George Mason University, RAK Campus appoints renowned academician as Vice President

Siverts, a renowned educationalist, has been in the field of academic administration for more than 25 years. Having served both in the United States and internationally, she has a wealth of experience in higher education and academic administration.

A former Fellow in Academic Administration, American Council on Education, Siverts holds a doctorate in teacher education from The Pennsylvania State University, USA. She also earned a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science from Ohio University, USA, in teacher education. Her areas of special interest include educational development and reform in developing countries particularly related to teacher education and higher education.

Prior to her appointment as vice president of the George Mason University, Ras Al Khaimah Campus, Siverts was director of the Commission for Academic Accreditation, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, UAE - the agency responsible for overseeing the quality of private higher education in the UAE through licensing institutions and accrediting their academic programs.

Siverts is an international resource speaker and writer on international education, quality assurance/accreditation, family and consumer sciences, teaching and learning, curriculum and evaluation, higher education and teacher training. Siverts has held leadership roles internationally including program specialist, Teacher Education, UNESCO, Paris; vice chancellor, University of Botswana and vice chancellor, Kampala International University.

During her time working in the United States, Siverts held a number of academic and administrative posts at various universities and was national president of four professional associations. She was also a member of the board of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the International Association of University Presidents and associate board member of the International Association of Universities.

George Mason University is reputed internationally for the opportunities provided to its students. The original campus is located in Fairfax, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. Established in 1957, George Mason University currently enrolls more than 30,500 students in 173 degree programs and its academic programs are recognized world wide.

At present, the Ras Al Khaimah Campus offers three undergraduate programs including a BS in Business Administration, BS in Electronics and Communications Engineering and a BS in Biology along with an English Language Foundation program.