George Mason confirms closing

Anna Zacharias and Daniel Bardsley

• Last Updated: February 27. 2009 9:30AM UAE / February 27. 2009 5:30AM GMT

RAK // George Mason University is leaving the UAE, officials confirmed yesterday.

However, the company set up by the Ras al Khaimah government to finance the branch campus of the US university in the emirate announced it would open a new institution at the site, saying it wanted to “reaffirm its commitment” to the students.

“A new successor university will be formed to ensure that the people of Ras al Khaimah, the UAE and the region who aspire to attain high quality, professional higher education have the opportunity and support to achieve that goal,” the RAK Education Company (Edrak) said in a statement.

Students at George Mason were told this week that the university would close at the end of the current term because of a budgetary disagreement with Edrak, possibly related to the low enrolment at the school.

Undergraduate courses at the campus began in 2006 with fewer than 40 students, about a fifth of what was expected. The university did not respond to repeated requests for current enrolment figures.

“Edrak has not been able to reach agreement with our partner on a budget and the administrative structure, and George Mason University has requested to withdraw from the partnership,” Dr Raj Parikh, Edrak’s chief executive, said in the statement.

The organisation said it would “work diligently with its international partners” to ensure that students would be able to have an education that was “consistent with the highest international standards”.

George Mason University has not released a public statement, although its provost, Dr Peter Stearns, e-mailed students this week to say he was “truly sorry” the university was pulling out. Dr Stearns is due to hold a forum today at George Mason’s campus in Fairfax, Virginia, to discuss the RAK campus.

Some students in RAK are worried that they will not be able to transfer credits to other universities. Although George Mason has said students can transfer to its US campus, some fear they could have difficulty securing American visas. Others are daunted by the prospect of going overseas.

* The National