Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Dubai will launch new undergraduate programs next year.

The decision follows a three-day meeting of the board members of RIT Dubai at the RIT New York campus.

The attendees reviewed the progress of the RIT Dubai, located at Dubai Silicon Oasis, the region’s leading integrated innovations hub for high-tech industries. They also discussed future plans for launching undergraduate programs in Engineering, Business and Computing by September 2010.

Headed by Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed bin Saqer Al Nahyan as chairman, the delegation met with senior officials from RIT New York.

RIT Dubai board members include Dr Mohammed Al Zarouni- vice chairman and chief executive officer of Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; Eesa Kazem- chairman of Dubai Financial Market; Abdulrahman Al Saleh, director general of Dubai Finance; Dr Jeremy Haefner- RIT Provost; James Watters- senior vice president of finance and administration for RIT; Nabil Habayeb- CEO of General Electric – MEA; and Dr Mustafa AG Abushaghur- president of RIT Dubai.

Commenting on this occasion, Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed bin Saqer Al Nahyan said: “Our meeting today stems from our commitment towards the creation of the knowledge-based economy and to support continuous development. During our meeting we focused on the importance of keeping pace with the latest educational programs that support the requirements of the educational sector in Dubai. We are confident that RIT’s presence in the hi-tech park in Dubai will significantly add to the strength and diversity of Dubai’s higher educational sector, while facilitating the creation of a skilled pool of talented professionals principally within the field of technology.”

Dr Mohammed Al Zarouni said: “RIT Dubai has flourished since its inception almost a year ago. Its presence in DSO complements the fully integrated technology park by offering an elite education resource to our community.”

“The board members visit has been very insightful. We have discussed future opportunities and challenges that might be thrown at us. Moreover it has presented us with the chance to explore and understand the technology, research and educational programmes of RIT New York and study further cooperation strategy,” Dr Zarouni added.

Dr Mustafa AG Abushagur, president of RIT Dubai, said: “RIT Dubai currently offers post-graduate studies and advanced certificate courses in selected fields. We are now studying the opportunity of expanding our portfolio and add under-graduate programmes to our curriculum by next year in order to better serve the increasing need for elite education in the region’s market.”

Based at the 7.2 sq km master-planned community within Dubai Silicon Oasis, RIT Dubai is surrounded by state-of-the-art office towers, research and development zones, educational institutions, luxury apartments, villas, hotels, healthcare services and a full spectrum of lifestyle facilities, all of which will add to students’ education experience.

Founded in 1829, RIT is an internationally recognized leader in professional and career-oriented education boasting over 16,000 students from nearly 95 countries.  RIT offers more than 300 BS, MS, MFA, MBA and PhD programs in engineering, technology, computing and information sciences, business, and the arts at its main campus in Rochester, New York.  –TradeArabia News Service