Our target at the Applied Science University is to be one f the best universities in Bahrain when it comes to implementing the education quality standards in order to offer the best services for the students. At the Applied Science University we understand very well that quality is a strategic demand and that is why we base all of our targets and goals on the quality standards.

Within this context, Professor Ghassan Aouad pointed out that the strategic plan  for the coming five years is based  on achieving comprehensive quality for the programs and different fields offered by the university.

There is a big possibility that the university will sign cooperation agreements with other prestigious universities in order to make the draft for academic programs that coincides with the future  plans and visions  of the university,  but such plans are  still at the initial stages and there are still certain steps the university must take and one of these steps is the approval of the Ministry of Education.

The press interview:

Q: Professor. Ghassan Can you introduce yourself to the readers?

• My name is Ghassan Aouad and I was born in Lebanon in 1959 and I hold both the Lebanese and the British nationality. I have been devoting the last 25 years of my life for research and teaching and before joining the Applied Science university I worked at different universities in Kuwait and Dubai and before that I worked as the dean of the Technology and Science college at Salford university in UK and till now I am still the head of the Chartered Institute for Building which is considered one of the biggest establishments in construction and leadership. This institute was established 180 years ago and its center is located in London and includes 45 thousand members and I am the first Arab Muslim to take this position. In addition to that  I supervised the graduation of 24 students who obtained their Ph.D degree.

• Q: From your long experience in the academic and administrative work, what is your vision for the development of the university?

It is a great pleasure for me to be  the second president of the university and will be more than please to follow the steps of Dr. Waheeb Khaja the executive president of the board of directors of the university and the  founding member of the university. During the last period, we visited many prestigious university and we try as much as possible to create  an interactive and creative environment by relaying on national and international standards for the quality of education and  the curriculum to fulfill the requirements of the local and regional and international needs. The main concern  of the university is to contribute  in creating a well aware generations whether inside the university or outside it and there is a plan to globalize the university within the coming five years. The philosophy of the university is based on creativeness.

What courses do you offer for the coming new semester?

There will be interior design, graphic design, computer, business administration, accounting and financial science, accounting and administrative science, political science and law in addition to master degree in accounting and Human resources management.

Q: Any new activities for the coming new semester?

All the sections are coordinating together to start at the beginning of the semester different activities, some of them will be similar to the previous ones and other activities will be new. The university always supports the scientific research and encourage all the employees to participate and conduct research and participate in scientific meetings and these meetings increases the experiences of the faculty members. This will reflect positively on the students and this will support the strategy of the Ministry of Education  based on supporting the scientific research.

Q: It has been published in the newspapers that members of the students councils visited Bahrain Polytechnic, the Kingdom University and AMA in order to discuss building bridges of cooperation and communication, from your point of view as the president of the university, what do you think of this step?

The purpose of these visits is to strengthen the relations between the students councils in the private and public universities and to coordinate between these councils. We believe in the importance of cooperation between the students of the councils because the council believes in the importance of  coordination between the activities and exchange of experiences. On our turn, we support the activities of the students councils to achieve its targets and we offer the council all the necessary facilities to enrich the campus life.

Q: How does the university  help the students after graduation and are there any contacts between the university and its students?

First of all let me state that the university holds meetings  on regular bases with the  graduates in order to know their needs  so that they become active members at the society and it is worth mentioning that some of our students are now in high positions in the government and in the private sector. Our slogan is to link theory with reality and most of our students receive practical  training  before graduation. This helps them very much to get engaged in work and contribute in gaining sufficient experiences. In addition to that, there is an office at the university called the professsional development office and graduates affairs which follow up the affairs of the graduates and in continues contact with them during the year in order to find if there is a vacancy anywhere and guide them to where the vacancy is. Leading companies are invited  in a particular day and the students submit their C.Vs for these companies. These companies choose some of the graduates of the universities.

Q: At the end of this  press interview what do you like to advice the students of the university?

All students must benefit as much as they can from their university life because these days cannot be compensated. I also advice all students to participate in  all the activities and programs of the university because such contributions help in refining their personality. All students are advised to exert more efforts and meet their responsibilities, contribute in serving their societies and I would like to seize this opportunity to congratulate the wise leadership of the country.