Leadership Challenges in Middle East Branch Campuses

1. Leadership Challenges in Middle East Branch Campuses Gulf Comparative Education Society Second Annual Symposium March 2011 Ras Al-Khaima, UAE Ahmed Baghdady RAND-Qatar Policy Institute

2. Outline • Background and current status • Branch campuses in the Middle East • Leadership challenges • Concluding remarks

3. There Are Several Types of Cross-Border/ Transnational Higher Education Activities Adapted from Vincent-Lancrin (2004)

4. What’s a Branch Campus (BC)? “An offshore entity of a higher education institution operated by the institution or through a joint venture in which the institution is a partner. Upon successful completion of the course program, which is fully undertaken at the unit abroad, students are awarded a degree from the foreign institution.” Observatory on Borderless Higher Education (2006) The first branch campus in the Middle East is Cairo University’s campus in Khartoum, Sudan (1955)

5. Why Establish One? For Host Countries For Home Institutions Provide additional financial resources Serve internationalization purposes Provide a competitive advantage • Provide quality higher education locally • Build capacity of national institutions • Build a knowledge-based economy

6. Number of BCs Is Increasing Rapidly • Around the world (as of 2009) • Over 160 BCs • 43% increase since 2006 • In the Middle East • Around 70 BCs • Most in the GCC States • The UAE: over 40 • Qatar: 11

7. Leading a BC Is No Easy Business • Leading a branch campus of a Western institution in the Middle East poses challenges • Cultural • Political • Developmental • Academic • Financial • Administrative

8. Cultural Challenges Most Obvious • The perceived negative influence of Western education on local culture and language • Co-education versus single-gender education

9. Political Challenges Most Sensitive • Political complications • Locally • Regionally • Internationally

10. Developmental Challenges Most Demanding • Offer undergraduate programs • Conduct research/build local capacity • Offer graduate programs • Consult for national institutions and industry

11. Academic Challenges Changing • Availability of qualified faculty • Appropriateness of home country curriculum to host country students • Appropriateness of teaching methods • Language of instruction • Meeting local quality assurance, accreditation, recognition and licensing standards

12. Financial Challenges Vary • By country • By institution • By purpose • By type of agreement

13. Administrative Challenges • Administrative systems of institutions • Faculty and staff recruitment (sponsorship) • Time difference between home and host countries

14. Concluding Remarks • BC development is a new trend in cross-border/transnational higher education • Education leaders are facing a myriad of challenges when they are operating at home • Leading a university BC in a different environment provides a different set of challenges that leaders have to deal with • Although some BCs are flourishing, others, even in the same country, could be struggling

15. Looking Ahead • Before venturing in a BC agreement, both host countries and home institutions need to carefully consider all challenges they might encounter and find ways to address them. • Maintaining quality standards in education is key to success