DUBAI // The Canadian university whose alumni created the BlackBerry is to open a campus in Dubai. The University of Waterloo aims to launch the campus in Dubai Academic City next year, beginning with courses in civil and chemical engineering, said Leo Rothenburg, the acting dean of engineering and the project's co-ordinator.
"We want to be present in the UAE. It's one of the most vibrant parts of the world with a lot of interesting economic activity, and new educational institutions are coming to the region," he said. "Dubai is the major world financial centre, on one hand, and there is a lot of engineering activity in Abu Dhabi." Waterloo also hopes to create an Abu Dhabi campus when space becomes available. The university, based in Ontario, has about 30,000 students. Renowned for its engineering courses, one of its most prominent alumni is Mike Lazaridis, who as a student cofounded Research in Motion, the company behind the now ubiquitous BlackBerry wireless hand-held device. Mr Lazaridis now serves as the university's chancellor.
The new Dubai campus is the result of two years of talks with the Higher Colleges of Technology and its commercial arm, the CERT Group of Companies. Originally, the campus was to be located in Abu Dhabi, but it was moved to Dubai. It will be temporarily housed in Dubai Men's College. Eventually, the engineering courses are expected to move to a campus in Abu Dhabi, while the management courses would continue to be taught in Dubai.
In 2010, the university plans to introduce two management courses: financial analysis and risk management, and information technology management. More courses are expected to be added in the future. HCT is providing classroom space, student sleeping quarters and support. Waterloo hopes to have 100 to 130 students in the first year. "Our intention is to access the entire region, but I would think that a fair number of students will be from the UAE," Mr Rothenburg said.
Students will spend their first two years in the UAE and complete the final two years of their bachelor's degree at the main campus in Waterloo. Classes will be taught by University of Waterloo professors, who will stay in the UAE on four- or eight-month attachments. Mr Rothenburg said: "For students to be able to be successful at Waterloo, they have to be taught in exactly the same way as we teach them on the main campus."
All courses will include one work-experience term for every study term. The UAE campus director, Prof Magdy Salama, will visit the Emirates in the next two weeks to oversee final details. "We're a little late in advertising details, and until the licensing details are worked out, we cannot advertise the courses," Mr Rothenburg said. "But if everything is worked out, we will still make it for the fall of 2009."
aligaya@thenational.ae
