A delegation from the University of Maryland visited Zayed University in Dubai as part of their visit to the United Arab Emirates. Dr. Sulaiman Al Jassim, Vice President of Zayed University, Dr. Bob Cryan, Associate Provost-Academic and International Affairs, and Zayed University senior administrators met with the delegation G. "Anand" Anandalingam, Dean of the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business, Hugh Courtney,Associate Dean of Executive Programs and Professor of the Practice of Strategy at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, AmirFarmanesh, Governance economist with the World Bank Governance Group - Policy fellow with the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Tom Kennedy, Director of the Office of Executive Programs at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, and William L. Powers, Executive Dean of the University of Maryland School of Public Policy.

Dr. Al Jassim said the two universities discussed the opportunities of exchanging students, faculty and experiences. The delegation was introduced to the academic programs at Zayed University and the practices the university applies to prepare its students to meet the market needs.

The delegation talked about possible student exchange programs between students in the UAE and students in the USA. This will enable students to experience each others cultures and knowledge and widen their horizons.

The University of Maryland was established in 1856 and  is the state's flagship university and educates the most talented students from Maryland and beyond. They ranked 11th among all public U.S. universities and 37th worldwide in a recent international survey, and were named one of the top 15 "green universities" in the country. The University offers a wide range of specializations, such as Agriculture and Natural Resources, Arts and Humanities, Business, Education, Engineering, Journalism, among others.