<p>There’s a nice big juicy case going on in Dubai right now on a british couple that kissed too much or too overtly - either way, another restaurant customer complained. they were both expelled and now await sentencing.</p>
<p>Different parts of the world - different behavior - if you want to be there - adjust.
I have a serious problem with burkas, muslim disrespect towards women, people of different ethnicity and religious laws everywhere - and that includes the lovely catholic church, mormons, orthodox jews and born again christians who assure me I will absolutely die a horrible death on the day of judgement. I was born of a daughter of holocaust survivors - who were both convinced that if there was any god - it was not someone we could like or admire. I think my son will do well anywhere in the world and will respect the cultural customs around him. And I also trust him to speak out his mind if he thinks his environment is prejudiced and dangerous, and I know, really know, that he will not blindly do what is asked, demanded or expected of him. </p>
<p>“I have a serious problem with burkas, muslim disrespect towards women”</p>
<p>I live in a muslim country, and believe me, we, as muslims, respect women as an important part of our society, for Islam severely punishes disprespect towards women, men, children, animals, and the environment. I have a serious problem too with burqas, burqas are a manifestation of extremism, and some religion specialists said it was even “haram” (prohibited) to wear them. Such things shouldn’t be associated with islam, because islam is actually against them and has always been so.</p>
Exactly my point. NYUAD students need to know what they are committing to for four years–it’s not necessarily a WORSE environment but most definitely a DIFFERENT environment. That might be perfect for students, religious or non-religious, who don’t want to see PDA or skimpy dress.</p>
<p>abudhabi-mama, I’m interested to hear more about this theatre major. If your son is going to do two semesters ‘abroad’ in NYC, how will they integrate his program with the Tisch studios, and does he know which studio will be involved? From looking at the course offerings, this seems to be a program which focuses on the theoretical study of theatre, rather than an applied study. Has he thought about what he’ll do for summer work, will he remain there? For the typical summer work for many drama major students, summer stock will not be an option for him because he won’t be available for the audition process. Look forward to hearing more about this new program.</p>
<p>I just want to say that tonight, my D, a recent NYU Tisch Drama grad told me she was hired to perform at the opening of school for your NYU Abu Dhabi students. She thinks it will be a neat experience to go there (and be paid to do so). I did tell her that she should not kiss her BF (who is also performing with her) while there in public! :D</p>
<p>Hello, I’m going to be a science professor at NYU Abu Dhabi next fall and was wondering if any of you had questions. Just responding to the posts above, NYUAD will have a full set of science majors with plenty of undergrad. research opportunities across the various disciplines, and PDA will definitely not be an issue on campus. I’ve been there twice, AD is a fairly laid back place.</p>
<p>What made you decide to become a teacher at the abu dhabi campus and are you - as the students are - committed to four years? what science are you going to teach and are you adjusting your lessons to the area?</p>
<p>perhaps i should mention at this point that my husband films documentaries, my daughter is getting all her pre-requisites/internships together to study exotic animal training in moorpark, ca, and I actually have lots to do - other than being incurable curious about everything in life, including finding out as much as I can about the NYUAUD program of my son</p>
<p>I chose to go to NYU Abu Dhabi for several reasons. It is a rare opportunity to get involved in a college / university on the ground floor, to be actively involved in shaping both the academic and research programs of a school. Having spent my entire academic career at large research universities, I am also looking forward to being at a small liberal art college (inside a larger research university, therefore having the benefits of both). Second, it was a very good opportunity for my wife and I to live in and learn about an interesting region of the world neither of us had been to. I have a tenure-track junior faculty position, so I’ll be in Abu Dhabi for at least 5 years and hopefully much longer.</p>
<p>I just got our GC’s newsletter, where he wrote a little blurb about this opportunity. He attended an info session on it last spring (in NYC) and made it sound very exciting.</p>
<p>The UAE is indeed one of the more liberal and welcoming countries in the region- fairly open but not as open as others e.g., Egypt, Lebanon, etc.</p>
<p>AbuDhabi Mama, I think your son will benefit greatly from living abroad, especially in a country that features so much diversity. However, international universities in the region are not necessarily parallel to mother universities, or their counterparts in the west. They operate at a different level, and the academic standards and rigor are different (often times lower). If I may add, there’s significant censorship, free intellectual inquiry isn’t the norm and several topics are taboo. These can be especially limiting to students who want to study and major in the arts in particular, as opposed to IT or the sciences for example. With regards to PDA, it might go unnoticed or lead to some serious consequences.</p>
<p>The Gulf Region is an interesting place, the modernity of the country and life styles can be quite deceptive too. There’s alot of ambiguity, superficiality, inconsistency, sometimes flat out injustices. These do not compare well with the atmosphere at NYU NYC, academic and otherwise. IMHO, it would be great to do a semester or two in Abu Dhabi and study the rest in the US, not the other way around.</p>
<p>I have lived in the UAE before and have first hand experience with higher ed models there, both domestic and foreign.</p>
<p>@ ottimista : You are absolutely correct that many of the international schools which opened campuses inside the UAE have had problems maintaining standards (I believe I read in the National yesterday that two international schools in Dubai have been threatened with closure for this reason) and censorship. I believe that NYU Abu Dhabi will be different for several reasons (if I didn’t think this would be the case, I wouldn’t be working there):</p>
<p>(1) All of the international universities in the UAE have really focused on recruiting students who currently reside in the UAE or in the neighboring countries. NYU Abu Dhabi is doing a truly global student recruitment. Talking with some professors at UAE universities when I was last there, they said that the regional high schools are quite poor in math, science, and English which hurts the caliber of their incoming students. This not a problem for any of the students I’ve met who have been accepted into NYU Abu Dhabi, they are definitely the caliber of Ivy League students in the US (and having gone to an Ivy League school for both my undergraduate and graduate work, I know what this level).</p>
<p>(2) NYU Abu Dhabi is going to be within a Cultural Zone, defined by a UAE law, which allows for academic and internet freedom inside its campus (which includes the classroom building, dormatory, and lab building). Protocols have already been worked out for importing books, etc. of a sensitive nature to NYU Abu Dhabi that wouldn’t necessarily be allowed elsewhere.</p>
<p>These two features should hopefully solve the quality control and censorship issues that trouble the other international colleges and universities present in the UAE.</p>
<p>The way you describe it, this would be the first model of its kind- the success of which remains to be seen. Certainly a major risk on the part of students.</p>
<p>The other issue I have is the funding part. From what you’re describing, the majority of Ivy caliber students will need to be recruited from outside the UAE. Although there’s a good number of high schoolers who get into Ivy schools from the UAE (though mostly expats), a lot of work needs to be done to the educational system in order for most students to even consider applying to good post secondary institutions. How long is UAE govt going to support NYU AD financially? This is critical considering the fact that the university won’t necessarily be catering to UAE nationals. Why should the UAE continue to invest such substantial money just to house an international university that serves very few, if any, of its students? </p>
<p>I expect one of two things to happen sometime in the future: Either NYU AD is pressured to accept graduates from these same poor quality high schools to serve the nationals- which would necessitate lowering standards and modifying the institution’s culture. Alternatively, the funds allocated to support NYU AD begin to dwindle or stop altogether. Both scenarios would be deterimental. </p>
<p>The UAE puts great value on promoting its nationals. As soon as the honeymoon is over and its crystal clear that the majority of the UAE sons and daughters can’t benefit directly from NYU AD, expect some drastic changes in attitude and support. I’ve mentioned else where on this forum that there’s considerable unpredictability in the UAE, and agreements sometimes aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. It would be interesting to see how this evolves. </p>
<p>nyuadprof: as a long time resident of the UAE (and US national) and the region one of your comments struck me as needing a response. “pda will not be an issue”
If the school is to truly work then the students need to fit in to and respect the society in which they live. If the university flaunts disrespect of basic mores it will become at odds with the environment. Abu Dhabi is NOT Dubai. It is much more conservative in dress and behavior. Even the cultural enclave is still under HH Sheikh Khalifa’s rule.
It is a monarchy; it is autocratic. There is a lot of good here and much to learn and enjoy but civil rights are not the same as US children are brought up to expect; and for the OP who said she expects her son to voice his disapproval: she may want to counsel him to do that at home or in the privacy of his room not in public.</p>
<p>I think there is a huge opportunity here for these students to learn, to grow in a different environment; but the largest part of that would be to accept that it is a different environment with different rules and live with in them. My children have grown up here; had a first rate education and gone on to universities in the states. Their experiences could not be duplicated and the value of them not measured. But we have lived with in the society; not at odds with it as I have seen other American expats live.</p>
<p>I think this is a great opportunity for all. While you are there, go out into the desert; learn the culture; visit in the region and drink lots of water!</p>
<p>Thank you ottimisma and expatme - and nyuadprof. It is clear that a lot of the success of the program will depend on the capavities of the ‘free zone’ and the real world to relate to each other. My son has travelled a lot, and his trip to Egypt in 2000 was instrumental in wanting to go to the Middle East. Professor Polendo says the can go for a year to New York and do only theater and really get his ass kicked there, but there will be also enough classes at NYUAD and special theater workshops in Singapore!<br>
I really do not know any sane parents who would wish for their kids to become an actor, or how to learn acting - but very wide exposure can only help</p>
<p>We are looking into different news sources in the middle east (always read from all sides) what is your opinion on alarabia.net - I saw some fair articles in there (i.e. not completely pro us/israel, nor violently opposed)</p>
<p>what about this from their FAQ’s:
38. Will Israeli students be admitted to NYUAD, and will Israeli faculty be recruited?
NYU Abu Dhabi will hire faculty and recruit students on the basis of outstanding academic and creative qualifications and potential. NYU Abu Dhabi will not discriminate on the basis of national origin in its admissions and hiring practices. As in the U.S., individuals invited to attend any educational institution in the U.A.E. must lawfully enter the country under prevailing local immigration laws. The U.A.E. does not have diplomatic relations with Israel and therefore does not recognize Israeli passports for the purposes of entry into the country. NYU is committed, however, to working to facilitate the participation of all NYU Abu Dhabi faculty and students.</p>
<p>Sounds like nobody with an Israeli passport can attend. Will that also apply to Israeli citizens of non-Jewish origin?</p>