The American University of Ras Al Khaimah (Aurak), in the United Arab Emirates, has dismissed two-thirds of its management and is overhauling its programs, reports The National newspaper. The university was “overflooded” with highly paid staff “all doing the same job,” said Shaukat Mirza, Aurak’s new president. The university was set up in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in 2005 as a branch campus of George Mason University. It closed three years later due to budget disagreements between the government and the university. It was reopened as Aurak in 2009. The university, which now has 72 students, has struggled to increase its student body. Mr. Mirza said the institution is hiring new faculty members and plans to establish three new degrees in education and leadership, computer and information systems, and management.
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2 Responses to American University of Ras Al Khaimah Dismisses 2/3 of Administrators
eamomara - August 15, 2010 at 11:15 pm
Will commentators please wake up and stop speaking of this shoddy, dubious institution as an ‘American university’? It is nothing of the sort. George Mason’s series of own goals in Ras al-Khaimah have been well documented on other websites. They never had any control over what was happening in their name, whatever they may have tried to pretend to the American public. One of the few sensible things they did was to dismiss an incompetent locally hired admimistrator who had been foisted on them. His name was Mirza…the same one who has now been styled ‘president’ of a university. This pathetic clown could not manage a shawarma stall (and anyone who has actually been to the Middle East will know what I mean). So please do not report his words as if they had any credibility or substance.Where will the bogus ‘American’ university hire its new staff from? At rates which any decent western academic would scorn? Why from India, where else?Wake up and smell the coffee.
eamomara - August 20, 2010 at 10:21 pm
to illustrate my last remark: have a look at:teaching-jobs-india.blogspot.com/…/american-university-of-ras-al.html