Academic Initiatives

Foster academic excellence and a culture of continuous improvement through innovative pedagogies and research that cultivates lifelong learning, personal fulfillment, and adaptability to the future requirements of local and international job markets.

Goal

Foster academic excellence in a liberal arts culture, through innovative teaching and quality research, to prepare students for future local and international careers and lifelong learning. 

Objectives

•  Enhance student learning through innovative pedagogies and effective assessment learning experience
• Prepare students with transferable skills for constantly changing local and global economies
• Promote high-impact, quality research to enhance the learning experience
• In the summer of 2017, the Provost established a task force on the quality of undergraduate education at AUC to offer a solution that would enhance and improve good teaching across various departments, as well as address other impediments to our students' learning experience.

Task Force Report

Task Force Presentation

Action Plan Report

The academic program review is a process that ensures each degree program at AUC undergoes a comprehensive cyclic process of assessment of quality, potential, and sustainability for the purpose of enhancing academic quality and students’ experience, and ensuring resources are used efficiently and allocated to support AUC’s mission and strategic plan. The academic program review generates in-depth communication between the academic departments and the university administration which can be a central mechanism for advancing the university mission, setting priorities, allocating resources, and identifying future areas of potential growth. The review plan can also be used to enhance the process of evaluating the feasibility of new programs by learning the key determinants of a successful program that provides an intellectually stimulating and enriching learning experience to students and is in line with AUC’s mission.  For more information; check out the full Academic Program Review Process.

The Office of the Provost developed a process for comprehensive reappointment reviews for deans. The process provides the opportunity for faculty and other constituencies to give constructive input and provide data to the Provost to make a decision on renewing the dean’s term. The implementation of the process started in Spring 2020. We also developed guidelines for the appointment and review of department chairs. Performance review of department chairs are now conducted in the final year of the three-year term of all chairs. In addition, and in coordination with SMIE, all chairs receive annual chair evaluation survey reports to provide feedback to department chairs to help them understand how they may more effectively support the work of the department.

Review Process of Deans

Guidelines for the Appointment and Review of Department Chairs

In Spring 2018, AUC Provost formed an Advisory Committee from three highly regarded academics from top universities in the US to review the current policies and processes related to promotion and tenure at AUC. The Advisory Committee viewed the promotion and tenure review as one phase in a continuous process that is connected to other phases in the faculty’s career. Hence, any reform of this review should include not only the review phase that takes place at the sixth or seventh year, but also all the phases prior to this review. View the complete Report of the Provost’s Advisory Committee for Review of Tenure Process.

In Fall 2018, following receiving the report of the Advisory Committee, the Provost assigned a Task Force the mandate of analyzing the report and formulating an action plan pertaining to the report’s recommendations. The Task Force adopted a methodology by which it looked at all the phases in a faculty member’s journey at AUC. Such a journey starts with the initial step of identifying the need for faculty lines, followed by recruitment and hiring, mentoring, first year review, third year review, annual performance review and up to and including the last phase of promotion and tenure review. For more information; check the Report of Provost’s Task Force on Promotion and Tenure.

In the Academic Year 2020/2021, the Office of the Provost in collaboration with academic departments is piloting a new faculty mentoring program that includes valuable professional and personal guidance in different domains. This is to help ensure a smooth integration of new faculty, enhance their ability to add value to the institution and promote a more positive institutional climate. The faculty mentoring program will include both one-on-one and group mentoring, to increase the exposure of new faculty to a broad array of experienced colleagues. For more details; check out the Faculty Mentorship at AUC document.