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Government, Academic and Business Leaders Evaluate New Models for Higher Education Partnerships in the UAE

Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research for the United Arab Emirates highlights commitment to higher education partnerships in keynote address declaring “we view partnerships as an essential component of preparing our students for the future"

Abu Dhabi, October 22, 2009 … Leading academics, government officials, university administrators and private sector professionals convened to discuss how to maintain and strengthen the UAE's leadership role in higher education both in the region and globally. Held under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and sponsored by the global law firm Latham & Watkins and the Financial Times, the event was the first of its kind organized in the region. 

In a series of roundtable discussions, academics from across the Emirates including Dr. Warren H. Fox, Executive Director of Higher Education at Dubai's Knowledge and Human Development Authority; Dr. Nabil Ibrahim, Chancellor of Abu Dhabi University; Dr. Peter Heath, Chancellor of American University of Sharjah; Faten Hani, CEO of the DIFC Centre of Excellence; and Dr. Jim Mienczakowski, Executive Director of Higher Education at the Abu Dhabi Education Council, gathered alongside prominent private sector professionals including Kelly Thomson and Zouheir Tamim El Jarkass of Mubadala, Ahmed Badreldin of Abraaj Capital and Ammar Shams of HSBC, among others, to address a range of topics, including:

• the role of higher education in the UAE and best practices for educational partnerships;
• the key issues in structuring public-private educational partnerships, financing in the international markets and the role of private capital and private equity;
• creating a cutting-edge research and technology community in the UAE; and
• opportunities for business linkages with higher education, accelerating university and business interface in teaching and research, and knowledge transfer in the UAE.

The seminar was aimed at providing a forum to evaluate the successes and challenges of existing programs and explore opportunities for future education partnerships in the UAE.

His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan underscored the importance of strategic partnerships, stating: “Our main goal in higher education is to prepare students to be successful in the world in which they will live, while grounding them in the foundation of our history and culture. We have a solid commitment to student learning and to the excellent preparation of graduates to join the workforce.  But our responsibility goes beyond preparing our graduates for their first job.  Our graduates must be prepared for individual and professional growth and advancement – for both a lifetime of useful, productive work, and a lifetime of useful and productive citizenship.  In this goal, we see the value and importance of partnerships.  In fact, we view partnerships as an essential component of preparing our students for the future.”  His Excellency added: “We look to the future with the optimism that our participation as a partner offers our allies important benefits, and that this mutual gain, will motivate us to build and strengthen these partnerships even further.”

The forum sought to build on the impressive achievements in higher education already visible in the country.

“The UAE has proven that it is a leader and innovator in establishing public-private educational partnerships that are critically important to maintaining the highest standards of teaching and research excellence and to strengthening its competitive position in the global economy,” said Bryant Edwards, Office Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins Middle East offices, and host of the seminar.    

Academic commentators praised the broad-based representation of professionals at the forum, underlying the importance of cohesive and focused collaboration.

“The Latham & Watkins roundtable conference on challenges to higher education in the UAE is an innovative way to link the concerns of the academic community -- scholars and researchers -- to the larger processes of research funding and to educational policy and infrastructure planning at the national level. Our work as teachers, funding agencies, private financiers and public policymakers are intricately intertwined, yet rarely do we have opportunities to meet and discuss our shared goals,” stated Karen Young, Professor at the American University of Sharjah.

Government authorities also expressed the importance of such a forum for the development of academic excellence for UAE students.

“Student access to college is a paramount goal for the UAE and possibilities to achieve that are on the horizon. Comprising 20 percent of the population, it is critical that Emiratis graduate from university to have the opportunity of claiming their place in the economic future of the UAE. The education and development of its human resources are the key to the nation's prosperity for its citizens, and for the workforce of the future.  Students from all backgrounds, and the next generation of Emiratis deserve no less,” said Warren H. Fox, Executive Director of Higher Education at Dubai's Knowledge and Human Development Authority. 

The event's innovative structure brought together government officials, leading university administrators, influential faculty members and private sector professionals to explore opportunities for future education partnerships and growth opportunities in the UAE, with the aim of accelerating the impressive growth in human resource development in the country. 

Participating institutions included the Abu Dhabi Education Council, Abu Dhabi University, Mubadala, the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Abraaj Capital, Global Consulting Associates, UAE University, Emirates Foundation, DIFC Centre of Excellence, New York University Abu Dhabi, Harvard Medical School Dubai Center, HSBC, the National Research Foundation, American University of Sharjah, SunGard Higher Education, Dubai School of Government and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority.

About Latham & Watkins

Latham & Watkins is a global law firm with approximately 2,000 attorneys in 27 offices, including Abu Dhabi, Barcelona, Brussels, Chicago, Doha, Dubai, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Milan, Moscow, Munich, New Jersey, New York, Orange County, Paris, Rome, San Diego, San Francisco, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C.  For more information on Latham & Watkins, please visit the Web site at www.lw.com.

Notes to Editors

Latham & Watkins operates as a limited liability partnership worldwide with affiliated limited liability partnerships conducting the practice in the United Kingdom, France and Italy and affiliated partnerships conducting the practice in Hong Kong and Japan.

Contact

Bryant Edwards, Middle East Office Managing Partner, +971.4.704.6323