What inspired you to work for American University of Sharjah (AUS)?
Quite honestly, I was inspired by the desire to have a new adventure! My family and I had been living just outside of Wellington, New Zealand for seven years, and for a variety of reasons, we were all feeling ready to try something new. I attended a party thrown by an Egyptian colleague from Victoria University in Wellington, and she told me that she had been discussing sabbatical opportunities with this interesting, young university in the UAE, i.e. American University of Sharjah!
Linda and Students Dress Traditionally for IXO Farewell Dinner
She knew we were thinking about making a big move, and she told me she thought that they would be interested in someone with my background. So I contacted them, had a phone interview, visited the university, and next thing you know, my family and I are heading off to the great unknown! That was eleven years ago, and we have never looked back.
Life here never has a dull moment, always an interesting adventure, and we learn new things about the Arab world, the UAE, ourselves, and our own culture every single day. I started out as an Associate Professor of Operations and Project Management within the School of Business Administration, but jumped at the opportunity that arose a couple of years later to found a brand new International Exchange Office within AUS. This has been my dream job, and I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to participate in the life-changing international experiences of so many students, faculty, and colleagues from around the world.
How does American University of Sharjah (AUS) differ from other universities in UAE?
AUS is a private, independent, not-for-profit, co-educational university offering an American-accredited style of education, with English language of instruction, but also embracing the Arab culture. These qualities definitely set it apart from other universities in the UAE.
The Emirate of Sharjah is known for its beautiful, park-like University City area, filled with an assortment of home grown, private, not-for-profit academic institutions, many of them envisioned and led by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qassimi, member of the UAE Supreme Council, Ruler of Sharjah, and President of the AUS Board of Trustees. His Highness is passionate about higher education and about preserving and protecting the Arab culture.
American University of Sharjah, which celebrated its 20th anniversary only last year, has enjoyed and benefited from the long-standing support and encouragement of His Highness, and is currently launching two new doctoral programs, an R&D park, and a technology incubator.
Linda and Students Enjoy Dhow Cruise in Musandam, Oman
What makes AUS one of the best places to study abroad?
AUS offers a wonderful study abroad destination for a variety of reasons:
1. Excellent Academic Programs, Easy Credit Transfer, Comfortable Home Base: We offer an American-system education, fully accredited in the US by the Middle States’ Commission. Our Engineering programs are all ABET-accredited, our business programs are all AACSB-accredited, and our Architecture program is NAAB-accredited. Our credits, semester dates, etc. all align with the typical for US institutions. Our programs are all English-language of instruction and co-educational. Our campus is fully self-contained, containing a grocery store, post-office, bank, health clinic, pharmacy, convenience stores, etc. Our University City neighborhood is surrounded by restaurants and cafes that deliver to campus, as well as various grocery stores, malls, and hospitals. We are located just across the street from Sharjah International Airport, and approximately 20-minutes' drive from Dubai International Airport.
2. Diversity of our students and faculty. AUS was just rated as the university with the highest percentage of international students in the world by Times Higher Education, for the second year in a row. Seventeen percent of our 6,000 students are Emirati Nationals, and the rest come from over 100 different nationalities across the Arab/Islamic world and beyond. If students have an interest in the Middle East, the Arab world, Islam - what better place to study? They can certainly expect to learn about the Emirati and Gulf Arab Culture, but they will also be immersed in the full spectrum of the Arab/Islamic world.
3. Location - Constant pace of change and development. We always talk about the importance of teaching students to operate in a constantly changing environment. What better place to gain experience in doing so? The UAE is a work-in-progress with an inspiring vision and so much energy. Constant change is the norm, in almost every possible way (culturally, environmentally, economically, the built environment, etc.).
Linda and Students by the Burj Al Arab, Dubai
4. Location - Centrality within the world, and within the Emirates. The UAE is literally in the center of the world map. We are surrounded by wonderful international airports and airlines with direct flights to almost any major city in the world. Students are able to travel and explore the globe so easily, from the UAE as a base. Within the UAE, AUS holds a very central location. And from our campus, we have access to at least three very different cultures. 20 minutes out our front gate in one direction brings you to the glitzy, glittery city of Dubai, which embraces the future with abandon; 20 minutes out of our front gate in a slightly different direction brings you to downtown Sharjah, celebrated by UNESCO (1998) and ISESCO (2014) as the Cultural Capital of the Arab and Islamic World.
Sharjah is a traditional Arab city where most of the development is about preserving and protecting the Arab and Islamic culture. In addition, Sharjah contains wonderful, world-class museums and academic institutions. Finally, twenty minutes out our back gate and you find yourself in the open desert, with archaeological digs from the Iron age, and shortly afterwards the Hajj mountains (running South through Oman) and just after the mountains, the Indian Ocean Coast. Three extremely different cultures and environments within 20 minutes of our campus!
5. Peace, Safety and Security. The UAE enjoys very low levels of property crime, and very low levels of violent crime. Women especially can feel extraordinarily safe and secure here. The AUS Campus is self-contained with strong security and a Police College located just outside its front gates. I have lived here on campus for 11 years now and I can tell you that I have never felt safer living anywhere in my life.
Linda Celebrates the Holidays with International Exchange Office (IXO) Team
How has AUS evolved since 1997? What new things do you have planned for 2018 and beyond?
Upon its founding in 1997, AUS focused on building a strong and reputable undergraduate program offering a wide variety majors and minors in engineering, business, architecture, art and design, and arts and sciences, underscored by a strong foundation in general education. Throughout its first 20 years, AUS continued to add undergraduate and Master’s-level programs, to build its student, faculty and staff bodies, to develop its campus and facilities, and achieve top-notch American accreditations, programs, and processes. We are extremely proud of all that we accomplished in those first twenty years!
During our next twenty years, AUS plans to focus on becoming the premier research institution within the Gulf Arab Region. We are launching doctoral programs, developing the internal research capacity of our faculty, strengthening our internal infrastructure for research support, opening up high tech research centers, developing our new R&D park just adjacent to our existing campus, and in general working to develop new technologies, and launch new business and industry within the UAE and across the Arab world.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I love my job! I feel so fortunate and honored to be able to facilitate and participate in the life-changing international experience of so many students and colleagues from around the world. My favorite part of the job is welcoming our outgoing study abroad students back to AUS upon the completion of their international experience. These students return so filled with enthusiasm, self-confidence, new insights and understandings—there is simply nothing more rewarding than knowing that I have been a part of that.
