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Patricia A. Wand, Consultant for library and information management, is former University Librarian and Professor Emerita from American University (Washington, DC), a position she held for 16 years. Since retiring from American University, Patricia served over four years as Dean of Library and Learning Resources at Zayed University, United Arab Emirates, which offers US-accredited education to Emirati women. Previously, she held library positions at the University of Oregon, Columbia University Libraries, the College of Staten Island (CUNY), and Wittenberg University (Ohio). She also taught in secondary schools in Washington, DC and the Midwest.
Considering the Information Infrastructure for American-style Universities in the Middle East
Originally posted December 2010
In the past 15 years, American educators – faculty, librarians, and administrators – have been invited to transfer their expertise to the Middle East and to assist in developing American-style universities. Attempting to transplant a culturally-based educational system into new nations with different values poses unique opportunities to reflect on what constitutes American education and what components must be included in the transfer.
