Lectures on a Train in Israel

Not really socio-political as our usual postings, but interesting none-the-less.

Affirmative Action Policies in Israel

This is an interesting article discussing affirmative action policies in Israel. The focus is to reach out to underrepresented populations in universities in Israel including women, Mizrahi Jews and Arabs and students from lower socioeconomic classes.

Qatar Stages a Global Education Summit With Flash and Dazzle

Qatar us hosting what it hopes will be a regular conference on education.  Apart from the details of the conference itself, I think this effort falls into a theme we've discussed in class of wealthy Middle Eastern states and/or monarchs essentially buying they're way onto the world stage of education.

Preparing Women for Careers in Business and Finance

AMIDEAST is an educational organization that assists students from the Middle East in learning about study abroad programs and increasing educational opportunities for students in the Middle East. This is an interesting article about a new corporate partnership with HSBC to advance Arab women in the fields of business and finance.

Exporting higher education: Offshore campuses in the Middle East

A very contemporary article about the exporting of higher education into the Middle East.  Here's the abstract:

This paper maps the landscape of transnational higher education in the Middle East, as part of the Ford Foundation of Cairo project on University Governance and Autonomy in the Changing Landscape of Higher Education in the Arab World. From Education City in Doha to New York University in Abu Dhabi, foreign universities are expanding their professional schools, building new campuses, exporting faculty, staff and students and creating a myriad of partnerships throughout the Middle East, and in particular the Gulf states. Of the estimated 100 branch campuses currently operating world-wide, over half are in the Arab region and the majority have opened within the last decade. Very little research has been conducted on these new institutions, raising many questions for education researchers. Why has this new phenomenon of transnational higher education grown so quickly and become so popular in the Arab states? What impact are foreign models of higher education (best practices in governance, academic freedom and curriculum) having on national higher education policy in the host country? This draft paper suggests that this phenomenon can best be understood not only through the lens of globalization, as many scholars have argued, but also in the context of theories of educational transfer. We also raise questions for further inquiry.

West Bank Student Denied Access to University by Israel

This is a sad, but unfortunately not surprising, story about how an Israeli crackdown on migration between Gaza and the West Bank for Palestinians has impacted college matriciculation.  I think it's an interesting follow-up to my previous post about education being the best weapon against terrorism.  Also, another example of how geo-political issues impact higher education in largely unintended ways.

Terrorism in Pakistan Aimed at Higher Education

This is an article from The Chronicle (a link, not an upload) about terrorist bombings in Pakistan that have shut down almost all institutions of higher education in the country.  Of particular interest is the comment left by a reader about how education the most effective 'weapon' against terrorism.

Interesting Article on the new King Abdullah University

An interesting examination of leadership challenges as a new university is built in Saudi Arabia.

A Full Online Magazine Dealing with Education in the Middle East Region

The Institute for International Education publishes an online (and print) magazine focusing on educational issues in the Middle East.  This link is for the latest issue.

Improving the Management of Quality Assurance in the Arab Region Conference

I came across the website for the Arab Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ANQAHE). They just had a conference this past weekend (through today) on how to improve quality assurance between local agencies and institutions. Here is a link of the agenda. It looks like they are discussing many of the same issues that we have been discussing in class. I thought it was interesting that they brought in speakers from around the world (beyond the middle east) to inform their conversation.

Faculty Mobility in Israel

As we discuss faculty mobility this week, I thought you may find this article interesting.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Israel) was shown data demonstrating a brain drain issue with faculty and academics going abroad and not returning to Israel. He has now created a Committee to address the issue and secure funding to lure faculty to stay in Israel. He uses the term "vacuum" in his article when referring to designing a body to attract faculty back to institutions in Israel.

Earlier articles show that 25% of academics leave Israel . (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/939846.html). It seems like this issue has been discussed over the last few years in Israel under different leadership.

American and Palestinian Institutions to Partner

This is a news article about the partnership between Bard College from the US and al-Quds University in the West Bank. In addition to being another example of international partnerships between institutions, there is an added wrinkle in that the degrees awarded will be from Bard College. Apart from the general prestige of American institutions that we've discussed in class previously, there is a political advantage as Israel does not recognize degrees from al-Quds, but would degrees from Bard. Not quite a quality assurance issue, but another example of how the imprimatur of an American institution is advantageous on the global scene.

Complexity in Quality Assurance in a Rapidly Growing Free Economic Environment: A UAE Case Study

I found this article to be particularly relevant to this weeks readings. It concerns the UAE attemts to address the issue of accreditation for its relatively new higher education system and discusses the topic from a cross-border higher education framework. It is interesting to see the challenges they are facing and the structure they are developing in response.

Foreign Universities and Students in Israel

Here is a page from the Israeli Embassy about the various kinds of institutions from outside the country that have a formal presence in Israel.  Interestingly inlcuded are public universities, private non-profits, for profits and, of course, Jewish theology schools.  Also interesting are the number of domestic Israeli institutions that have formal programs for international students to attend in-country.  I think this site is a great illustration of the student mobility issues that we will be discussing in a few weeks.

The Road Not Traveled: Education Reform in the Middle East and North Africa

Here is a comprehensive report from 2007 discussing the links between education and labor in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA):

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTMENA/Resources/EDU_Flagship_Full_ENG.pdf

Distance Learning in the Arab Region

This is an interesting paper on the development of distance learning in the Arab States. Professor Amel Ahmed Hassan Mohamed discusses the benefits of distance learning for the region and also does a nice job in outlining the issues. Not surprisingly, one of the issues discussed at length is quality assurance.

Higher Education and Collaboration in Global Context: Building a Global Civil Society

This is not specific to Arab States, but here is an interesting report:

http://www.international.ac.uk/resources/Final%20Report.pdf

Does a Muslim University in the United States Count as Globalization?

Does a Muslim university in the United States count as globalization? I think so. While Islam is not a foreign cutlure or nation exerting influence in the United States through this institution, it will be interesting to watch as this college develops with an emphasis on Arabic and Islamic studies since so many other institutions were founded with a Christian mission.

As we discussed in class, there is concern that an inevitable result of Western-style institutions in non-Western nations would be a kind of cultural imperialism. Zaytuna College may be an example of a non-Western institution taking hold in the most Western of all nations.

It is also interesting to note the demographics that create a market for such an institution. The migration of people and of culture will impact institutions on a national level, regardless of transnational efforts in Higher Education.

The Arab Regional Conference on Higher Education (ARCHE+10)

This link leads to the website for The Arab Regional Conference on Higher Education which was held in Cairo, Egypt in June 2009. This conference was sponsored by UNESCO and addressed issues relevant to the region's efforts to expand its higher education opportunities. The website contains links to conference papers, national reports, and final recommendations. The ARCHE+10 is a good example of regional efforts to create a cooperative climate where resources and knowledge can be exchanged.

A Community College in Qatar

This is an article about a new community college in the Middle East (Qatar) scheduled to open in late 2009. Given the focus on community colleges in the U.S. currently, I thought this was interesting timing for this institution type to gain traction in the Middle East. It's a unique vision for a new type of community college and also demonstrates that this is a challenge in education beyond our United States borders.

List of universities in the Middle East

This a directory of universities in the middle east. As we post articles related to education, this should be a good resource to become familiar with institutional life in this region.

Bridging East and West at the American University of Cairo

In this article, the president of the American University of Cairo talks about leading an American-style institution in the Middle East.  I think this interview is particularly apt in light of our conversation in class today about the potential colonialism of Western-style universities in non-Western contexts.

Welcome to the Higher Education in the Arab States Blog

Greetings!
Welcome to our blog focusing on higher education issues in the Middle East and the Arab States.  Here we hope to post scholarly articles, news items, media clips and thoughtful commentary for the benefit of the "Globalization and Higher Education Reforms" course at New York University.  We look forward to conversing with you.
Sincerely,
Mike, Christina, Paula and Mike