Speech by the Dean of the College

 Challenges in the field of science and technology are a reality that has become obligatory for developing countries to change their outlook towards science and technology, and to strive to provide all possible support to scientific research institutions so that they can catch up and keep pace with developed nations .

     The establishment of Al-Huda University College in Anbar Governorate/Ramadi City came as an urgent and necessary need for the specializations and departments that were opened in it, and whose outputs provide state institutions in general and Anbar Governorate, from the departments of health, education, water, oil, and public and private sector laboratories, with highly qualified graduates in their field of specialization.

     Since Al-Huda University College was established in 2020, it has set its sights on many strategic goals, the most prominent of which was achieving excellence in education in the advanced fields of engineering, medical and health technology, accounting, and law, to reach the so-called edges of science and nanotechnology, to embody its vision and achieve its mission to serve and develop society. Therefore, the college was keen to put forward plans and programs covering its various departments to keep pace with the highest international standards and quality standards. It is also constantly working to develop and improve these plans in line with developments taking place in society. From this standpoint, we believe that the success of colleges in fulfilling their mission and building a generation of graduates capable of assuming responsibility and advancing society guarantees the success of their academic and societal roles. Therefore, our university college has worked hard to attract distinguished faculty members locally in an effort to prepare a generation of graduates armed with knowledge, science, and creative skills to be able to compete in the labor market. To raise the efficiency of the teaching staff, Al-Huda University College has worked to encourage scientific research by seeking to contribute to publishing fees and granting material and moral rewards for publishing in indexed international journals, in addition to subscribing to global databases.

     In line with these principles, a strategic plan has been prepared to develop Al-Huda University College for the years 2023-2028, based on an analysis of the circumstances surrounding the college, to be compatible with the vision of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and international standards in developing the college’s cadres, its curricula, its scientific laboratories, laboratory equipment, advanced applied computer programs, and units. Research and administrative research, enhancing the academic and research role of its teaching staff, the intellectual and scientific level of the student, discovering his skills, developing the mechanism of cooperation with universities, state departments and institutions, and civil society organizations, and providing mutual services to the community and everything that supports Al-Huda University College’s position in the local and international classifications. The new college’s vision, mission, and core governing values ​​have become a real motivation for all college members in the possibility of implementing the new college’s strategy, in addition to its being based on a comprehensive and accurate strategic analysis with the aim of achieving the strategic goals of providing the best educational level for its students and creating a scientific research environment that is compatible with the developments taking place in the Arab higher education sector. And globally.

God grants success

1- Introduction

Al-Huda University College is a private scientific institution not affiliated with a university. It has a legal personality and financial and administrative independence, represented by the dean of the college. The college has its own flag and a logo placed on its flag, documents, and correspondence.

     Since its opening, the college has sought to follow a policy of development and continuous improvement of its performance and to achieve its goals for which it was established. It aspires to provide a scientific academic research system, both theoretical and practical, to achieve distinction and mastery and contribute to the preparation of specialized and distinguished scientific cadres in terms of qualification, training, and work with high craftsmanship and professionalism through the application of programs Integrated, specialized education characterized by the highest level of quality, efficiency, and flexibility. It relies on modern technologies and keeps pace with scientific development and the information revolution.

2- A historical overview of Al-Huda University College

     Al-Huda University College was established in 2020 in Anbar Governorate - the city of Ramadi, pursuant to Ministerial Order No. (H/A/K 8443 on 12/14/2020), and students began studying there during the academic year 2020-2021, as the number of students accepted in that year reached ( 226 students distributed among three main departments: the Department of Fuel and Energy Technologies Engineering, the Department of Accounting, and the Department of Medical Laboratory Technologies.

     The college has witnessed a remarkable expansion at all levels, whether in terms of the number of students accepted into the college or the number of scientific departments or workshops and laboratories. The Law Department was created in the academic year (2021-2022) and the college seeks to create other specialized scientific departments such as pharmacy, dentistry, and technology. Radiology, anesthesia, business administration technology, computer technology engineering, medical device engineering.

3- Strategic plan

     It is a set of programmes, procedures and policies that represent the priorities of effective management in the college and are implemented within five years based on an analysis of the college’s reality, then determining priorities and needs to reach high-quality outcomes in the various specializations available in the college and based on the college’s vision, mission and goals as well as the optimal use of material resources. The available human competencies and competencies available within the college to work on the correct path within a specific time frame that avoid overlap and repetition in issuing decisions. Strategic planning is one of the most important requirements for the college to achieve institutional and academic accreditation and activate its quality and performance system.

4- Determine the paths of the strategic plan

It consists of defining the vision and mission of the college, as well as the values ​​and goals of the college. These concepts were identified and presented to specialized committees, which were then presented to the college council for approval:

College vision

     Al-Huda University College seeks to achieve excellence and leadership locally and regionally and to raise the scientific level by achieving scientific sobriety and for the college to be a leader in the field of higher education and scientific research, and contribute to promoting sustainable development economically and socially.

College message

     Providing high-quality academic programs that emulate scientific and technological development at the local and international levels to prepare competent graduates qualified for leadership and creativity in scientific fields and to contribute positively to achieving society’s needs and aspirations through active participation in the country’s various sectors.

Value

    It consists of focusing on issues of concern to society within a framework that preserves the rights of all individuals, achieving justice and equality, enhancing the national spirit, belonging and belief in teamwork, providing moral support and encouraging creativity and innovation.

College goals

1. Preparing and qualifying an educated generation with high standards in various types of sciences and knowledge capable of meeting the needs of the local and global labor market by accepting all Iraqis and non-Iraqis regardless of gender, race, sect and religion.
2. Preparing a specialized cadre at high levels that contributes effectively to the ongoing construction process in Iraq and is scientifically qualified to deal with modern technologies in order to complete the vertical construction of existing specializations and keep pace with the wheel of scientific development.
3. Commitment to the national line based on belief in God, the unity of the people and the nation, and avoiding atheism.
4. Strengthening scientific and cultural ties with Iraqi, Arab and foreign scientific institutions in order to achieve the college’s goals.
5. Providing advanced cognitive education based on keeping pace with modern developments in scientific disciplines and committed to the authenticity of the authentic Iraqi cultural heritage.
6. Contributing to the development and presentation of Iraqi scientific research by keeping pace with the scientific and cultural movement in various aspects of knowledge.
7. Accommodating human resources interested in teaching, learning and scientific research, providing the national intellectual library with the best research and inventions, and working to open horizons of joint cooperation with scientific institutions to exchange opinions, experiences, and scientific and knowledge integration.
8. Improving the college’s cadres to achieve unique professionalism and reach the best approved international standards.
9. Encouraging working groups to establish specialized development and research projects leading to their application in professional life, investing in those energies and nurturing creative people in a way that achieves excellence in enriching knowledge.
10.  Taking advantage of information technologies and electronic governance to provide specialized educational and research programs that are compatible with labor market requirements.
11. Improving aspects of the economic efficiency of researchers, academics and those with experience in all research, technical and administrative fields by preparing thoughtful proposals to be presented to concerned parties.

5- Analysis of the college’s internal and external environment

     The challenges of the internal and external environment of Al-Huda University College impose the necessity of strategic planning based on scientific and practical foundations to confront them and overcome their repercussions on the college and its departments. By adopting the actual experiences of the college’s members, including faculty members, employees, and students, as well as a desk survey of the strategic plans of the corresponding and nearby colleges. The elements of strength and weakness were extracted and the most important available opportunities and obstacles facing the college were identified, which are as follows:

a. strength point:

     The college has many strengths that can be summarized as follows:

1. Availability of human and material resources that will enhance strategic planning paths.
2. The presence of an elite group of faculty members and support staff with a high level of university and educational qualifications in the various departments of the college, with high academic titles, and from different age groups who graduated from local and international universities.
3. The college's serious and continuous endeavor to achieve quality assurance and obtain academic, programmatic and institutional accreditation.
4. Approving electronic programs in many of the college’s work and activities (final exam results - grade records - course descriptions - student registration...)
5. The existence of a declared job description within the college and its departments, as well as the organizational and administrative structure.
6. College graduates acquire general and well-acquired skills in the fields of computer, programming, engineering and medical techniques, the art of public speaking, teamwork, and others.
7. Organizing various activities, including seminars, courses, scientific conferences, and community and environmental participations inside and outside the college.
8. Working on issuing a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering the college’s various specializations.

B. Weaknesses:

     It is represented by the following

1. Difficulty participating in international conferences and seminars for reasons that are often economic and financial.
2. There is not a sufficient number of technicians and administrators in the workshops, laboratories, scientific departments, and administrative units in the college.
3. The lack of clear policies and means to motivate faculty members and supporting staff to engage in scientific research and community service for the purpose of developing resources and keeping pace with scientific development.
4. Fluctuations in the information network (Internet) service within the college.
5. Shortage of educational devices, equipment and laboratories.
6. Weakness in the database, information, and electronic archiving in some offices and scientific departments within the college.
7. Lack of new service facilities, including parking lots, various playgrounds, and a cultural center.
8. The college does not contain within its formations a scientific research center or a consulting center.
9. Location and geographical area of ​​the college.

T. Available opportunities:

     The opportunities available to the college and which it seeks to exploit are as follows:

1. Supporting the college administration and its departments for a culture of quality and institutional and programmatic academic accreditation.
2. Increasing societal needs and their confidence in the college’s outputs with specializations that serve the labor market.
3. There are several cooperation and twinning agreements between the college, universities, other governmental and private colleges, and with various state institutions and departments and civil society organizations.
4. The college has an outstanding reputation within the governorate and the surrounding region compared to its counterpart colleges.

Th. Obstacles (threats):

     A group of threats have been monitored that limit the optimal exploitation of the strengths and opportunities available to the college, the most important of which are:

1. Difficulty in completing contracts with faculty members, support staff, and new employees due to the lack of financial capabilities and allocations, which is considered an obstacle to achieving the goals of the college’s strategic plan.
2. Imposing laws and legislation from outside the college that restrict and limit the effectiveness of decision-making. Restricting private colleges by the laws and instructions of government colleges and universities (centrality in the private university education system).
3. Rapid scientific developments impose a new challenge represented by the inability to keep up with them and include them in study curricula and research plans.
4. Creating corresponding and competing colleges and scientific departments within the geographical area of ​​the college.
5. Leakage of teaching, technical and administrative expertise from the college to other competing scientific institutions as a result of financial obstacles.
6. Disguised unemployment and the saturation of the public sector with employees reduce job opportunities for college graduates and their obtaining the appropriate job in the field of specialization.

6- Objectives of the college’s strategic plan

     A set of strategic goals have been identified that the college seeks to achieve during the next five years (2023-2028), which are as follows:

1. Evaluating the educational reality of the college and identifying the strengths, weaknesses, risks, and opportunities available to the college.
2. Developing and updating college policies in the fields of medical technologies, renewable energy engineering, accounting, and law.
3. Achieving excellence in the outcomes of the college’s educational process in accordance with the needs of the evolving labor market.
4. Raising the level of efficiency of college teachers in terms of:

• Using modern technologies in education.
• Providing an attractive and stimulating work environment for teachers and researchers.
• Updating and developing appropriate teaching methods by the college’s teaching staff.
• Encouraging faculty members to publish their scientific research in approved international databases.

1. Developing students’ skills through developing primary school curricula, programs and various activities and preparing generations capable of creativity, innovation and scientific research.
2. Qualifying and raising the competencies of workers (administrators and technicians) to achieve effective and rational management using modern technologies such as computers, the Internet, intranet, electronic archiving, and activating the role of electronic management.
3. Developing and updating the college’s policies in the field of community service and environmental development through community participation and communication with bodies and institutions that benefit from the college’s outputs.
4. Securing the requirements for obtaining programmatic and institutional academic accreditation, ensuring quality, and achieving advanced classifications in accordance with international competitive standards.
5. Directing the scientific research system to meet the needs of sustainable economic development, the labor market, and creating new economic opportunities.
6. Providing the financial, human and material resources necessary to sustain the college’s scientific journey.
7. Activating scientific cooperation and twinning agreements with government institutions and civil society organizations.

7- Mechanisms for implementing the strategic plan

1. Providing an ethical charter for the teacher and the student that specifies:

A - Promoting positive behavior for both of them.

B - Emphasizing the principle of reward and punishment, and strengthening this with laws, controls and instructions.

T - Establishing a transparent system in dealing between the student and the teacher, between the administration and the teacher, and between the administration and the student.

D- Emphasizing the ethical dimension in student and teaching evaluation.

1. Emphasizing a fair and transparent system for selecting and appointing teachers and giving the deanship opportunities to meet those seeking appointment.
2. Emphasizing the role of guidance units and continuous guidance through workshops, attractive colorful posters, lectures and courses, and ensuring that the guide is one of the best personalities in his work, dealing with and spreading virtuous behavior and positive values.
3. Conducting realistic workshops, away from theorizing, about the negative behavioral phenomena that are widespread, whether in society in general or in the college, subjecting them to analysis, and developing programs to limit their spread or treat them, such as drugs, smoking, and the phenomenon of damaging college (state) property, health facilities, waste, and lack of Paying attention to the textbook, cheating in all its aspects,...etc.
4. Selecting administrative leaders should be subject to case studies and reports on their professional behavior, integrity, transparency and credibility in dealing with students and teaching staff.
5. Publish instructions, controls and laws (such as student discipline laws, state employee discipline laws, examination instructions, admission instructions and the college guide...) in a clear, transparent and accessible manner, and hold workshops or seminars or publish murals or through bulletins placed for this purpose.
6. Adopting a clear and declared policy to attract scientific talent and preparing a declared incentive system for all administrative units to develop capabilities and creativity and support research projects.
7. Emphasizing the focus of scientific research ethics and considering it a red line in which the teacher trains his students to follow the steps of scientific research and confirm the results of scientific research, whatever they may be, to address problems and hold those who violate the conditions of scientific research strictly accountable by establishing mechanisms to evaluate research.
8. Reviewing the model work procedures manual and updating the job description within the college.
9. Raising awareness of security, safety and risk prevention systems.
10. Continuous development and updating of the college’s website to show the college’s activities, departments, and scientific research outputs.
11. Achieving balance in the distribution of teaching, research and administrative tasks within the college.
12. Creating funds for social and material solidarity for needy students, with controls and instructions.
13. Urging teachers and employees effectively and genuinely to participate in implementing the strategic plan.
14. The plan is divided into annual stages, and each stage is evaluated at the end of the academic year up to the target year of 2028.
15. Involving all employees in training courses on job ethics, as well as using computers and available means of communication (the Internet) in internal and external dealings, while emphasizing the importance of time in completing transactions.

8- Procedures for implementing the strategic plan

1. The plan will take the necessary policies and procedures in accordance with international standards in the following areas:

• Raising the degree level from master’s to doctorate among teachers who hold a master’s degree to reach 100% by the end of 2028, meaning that master’s holders should be paid 25% annually to obtain a doctorate in their specializations, and the following statistics show this:

                         Current reality: 18 holders of doctoral degrees, and 10 holders of master’s degrees.

Global standard 80%

Current ratio 74.9%

In order to reach the goal in 2028 to achieve the plan, two teachers with master’s degrees should complete their studies annually to obtain a doctorate degree. Study leaves should be granted to complete the doctorate only, and stop granting them to complete the master’s degree.

1. Encouraging teachers to obtain advanced academic titles in order to reach the global standard of 75% in professorships. According to the plan, we should pay annually 25% of scientific titles to move to the higher title.
2. Increasing the success rate to the extent that is consistent with the standards of the League of Arab States and the standards that confirm the minimum success rate of 85% to the highest success rate of 100%. This includes the following:

     A - Urging teachers to pay attention to modern teaching methods that encourage students to participate in learning the subject.

     B - Encouraging students to participate in teaching the subject through cooperative and individual learning and methods that encourage the student to participate. This includes holding seminars, workshops, development courses for the curriculum and teaching methods, posters, and various other activities in which faculty members participate. This is part of projects to develop the performance of teaching staff.

1. Raising the level of the teaching to student ratio, reaching the international standard in the field of humanities studies to reach 1-30. In scientific disciplines 20:1. To achieve this goal, the College Council determined the number of teaching staff compared to the number of students, and established the need in each specialty according to lists that were carefully studied with the scientific committees, departments, and the College Council, and came up with a summary in which the actual need in each specialty was determined, starting from the year 2023 until the target year of 2028. .

9- Evaluation of the strategic plan

      Based on the objectives of the strategic plan and its implementation indicators, the college has included in its calculations the preparation of a self-evaluation to follow up on the implementation of these objectives on an annual basis for the purpose of identifying strengths and weaknesses to ensure the achievement of the objectives within the specified time period.

10- General indicators

1. Presenting the standards of the Ministry, the Arab League, and the standards of the National Council for Accreditation for Teacher Education (NACAT) for discussion by holding seminars and workshops in which all college teachers and students participate and specifying a time frame for the purpose of raising awareness and effective, productive participation.
2. Selecting teachers who are passionate about development and change, shaping the elements of change, and creating the important nucleus of change.
3. Establishing mechanisms for implementing what has been planned.
4. Determine the factors that will contribute to the success of the plan by studying them with the departments.
5. Monitoring the implementation rates of submitted projects.
6. Preparing accurate and comprehensive descriptions of courses and coding these courses.
7. Activating the role of the subcommittees formed in the departments to follow up on the implementation of quality in the departments through the central committee for this purpose and to identify the factors that prevent the success of the departments and the college in implementing the planned projects.
8. Focus on the departments' role to follow up on the development and achievement of the department's objectives and the strategic plan.
9. Formation of the following committees:

a. Committee for evaluating the performance of teaching staff and following up on graduate students.

B. The College Outcomes Evaluation Committee, through controlling the comprehensive examination activities for fourth-year students annually, must do the following:

1. What should the teacher and student know about college activities?
2. What should the teacher do in order to achieve the goals of the college, department, and subject?
3. What positive impact can a teacher have on students’ education?
4. Searching globally for the best courses for each scientific department and methods for implementing them.

10. Push and encourage students to participate in achieving this plan through workshops, extracurricular activities, and seminars held by departments