Alliance, said a combination of factors have contributed to the decreasing number of students. “Certainly the social and political climate has created a chilling effect on Middle East students coming to the United States to study,”
UAE Universities to be rated in bid to boost quality: The National; December 13, 2017 by Roberta Pennington. The Ministry of Education will soon be issuing a star rating to all licensed colleges and universities, as part of the National Higher Education Strategy 2030. The star rating is one of four initiatives of the national strategy meant to raise the quality of post-secondary education and research across the country.
Prestige and the weak pound draw wealthy Arabs to UK schools: Arab News; August 13, 2017 by Alicia Buller: Enrollment of Middle East students to Britain’s top public schools is on the rise, as the country’s leading educational establishments draw an increasing mix of international pupils. According to Dean Hoke, the UK education system is reaping the spoils of being a major influence in the GCC region “for the past 150 years”.
Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030; Universities are the Key Business Voice; Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce; May 22, 2017: Building a knowledge-based economy is central to Abu Dhabi’s Economic Vision 2030. As such, Abu Dhabi is promoting the growth of universities, as well as doing tie-ups with major players such as MIT to advance education in the Emirate. Note article in PDF format
RAS AL KHAIMAH tightens rules for free zone universities The National; May 20, 2017 by Melanie Swan: Rules governing universities and colleges in the emirate’s academic free zone are being tightened to protect students. Until now, a business could open a university in the free zone in Ras Al Khaimah without any guarantee of quality, accreditation or even provision of qualifications.
Unfriendly US Policies Toward Arab Region Threaten Student Flows Al Fanar Media; April 13, 2017 by Dean Hoke: The days of increased enrollment of international students, especially those from the Middle East, may be quickly coming to an end. Nearly 40 percent of the more than 250 institutions that participated in a recent survey reported a decline in international student applications from the Arab world.
Bold Move: merger of three UAE universities QS News; November 8, 2016 by QS Asia: The Abu Dhabi Executive Council headed by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, crown prince of Abu Dhabi, and chairman of the Council, passed a motion to merge Khalifa University, Masdar Institute, and the Petroleum Institute. Abu Dhabi Government stated: “The move is aimed at marshalling resources more efficiently while building on the universities’ achievements and setting the unified institute among the world’s best.”
UAE Higher Education: The Struggle for Quality Al Fanar Media; September 22, 2016 by Burton Bollag: After two decades of explosive growth of its higher education sector, the oil-rich United Arab Emirates has become the biggest international higher education hub in the world. But a new study points to serious shortcomings in the country’s universities and colleges.
The virtues of management by walking around The National; September 3, 2016 by Dean Hoke: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, appears to be a person who practises “management by walking around”, a style of management described in the 1982 best-selling book called In Search of Excellence, written by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman.
UAE University to admit non-Emirati students for first time The National; August 10, 2016 by Melanie Swan: UAE University will admit non-Emirati undergraduate students for the first time since it was founded in 1976. The move by the country’s first university has been welcomed by experts, who said diversity would be good for the institution – and its students.
Study calls quality of UAE’s higher education into question The National; July 27, 2016 by Melanie Swan: The quality of the UAE’s higher education system has been deemed “debatable” in a new paper examining the country’s efforts in research, teaching and student recruitment.
NYUAD graduates work to set themselves apart from the rest The National; May 16, 2016 by Melanie Swan: It is one of the best universities in the region yet its graduates struggle to find work – at least in the UAE. Since opening in 2010, New York University Abu Dhabi has competed for students with some of the world’s best institutions. This year it admitted only 3 per cent of applicants – all with credentials rivalling those accepted by Ivy League colleges. But employers’ perceptions of the value of degrees make it difficult for graduates to find employment in the UAE, particularly for foreign students.
UAE’s Dh 100m reading fund will help boost literacy, say experts The National; May 3, 2016 by Melanie Swan & Roberta Pennington: The National Policy for Reading and its accompanying Dh100 million reading fund has been hailed as the kick-start the nation needs to boost literacy.
UAE Educators gives cautious welcome to Ministry merger The National; February 9, 2016 by Melanie Swan & Nadeem Hanif: Experts have mixed views on the impending merger of the ministries of education and higher education, raising questions over details that have yet to be finalised. Dean Hoke, co-principal of Edu Alliance, a consultancy, said the “most significant changes in recent memory” would be positive for the education sector, because it would enhance the Government’s ability to promote and direct lifelong learning.
More Arab Region Universities Offer Blended Learning US News and World Report; November 10, 2015 by Anayat Durrani: The use of blended learning is becoming more common at Arab region universities, and can prove an added benefit to traditional learning for Arab international students studying in the region.
Why 25 UAE Colleges Will Close by 2025 English Version Al Fanar; October 4, 2015 by Dean Hoke: In April 2014, Michael McDonald of Bloomberg wrote an article with the headline “Small U.S. Colleges Battle Death Spiral as Enrollment Drops” in which he described the decline of small U.S. colleges and universities. He pointed out some disturbing facts:
UAE Universities must take charge of their own futures The National; September 30, 2015 by Dean Hoke: In the US, the number of private four-year colleges that have closed or were acquired doubled from about five a year before 2008 to about 10 in the four years to 2011. The statement was based on a study in 2013 by researchers at Vanderbilt University.
It’s Time to Shut Down Fake Universities Al Fanar; May 31, 2015 by Dean Hoke: “The university made itself look so genuine I never suspected a thing,” said R. Srivastava, who is employed by a Dubai hospital with a Ph.D. in quality management from Midtown University.
A Degree of Illegitimacy: 999 Magazine UAE Ministry of Interior; April 10, 2015 by Paige Aarhus: Bogus Online Universities with their sleek websites, Bombastic Accreditation Claims & Clever Sales Pattern Remain a Growing Menace for Students in the Middle East.
Abu Dhabi University seeking US accreditation to raise standards. The National; April 8, 2015 by Melanie Swan: The emirate’s largest private university is seeking US accreditation to raise its standards. Abu Dhabi University is under review by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, which visited the campus in November and made recommendations to move ADU towards the benchmarks.
Omani students banned from two UAE universities. The National; February 26, 2015 by Salam Al Amir: Students from Oman have been barred from enrolling at two UAE higher education institutions, according to a statement from Oman’s ministry of higher education.
World’s Largest University is Scamming Students, Investigation Reveals The Chronicle of Higher Education & Al Fanar; February 25, 2015 by Benjamin Plackett: A global network of fraudulent online universities is using high-pressure sales tactics and phony scholarships to extract money from students who end up with worthless degrees. Graduate schools and potential employers who check degrees would not accept qualifications from the institutions in this network, leaving any graduates from the institutions unable to move on in their professional or academic careers.
UAE Students warned against fake university courses. The National; January 31, 2015 by Melanie Swan: Students have been warned not to fall for scam advertisements on social-media websites offering bogus online degrees from non-existent universities. Facebook and LinkedIn are two sites being used to promote fake courses, which often claim to be accredited to ministries or even real universities abroad
Edu Alliance Journal 