2. Overview
• NCUSAR founded to improve American
knowledge of Arab culture
• Provides educational opportunities for college
and high school students
– Model Arab League
– Internships
– Study Abroad
3. Introduction
• Students will spend a semester
living, working, and studying in several
countries:
– United Arab Emirates
– Oman
– Jordan
– Lebanon
4. The Opportunity-Current Situation
• NCUSAR offers students study abroad
opportunities & internships in Washington
D.C.
• No program is offered by the NCUSAR for
students the opportunity to pursue work-
study programs in the Middle East
• Students need to pursue study abroad
opportunities that will benefit them most in
the future
5. The Opportunity- Key Success Factors
• Quality Student Instruction
• Quality Curriculum
• Valuable Work Experience
• Cultural Learning Experience
8. Benefits of Strategic Option
• Students will spend a semester experiencing
culture in the Middle East
• Opportunity to travel to 4 countries in the
Middle East
• The students will gain real-life work
experience
9. Risks of Strategic Option
• Students won’t be interested in studying abroad
in the Middle East because they believe
– it is unsafe
– their rights will be compromised
– the region is oppressive
– the region is culturally underdeveloped
• Colleges and Universities will not promote the
NCUSAR’s immersion program
10. Final Recommendation
• Offer students the opportunity to
live, study, and work in various countries in
the Middle East
• Provide students with real-life experiences
that will change their perspective on the Arab
World
• Immerse students in Arab culture and provide
them an accurate understanding on
religion, customs, and beliefs of the region
11. References
• About Us. (2014). National Council on US Arab Relations. Retrieved from:
http://ncusar.org/about-ncusar.
• National Council Programs. (2014). National Council On US Arab Relations.
Retrieved from: http://www.studyabroad.com/articles/studying-abroad-getting-
started.aspx.
• Sieff, Martin. (8 April, 2014). Three Myths About the Middle East. The Globalist.
Retrieved from: http://www.theglobalist.com/three-myths-middle-east/.
• Studying Abroad: Getting Started. (2014). StudyAbroad.com. Retrieved from:
http://www.studyabroad.com/articles/studying-abroad-getting-started.aspx
Editor's Notes
The National Council on US Arab Relations was founded to help improve American’sknowledge and understanding of Middle Eastern culture. The organization provides opportunities for both college and high school students including internships, study abroad programs, and a Model Arab League for high school students.
Students enrolled in the program can spend their semester divided between 4 countries where they will live, work, and study while immersing themselves in the Middle East culture. Students will have their 16 week semester divided into two quarters, each of these will require them to complete two courses. The first quarter will be spent in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, two neighboring countries. The second quarter will be spent in Lebanon and Jordan.
The National Council for US Arab Relations has established programs to allow students to study abroad as well as the opportunity for students to pursue an internship at their headquarters located in Washington, D.C. The National Council for US-Arab Relations does not offer
The National Council for US Arab Relations’ Middle East Immersion Program’s key success factors include: providing students with a quality curriculum and quality instruction to ensure that they are working towards achieving their college degree during their time abroad. Key success factors also include providing students with valuable work experience which what sets this program apart from many of the other study abroad programs that are offered to students today. The last key success factor ties into the NCUSAR’s mission of providing a cultural understanding of the Middle East. It is important for students to participate in activities to promote cultural learning.
The biggest risk the NCUSAR is taking with implementing this Middle East Immersion Program for students is not gaining the necessary enrollment of students into the program. The challenge that the organization will face is the dispelling of the beliefs that the majority of American’s have regarding the Middle East. Many students believe that traveling to the Middle East is unsafe and their rights will be compromised by doing so. Also many people believe that the culture is incredibly oppressive and culturally underdeveloped. The NCUSAR also faces the challenges of convincing colleges and universities to promote the program to students who are looking to study abroad.
