Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) participated in the 8th Annual QS Apple (Asia Pacific Professional Leaders in Education) Conference, which further strengthened their partnership with Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The event took place last week in Bali, Indonesia.
The conference brings together international educators from across Asia, Europe, America and Australasia on a yearly basis, to discuss key issues faced by the academic institutions in these regions. Some of these issues include: the internationalisation of both curricula and student bodies, and partnerships between institutions across the globe. QS Apple is also responsible for the yearly rankings for the world’s top 400 universities annually.*
Dr. Ayoub Kazim, Managing Director, TECOM Investments Education Cluster (which includes Dubai International Academic City (DIAC), gave a presentation on the international student experience at DIAC to attendees, including the Presidents, Rectors, Chancellors, Deans and their deputies, from more than 130 academic institutions worldwide including: the University of Bristol (UK); the University of Melbourne (Australia); Manipal University (India); King Fahad University of Petroleum (Saudi Arabia) and Universiti Kebangsaan (Malaysia) and many more.
Delegates at the event viewed DIAC as a pioneer: an education hub with universities originating from multiple regions, catering to the needs of the entire student market. This approach differs from the Ivy League concept which only focuses on the needs of the top percentile of students.
Since its launch in 2007, DIAC along with its Academic Partners have been working to support and mentor its students. The student body is made up of approximately 140 nationalities. Students are given the opportunity to live and study in a unique community where 21 of the UAE’s 37 International Branch Campuses (IBCs) exist in one location.
Referencing both the importance of participating at the event and forging stronger ties with the international academic community, Dr. Ayoub Kazim, said: “Every year the QS Apple conference brings together the pre-eminent academic institutions and educational professionals from around the world. Given that DIAC currently houses the largest number of IBCs worldwide and has almost ten years experience working with international academic institutions, the QS Apple conference gives us the platform to share our knowledge and learn from our academic partners. Asia in particular is a very important market for the academic sector as their universities continue to move up the rankings yearly and we are keen to work as closely with our Asian counterparts as possible.”
Mandy Mok, Managing Director, QS Asia, said: "DIAC’s involvement with QS-APPLE will build on the strong relationship that QS has forged with DIAC over the years. DIAC was instrumental in the launch of the first QS-MAPLE (Middle East and Africa Professional Leaders in Education) Conference, which it co-hosted, and also helped initiate the first QS in conversation with the Middle East seminar. DIAC is known for its success in hosting IBCs and this works well with QS’s efforts to help universities in their quest to internationalise. Thus with our common mission, we have found that our work with DIAC has been very fruitful and so we are pleased that DIAC has become one of our most important partners in the Middle East."
DIAC supports a number of international education events as part of its goal to bring the best in international education to the Middle East. These events include: European Association for International Education (EAIE); Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA); The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education (OBHE) and NAFSA.
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About Dubai International Academic City
Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) is the world’s only Free Zone dedicated to Higher Education. Established in 2007 as part of TECOM Investments, DIAC aims to develop the region’s talent pool and establish the UAE as a knowledge-based economy.
DIAC is the premier destination for Higher Education in the region, located on a fully-appointed 18 million sq ft. campus with state-of-the-art modern facilities. DIAC currently has 21 of the UAE’s 37 International Branch Campuses from 11 countries.
The DIAC campus is host to nearly 20,000 students from 137 nationalities. DIAC students also have access to over 400 Higher Education programmes.
DIAC Phase III achieved a “Green” status and was awarded Silver LEED certification. DIAC provides an established educational environment for academic institutions and caters to students from around the world.
DIAC is also ranked top 10 in the Middle East under “Best Transportation” category and top 25 in the Middle East under “Best Overall” category according to 2011 Financial Times Rankings.
Contacts
Bell Pottinger,
Izabella Siemicka,
Middle East
+971 5555 97407
DIAC
TECOM Investments Education Cluster,
Brendan Vyner,
Brand Manager,
+971 4 360 2960
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