New campus for UoWD ‘soon’

Record enrolments and a big demand in higher education have set the ball rolling for Professor Mohamed Salem, the new president of the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UoWD). Professor Salem started as an assistant professor in computer science and engineering in 2004. He has since worked in different capacities with one of Dubai’s most popular private varsities. Looking at new ways to build on the university’s success and popularity with students, Professor Salem speaks with Khaleej Times on the road ahead for UoWD. Excerpts from the interview:

What has been the major success driver for UoWD?

The major success of UoWD is its ability to create 8,000 alumni and its ability to contribute to the human resource needs of the country. It has been actively contributing in research. We work with high schools to develop student skills before they transition to university life. In 1993, we were the first international university to enter the UAE. We really brought higher education to this country. Almost 50 per cent of our students do postgraduate studies. These are key strengths of our educational offering.

How has Dubai’s positioning as a regional education hub helped UoWD?

The number of students is increasing in Dubai because it is becoming known as an education hub. Students from all over the world are coming here to study. Earlier, it was just a hub for business and logistics. Now, it is a hub for knowledge. Also, the population of the country is increasing and the number of high schools students has been increasing. There has also been an increase in the number of students coming back to university to get further degrees.

What is the road ahead for UoWD?

We want to grow the university while preserving its reputation of high quality. We would like to see the university go beyond engineering and business studies. Humanities, social sciences and health will be the areas to focus on. We want to consolidate our engineering programmes by offering more specialisations. In the UAE, there are a lot of areas where a big gap in education has been felt. I would like to see a stronger research component because the stronger your focus on research, the better your teaching and contribution to the country. We also plan to restructure our business programmes by providing stronger foundation and pathway options. We may propose a master degree specialisation in Islamic Banking in the near future.

Do you see a shift in the type of course offerings moving forward?

Dubai and the UAE are going to play a larger role as an educational hub in the region. There is a growing need moving forward. Traditional offerings may be less in demand. We started with a language training programme before moving into an MBA programme. We brought the first degree in quality management in the country. You cannot change the core learning areas but build innovative areas of learning.

Does UOWD plan to build its own purpose-built campus in Dubai?

We are seriously looking at the option of building our own campus. The board is very interested in the idea. We are assessing our needs and in less than five years, we will have our own campus. We have our eye on a very interesting location.

muaz@khaleejtimes.com