During a meeting with Akhbar Alkhalij, Prof. Ghassan Aouad assured that the university will offer new studying programs during the coming five years in addition to establishing new colleges and a new building for training.

In addition to that, he added that the university is discussing ways of cooperating with a number
of British universities in order to obtain the academic accreditation. He added that this process is still in its first stages and the university will soon take certain steps to achieve this goal.

Q: Who is Prof. Ghassan Aouad?
My name is Ghassan Fouad Aouad and I was born in Lebanon in 1959 and spent 20 years of my life in research and teaching. Before joining Applied Science University, I held the position of Vice President for Academic Affairs at Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) in Kuwait and before that I was the President of the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD).

Q: What are your plans in order to develop the university?
It is my great pleasure to be the second President of the university in order to follow the track of Prof. Waheeb Alkhaja, the Executive President of the Board of Directors and the founder of the university. We have visited many prestigious European universities in order to put new academic programs to reach the standard of those universities. We try as much as we can to create a creative university environment and fulfill the needs of the local and international communities. The philosophy of the university is based on creativeness.

Q: You have mentioned that you visited British universities. What is the reason for which you want to cooperate with these universities and how many universities did you cooperate with till now?
The reason for which we are dealing with these universities is to give the students a chance to get two
degrees at the same time, one from Applied Science University and the other from another international university. The language teaching for these fields will be in English and accordingly, our students will take intensive English courses before specializing in these fields. It is worth mentioning that we are still making the plans and there are certain steps that we have to take. We need to get the approval of the Ministry of Education and I would like to seize this opportunity to thank the Ministry of Education for its plan in order to develop the higher education in the country and I have read the strategy of the ministry and I do believe that its plan is similar to the plans that are implemented in developed countries.

Q: Are there any new specializations for the second semester?
There will be no new specializations for the second semester and the university is about to establish new colleges and the foundations will be established soon.

Q: Is the university going to offer Ph.D. programs?
We are very ambitious to offer a Ph.D. programme but we need to make the necessary plans in order to succeed in this issue. We have to work very hard on the issue of the philosophy of scientific research and then we need to intensify our cooperation with prestigious universities and then we will make the necessary plans for launching a Ph.D. programme but this will be accomplished within the coming five years.

Q: How does the university help its students to get employed after their graduation?
The slogan of the university is to link the theoretical side with the practical side and that is why students are encouraged to participate in training before their graduation. This will help them to get jobs and contribute in obtaining enough practical experiences. There is an office at the university called “Professional and Graduate Affairs Development Office” which keeps in contact with the students after their graduation in order to coordinate with companies in the country and find jobs for the students.

Q: What is the last word you would like to say to the new students at the university?
I encourage all students to work as hard as possible in order to contribute in serving their societies and their nations and I encourage them to participate in all the activities and programmes of the university. I would like to seize this opportunity to congratulate the leadership of the country on the occasion of the National Day.