<p>My understanding from the article is NYU Abu Dhabi is fully funded by the Royal family there. Apparently, there is an agreement in place for the financial backing of NYU Abu Dhabi by the Royal family for 10 years, though the numbers are not disclosed (per the article). Certainly, this and NYU Shanghai can make NYU’s name even more recognized and “prestigious” globally. If the “experiments” work out. The article was quick to point out that many schools have failed in these global affiliated programs. So the possibility remains that NYU “Global U” will not succeed. It is early days yet and difficult to determine with the shifting political and economic unrest world-wide.</p>
<p>Right now, it appears (also from the article) that NYU Abu Dhabi is 35% USA students and the rest are from other countries throughout the world, including, of course, students from the U.A.E… So Dr. Sexton is trying to market and make available the NYU name to students from other countries on foreign soil. (Yale had refused to allow their Singapore satellite program to grant the Yale degree; it is a certificate or has the National Singapore U’s name primarily.)</p>
<p>This certainly speaks to a more entrepreneurial approach on the part of Dr. Sexton. There is always a danger of neglecting what is at home when you expand in such a grand manner. NYU needs to address the fund-raising aspects for the university at home, so as to keep the school diverse. Increasingly, that is hard, since NYU has to draw primarily from more affluent families/ individuals or middle class/ professional families willing to give up a sizeable portion of savings/ income to have the student attend NYU. There is already noticeable lack of diversity (according to race and class, IMHO) when you look at CAS. Of course, even the “diversity” of Asian students scattered throughout and, especially, noticeable in the majority at Stern also points to class distinctions. Alas, the lower working class families generally cannot even consider NYU with huge debt loads inevitable in most cases (with one year’s tuition more than family income/ year).</p>
<p>On the other hand, the description of what the students are getting sounds like a very privileged and astounding way to be educated. Not just reading about something but traveling to see the actual cultural sites and sources, interacting in intimate groups of 5-6 people, learning from classmates speaking different languages and hailing from different parts of the world, using an orientation that is not always centered on the American perspective, while enjoying all kinds of extracurricular perks. All this with most students getting very generous FA packages. Hmmm, the haves and have nots. </p>
<p>Some very provoking thoughts from the global expansion of NYU.</p>