Conference Kicks off today: “Marketing Communications in the Middle East: Mirror for the Region - Window on the World”

Dubai, March 23rd 2008 : The American University in Dubai (AUD) welcomed students from Harvard University as part of the collaboration between AUD and the Harvard College in Asia Program (HCAP) for the year 2007-2008.

Dr. Lance De Masi, President of AUD kicked off the conference themed “Marketing Communications in the Middle East: Mirror for the Region - Window on the World” by introducing the students to the university, the campus life and to the meaning of an American education in the UAE.

Mr. Sami Raffoul, General Manager, Pan Arab Research Center (PARC) followed with a presentation titled “The UAE and Marketing Communications in Numbers”, discussing media and advertising trends in the region.

The students were also given an overview of the opportunities created though bilateral relations between the UAE and the USA by Mr. Paul Sutphin, Consul General of the United States of America.

Hosted by AUD, the 15 Harvard students are in Dubai from March 22nd to 29th 2008, and are joined by 10 AUD students during this marketing conference organized by the School of Business Administration.

Lectures by both prominent marketers in the UAE and by AUD’s Department of Marketing and Marketing Communications and workshops are scheduled along with the submission of a final project by groups of both AUD and Harvard students.

Objectives
AUD is committed to fostering intercultural understanding as witnessed by the international perspective adopted in most of its courses, exchange programs available to its students, the presence on campus every year of about 100 study-abroad students from the US (including those on the Clinton Scholarship for International Understanding Program), and several other activities that promote an appreciation for cultural diversity.

The university believes that it has an obligation to foster an understanding of the Arab world, especially among American citizens and residents.

The Harvard College in Asia Program (HCAP) was founded in October of 2003 at Harvard University; it is a student-run organization at Harvard College, serving as a platform for student exploration and development to strengthen the international relationships of tomorrow. Since 2003 Harvard students and students at premier Asian universities have been connecting through the many outstanding conferences.

Students from AUD, including the president of the Student Government Association, recently returned from Boston where they had joined 5 other international universities. This year's conference was themed "Building the Future: Urban Planning and Sustainable Development", and included lectures and discussions with Harvard professors, excursions to sustainable development projects in the Boston area and student panel presentations.

Click here to view the details of the Conference Program