Only a couple of months ago, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) became the nation with the tallest building in the world with the construction and the opening of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The tower, named after the founder of the UAE, stands an impressive 800m (2,625 feet) and 160 stories above ground, and its elevator boasts (if that is the correct word) the 'longest travel distance' from bottom to top. For the acrophobic or the claustrophobic, a trip to the highest point of the Burj Khalifa is decidedly not recommended. .
What then can ground-dwellers and those who have already scaled the world's most formidable skyscraper do next? After exploring the capital of Abu Dhabi, a site not to be missed is United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain - about two and a half hours away.
.
In an engaging blend of Islamic architecture and ultra-modern facilities, UAE University educates its nearly 13,000 bright students with a required track in Islamic studies and a range of classes in the arts and sciences. At first glance, UAEU seems similar to just about any other university in the West. A closer look, however, reveals the university to have three very distinguishing characteristics.
.
First, most of the instruction is in English. While this fact may not seem significant at first, consider the prospect of Harvard University discarding English to deliver most of its courses in Chinese in order to embrace one of the main cultural and commercial languages of the world. Hence, UAE University has taken a progressive approach and dedicated itself to producing graduates capable of being fully integrated into the 21st century world of business, professional research and travel.
.
Secondly, the students attend university at no cost for four years. No, not 'tuition-free' - completely free. Books are paid for. Housing? Free of charge. How about meals? They are on the house at the cafeteria or at a local luxury hotel. Yes, you read that correctly. Students can dine at a luxury hotel and be reimbursed. What if you are 18 years-old and wish to take a field trip with your classmates and a sponsoring teacher to Somalia or Oman? No problem. Sign-up, and you have got yourself an 'all-inclusive' excursion with meals, travel and all other incidental expenses covered. Here's another one. Imagine you are a graduate student and need to do research at a collection of archives in southern France. Bureaucratic haggling? Not at UAE University. Just speak to an adviser or member of your department, and you will be in Marseilles or Toulouse in no time flat without a penny (or a Euro) out of your pocket. Have you started to get jealous yet?! Welcome to the benefits of being an oil-rich nation.
.
Finally, as is custom in an Islamic state, men and women are rigidly segregated. At UAEU, male students and female students each have their own separate facilities. There is, however, one important demographic phenomenon at work on campus. Females account for more than 75% of the student body (9,861 to 2,864). This is a direct reflection of a growing gender imbalance across the Arab world. As their numbers begin to overwhelm society, today's young, educated and English-speaking Arab women are becoming catalysts for a new age of greater equality between the sexes.
.
At United Arab Emirates University, the past, present and the future of Arab civilization are evident within the confines of the campus. If you happen to be in the UAE, a visit to UAEU would be a worthwhile endeavor - even if no one will be picking up your tab.
.
(Photo: United Arab Emirates University)
.
J Roquen