A Whale of an Exhibition

Janet Bellotto, Assistant Professor in the Department of Art & Design at Zayed University has taken her “A Tale Remains” exhibition to Canada.

“A Tale Remains,” which was originally installed in a derelict house in New Orleans and at the Chinese Biennial in Beijing in 2008, is currently on show at the Red Head Gallery in Toronto. Bellotto uses a whale’s belly as the basis for a meditation on disaster and loss. In this piece, visitors walk through a construction representing a whale’s skeleton, whose colossal size is at odds with its underlying sense.

A lecture about her work and research in Dubai was given at the inaugural opening at the gallery and in a graduate class at OCAD University. You can read the review at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20081122.GALLERY22//TPStory/Entertainment

 

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Professor Exhibits at the Kyoto Municipal Art Museum

Karen Oremus, Associate Professor in the Department of Art and Design at Zayed University, is currently showing a selection of her artwork from the Migratory Adaptations of the Mind and Body Series at the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, in Kyoto, Japan.

The international juried art exhibition takes place each year as a part of the annual Kyoto Art Festival. Approximately 50 artists from around the globe are selected to participate in this prestigious event, which is now in its 22nd year.

 

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HE Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan Addresses Participants of the 17th Annual Meeting of GCC Institutions of Higher Education

The Presidents, Vice Presidents and Directors of GCC Institutions of Higher Education held their 17th annual meeting on the Dubai Campus October 26 through 28, 2008. HE Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan addressed the group on Tuesday, October 28th during which he stressed that higher education is an effective tool which contributes to the development of the region. He added that the UAE institutions of higher education were very keen on cooperating with other GCC institutions of higher education so that together they can shape the future of the region.

 

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HE Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan Presents Awards at Accreditation Celebration

Zayed University celebrated its accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education at a gala dinner on October 27 on the Dubai campus. During the celebration which honored the many Zayed University faculty and staff who were involved in the self-study process, His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan presented awards to leaders of Zayed University who helped to make the accreditation possible: HE Dr. Hanif Hassan, the former Vice President of Zayed University and the current Minister of Education, Dr. William Halloran, Provost Dell Felder, Provost Larry Wilson and Provost Lois Muir.

 

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Koto Concert held at Zayed University Dubai Campus

The beautiful Koto sound filled the whole atrium and hundreds of students and teachers were enchanted with the exotic melody.

On 28th October 2008, Koto Concert was held at Zayed University Dubai Campus Atrium by joint-hosting of Zayed University Japan Club and Consulate-General of Japan.

 

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United States Foreign Policy and National Identity in the 21st century

Editor: Professor Kenneth Christie (Humanities and Social Sciences, Zayed University)Published by Routledge (New York and London, 2008)

The question of US national identity and its relationship to foreign policy has become ever more important following the end of the Cold War. Americans appear reluctant to think of themselves as belonging to an imperial power and yet at the same time their State acts as the global hegemon, using pre-emptive measures to secure national interests in neo-realist terms.

Featuring contributions from a wide range of distinguished and upcoming scholars, this edited volume sheds significant new light on the continuities and discontinuities in the relationship of US identity to foreign policy as it has changed from the post-Cold War period through the defining moment of 9/11 and into the twenty-first century.

 

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Building on Desert Tides: Traditional Architecture in the Arabian Gulf

A book launch patronized by His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan and presided over by Zayed University vice president Dr. Sulaiman was held on Tuesday October 21, at the Abu Dhabi campus of Zayed University.

Building on Desert Tides: Traditional Architecture in the Arabian Gulf is a survey of architectural form in the Arabian Gulf written by Dr. Ronald W. Hawker, Associate Professor, Department of Art and Design at Zayed University in Dubai and published by the United Kingdom academic press, the Wessex Institute of Technology Press. It traces the style and materials of Gulf architecture and relates them to the political and social context of the Gulf, with specific focus on the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is the first book to bring together the various parts of the Gulf as a whole and includes sections on southern Iraq, Kuwait, eastern Saudi Arabia, southwestern and southeastern Iran, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

Dr. Hawker, originally from Canada, has been a faculty at Zayed University since 2000. He completed the documentary and archival research for the book with an inaugural Zayed University Research Incentive Fund Grant established by His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan in 2004. His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan also wrote the preface, noting that the book “…represents an important link in the study of the history and traditions of the region. It also brings to us an appreciation of our place in history and endowing us with special pride in our national heritage….His work reveals how our universities are very active in the study of our traditions and heritage and are committed to expanding the base for research and education that is relevant to the United Arab Emirates and the Arabian Gulf.”

Some of the illustration work was completed by students at Zayed University in Dr. Hawker’s classes. This has evolved into more complex and ambitious visualization projects, in which students are working with Dr. Hawker to create digital models and document heritage buildings using simple GIS technology. Dr. Hawker and his students are currently building a virtual reconstruction of pre-oil Abu Dhabi using a combination of archival photographic research, and advanced modeling and virtual reality software.

 

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New Generation of Retail Leaders

Zayed University and Al Fahim Holdings have established a joint program aimed at preparing Emirati graduates to be luxury retail leaders of the future. The four-month Luxury Retailer Leadership Program, the first of its kind in the region, gives students an insight into various areas encompassing HR, Finance, Marketing, Brand Management, and Service Culture.

Dr Rahman Haleem, Associate Director of ZU Outreach, said: “ZU Outreach is the bridge that links that large pool of international expertise within the University to the training and developmental needs of the public, private and government sectors.

“By providing high quality training and consultancy solutions, continuing education courses, languages and community service initiatives, ZU Outreach fulfils an important role alongside the academic role of the University.”

 

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Dubai eGovernment signs agreement with Zayed University

Dubai eGovernment has signed an agreement with Zayed University to collaborate in providing career development opportunities for university students and graduates in the field of information technology. The partnership is part of Dubai eGovernment's program to help consolidate the U.A.E.'s position as the top performer among Middle East countries in the information and communication technology (ICT) readiness index.

In the Global Information Technology Report (GITR), a joint study conducted by the World Economic Forum, the U.A.E. is placed within the top 30 countries in the ICT index. Dubai eGovernment's partnership with Zayed University and various educational institutions seeks to further drive the UAE's ICT readiness ratings by enhancing the IT competency of students and graduates through various internship programs, research projects and other related activities that develop IT skills and proficiency.

Dr. Sulaiman Al Jassim, Vice President of Zayed University said: "This collaboration with Dubai eGovernment opens exciting opportunities for the students to improve their IT proficiency through practical work experience within a professional and dynamic IT environment. Dubai eGovernment has been very proactive in cultivating the IT potential of the various sectors of our society, and we are pleased that they have established specific programs that cater to the needs and requirements of the students as well."

 

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Training Teachers for the 21st Century

His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Al Nahyan, President of Zayed University, Dr. Hanif Hassan, UAE Minister of Education, and Dr. Joseph Ghaly, Executive Director of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Middle East (ASCD-ME), have signed an agreement that provides for the professional development of 10,000 teachers in the Northern Emirates.

Funding for the first year will be just under AED 25,000,000 for Zayed University’s College of Education to partner with ASCD-ME for the delivery of workshops and online services for four of the new standards that all teachers in the UAE will be expected to meet in the future. Linda Colburn, assistant professor in the College, is the Principal Investigator and Director of the program for Zayed University, and nine College faculty will attend the ASCD-ME launch conference in Istanbul in November.

The Ministry of Education has developed standards for teachers that they will be expected to meet in order to be licensed to teach; the newly funded contract is the first step in assuring that practicing teachers understand and will be able to meet the competencies required. The first stage of the contract is to provide an orientation to the new standards and expectations for the 10,000 teachers, and 3,000 of them will be selected for regional follow-up workshops and online instruction over the next year. In addition, intensive training will be provided by Zayed University faculty and staff in each Emirate for a total of 570 teachers who may become trainers for future years of the program. The program will be offered in both Arabic and English.

ASCD-Middle East and its parent organization, ASCD USA, are leading providers of books, videos, and tapes about schools, teachers, and principals. ASCD-MD staff will be housed in the College of Education in Dubai and will work with College faculty to develop, implement, and evaluate the program.

 

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Zayed University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education

His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and President of Zayed University has announced that Zayed University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan said during a press conference held at his palace in Al Khazna area: “This is a very significant and important achievement for Zayed University especially as we have just celebrated it’s 10th anniversary. This accreditation was the result of more than five years of hard and intensive work and cooperation with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, during which the commission studied, reviewed and assessed the university’s institutional and administrative efficiency as a higher educational institution, the suitability of the curriculum in both baccalaureate and masters programs, as well as faculty and staff quality, consistent standards for student admissions, and appropriate orientation and placement systems.

Dr. Sulaiman Al Jassim, Vice President of Zayed University, stressed the importance of this accreditation to the University as it emphasizes Zayed University’s position as a leading university in the region, embodying the same rigorous standards and intellectual elements found in major universities throughout the world.

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