next »

[mankhool]

I'm sorry but I just don't see it. What I do see at the UAEU is a bunch of fake PhDs and faculty that are not even PhDs, all of whom demand to be addressed as "Doctor", which I find hilarious! Also, the management structure of the institution is a joke - there isn't any - everyone is too afraid for their jobs to think for themselves. As a faculty member I am repeatedly told to do things immediately instead of being given even a few minutes of warning. I have Arab colleagues who spend their teaching time shooting the breeze with the class for the entire semester and then pass them all. The buildings are crumbling. The state of teaching technology is abysmal. All of this is in stark contrast to the HCT, where I have also taught and to which I shall return this fall.

[untenured]

Yikes, that's harsh.

No university can go from obscurity to top-100 global status in five years.  Even with infinite funding, it takes longer than that for a brand to take hold.  It just can't happen.

Untenured

[hopefulbutuntenured]

That sounds like my idea of academic hell, mankhool. I had no idea that UAEU was in such dire straits, but it's useful to hear it through the grapevine if only to warn one's own friends against applying for job postings.

[nomadescientist]

Brief updates:

1- UAE University ranking has improved from top 500 to position 374 in the QS World University Ranking 2009. That's more than 100 positions up within one year. Needs to climb 274 positions within the next 4 years to reach the desired target. 

2- Finally the university has officially opened a search for a Dean of the College of Science: http://chronicle.com/jobs/0000612172-01 This is expected to have a positive effect on the college in contrast to its currently "stationary" state.   

NS

[nomadescientist]

I'm sorry but I just don't see it. What I do see at the UAEU is a bunch of fake PhDs and faculty that are not even PhDs, all of whom demand to be addressed as "Doctor", which I find hilarious! Also, the management structure of the institution is a joke - there isn't any - everyone is too afraid for their jobs to think for themselves. As a faculty member I am repeatedly told to do things immediately instead of being given even a few minutes of warning. I have Arab colleagues who spend their teaching time shooting the breeze with the class for the entire semester and then pass them all. The buildings are crumbling. The state of teaching technology is abysmal. All of this is in stark contrast to the HCT, where I have also taught and to which I shall return this fall.

I think you are mostly talking about the UGRU* part of the university, which is full of expacts (most without PhDs)  teaching "English" and other "very basic" courses, and getting much higher salaries than full faculty members at other colleges. The good news is that this "high school extention" (UGRU) within the university is going to be closed down soon in line with the current research direction of the university. As for the "fake" PhDs, anybody is invited to browse through faculty members and academic administrators profiles, and you will be surprised on how many of them are coming from the Ivy league and top universities in the world, including Harvard and Cambridge. 

* University General Requirements Unit

[untenured]

Brief updates:

1- UAE University ranking has improved from top 500 to position 374 in the QS World University Ranking 2009. That's more than 100 positions up within one year. Needs to climb 274 positions within the next 4 years to reach the desired target. 

Perhaps true, but ranking levels get harder as a university proceeds higher.  Moving from 500 to 400 is much easier than moving from 200 to 100.

Purchasing an entire top-100 university's faculty and moving it to the UAE might do the trick, assuming that is even possible with infinite funding.  Sorry, I don't think it will happen.

Untenured

[daniel_von_flanagan]

Purchasing an entire top-100 university's faculty and moving it to the UAE might do the trick

Unlikely.

BTW, my own university is top-100 (by some metrics, though not the strange QS-THES mess), but would apparently like to be #374 or lower.  Maybe you can make a trade. - DvF

[lizaza]

The UAE University's Provost suddenly in the middle of the academic year wants to SACK about 10% of the university's faculty and staff, and asked the colleges to provide lists before the end of this month. The given reason is the overall reduction in the university's budget. Now how does this fit with the "New Vision" of the university? What implication(s) will it have on the university's reputation in the short and long terms? Is this news going to make UAEU more attractive to the highly sought after heavy-weight academics within the "Cluster Hiring" process? Will it also increase the crucially-needed support, trust, and even popularity for the Provost within current faculty and staff in order to achieve his plans for the "New Vision"?

I think the answers to all the above questions are so obvious, that the Provost should immediately stop juggling with the careers and lives of innocent people who have given many years and even decades from theirs lives working for the good of this university and country, and in my opinion the only remaining decent thing for the Provost and his team to do now is to resign, as failure of their plans is so inevitable after upsetting the Nationals first, and now the whole university by unmeasured and insane decisions.

[eddean]

Do you have a link to the decision announcement? I would like to read more.  Are other UAE institutions cutting back?

[helpful]

Who cares if they do? In my opinion, a top 100 ranking and 5 dirhams will buy you a coffee.

[ahmedalshamsi]

I'm sorry but I just don't see it. What I do see at the UAEU is a bunch of fake PhDs and faculty that are not even PhDs, all of whom demand to be addressed as "Doctor", which I find hilarious! Also, the management structure of the institution is a joke - there isn't any - everyone is too afraid for their jobs to think for themselves. As a faculty member I am repeatedly told to do things immediately instead of being given even a few minutes of warning. I have Arab colleagues who spend their teaching time shooting the breeze with the class for the entire semester and then pass them all. The buildings are crumbling. The state of teaching technology is abysmal. All of this is in stark contrast to the HCT, where I have also taught and to which I shall return this fall.

The above is really funny! People lose credibilty when start making such comments. To start you can not compare HCT (community college) to a 4-year college like the UAEU. As far as "fake PHSs go", all one needs to do is check out the profile of faculty members as many come very reputed schools in the US including UCLA, Ohio State, Purdue, Duke, Vanderbilt, Harvard, etc. As far as building are concerns; the current campus does have some old building as some new ones too.  The completely new campus should finish within a couple of years. The priblem with the UAEU is its adminstration, no m ore and no less.
Let's focus on the important issues and good luck with the HCT.

[lizaza]

I'm sorry but I just don't see it. What I do see at the UAEU is a bunch of fake PhDs and faculty that are not even PhDs, all of whom demand to be addressed as "Doctor", which I find hilarious! Also, the management structure of the institution is a joke - there isn't any - everyone is too afraid for their jobs to think for themselves. As a faculty member I am repeatedly told to do things immediately instead of being given even a few minutes of warning. I have Arab colleagues who spend their teaching time shooting the breeze with the class for the entire semester and then pass them all. The buildings are crumbling. The state of teaching technology is abysmal. All of this is in stark contrast to the HCT, where I have also taught and to which I shall return this fall.

The above is really funny! People lose credibilty when start making such comments. To start you can not compare HCT (community college) to a 4-year college like the UAEU. As far as "fake PHSs go", all one needs to do is check out the profile of faculty members as many come very reputed schools in the US including UCLA, Ohio State, Purdue, Duke, Vanderbilt, Harvard, etc. As far as building are concerns; the current campus does have some old building as some new ones too.  The completely new campus should finish within a couple of years. The priblem with the UAEU is its adminstration, no m ore and no less.
Let's focus on the important issues and good luck with the HCT.

And now the Provost wants to FIRE those same "faculty members that come from very reputed schools..."!? What a great university is UAEU!

[ahmedalshamsi]

[[/quote]
The above is really funny! People lose credibilty when start making such comments. To start you can not compare HCT (community college) to a 4-year college like the UAEU. As far as "fake PHSs go", all one needs to do is check out the profile of faculty members as many come very reputed schools in the US including UCLA, Ohio State, Purdue, Duke, Vanderbilt, Harvard, etc. As far as building are concerns; the current campus does have some old building as some new ones too.  The completely new campus should finish within a couple of years. The priblem with the UAEU is its adminstration, no m ore and no less.
Let's focus on the important issues and good luck with the HCT.
[/quote]

And now the Provost wants to FIRE those same "faculty members that come from very reputed schools..."!? What a great university is UAEU!
[/quote]
Here is what I think of the whole situation:
I find the comments made by the UAE University provost, Dr. Hume, both troubling and misleading at the same time.  To start, cutting jobs should be the last resort a decision maker should consider and only after depleting all other options; cutting jobs after all is a sign of failure.  Nothing can be more damaging to the credibility of any institution like firing people.  An academic institution should not operate like a profit-generating company and the provost should not act like a CEO who gets most of the financial benefits while the company s/he running is facing bankruptcy or financial crisis.
The truth of matter many, myself included, do not believe we are facing any real crisis; after all the administration very much expects and should expect the same money as last year; and should have planned any expenses based on projected budget.  The logical thing to do when faced with money issues is to look at what you have been doing and sincerely pinpoint the mistakes and bad decisions, admit to such thing, and act accordingly.  Speaking of cutting jobs- 200 jobs as publically announced- I wonder who is going to end up losing his/her job?  The extremely well-paid staff hired by the provost office during the last two years or those much needed low-paid people who have been serving the university for years. 
The provost announced and I quote from the National “…would try to avoid the loss of Emirati academics”  and “…we’ll do whatever we can to protect these positions”.  I am an Emirati faculty member and would say this very clearly: I have lost faith in the current administration under the leadership of Dr. Hume.  And make no mistake I am not alone.  How many UAE nationals have joined the UAE University in the last two years and at any given capacity? How many serve at senior positions?  How many are part of the strategic planning team?  How many are members of the executive team running and planning the future of our university?  How many were part of the Transformation Plan?   The university is continually losing quality UAE nationals in part due to the current unhealthy atmosphere created in part by the current provost.  I would expect one of goals of any provost is to increase the number of the UAE nationals in key positions in order to assure continuity.   Hiring more nationals is a logical demand and in fact much needed for the sake and development of the university, “not would try to avoid the loss of Emirati staff” as the provost put it. 

[biggestofa]

HCT is a multi-campus university that offers numerous 4 year bachelor degree programs and more in development. The system is viable.

They have been migrating away from the community college model as far as the credential they award.
The Diploma is being marginalized and the old HD now articulates into their four year bachelors.

HCT has ACBSP accreditation which is not chopped liver.

[restoretrueacademia]

Below is the statement of purpose of the *first* of the 40 selected PhD candidates out of 800 applicants:
"this is my interest Breast feeding is essential for new born babbies.i am very much interested in this topic.i feel it is quit complecated as it involves emosion.this is one interested topic.another topic is about leadership.which ever is comfortable for the co ordinator that topic will be selected."
(Unfortunately, this is not a joke; it is true. This was the first line of the excel spreadsheet with the "highly selected" applicants that was sent out. Ask any UAEU faculty for verification)
It is thus interesting that it has been announced that "UAE University will reach World Top-50 within 5 years".

This is what the graduate school selection process came up with - filtering 40 out of 800.
The incoming material was often very high level - but even random selection would have come up with something better than this. The result is intentionally, of the lowest possible kind, starting with this shameful SOP.

Given the current level of corruption and clan warfare in the University, any improvement is very difficult.
Any improvement would be highly beneficial to the country, the students, the region and the world - though.

It is extremely sad to see how Academia can be totally infected by politics and business,
and reach this lowest level of existence. What is hapenning in the UAE University, is unfortunately,
very difficult to imagine for outsiders.