The College of Commerce and Business Administration, hereafter
referred to as “the College,” is an integral part of Dhofar University. It
is composed of the officers and the academic personnel of the College.
Subject to the provisions of the
corporate bylaws, rules and regulations, and the established general
policies of the University, the College, through its internal
organization, shall determine its own academic policy and shall have
authority to direct its own affairs. The dean shall refer to the Vice
Chancellor actions by the College that may affect either the financial
commitments of the University or its academic policy as a whole; and
The College, during a regular or
special meeting of the faculty, shall have the right to review any
action by any committee of the College (with the exception of actions of
the Advisory Committee concerning individual faculty members and other
confidential matters) and, if it deems fit, to refer such action back to
the dean.
The dean shall call regular meetings of
the faculty at least twice a semester. A written notice with a stated
agenda shall be sent to faculty members at least four working days prior
to the date of the meeting;
Special meetings with stated agendas
shall be called by the dean at his/her discretion or at the written
request of at least five voting faculty members;
The dean or his/her designate shall chair all faculty
meetings;
The dean shall appoint from among the voting faculty a
secretary for meetings of the faculty on a yearly basis;
The voting faculty shall consist of all non-visiting
full-time faculty members;
Elected faculty are non-visiting, full-time faculty
members elected by the voting faculty members during a meeting of the
faculty;
Voting in faculty meetings shall be limited to faculty
members actually present at the meeting; and
A majority of the voting faculty, exclusive of those on
leave, sabbatical, or duty outside Salalah, shall constitute a quorum.
In the absence of a quorum, another meeting to consider the same agenda
shall be called within two weeks at which voting members present shall
constitute a quorum, provided that all members of the faculty shall have
had notice in accordance with the call for regular meetings.
In accordance with the corporate bylaws of Dhofar
University, the dean is appointed by the Board of Trustees on the
recommendation of the Vice Chancellor. The initiative for the appointment of
a dean and his/her continuation in office rests upon the recommendation of
the Vice Chancellor, which shall be made after consultation with full-time
faculty members, especially those in professorial ranks.
For absences of the dean lasting for three months or
more, an acting dean shall be appointed by the Vice Chancellor upon the
recommendation of the dean and after consultation with the Advisory
Committee. For shorter absences, the dean shall appoint an acting dean from
the voting faculty.
The dean, as the responsible academic and executive head
of the College, shall have his/her duties, responsibilities, and
prerogatives defined by the Board of Trustees and the Vice Chancellor.
Within the College, his/her duties, responsibilities, and prerogatives shall
include, at least, the following:
He/she shall be responsible for
the execution of Vice Chancellor directives and the policies and
enactments of the College;
He/she shall oversee the
performance of the Chairs of the departments in the College and ensure
the proper teaching of the programs of study;
He/she shall be responsible for
the development of the College as regards academic programs, curricula,
teaching/learning activities, academic personnel, student body and
physical facilities;
He/she shall, after consultation
with the Chairs of departments concerned and the Advisory Committee,
take action or make recommendations to the appropriate authorities in
all matters pertaining to appointments, reappointments or
non-reappointments, promotions, sabbatical leaves and leaves of absence;
He/she shall prepare the budget
proposal for the College after consultation with the Chairs of
departments;
He/she shall prepare an annual
report, which shall be submitted to the Vice Chancellor and distributed
to all the chairpersons of departments of the College;
He/she shall make appointments to
all ad-hoc committees other than committees elected by the College and
determine their mandates and terms of reference;
He/she shall be the chairperson of
the general faculty meetings of the College;
He/she shall have the prerogative
of final action on all committee decisions;
He/she shall be empowered to
determine which decisions of the committees of the College shall be in
the form of actions and which shall be regarded as recommendations to
the faculty.
He/she shall appoint a chairperson
for each academic department after consultation with the advisory
committee and thevoting faculty members of the
department for a period ranging between one to three years subject to
renewal;
He/she shall make known to
academic departments all administrative actions affecting their
departments;
He/she shall keep the faculty
members informed of university decisions; and
He/she shall perform any other
duties as mandated by the Vice Chancellor.
The assistant dean is appointed by the Vice Chancellor
after consultation with the dean of the College. In addition to being a
faculty member, the assistant dean has the following responsibilities:
He/she shall assist the dean in all
administrative and academic affairs as assigned by the dean, especially
coordination among departments and programs, and program development;
and
Serving as acting dean in the absence
of the dean.
The College shall consist of the academic units as
defined in section 4, Other departments, centers, programs or academic units
may also be established as per university policies and procedures.
An academic department shall consist of all academic
personnel of the College appointed to that department. Each shall have a
chairperson appointed by the dean.
Academic departments shall meet at
least twice a semester upon the call of the chairperson. Additional meetings
can be held upon the call of the chairperson or the written request of at
least two voting members of the department. Minutes of all meetings shall be
sent to the office of the dean;
The voting faculty in an academic
department shall consist of non-visiting full-time academic personnel; and
Voting in an academic department
is limited to faculty members actually present at the meeting.
The academic department shall
decide upon the academic programs to be offered, subject to the approval of
the College and/or university bodies concerned; and
It shall be responsible for
setting up academic departmental requirements and for maintaining
professional standards.
Established university policies
and procedures shall govern actions on faculty recruitment and promotion;
Requests for both sabbatical
leaves and leaves of absence for one semester or more shall be discussed and
voted on by the eligible faculty members of the academic department. The
chairperson shall transmit the results of the vote to the dean together with
his/her recommendations; and
Evaluation of candidates for
appointments, reappointments, or non-reappointments shall be restricted to
the voting faculty members of ranks higher than that of the faculty member
whose contract is being considered. In the case of full-professors, all
other voting full-professors shall participate in the evaluation and
recommendations. In all cases, recommendations to the dean shall give the
numerical results of voting arrived at in a meeting of the voting faculty of
the department. The chairperson shall express his/her opinion in all cases.
Each academic department shall
have a chairperson appointed by the dean after consultation with the voting
faculty of the department concerned and the Advisory Committee. The
appointment is normally for a period ranging from one to three years,
subject to renewal.
Duties and prerogatives of the
chairperson shall be the following:
Being responsible for the academic, administrative, and
financial affairs of the department;
Ensuring the proper teaching of the programs of study
and preparing the teaching schedule in consultation with voting faculty
members;
Appointing academic advisors to students majoring in the
department;
Preparing course description and related material for
the university catalogue;
Presenting to the dean, in accordance with established
university procedures, recommendations on all matters pertaining to
appointments, reappointments or non-reappointments, promotions,
sabbatical leaves, leaves of absence, and advancement in remuneration of
academic personnel;
Preparing the annual and research reports of the
department for transmission to the dean;
Preparing the department’s budget after consultation
with department members for submission to the dean;
Appointing ad-hoc committees as may be deemed necessary
subject to the approval of the dean;
Recommending to the dean the appointment of an acting
chairperson during his/her absence; and
Preparing and submitting to the dean recommendations on
library acquisitions, software and other learning resources necessary
for his/her department.
Members of all standing committees, unless otherwise
specified in this manual, shall be elected from the voting faculty and by
them for a term of two years. If a member is unable to complete his/her
term, a substitute shall be elected to complete the remainder of the term.
If this remainder is one year or less, the elected substitute shall be
eligible for re-election to two or more consecutive terms. Unexpired terms
shall be filled by special elections for that purpose.
The Advisory Committee shall normally consist of the
dean as chairperson, and five faculty members elected by those eligible to
vote for a period of two years, subject to renewal. Members of this
committee must normally be at the professorial or associate professorial
rank. Under exceptional circumstances, members may be at the assistant
professor rank.
The Administrative Committee shall rule
on all cases of undergraduate students whose academic status is
irregular. It shall also rule on requests and petitions from students
concerning academic matters.
It shall have the power in
extraordinary circumstances to make exceptions to academic regulations
in individual cases. A summary of all such exceptional decisions shall
be communicated to the faculty at least once in each academic year.
The committee shall advise the dean on matters related to:
General academic development of the College;
Review of the curriculum of the College, including
introduction, revision, integration, co-ordination or discontinuation of
academic programs;
Policies on academic rules and regulations;
Review chairperson’s recommendations in connection with
the addition, deletion, and revision of courses vis-à-vis contents,
depth, and credit hours; and
The Library Committee shall advise
the university librarian on matters of library policy affecting the work of
the College;
It shall advise both the dean and
the university librarian on the effects of program or curriculum changes,
both short-term and long-term, on library acquisitions, with special regard
to budgetary implications, and in particular shall ensure adequate library
support for new or revised programs;
It shall advise and assist the
university librarian in building up a balanced collection;
Make recommendations regarding the
acquisition of new literary and scientific journals, periodicals, books,
etc...
It shall assist the university
librarian in his/her efforts to carry out the library policies of the
University and the College; and
It shall perform other related
tasks at the request of the dean.
Academic freedom and responsibilities aim at ensuring
and safeguarding the environment in which high quality education may
flourish within the rules and regulations of the Sultanate of Oman and
Dhofar University. Included among these freedoms:
The instructor is entitled to freedom
in the classroom in selecting the educational material that is
consistent with the policies and guidelines of the concerned department,
and discussing the subject being taught, but care must be taken not to
introduce controversial matters that have no relation to that subject;
Freedom to conduct scientific or literary research;
Freedom to engage in outside professional consulting,
giving lectures, and participating in seminars within the University
rules and regulations pertaining to outside consulting activities; and
Freedom to discuss within the University all matters
related to teaching, research, and student affairs.
Advertisements for academic vacancies are placed in
newspapers and specialized journals at the request of the department
concerned and approval of the dean and the university administration.
Applications are sent to the dean whereby they are reviewed by the
department concerned and a recommendation is made to the dean based on
established criteria adopted by the university. The dean shall make his/her
final recommendation to the Vice Chancellor after consultations with the
Advisory Committee.
Performance reviews of all faculty members by the
chairperson of the department is required after taking into account the
faculty member’s research record and the students’ course evaluation which
is conducted at the end of each semester. The chairperson submits his/her
report to the dean who will discuss it with the Advisory Committee before a
renewal or non-renewal decision is made. These performance review reports
are kept in the teachers’ files.
The university is obligated, in case of non-renewal, to
inform the faculty member concerned of its decision at least two months
prior to the end of the contract. The same applies to a faculty member who
does not wish to renew his/her contract to inform the chairperson of his/her
decision at least two months prior to the end of the contract.
A faculty member cannot resign his/her position during
the academic year unless it is due to extreme circumstances acceptable to
the university.
Assistant professors and associate professors shall be
considered for promotion after they complete six years of service in the
current rank, at least two of those years must have been at DU. Decisions
on upgrading the academic rank will be based on the candidate's teaching and
advising effectiveness, quality and quantity of research output, and
services to the community.
The following procedures and steps must be followed in the stated
sequence:
The applicant is required to
submit before the end of October in any given year to the chair of the
department a letter of application for promotion, and four copies of the
following documents collated separately and ready for mailing in four
separate sets:
An updated CV formatted according
to a template for this purpose;
Copies of at least three published
articles that are representative of the applicant’s research work to be
reviewed by committee members and external referees;
Copies of recent course evaluation
by students;
Copies of the faculty member’s
evaluation by his/her department chair (dean in case if the applicant is a
chair);
Any supportive documents, such as
letters of recommendations, patents, and the like; and
Statement by the candidate about
his/her contribution in community services, and any supportive document in
this regard.
The applicant should submit the
names of three external referees from outside
Dhofar University all of whom should have academic ranks higher than
his/her;
The chairperson should send to the
dean a confidential list of at least three external referees from outside
Dhofar University other than the names presented by the applicant all of
whom should be of higher academic ranks than that of the candidate. In case
if the applicant is a chair of a department, this list should be provided by
a faculty member who is in professorial rank in the same specialization as
the candidate, or in the closest possible field of study;
The dean shall select one external
referee from the list presented by the applicant, one external referee from
the list presented by the chair of the department (or from a professor in
the same department in case the chairperson is a candidate for promotion)
and one external referee selected by him/her;
The Vice Chancellor of the
University shall choose one additional referee to evaluate the applicant’s
file;
The dean then shall send the whole
file to all four selected referees for their evaluation and after receiving
their responses; the dean shall send back the file to the department
concerned;
After receiving the external
reviewers' evaluation, a promotion committee should be formed from the
department of the candidate, or academicians from relevant fields in the
College or the University to review and vote on applications for promotions
in the absence of the candidate. The promotion committee makes
recommendations to the Dean of the College on whether or not to promote the
candidate;
The Chair of the department of the
candidate will be requested to make a recommendation to the Dean on whether
or not to promote the candidate;
The dean of the College shall
present the promotion file along with the recommendation of the chair of the
candidate's department ad the promotion committee along with his/her
personal recommendation to the University Council for further action. It is
worth noting that no one involved in the evaluation process can vote more
than once on the application for promotion;
The University Council shall
review the file with the recommendations of the chairperson of the
department, the promotion committee, and the dean; and
The recommendation of the
University Council shall be presented to the Vice Chancellor of the
university and then the Vice Chancellor will make his/her recommendation to
the Academic Committee of the Board of Trustees for final decision.
Promotion from Lecturer to Assistant Professor should take place as
follows:
The candidate must have a Ph.D. in his/her field of
study, and must have spent at least one year conducting academic work at
Dhofar University.
The applicant submits a formal written request to the
Chair of the Department along with a portfolio that includes updated CV,
recent publications (if any), course syllabi, evidence about quality
teaching including samples of students’ work, samples of test items,
handouts that were developed by the applicant, students’ evaluation,
etc.
The Chair makes the portfolio available to faculty
members in the department, calls for a departmental meeting to discuss
the case, takes a confidential vote from those who have ranks higher
than the applicant, and makes recommendation to the Dean of the College.
The Dean discusses the case with the Advisory Committee
of the College, takes a vote, and makes recommendation to the University
Vice Chancellor.
The Vice Chancellor makes the final decision in a formal
letter to the applicant.
Unlike the case of promotion for professorial ranks, there is no need to
consult outside referees.
Academic personnel at Dhofar University are entitled to
an annual leave of 60 days. In addition to the annual leave, there are a
number of leaves that all require the prior approval of the immediate
superior who shall make his/her recommendation in the proper organizational
sequence to the University Council.
Sabbatical Leave
– Assistant, associate, and full professors are entitled, after 6 years of
effective service at the university, to a one year sabbatical leave with
full, partial, or without pay provided the approval of the Executive
Committee of the BOT and the University Council are secured regarding
his/her academic and research plan and a suitable replacement is found. The
recipient of a sabbatical leave is entitled to a round trip economy ticket
to the academic institution he/she plans to join.
Research Leave
– This leave is granted by the Vice Chancellor on the recommendation of the
Dean once every five years with full or partial pay for a period not
exceeding two months during the summer leave. Such leaves are not granted to
faculty members who have less than three years of service at the University.
Leaves to Attend Conferences
– This leave is granted by the Vice Chancellor on the recommendation of the
University Research Board once a year with full pay for a period not
exceeding five days.
Discussion of Scientific Papers Leave
– This leave is granted with full pay to faculty member for a period not
exceeding five days to discuss scientific papers or supervise examinations
held by other universities or scientific institutions.
Sick Leave
– A faculty member proved to be sick by presenting a medical report approved
by the University is entitled to a sick leave not exceeding a total of ten
weeks during a one year period, separately or consecutively. Such a leave
shall be granted in the following manner:
First and second week with full
pay;
Third and fourth week with three –
quarters pay;
Fifth and sixth week with half
pay; and
Seventh to tenth week with quarter
pay.
Emergency Leave
– This leave is granted to a faculty member up to twice a year for a period
not exceeding three days each time in case of emergency or special
circumstances . Proof of the emergency or special circumstances must be
presented.
Pilgrimage Leave
– The pilgrimage (Hajj) leave is granted with full pay to a Muslim employee
for a period of two weeks for one time only while in the employment of the
University.
Maternity Leave
– Granted to a woman who has spent one or more years in the service of the
university for a period not exceeding six weeks including the period
preceding and following the maternity, provided a medical report is
submitted specifying the date of probable delivery.
Mourning Leave
– Is granted with full pay for a period of 4 months and 10 days to a Muslim
widow who had lost her husband while she is in the employment of the
university.
Leave Without Pay
– This leave is granted to a faculty member for a period of one semester for
personal, family or health reasons. Such a leave may be extended for a
maximum period of one more semester.
Discussions of personnel matters related to appointment,
reappointment, academic leave, academic review, and promotion conducted at
any level in the University – whether in the department, the dean’s advisory
committee, the university council, or any other committee, are strictly
confidential. Breaches of confidentiality can lead to referral of those
involved to the University Disciplinary Committee.
Voting in the department or in the advisory committee
shall take place by show of hands in a meeting chaired, respectively, by the
department chairperson or by the dean; the result of such voting on both
levels should be included in the recommendation to the University Council.
If the chairperson is the subject of the decision, the most senior member of
the department will carry out his/her functions in this respect
Student advising is part of the academic duties of every
faculty member. The chairperson of the department concerned is responsible
for assigning student advisors so that the number of advisees per faculty
member is as small as possible.
Student advising should not be limited to registering
students, but should encompass all aspects of academic advising, including
selection of electives, counseling on any academic difficulties or problems
encountered, and monitoring the academic progress of advisees.
Academic responsibilities include activities that aim at
ensuring and safeguarding an environment in which high quality education may
flourish within the rules and regulations of the Sultanate of Oman, Dhofar
region, and Dhofar University. There are four basic functions of each
faculty member at DU which are: (1) teaching and maintaining conditions
conducive to learning by encouraging free inquiry and free expression of
knowledge by students; (2) conducting research for the purpose of keeping
abreast with current knowledge in own field, (3) advising the students on
pursuing their academic programs and completing them effectively, and (4)
extending service to the various sections of the University and to the
community in the city of Salalah, Dhofar region, and the Sultanate at large.
The duties of a faculty member include but not limited
to:
Insuring that all theoretical and
practical teaching activities would lead to measurable learning achievements
by students according to previously specified learning outcomes;
Conducting scientific/literary
research in own field that would lead to publishing in refereed academic
journals or refereed professional conferences;
Advising students in his/her own
field. The Chair of the department concerned is responsible for assigning
student advisors so that the number of advisees per faculty member is almost
evenly distributed on faculty members in the department. Student advising
should not be limited to registering students, but should encompass all
aspects of academic advising, including selection of electives, counseling
on any academic difficulties or problems, and monitoring the academic
progress of advisees;
Presenting a syllabus to the
students and to the administration at the beginning of the term describing
the course and clearly demonstrating the course plan, objectives, the
expected learning outcomes, schedule of study, assignments, methods of
study, method of learning evaluation, and reading materials;
Evaluating students’ work in
relation to the course learning outcomes and on the basis of evidence
of independent learning, mastery of course material, and ability to think
and communicate clearly. The course syllabus should clearly include the
assessment criteria that will be used for evaluating learning by students
and the weighting of each component of students output in determining the
final grade in the course. The course instructor is the authority that
decides on the student’s grade. However, if a student has strong evidence of
unfairness, he/she has the right to submit a petition of grievance to the
course instructor within twp weeks of announcing the grade. If the student
is not satisfied with the instructor’s ruling, he/she may appeal to the
department chair who will give a final ruling on the issue after consulting
with concerned faculty members of the department. If a change of grade is to
be made, the department chair will communicate this decision to the dean in
writing and the dean will ask the Registrar to do the changes if he/she
approves the change;
Producing materials such as
handouts and computerized/traditional presentations to organize the learning
activities;
Providing adequate time slots for
office hours during which the faculty members should be able to meet
students in his/her office throughout the term in addition to the regular
class time. The office hours should be included in the syllabus, posted
outside the office of the faculty member, and in a central place in the
department;
Selecting the appropriate method
of discussing the subject being taught with care to avoiding controversial
matters that have no relation to that subject;
Using audiovisual materials,
computerized and traditional, to demonstrate concepts and procedures
whenever is needed;
Making it known to students at the
beginning of each term that students are expected to attend all class
sessions, and missed class sessions should be cleared by presenting valid
reasons such as medical reports from official authorities;
Engaging in outside professional
consulting, giving lectures, and participating in seminars within the
University rules and regulations pertaining to outside consulting
activities;
Discussing within the University
all matters related to teaching, research, and student affairs; and
Faculty members are not permitted
to miss classes without prior written approval of the chair of their
department and the dean. In all cases, any classes that are missed must be
made up for.
In order to attend to their academic duties to the
fullest extent, all full-time faculty members are expected to be present in
the faculty during the regular working hours of the University, except for
official holidays and while on approved leaves. The presence of faculty
members is expected during breaks between semesters.
Faculty members are required to have office hours during
which they are available to meet with students in their offices. The number
of office hours should be at least three per week, distributed over
weekdays, and between the hours of 8 am and 5 pm. Faculty should also be
available to meet with students by appointment during this time. The office
hours should be posted outside the office of the faculty member.
