Second annual advisory board meeting in the Mohammed Bin Rashid School for Communication in AUD

The Mohammed Bin Rashid School for Communication (MBRSC) at the American University in Dubai (AUD) met for the second time with its advisory board members. The purpose of the advisory board meeting is to have the feedback from key professionals on the specific needs and wants of the media industry along with the areas where more expertise is needed and to hear their suggestions for going forward.

The attendees from the advisory board were: Dr. Philip Seib Professor; Director, USC Center on Public Diplomacy, Mr. Pierre El Daher CEO, GM & Owner – LBC Group, Ms. Lina Matta Channel Manager – MBC4,Mr. Osman Sultan CEO, DU; Dr. Kevin Dunseath Director, Education MENA, Global Education, Cisco Systems; Ms.Erin Burnett CNN Anchor; Sheikh Walid Al Ibrahim Chairman and CEO of MBC represented by Dr. Muhammad Al Odadi Assistant Chairman of the MBC group; Dr. Elizabeth Daley Dean of the School of Cinematic Arts at USC; Mr. Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh CEO of Dolphin and Chairman of Masdar. MBRSC Advisory Board member who couldn’t attend due to other commitments is Mr. AbdulHamid Juma, Chairman, Dubai International Film Festival.

Mr. Ali Jaber, the Dean of MBRSC highlighted the fact that the school is keen on preparing its students to become expert media professionals for the region. This is why the school has adopted the unique approach of offering both Arabic and English tracks in its two majors, Journalism and Digital Production and Storytelling. At the same time, the MBRSC curriculum has been written in consultancy with the pioneers in this field, the Annenberg School of Communication and the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California.  Mr. Jaber then added: “I am confident that the experience and knowledge of the Board members will put the school in a leading position in the media industry.”

Dr. Elizabeth Daley, Dean of the School of Cinematic Arts at USC commented: “The meeting was excellent and gave us a chance to hear from both students and faculty about their experience here at MBRSC.” She added: “The board was extremely pleased to see the progress that has been made in issues that were addressed last year and that the school is going in the right direction.”

On the importance of this meeting, Ms. Erin Burnett, CNN Anchor commented: "I was impressed by the passion of the students who presented their work. Their dedication is proof that the AUD's journalism investment is going to reap important regional rewards".

The Advisory Board members visited MBRSC’s Global Classroom, which was recently launched. This room provides MBRSC students with access to professors, business leaders and guest lecturers located around the globe, thus extending the in-person classroom experience across campuses worldwide.