Palm trees and sandy beaches are not things that come to mind when thinking about MSU, but that will soon change.

The MSU Board of Trustees unanimously approved the pursuit of degree and research programs in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, May 18.

A group of deans from five MSU colleges visited the Southern Persian Gulf city in March to investigate starting programs in Dubai.

"We've had an institutional interest to find a location in the Middle East to expand our presence in the region," said John Hudzik, MSU vice president of Global Engagement and Strategic Projects. "This looks like the one worth pursuing."

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has become the unofficial business, travel and education capital of the region, a region which extends to India, Pakistan, West Africa and other Middle Eastern nations, Hudzik said.

Unlike much of the Middle East, where anti-American sentiment makes it a hostile place for Americans, Dubai is the exception to the rule. Hudzik said that Dubai is a very safe, cosmopolitan city that has seen tremendous growth.

Once implemented, the MSU programs will be a part of the Dubai International Academic City, a new 25 million-square-foot development that will house universities from around the world.

Officials in the Communication Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Social Science colleges and the Eli Broad College of Business are persuing programs in Dubai.

The College of Engineering could offer a computer engineering undergraduate program, said Satish Udpa, dean of the college.

"We want to start with computer engineering," he said. "Down the road we may increase the number of offerings."

The big incentive for Michael A. Mazzeo, business college associate dean for undergraduate studies, to expand MSU to Dubai was the city's recent economic growth."It's a tremendous growth opportunity for us," said Mazzeo, who also visited Dubai this spring.

The college will initially offer a master's program in supply chain management, and possibly a master's program in hospitality business, which would create study abroad opportunities, Mazzeo said. The college already offers programs in Hong Kong and a number of locations in England. Mazzeo said.

MSU's pursuit of programs in Dubai are "really an excellent opportunity to establish our presence and have an influence in the region," Hudzik said.