Top UK university appoints Provost ahead of Dubai campus launch

The University of Birmingham Dubai, which will launch operations later this year, has appointed its first Provost – the University’s most senior academic leader.

Professor Glyn Watson currently holds the position of Interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor and head of the College of Social Sciences at the University of Birmingham’s UK campus.

His appointment is an important milestone for Birmingham, which will be the first top 100 global university to open a campus in Dubai.

The University has also appointed a director of Campus Operations, Ben Bailey, who will be responsible for the smooth running and ongoing development of the University of Dubai Campus.

They will be joined by the University’s third recent Dubai appointment – Sanam Yaqub, who will be responsible for managing Birmingham’s collaborations with schools in the UAE as it places trainee teachers to gain classroom experience as an integrated part of their studies.

Watson said: “It is a great honour to be appointed as the first Dubai Provost and to join at such an exciting time for the University of Birmingham Dubai. I attended the recent open days in Dubai - familiarising myself with the region and the role we can play in supporting partners with their ambition to establish Dubai as a global education hub.”

He has also held previous leadership roles including as Dean of the University of Birmingham Business School and director of Education.

Birmingham will open its doors to students in September 2018.

Senior staff hosted open days last month, which provided an opportunity for parents and prospective students to talk to senior academics about the courses on offer. More open days are planned for spring this year.

Read more: http://www.arabianbusiness.com/education/386889-top-uk-university-appoints-provost-ahead-of-dubai-campus-launch