Michigan State University Dubai Academy appoints former director of the English Language Programme at George Mason University, Ras Al Khaimah Campus, Kaye M. Dunn as its first director.
What expertise do you bring to Michigan State University (MSU) Dubai Academy?
I've been working in the field in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Australia for more than 20 years. I spent four years at the University of Sydney where I led a team that specialised in curriculum development and testing. More recently I spent 18 months at George Mason University [Ras Al Khaimah Campus] where I increased enrolment in the Language Centre and developed the community and corporate programmes.
Why did you move to the Middle East and how long have you been here?
I moved to the Middle East for the career opportunities it offered. There is a lot happening in the field of education here - it is a dynamic place to be right now. I was here from 2002 to 2003 before I had to return to Australia for family reasons, and was happy to be offered the chance to return in 2007.
Tell us about your background?
I have worked in education all my life and have qualifications and experience in both primary and secondary education. In the late '80s I went to Japan to work in a high school and that is where I became interested in second language and adult education, so I did my MSc in TESOL through Aston University and I haven't looked back since.
I stayed in Japan for 10 years, teaching English and teacher education at Toyama University of International Education. I moved to Greece and worked again in a language school before going on to become a senior editor at Express Publishing before I made my first trip to the UAE and worked with the Higher Colleges of Technology for a short time.
Family reasons compelled me to return to Australia, but I never forgot the experience in the Middle East. At the University of Sydney we had a lot of students from this region and I worked on a targeted curriculum to meet their needs.
Then the opportunity came up to return. This year I was asked to join MSU Dubai Academy to set up and run the new pre-university academy and of course I couldn't turn down such an exciting opportunity to put all my ideas into play AND to work with one of the top ranked American universities.
What changes or improvements do you hope to bring about at MSU?
Firstly, I plan to put in place a programme at the MSU Dubai Academy that will give the students the academic and language skills they need to achieve success in their studies.
We want to make sure that all qualified students have the chance not only to enter MSU but also to be competetive and unlimately successful there. We want to ensure that students in this area can take full advantage of the opportunities offered by a quality American education.
Next I want to look at making MSU Dubai Academy the centre of English language education in Dubai by developing strong links with schools, language educators and the community.
What about your research and the papers you've published?
My background has been largely in the relationships between first and second language and issues such as language transfer and the relationships between language and culture. I also have a strong background in second language curriculum and testing. I hope that our work at MSU Dubai Academy will add to our understanding of how students best learn English and to develop a strong targeted curriculum to help them to do this successfully.
MSU students are probably curious about what you are like. Name three things that students don't know about you.
My Japanese is great but my Arabic needs lots of work. I love to travel. My family is very important to me.
