Question: The students from the UAE campus are arriving January 2012. How are these students going to be integrated into the campus?
As many of you may know, the University of Waterloo’s United Arab Emirates (UAE) campus opened in 2009. In partnership with Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), UAE’s largest educational institution, we are bringing the same educational standards and commitment to the UAE as you receive here at Waterloo. It is an exciting educational experience for everyone involved.
On the UAE campus Waterloo offers programs in chemical and civil engineering. These are two plus two programs – two years of study at the UAE campus and two academic years at the Waterloo campus. The engineering students starting at the UAE campus are in full co-op programs like you. To ensure these students receive the same quality Waterloo program you do they are taught by Waterloo Engineering professors.
The first 15 UAE engineering students will be arriving in Waterloo in January for the 2012 winter term. This number will grow to 34 the subsequent year and will continue to increase year after year until reaching a maximum of about 120 students. The UAE students will join our Waterloo campus’s chemical and civil 3A classes. These students will be indistinguishable academically, but will be new classmates. The plan is to assist the UAE students with attaining co-op jobs in Canada for the fall to help them acclimatize to the culture. When these new students arrive in January they will provided with orientation to Waterloo’s campus. Part of the orientation will be learning about the services available to all students on our large campus.
There is currently a committee working on the details of the student transition from the UAE campus to the Waterloo campus. I trust you will welcome the UAE students to your classes in January.
If you have a question you’d like Dean Sedra to answer please submit your questions to Meg Bauman, SRO mebauman@uwaterloo.ca.
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