A planned Fuqua School of Business degree program in the United Arab Emirates for working professionals in the finance industry, originally scheduled to launch in June 2012, is currently on hold, school officials announced Wednesday.The MMS:Finance, which was approved by the university's Academic Council and Board of Trustees in 2011, is a one-year program with course work in finance, management and related topics that would have been offered under a license granted by the UAE Ministry of Education. However, "working through the logistics with our partners and sponsors has turned out to be more complex than originally anticipated," said Jennifer Francis, Fuqua's senior associate dean for programs."We remain in ongoing contact with the ministry and other organizations in the region," Francis added. "While we will not be able to launch MMS:Finance on our original timetable, we remain optimistic about starting the program in the region at a later date."Fuqua continues with its ongoing activities in the United Arab Emirates, which include program residencies for its Cross Continent and Global Executive MBA programs and a full-time resident staff in Dubai dedicated to marketing, admissions and program delivery."To be a globalist and understand the world's challenges, Fuqua needs to have a presence in the key locations around the globe that influence the way business is done," said Fuqua dean Bill Boulding. "The United Arab Emirates is one of those key regions."In December 2011, Fuqua launched the Dubai Duke Leadership program, the first time this popular leadership program has been tailored for a region and delivered outside the U.S. The program was well received, and the school continues to explore open-enrollment executive education offerings in the region."As a global business school, we embed and connect in key regions not only to teach but also to learn," Boulding said. "Bold initiatives -- like launching a degree program in another part of the world -- never come easy. We go forward with our activities in the region with a renewed sense of these challenges and a commitment to work through matters and act accordingly for the betterment of our school and the region."
