Some History

For almost two decades, the Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies has played a leading role in the education of foreigners in Yemen. Founded in 1989 by Sabri Saleem, the Yemen Language Center (YLC) - now known as the Program in Arabic Language (PAL) - was the first institution devoted to teaching Arabic as a foreign language. With increasing interest from international students, the Center expanded to include the Yemen Center for Arab Studies in 1993. Over the next fifteen years, programs and student numbers fluctuated due to local and world events, but, overall, the Center witnessed a steady increase in the number of international students wishing to study Arabic in Sana’a, Yemen. During these periods, the PAL continuously invested back into the institution, establishing excellent facilities, a first-rate Arabic program, and an outstanding reputation.

With the demand and need for new study abroad programs in the Middle East, the PAL was incorporated into the newly-created Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies (YCMES) in 2006. With the help of Dr. Steven C. Caton (Harvard University), the YCMES developed the new Program in Contemporary Middle Eastern Studies (PCMES) as a sister institution to the PAL. Today, the college consists of these two main entities: the PCMES and the PAL.

More recently, the YCMES has further developed and expanded its facilities, academic programs, and administrative services to meet the highest standards found at western universities. The YCMES offers its students unmatched language and academic programs, cultural activities, and volunteer/community service opportunities to engage students within Yemeni society. Additionally, the College hosts delegation visits, university study-tours, academic researchers, and visiting professors. The YCMES opened its doors as a full study-abroad college in the fall of 2008, welcoming its inaugural class for the accredited semester. The College offers a one-year certificate program in contemporary Middle Eastern studies, and plans to expand into other postgraduate degree and certificate programs as well as a four-year bachelor’s degree.

Students enrolled in the College are principally from North America and Europe, but the college is open to all qualified individuals wishing to seek a greater knowledge of the contemporary Middle East.

The YCMES has increased the visibility of itself and Yemen locally and internationally through institutional cooperation, promotional tours, inter-administrative associations, and reputation. With a large administrative and physical expansion starting in 2006, the College has generated programming and/or memorandums of agreement with key universities such as Duke, American, Columbia, Portland State, Harvard, George Mason, DePaul, Granada, and Siena. The YCMES was chosen in 2006 and 2007 to host the Critical Language Scholarship Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational Affairs. In June 2007 the YCMES announced its partnership with the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, increasing its collaboration on numerous educational ventures aimed at improving relations between the U.S. and the Arab world. During 2006-2008, the YCMES administration visited over 100 universities in North America and Europe, informing students, administrators, and academics about the educational opportunities available in Yemen. The YCMES is a regular participant at the MESA conference, as well as a sponsor of the U.S.-Arab Policy Makers Conference. Promoting more than its own programs, the YCMES publicizes Yemen as a place of academic study and education.

The YCMES is advised by key individuals in Yemen and the West that form the college’s Board of Advisors; these individuals have been crucial to the past and future successes of the College. Key individuals involved in the success of the YCMES include senior academics in leading Western institutions and local leaders in the business, government, and educational communities. Dr. Abdul Kareem el-Iryani, former Prime Minister of Yemen, was elected unanimously as the chairman of the Board of Advisors in January, 2008. His leadership and passion for educational projects in Yemen is a great asset to the YCMES team. The YCMES has also advanced its relationship-building locally by establishing partnerships with local and international NGOs, adding service-learning opportunities so students can donate their time and effort to the Yemeni community. To cultivate cross-cultural understandings, the YCMES and YALI began collaborating in 2008 to facilitate student friendships, language partners, conversation hours, shared cultural activities and trips, and teaching positions for native English speakers.

What began as one rented floor for teaching Arabic has grown into a four building campus, wholly-owned by the YCMES, and incorporating numerous academic and extra-curricular activities for over 500 international students annually. Thousands of students worldwide have studied under the auspices of the YCMES, preparing them to become true citizen-ambassadors between Yemen and their home countries. With ouer twenty years of educational programming experience, the YCMES has been a leader in promoting positive images of Yemen and the West through student and academic exchanges. The YCMES openend its newest and largest campus site in August, 2008, as a full study-abroad college, thus fulfilling its recent development goals and setting the stage for future growth.

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