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Rabdan Academy Offers Unique UAE Study Abroad Experience
By Tiffany Murray-Robertson
For Wilder School Students looking for study abroad experiences in destinations less traveled, Rabdan Academy may be the answer.
The VCU Partnership with Rabdan Academy offers criminal justice and homeland security students semester study in the heart of the Middle East while continuing their coursework at the VCU Wilder School. Accepted participants cover the cost of travel and pay regular VCU tuition, room and board.
“For students who prefer to challenge and investigate the status quo, studying in the Middle East offers limitless rewards. Rabdan Academy and its location—in English-speaking Abu Dhabi—offers a thriving, progressive and dynamic perspective for observing Emirati culture and the Arab-Islamic world,” said Maureen Moslow-Benway.
Moslow-Benway is an assistant professor and chair of the homeland security and emergency preparedness program at the Wilder School. She leads recruitment for the VCU Partnership with Rabdan Academy.
Considered Dubai’s sister city, Abu Dhabi is a modern metropolis situated along the Arabian Sea. According to the VCU Study Abroad website, “the city is home to starchitect-designed bridges and buildings, as well as a growing cluster of international museums and high-rise apartment blocks rising from the desert, making it an increasingly attractive place to live and study.”
Rabdan Academy was opened in 2013 and features sparkling state-of-the-art facilities. The government-owned institution is dedicated to the development and integration of safety, security, defense, emergency preparedness and crisis management professionals. Faculty members and academic staff come from various nations such Australia, Canada, Jordan, Tunisia, U.S., U.K. and UAE.
This is the first year of the academy’s partnership with the VCU Wilder School.
Julianne Sloskey, a sophomore homeland security and emergency preparedness major from Chesapeake, Va., is a current participant in the exchange.
Sloskey described the last five months in Abu Dhabi as “a life-changing resume-booster.”
“I always wanted to study abroad, but the relative cost of the Rabdan Academy was the only thing that made it a possibility,” she said.
For Sloskey, the insights gained through educational and cultural immersion, have been incalculable.
“I could not have imagined how welcoming and amazing the people are here. I’ve gained a tremendous respect and appreciation for the Islamic culture and the experience has shown me that I would ultimately like to come back and work in the Middle East. It’s going to be very, very hard to leave.”
For more information about the VCU Partnership with Rabdan Academy, join us for a special information session at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 25 at Scherer Hall, Room 401. James Morse, the President of Rabdan Academy will be available for Q&A. For additional questions about the program or the application process, contact Maureen Moslow-Benway at mmoslowbenwa@vcu.edu or at (804) 475-6496.