Rector’s Speech

     Based on the continuous successes achieved by the University of Baghdad, the mother and the first university established in Iraq, its successful academic career has been replete with pioneering experiences that established many university systems and traditions in Iraq. Its distinguished achievements, thus, constitute milestones in the development of higher education. In connection with these achievements, a new strategy has been prepared for the development of the university from the year 2023 until the year 2027 based on an analysis of the circumstances surrounding the university. Such a strategy is destined to define clear paths for the university for the purpose of excelling in its performance, and building based on the achievements and successes the university has reaped in teaching, learning, research, scientific, institutional development, and community participation.

     The new vision, mission, and core governing values of the university ​​have become a real motivation for all university employees to implement the new strategy of the university. This is because the new strategy is based on a comprehensive and accurate strategic analysis with the aim of achieving the strategic goals. The latter is destined to ultimately provide the best educational level for its students and to create a scientific and research environment that is compatible with developments in the higher education sector globally.

     The educational, research and community service programs offered by the university in its various formations have gained a good reputation in the scientific community. Furthermore, the university has been able to raise its rank to the ranks of prestigious universities in the Arab world and internationally. In addition, the university intends to maintain this leadership as a proud of prestigious asset; a matter which makes its graduates a basic requirement in various fields of the labor market.

     The exceptional efforts that have been made in preparing this strategy represent a great challenge. However, the biggest challenge lies in the implementation and confrontation of the impeding conditions to its implementation, especially in the research field and the availability of capabilities. Consequently, there is great responsibility being assigned to the university leadership and its affiliates for the purpose of achieving these challenges. Such a responsibility in return doubles the efforts needed to be exerted to reach the desired goal, reflecting, as a result, the vision, mission and goals of the University within the framework of the leadership of the prestigious and eldest university in Iraq that we all seek for.

May God grant everyone all that is good!

Prof. Dr. Munir Hamid Al-Saadi

Rector of the University of Baghdad

Preparatory Committee’s Word

     Strategic planning illustrates the framework and direction that leads to and supports the management of the institution. Successful modern institutions work within the framework of a strategic plan in which the priorities are set within the available capabilities and resources. Such strategic planning helps to ensure the improvement of the services and the provision of development support to the faculty/staff. It also increases the ability to deal with external risks, contributing thus to crisis management. In this vein, based on the belief of the presidency of the University of Baghdad in the importance of following a scientific method when preparing its strategy (2023-2027), a committee has been formed under the supervision of the president of the University of Baghdad to work on the ad hoc strategic plan. This committee is keen to include the strategy of the university by answering five main questions:

Q1. Where is the university located now? (Analysis of the current reality of the university).

Q2. Where do we want to go? (Defining the vision, mission and strategic aims).

Q3. How can we reach what we intend to? (Defining the required strategies, plans, mechanisms, programs and projects).

Q4. How do we approach our target? (Determine the mechanisms, timelines, and resources required to implement the proposed strategies, plans, mechanisms, programs, and projects, and to follow up on their implementation).

Q5. Have we really reached what we aspire to? (Establishing mechanisms for evaluation and monitoring).

The committee has further taken the following actions:

  1. Collecting and analyzing university data.
  2. Determine the strategy axes and structure.
  3. Agreeing to amend the initial formulations of the university vision, mission, governing values, goals, and strategic goals.
  4. Determining the executive programs necessary to achieve the strategic goals and procedures of the university, defining their time frame, the party responsible for implementing them, as well as the outputs and indicators for measuring their success.
  5. Identifying and studying the obstacles and determinants facing the implementation of the strategy.
  6. Holding a group of specialized workshops to discuss the various axes of the strategy to obtain feedback and make amendments to it.
  7. Establishing a mechanism to follow up the implementation of the strategic plan on a regular basis. Such a step requires preparing a semi-annual report on the progress of implementing the plan in accordance with the established performance indicators.

Features of the University of Baghdad

The University of Baghdad (the mother university) is the second-largest university in the Middle East and the oldest university in Iraq. The following colleges: the College of Law (1908), the College of Engineering (1921), the Higher Teachers’ House/ College of Education later on (1923) and the College of Medicine (1927), represent the first building blocks for the establishment of the University of Baghdad in 1957. The University of Baghdad is the first of its kind from which the highly trained teaching, technical and administrative faculty/staff members were launched. It later worked as an assistant to the owners of other Iraqi universities founded and built later and benefited other governmental institutions through its knowledgeable faculty/staff members.

Since its foundation, the University of Baghdad has responded quickly to all the requirements of national development plans by increasing the number of accepted students in all majors (primary and higher). In addition, it helped in the construction of new colleges, which have so far reached twenty-four colleges, four institutes of postgraduate studies, and about (10) centres, seven of which are research and three service-oriented. Its response has also been represented by increasing majors in postgraduate studies, and the number of students in the university. Such an increase demands an increasing interest in providing the needed requirements; the most important of which are: providing hostels for student housing. As far as this point s concerned, the university has so far (12) residential complexes, and (21) advisory offices attached to its formations to provide services to public and private sector institutions.

Among the important facilities attached to the formations of the university are: libraries, halls, gardens, squares and playgrounds, guest houses, medical clinics, clubs, museums, mosques, fields and farms, health centers, radio stations, banks and banks.

The University of Baghdad is distinguished by having a rich and large base of experienced human resources that enable it to achieve its vision, mission, and strategic goals. This base includes teachers, researchers, technicians, administrators, and undergraduate and postgraduate students.

The entry of the university in the field of competition at the global level through its appearance in a number of international classifications has increased its national responsibility in representing higher education institutions globally. Among these classifications are:

  • Shanghai Ranking by Subject/Chemical Engineering.
  • Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
  • Times Higher Education Impact Ranking.
  • Qs World University Rankings.
  • Qs Arab Region.
  • S. News Best Arab Region Universities Rankings
  • RUR University Ranking.
  • URAP University Ranking by Academic Performance.
  • Green Metric University Ranking.
  • Scimago Institutions Rankings.
  • Webometrics Ranking of World Universities.

Vision

A pioneering knowledge-producing university that contributes to sustainable development and global Competition

Mission

We, the University of Baghdad, are an integrated system of scientific and humanities colleges, institutes, and long-standing research centres. We believe that human building is the basis for the existence of generations capable of leading society and building the nation. Its purpose is manifested in learning, teaching, research, and community service by providing a stimulating university environment, distinguished human resources, and curricula that are compatible with the requirements of the labor market. Such a purpose helps prepare qualified graduates and leads the university to be characterized by its minds, scientists, and innovators, and its openness to society to achieve partnership and sustainable development,  emphasizing ultimately the integration of theoretical and applied knowledge, and global competition.

Goals

The strategic goal is to raise the readiness of the university formations to be distinguished now and in the future. It further aims to bring about a quantum leap in their strategic performance in accordance with international standards within the framework of true citizenship and leadership in its various cognitive, and educational research roles. It also aims to provide community service, upgrade, and strengthen the position of the university within the framework of universities international rankings, and within the framework of balancing between contemporaneity with modern trends in higher education and preserving originality represented by adhering to the national constants and values of the country. Within the framework of this strategic goal, a number of strategic objectives can be identified, as illustrated in the following points:

  1. Attracting, qualifying and developing human resources to enable them to keep pace with the rapid developments in the various fields of work.
  2. Administratively developing and improving the work methods towards electronic governance and supporting university independence.
  3. Maximizing the  financial resources of the university to achieve integration with limited government funding.
  4. Enhancing the capabilities and sustainability of the university.
  5. Developing the curricula of undergraduate and postgraduate studies in accordance with the standards of global competition.
  6. Adopting contemporary teaching methods that enhance the blended teaching and learning process and develop students’ creative thinking and research.
  7. Merging departments, branches, centers and academic programs or constructing them according to the requirements of the labor market and the needs of the community.
  8. Developing scientific research and directing it to serve the community.
  9. Publishing scientific results within the reliable global database and repositories.
  10. Marketing applied research.
  11. Ensuring university quality and performance in accordance with international competition standards and achieving advanced rankings.
  12. Obtaining programmatic and institutional academic accreditation.
  13. Activating international relations and cooperation with universities and institutions.
  14. Promoting community service initiatives and encouraging collective volunteer work.
  15. Refining and developing students’ extracurricular talents.

Judging Values

The success of the university strategy requires defining a set of governing values ​​that represent the basic starting point governing the behavior of all university students. These values ​​must be continuously strengthened in order to turn them into applied practices and a solid basis for dealings in the university at all levels. The main focus of the university governing values ​​is on the academic excellence that drives three main components of the university mission: education and students; postgraduate studies and research; and community service and environmental development. Emphasizing the values ​​of excellence in performance in the three previous areas will help in achieving the university mission. These values ​​can be summarized as follows:

  1. Social and Moral Commitment: The University of Baghdad seeks to achieve the highest levels of social and moral commitment, and to establish the values ​​of moderation, and equality in line with the teachings of the true Islamic religion, authentic Arab customs and traditions, and the supreme human ideals.
  2. Affiliation: The university strives to achieve the highest levels of true national affiliation for its students and employees by strengthening the national spirit, and giving priority to the public interest and overall personal interests.
  3. Transparency and Academic Freedom: The university encourages openness and interaction with others; it further affirms its interest in the values ​​of justice, integrity, and academic freedom.
  4. Decentralization: The university believes in the necessity of the participation of all its parties in the decision-making process. This step can be achieved by supporting decisions at the levels of departments, colleges, divisions, administrative units, and students. The university also supports the move towards more decentralization in decision-making.
  5. Teamwork: Believing in teamwork as one team to achieve the university vision, mission and goal comes through the integration of between the university plans with those of the colleges, institutes and research centers, and through inviting partners and stakeholders to contribute to rooting teamwork.

Analysis of the Current Reality of the University of Baghdad

The evaluation of the current situation is based on the results of the university self-evaluation study, as well as on the results of the analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis). Such an analysis helps to provide a realistic picture of this situation, the challenges facing the implementation of the strategy, and the ways to confront and deal positively with them.

The University of Baghdad faces unprecedented challenges as a result of the frequency of local, regional and global changes during the last ten years. These challenges imposed by the external environment necessitate strategic planning based on solid scientific foundations. Such planning helps to confront them and overcome their repercussions on the internal conditions of the university and its institutions.

Those years witnessed a clear increase in the number of universities and colleges, in the public and private sectors. Some of them began to compete with each other to: attract more students and teaching and research competencies, increase the desire for renewal in terms of management and educational curricula, and for catching up with science, and to compensate for the thing the country missed during the years of sanctions and decades of distance and preoccupation from keeping up with the developments that took place in the world

First: Strength Points

In pursuit of the university to bring about positive changes in management systems based on the philosophy and system of the total quality management in higher education supported by the Association of Arab Universities, the university has set out to lay the first building blocks for the total quality management system in its faculties. The university further hopes to complete it and gradually reap its fruits, in a way that makes a quality leap in managing the colleges and centers of the university, and the reality of the services it provides to society and private sector institutions during the changing reality that our world is experiencing, such as the information and technology revolution. Among the strengths that are available for the success of the strategy are

  1. Supporting university leaders and their conviction of the importance of strategic planning.
  2. The multiplicity and diversity of scientific disciplines in the university.
  3. Availability of a number of distinguished experiences and competencies in the university.
  4. The university’s continuous endeavor to achieve quality assurance and obtain academic, programmatic and institutional accreditation.
  5. The prevalence of a culture of excellence and the strife to improve the university in the past few years.
  6. The availability of human and material resources that would enhance the strategic planning paths.
  7. More faculty members obtaining doctoral degrees in prestigious universities, whether inside or outside Iraq.
  8. The presence of a group of faculty members who believe in the importance of applying the strategic planning approach.
  9. The distinguished location of the university in the capital, Baghdad.
  10. The university’s connection with a wide network of academic and scientific relations with regional and international institutions and universities.
  11. The university owns a distinguished and the largest library in Iraq.

 Second: Weak Points

The implementation of the strategy is likely to face some weaknesses that will emerge in the foreseeable future, whether inside or outside the university. This could affect the implementation process. Cases in point of such points are:

  1. The insufficiency of the financial resources required to complete the tangible and intangible expansions and developments that are hoped to be accomplished during the next five years.
  2. The need for a number of colleges and research centers to construct new buildings and facilities that are compatible with technological developments.
  3. Poor coordination between university faculties and research centers on the one hand, and the labor market on the other hand.
  4. The outdated management information systems, and the weak reliance of the university administration on reports and statistics extracted from these systems.
  5. Weakness in following the job description of the workers in the administrative bodies of the university.
  6. Lack of e-government applications at the university level.
  7. The weak relationship between the university and the community.
  8. Poor communication between the university and the alumni.
  9. The students’ inability to speak English, in addition to their weakness in the Arabic language.
  10. Poor keeping pace with development in teaching methods and modern methods.
  11. The absence of strategic planning at the level of faculties and departments.
  12. The weakness of the incentive system that encourages creativity and innovation.
  13. Insufficient databases on the needs of the labor market.

Third: Opportunities

  1. Society’s confidence in public universities, and in the University of Baghdad in particular.
  2. Benefiting from the National Strategy for Education and Higher Education for the years (2011-2020 AD).
  3. The good and active presence of the University of Baghdad in the Arab, regional and international academic community.
  4. Growing demand for university services.
  5. The state’s commitment to support higher education and scientific research.
  6. The support of the university leadership for the strategic plan and the solidarity of stakeholders for its success.
  7. Cooperating with foreign universities to gain experience and to inform faculty about scientific and practical developments.
  8. The existence of cooperation agreements between the University of Baghdad and a number of international universities and institutions.
  9. Increasing demand for postgraduate programs.
  10. The distinguished strategic location of the university in a promising industrial, agricultural and commercial environment.

Fourth: Threats

The university’s strategic plan faces a number of internal and external threats, including:

  1. Increasing the pressure on the university’s faculties by increasing the number of students admitted to them beyond their plans and actual absorptive capacities. This is because of the Ministry’s commitment to accepting all students who graduate from the preparatory school stage, and in light of the expected population increase. Accordingly, the university will face severe pressure as a result of the increase in the number of these students in the future.
  2. The low academic achievement of the students admitted to the university as a result of the problems that the education sector suffers from and of the traditional study methods and curricula.
  3. The rapid and massive global developments that pose a new challenge represented by the ability to keep pace with them and include them in the study curricula, seminars and research plans.
  4. The competition of private universities and colleges, which began to break into scientific and medical specializations that were exclusive to public universities.
  5. The variables of labor market requirements, as well as the weak relationship with the labor market.
  6. Lack of allocation of financial resources compared to the university’s commitments.
  7. Centralization in the higher education system.
  8. Failure to keep up with the laws and instructions of the latest developments in the education sector.

Strategic Issues

In order to achieve the university vision, mission and goals, and based on an analysis of the university’s current reality, the following fifteen strategic issues have been identified through which the fifteen strategic goals of the university can be achieved:

Addressed Party Deputy President for Administrative Affairs
The First Strategic Issue:

Attracting, qualifying and developing human resources to enable them to keep pace with the rapid developments in the fields of work.

Priorities

(1-5)

Time Limit
23 24 25 26 27
2 30% 70% Continuous Continuous Continuous
Obstacles and Limitations
–   Poor investment in human capital.

–   Centralization of recruitment and appointment.

–   Weak training and development programs.

–   Poor identification of training needs according to the knowledge and skill gap.

–   Weak financial allocations for the development of human resources.

–   Absence of effective incentive systems.

–   Weak distribution of human resources according to the job description.

–   Poor balance between workload and qualifications.

–   Decline in the public service ethics.

Choice Trained, distinguished human resources, and developed administrative staff
Programs Procedures
Leadership Development Living with leaders in foreign universities to gain experience
Development of the Functional Staff – Developmental training courses in management and leadership.

–    Developing a system to identify the training needs according to the career path.

– Identifying and contracting with training agencies.

– Scheduling employees to participate in training courses according to specialization and type of work.

Granting study leaves according to future needs

 

-Procedures are set according to the approved mechanisms based on the organizational structure and the actual need for specializations
Developing the speaking skills of teachers in living languages.

 

 

– Organizing courses in coordination with the relevant authorities

– Inventorying the requirements of formations

–    assigning departments of languages ​​in the relevant colleges

–    Preparing the scientific material

–    Scheduling courses over the years of the plan

– Distributing the needs to the courses in a way that does not affect the progress of the educational process

Restructuring human resources

(teachers and staff) of the university and colleges

 

 

-Re-describing jobs, inventory of specializations and naming them.

-Determining available and required qualifications.

-Analyzing Workload.

-Redistributing of human resources according to specialization and the actual need.

Developing loyalty and organizational citizenship for the university and colleges.

 

–   Organizing educational seminars and workshops.

–   Implementing opinion polls to measure the levels of loyalty and citizenship.

–   Enhancing moral stimulation.

Effective and fair appointments

 

–    Forming a central recruitment committee.

–    Reviewing and announcing appointment controls in light of the laws and regulations in force.

–    Identifying gaps in functional needs.

–    Declaring the needs in accordance with the regulations in a way that achieves the principles of transparency and justice.

Updating and developing the job code of conduct

 

– Reviewing the current regulations.

– Updating the regulations according to developments (for students, faculty, staff, leaders, and scientific research).

The Executive Party Follow-up Party Indicators of Success
–   Department of Human Resources

–   The Center for Development and Continuing Education at the university and its units in the colleges.

–   Deputy President of the University for Administrative Affairs

–   Deputy President of the University for Scientific Affairs

–   Studies and Planning Department

– High levels of performance according to the annual performance appraisal

– High levels of loyalty to the university and formation in opinion polls and questionnaires

– An increase in the percentage of proficiency in English and Arabic

– The number of implemented courses compared to the plan

– The number of trainees and graduates has increased compared to the plan

 

Addressed Party Deputy President for Administrative Affairs
The Second Strategic Issue:

Administrative developing and improving the work methods towards electronic governance and support for university independence.

Priorities

(1-5)

Time Limit
23 24 25 26 27
2 15% 35% 50% Continuous Continuous
Obstacles and Limitations
–   Resistance to change.

–   Lack of benefit from specialists in the field of administrative development.

–   Weak financial allocations.

–   Weak investment in staff specialized in software and in the development of ready-made systems.

–   Poor internet, intranet and communications

–   Multiple sources of decision-making and issuance of different instructions.

–   Infrastructure weakness.

–   Weak administrative systems and the complexity of work procedures.

–   Lots of exceptions.

Choice Flexible administrative patterns and structures, and easy and electronically governed work methods
Programs Procedures
– Conducting a study to create the position of  the Deputy University President for strategy and quality affairs. – Conducting a study to create the position of Deputy University President for strategy and quality affairs.
– Developing the organizational structure. – Forming a committee to review the organizational structure and describe the structure on the basis of the objectives and duties of the formations it consists of.
– Setting a guide to standard work procedures and their facilitation. – Forming committees to write the standard work procedures.
– Electronic management and governance. –    Developing IT applications.

–    Developing the internet and communications.

–    Developing university and college website pages on the global information network in accordance with the international standards.

–    Re-engineering the registration work and shifting towards electronic business (e-student management program).

–    Implementing a system for evaluating the performance of library work.

–    Defining a set of work areas to shift to electronic business instead of paper work.

–    Setting the standards and requirements for adopting electronic management.

–    Electronic modeling of transactions completion procedures.

– Developing systems of incentives, rewards and excellence awards. – Electronic accounting systems development programs.

 

– Approving the program and performance budget of the university and colleges. – Approaching the competent authorities to approve the new pattern

– Rehabilitating the employees of the finance departments in the presidency of the university and its divisions in the formations to deal with the new pattern.

– Adopting the official transition to apply the new style.

–   Developing crisis management work –    Creating a risk management unit

–    Preparing a risk management manual

-Developing programs for insurance and health insurance. – Appealing to the Ministry of Health and specialized hospitals

– Issuing instructions and regulations that organize programs

–   Fighting administrative and financial corruption. -Holding introductory seminars to identify administrative and financial corruption practices and their legal penalties

-Developing mechanisms to simplify the procedures and clarify university instructions, laws and regulations

-Adopting the form of correspondence, completion of transactions and monitoring electronically (implementation of the e-government program)

–   Developing media and public relations in the university and colleges. –   Developing media work in colleges to public relations and media.

–   Training courses for media personnel.

The Executive Party Follow-up Party Indicators of Success
–   University Formations – Deputy University President for Scientific Affairs

– Deputy University President for Administrative Affairs

– Department of Quality Assurance and University Performance

– Studies and Planning Department

 

–    The number of effective changes that occurred in the organizational structures.

–    Documentation of standard work procedures manuals.

–    The number of measures taken to reduce cases of administrative and financial corruption.

–    The number of electronically transferred procedures compared to the planned one.

–    Increasing the number of website visitors.

–    Improving the website’s ranking in international rankings.

 

Addressed Party Deputy President for Administrative Affairs
The Third Strategic Issue:

Maximizing the financial resources of the university to achieve integration with limited government funding.

Priorities

(1-5)

Time Limit
23 24 25 26 27
1 20% 20% 20% 20% 20%
Obstacles and Limitations
– Central orientations.

– Instructions, regulations and laws specific to investment.

– Intense competition.

– The general economic situation.

– The security situation.

– Weak deduction of the ownership of the university lands in order to invest them.

– Lack of staff specialized in investment.

– No sponsors and supporters.

– Limited government funding.

Choice Sustainable financial resources for the university’s current and future commitments
Programs Procedures
– Activating evening studies. –   Preparing a study on the economic feasibility of evening studies and evening study fees, according to market needs.
– Activating parallel education. – Developing a system to promote and motivate parallel education.
– Economic investment of university resources. -Preparing feasibility studies for the investment of untapped lands and buildings.
– Investing in university housing for associates. -Preparing feasibility studies for investment in university housing in coordination with the public and private sectors

-Announcing about investment opportunities

-Studying offers and choosing the best one

-Contracting procedures

– Investing in the university hostels. –    Preparing a feasibility study for investing in the hostels.
– Investing in technology parks. –    Developing procedures and mechanisms to organize the work of technology parks
– Opening up of consulting offices to the public and private sectors. –    Reconsidering postgraduate wages (private alimony).

–    Implementing profitable production projects.

–    Re-evaluating the revenues and investment returns of the assets of the university and colleges and classifying the colleges on the basis of that.

– Activating the work of the cooperation mechanisms committees.

 

–   Urging committees to cooperate with public and private sector institutions by activating research contracts.

–   Developing a quarterly action plan to move on the public and private sectors

–   Initiating proposals for cooperation mechanisms with the public and private sectors

–   Forming joint committees with the public and private sectors to limit cooperation opportunities and start them, each according to his specialization

The Executive Party Follow-up Party Indicators of Success
–   University Formations – Deputy University President for Administrative Affairs

– Financial Affairs Department

– Department of Construction and Projects

– The rate of increase in financial resources.

– Number of completed projects compared to planned.

 

 

Addressed Party Deputy President for Administrative Affairs
The Fourth Strategic Issue:

Enhancing the university’s capabilities and sustainability.

Priorities

(1-5)

Time Limit
23 24 25 26 27
2 20% 30% 50% Continuous Continuous
Obstacles and Limitations
–   Weak financial allocations.

–   The weakness of the mechanism for redistributing lands and resources to colleges, compared to the number of students and scientific departments.

–   The absence of university faculties in one location.

–   The absence of a contemporary vision in the design of university and college buildings.

Choice Sufficient and outstanding sustainable buildings and equipment
Programs Procedures
–   Studying and re-distributing college sites.

 

– Forming a committee to study the sites of colleges and prepare a report on the sites proposed for them.
–   Developing and modernizing the buildings of the university formations.

–   Contemporarizing the design of work offices, redistributing the work sites, organizing the internal environment and transportation lines.

– Preparing designs for each college in which interest is given to imparting the universality and identity of the college in the design, taking into account that the buildings are environmentally friendly.

– Developing environmentally friendly transport lines.

–   Infrastructure development program for extra-curricular activities. – Increasing the number of playgrounds and technical workshops and equipping them with modern equipment and tools as needed and in accordance with international standards.
–   Developing and updating libraries.

 

–    Activating joint cooperation and twinning with Iraqi and international central libraries.

–    Linking the central library of the university with the colleges’ libraries.

–    Adopting an electronic documentation of university theses so that they are available on the global information network.

–    Building a database on the global information network for library books and e-books.

–    Participating the central library’s participation in global databases and global digital, electronic and virtual libraries.

–   Alternative and renewable energy programmes. –    Applying investment in the uses of solar energy.

–    Increasing green spaces.

–    Waste sorting and recycling.

–    Water recycling.

The Executive Party Follow-up Party Indicators of Success
–   Department of Diwan Affairs.

–   The Department of Construction and Projects in the Presidency of the University in cooperation with the university formations.

– Deputy University President for Administrative Affairs

– Deputy University President for Administrative Affairs

–   Studies and Planning Department.

–   Department of Quality Assurance and University Performance.

– The number of colleges whose locations have changed.

– The number of colleges that have been updated.

– Areas of update in libraries.

– The amount of solar energy supplied compared to the total energy supplied.

– Added green spaces.

– The amount of sorted and recycled waste.

– The amount of recycled water.

 

Addressed Party Deputy President for Scientific Affairs
The Fifth Strategic Issue:

Developing undergraduate and postgraduate curricula in accordance with international competitiveness standards.

Priorities

(1-5)

Time Limit
23 24 25 26 27
1 50% 50% Continuous Continuous Continuous
Obstacles and Limitations
–   Poor communication and openness to international universities.

–   Weak curricula preparation and development system.

–   Weakness in measuring the ability of scientific departments to achieve their educational objectives.

–   Weak procedures for assigning teachers to prepare textbooks.

–   Shortage of financial allocations.

–   Weak openness to the labor market and to updating curricula according to the needs.

–   Weak participation of the private sector and the labor market.

Choice Curricula that compete with international universities.
Programs Procedures
–   Updating the curricula for all majors. – Following up the procedures according to the approved mechanisms for each program.
–   Twinning academic programs with international programs. – Following up the procedures according to the approved mechanisms for each program.
–   Preparing curricula for approved academic programs. – Contracting with publishing houses that own the printing rights for books.

– Contracting with the University House for Printing and Publishing.

– Supporting books.

–   Printing methodological and auxiliary books. – Determining the required books according to the academic curricula and contemporary scientific trends.

– Assigning professors in colleges according to their majors.

– Approaching the entities that own intellectual property rights and obtaining approvals.

– Contracting with professors.

– Sending books to print.

The Executive Party Follow-up Party Indicators of Success
– Colleges and institutes in the University of Baghdad, in coordination with the deans’ committees. – Deputy University President for Scientific Affairs

– Department of Scientific Affairs

– The number of printed authored and translated books compared to the plan.

 

Addressed Party Deputy President for Scientific Affairs
The Sixth Strategic Issue:

– Adopting contemporary teaching methods that enhance the teaching and learning process, and develop students’ creative thinking and research.

Priorities

(1-5)

Time Limit
23 24 25 26 27
2 20% 20% 20% 20% 20%
Obstacles  and Limitations
–      Poor communication and openness to international universities.

–      Resistance to change.

–      Weak university initiatives to send faculty members abroad.

–      Weak desire of a number of teachers to modernize the teaching methods.

–      Poor equipment of classrooms and laboratories in the faculties with presentation methods, smart boards and modern scientific equipment.

Choice Contemporary and pioneering teaching methods that simulate the methods of solid universities
Programs Procedures
–   Developing contemporary teaching skills based on the capabilities of the college. –    Identifying training needs and gaps

–    Developing the scientific and skill material

–    Scheduling training programs according to the gaps

–    Starting training programs according to the schedule

–   Developing influence and persuasion skills based on the capabilities of the college. – Identifying training agencies inside and outside Iraq and contracting with them.

– Developing the scientific and skill material

– Scheduling training programs according to the gaps

– Starting training programs according to the schedule

–   Developing the skills of dealing with students, depending on the capabilities of the college. –   Determining the number of participating teachers.

–   Developing the scientific and skill material

–   Scheduling training programs according to the gaps

–   Starting training programs according to the schedule

–   Developing the skills of describing the academic program and course. –    Preparing a timetable to involve teachers in training in a way that does not conflict with their teaching duties.

–    Developing the scientific and skill material.

–    Scheduling training programs according to the gaps

–    Starting training programs according to the schedule

–   Developing foreign language acquisition skills in coordination with cultural centers in Iraq. – Forming a working group to coordinate with international bodies.

– Implementing programs according to availability and plan

–   Developing skills in coordination with international universities and the United Nations development programs. – Preparing a technical presentation for the needs of the university that is required to be funded and implemented by international agencies.

– Approaching the concerned authorities.

The Executive Party Follow-up Party Indicators of Success
–   Scientific departments and continuing education units in the university formations.

–   Development and Continuing Education Center.

–   Deputy University President for Scientific Affairs

–   Department of Studies and Planning

–   The number of teachers and technicians in the laboratories and workshops in each program, compared to the plan.

 

Addressed Party Deputy President for Scientific Affairs
The Seventh Strategic Issue:

– Merging departments, branches, centers and academic programs or constructing them according to the requirements of the labor market and the needs of the community.

Priorities

(1-5)

Time Limit
23 24 25 26 27
3 Continuous Continuous Continuous Continuous Continuous
Obstacles  and Limitations
–   Lack of funding.

–   Lack of information about the needs of the labor market.

–   Infrastructure shortage.

–   A shortage of advanced staff with scientific titles majored in the fields to be developed.

Choice Departments, branches, centers and academic programs commensurate with the needs of the labor market and respond to the needs of society
Programs Procedures
–   Designing programmes

–   Deleting programs

–   Integrating programs

– Procedures are set according to the approved mechanisms for each programme.
The Executive Party Follow-up Party Indicators of Success
–   University Formations –   Deputy University President for Scientific  Affairs

–   Department of Studies and Planning

–   Department of Scientific Affairs

–   Department of Higher Studies

– The number of departments, branches and centers constructed, merged or deleted compared to the plan.

 

 

Addressed Party Deputy President for Scientific Affairs
The Eighth Strategic Issue:

– Developing scientific research and directing it to serve the community.

Priorities

(1-5)

Time Limit
23 24 25 26 27
1 20% 20% 20% 20% 20%
Obstacles  and Limitations
–   Lack of funding.

–   Paying attention to theoretical concepts and staying away from the real problems that the state suffers from.

–   Weakness in communication and publishing in reputable international journals.

–   Relative weakness in dealing with foreign languages ​​for a number of majors.

–   Weakness of the stimulus system approved by the university.

–   Not activating the text of the Higher Education Law regarding the disbursement of a reward for scientific research.

–   Resisting change and leaning towards traditional solutions that do not contribute to changing reality.

–   The lack of data provision and the governmental and private institutions’ refusal to provide researchers with real data.

Choice Sober scientific research with realistic solutions to society’s problems
Programs Procedures
–   Scientific research and productions concerned with specific problems from the public and private sectors. –   Coordinating with public and private sector institutions to diagnose the core problems.

–   Forming research teams.

–   Research programs and scientific products in environmental sustainability. –   Forming field academic cooperation councils.

–   Developing mechanisms for cooperation.

–   Approving of cooperation plans.

–   Starting implementation.

The Executive Party Follow-up Party Indicators of Success
–   University Formations –   Deputy University President for Scientific  Affairs

–   Department of Scientific Affairs

–   Department of Quality Assurance and University Performance

-The number of implemented scientific research and outputs that address the problems of the society, compared to what was planned.

 

 

Addressed Party Deputy President for Scientific Affairs
The Ninth Strategic Issue:

– Publishing scientific results within the reliable global databases and repositories.

Priorities

(1-5)

Time Limit
23 24 25 26 27
1 20% 20% 20% 20% 20%
Obstacles  and Limitations
– Lack of funding.

– Poor communication and publication in reputable international journals.

– Relative weakness in dealing with foreign languages ​​for a number of specializations.

– Weakness of the motivation system approved by the university.

– Weakness in activating the text of the Higher Education Law regarding the disbursement of a reward for scientific research.

Choice Publication in discreet international databases and repositories
Programs Procedures
– An incentive program for publishing in discreet global databases and repositories. –   Raising awareness of reliable international databases and repositories and journals with a high impact factor.

–   Developing financial and moral incentives for publishing in discreet international databases and repositories.

–   Confirming the adoption of publishing with reliable global databases and repositories as one of the evaluation points.

– A training program for publishing in reliable global databases and repositories. –   Training courses on how to publish within the discreet global repositories.
– Activating the publication of graduate students’ research in reliable global databases and repositories. –   Encouraging postgraduate students and following them up for the purpose of publishing in reputable journals.

–   Developing mechanisms to enable students to publish in reliable global databases and repositories.

– Entry of university formations journals into the discreet international collections. –   Procedures are set according to the mechanisms approved by the international sources.
The Executive Party Follow-up Party Indicators of Success
–   University Formations –   President of the University of Baghdad

–   Deputy University President for Scientific  Affairs

–   Department of Scientific Affairs

–   Department of Quality Assurance and University Performance

– Increasing the number of research published in global databases and repositories compared to the total number of published research.

– The number of research that received appreciation awards.

 

 

Addressed Party Deputy President for Scientific Affairs
The Tenth Strategic Issue:

– Marketing applied research

 

Priorities

(1-5)

Time Limit
23 24 25 26 27
2 20% 20% 20% 20% 20%
Obstacles  and Limitations
–   Poor communication and openness to institutions in the public and private sectors.

–   Weak motivation and economic feasibility.

–   The weakness of a number of teachers’ tendency towards applied research compared to their tendency towards theoretical and survey research.

–   Poor equipment of laboratories and other needs.

–   Weak cooperation between public and private sector institutions with researchers.

Choice Marketed applied research with economic return
Programs Procedures
–   Developing a mechanism for conducting research in coordination with the public and private sectors. –   Determining the main problems that public and private sector institutions suffer from, according to the specialization of each formation.

–   Developing a mechanism for conducting research according to the problems, while providing support for the completion of research (wages and bonuses).

–   Distributing the problems among formations according to specialization.

–   Facilitating the contracting process between the two parties.

–   Activating the mechanism of cooperation and advisory offices with public and private sector institutions. –   Determining areas of cooperation and the nature of contracts that can be approved.
–   A marketing plan program for applied research. –   Identifying the parties that can apply and invest in the results of the research, and making those parties public.
–   Supporting creative and innovative applied research. –   Determining the number of participating research teams.

–   Preparing a timetable to involve the research teams in the completion of the nominated research.

–   Forming a working group to coordinate with the research teams.

–   Creating a website to market the research output.

The Executive Party Follow-up Party Indicators of Success
–   University Formations –   Deputy University President for Scientific  Affairs

–   Department of Studies and Planning

–   Department of Scientific Affairs

–   Department of Quality Assurance and University Performance

– The number of completed applied research.

– The number of marketed research.

– The number of creative and innovative research.

 

 

Addressed Party Department of Quality Assurance and University Performance
The Eleventh Strategic Issue:

–   Ensuring university quality and performance in accordance with international competition standards and achieving advanced rankings.

Priorities

(1-5)

Time Limit
23 24 25 26 27
1 20% 30% 50% Continuous Continuous
Obstacles  and Limitations
–   Poor culture of quality.

–   Poor knowledge of international quality standards.

–   Weak quality development practices and focusing on the forms received from the Ministry.

–   Weak quality plans to identify the gaps and mechanisms to reduce them.

–   The small number of specialists working in the field of quality.

–   Weak standards of the national classification of universities in the field of quality.

–   Weakness in attracting foreign teachers.

–   Small numbers of foreign students.

Choice High quality education and outstanding university performance
Programs Procedures
–   Spreading the culture of quality and enhancing awareness of international standards. –   Holding seminars and workshops in the university formations in the field of quality.
–   Developing qualified staff to work in the field of quality. –   Training courses for workers in the field of quality according to the need.

–   Developing the scientific material

–   Scheduling

–   Implementing the courses according to schedule and need.

–   Qualifying the Quality Assurance and University Performance Department to obtain the ISO certificate. –   Completing the official correspondence with the ISO certification bodies

–   Completing the required rehabilitation stages.

–   Rehabilitating the units

–   Requesting a final examination.

–   Increasing the university’s academic reputation and improving its position in international rankings. –   Expanding the database of foreign professors.

–   Activating international research cooperation.

–   Allocating a quality budget. –   Tracking procedures for budget allocation in coordination with the Finance Department.
The Executive Party Follow-up Party Indicators of Success
–   Sections of Quality Assurance and University Performance in the formations of the University –   President of the University of Bagdad

–   Deputy University President for Scientific  Affairs

–   Department of Quality Assurance and University Performance

– The number of implemented seminars and workshops compared to the planned ones.

– The number of female staff that have been trained compared to the total number of workers in the field of quality.

– The number of professional certificates obtained by workers in the field of quality, compared to their total number.

– Obtaining an international professional certificate in the field of quality.

– Matching the budget with the needs

 

 

Addressed Party Department of Quality Assurance and University Performance
The Twelfth Strategic Issue:

–   Obtaining programmatic and institutional academic accreditation.

Priorities

(1-5)

Time Limit
23 24 25 26 27
1 5% 15% 20% 30% 30%
Obstacles  and Limitations
–   Poor financial allocation for appropriation.

–   The high costs of international accreditation bodies.

–   Weak culture of quality in the academic community.

–   Weak support and motivation of employees.

–   Poor communication with international bodies specialized in the field of accreditation

Choice International academic programmatic and institutional accreditation
Programs Procedures
–   Adopting academic accreditation standards according to faculties’ majors.

 

– Preparing a self-assessment report, determining the size of the gap, and developing an improvement plan that includes detailed action axes for each standard of academic accreditation.

– Holding a periodic meeting of the Central Committee for Quality and submitting reports on the progress of the work to the head of the formation.

– Dedicating a paragraph in the minutes of the college meeting for academic accreditation to be submitted to the university.

– Coordinating with the accreditation granting body in order to determine accreditation requirements.

– Paying subscription fees to international accreditation organizations.

– Preparing the eligibility report within a specified period.

– Developing the strategic plan for the stages of accreditation.

The Executive Party Follow-up Party Indicators of Success
–   University formations. –   Department of Quality Assurance and University Performance

–   Sections of Quality Assurance and University Performance in the University Formations

–    The number of programs and formations that have obtained accreditation compared to the plan.

 

 

Addressed Party Deputy President for Scientific Affairs
The Thirteenth Strategic Issue:

–   Activating international relations and cooperation with universities and institutions.

Priorities

(1-5)

Time Limit
23 24 25 26 27
2 30% 30% 40% Continuous Continuous
Obstacles  and Limitations
–   Weak follow-up and interest in international coordination.

–   The small number of signed agreements.

–   Weak procedures for attracting foreign universities.

–   The security situation.

–   Lack of financial allocations.

Choice Distinguished cooperation and relations with universities, international institutions and bodies
Programs Procedures
–   Following-up the agreements signed with international institutions and universities. –   Introducing an administrative formation for international and twinning agreements.
–   Holding twinning and agreements with discreet international universities of advanced global rankings. –   Evaluating the current agreements, reconsidering their revitalization, and developing their provisions to serve the revitalization of scientific research, scholarships, fellowships, and teacher training programs abroad.
The Executive Party Follow-up Party Indicators of Success
–   Department of Missions and Cultural Relations

–   Units of Cultural Relations in University Formations

–   President of the University of Baghdad

–   Deputy President for Scientific Affairs

– The number of agreements that have been activated compared to the total number of agreements.

– The number of agreements that were signed compared to what was planned.

– Number of benefit areas

– (Research, dispatch, fellowships, scholarships).

 

Addressed Party Deputy President for Administrative and Financial Affairs
The Fourteenth Strategic Issue:

–   Promoting community service initiatives and encouraging collective volunteer work.

Priorities

(1-5)

Time Limit
23 24 25 26 27
2 20% 20% 20% 20% 20%
Obstacles  and Limitations
– Not defining the areas to contribute to social responsibility.

– Absence of indicators for evaluating and appreciating the social responsibility practices.

– Lack of awareness of what community service is in the academic community.

– Poor collective and individual volunteer work practices.

Choice Pioneering initiatives in the field of social responsibility and distinguished and tangible services
Programs Procedures
–   Contributing to solving community problems based on the faculties’ competence. –    Developing university formations for social responsibility initiatives.

–    Dedicating a day as part of the graduation activities to present the colleges’ contributions to social responsibility.

–   Working in teams to contribute to social responsibility. –    Organizing community health campaigns for college teachers and students, in coordination with the Ministry of Health and Environment.
–   Raising awareness of what community service is. –    Organizing campaigns for the students of the concerned faculties to maintain projects of a service nature.
–   Raising awareness of what social responsibility is –    Conducting campaigns to introduce and maintain cultural evidence.

–    Contributing to the strategy to combat poverty in Iraq.

–    Holding campaigns to introduce community services previously provided by the university.

The Executive Party Follow-up Party Indicators of Success
–   University Formations –   Deputy President for Scientific Affairs.

–   Deputy President for Administrative Affairs

–   Department of Studies and Planning.

– The number of completed community contributions.

– The number of entities that benefited from community services.

 

Addressed Party Deputy President for Administrative Affairs
The Fifteenth Strategic Issue:

– Refining and developing students’ extracurricular talents.

Priorities

(1-5)

Time Limit
23 24 25 26 27
3 20% 20% 20% 20% 20%
Obstacles  and Limitations
–   The weakness of the culture of extra-curricular activities in order to refine the personality.

–   Weak encouragement and motivation from the college to participate in extra-curricular activities.

Choice Attracting talented students in extra-curricular activities and developing technical, sports, cultural and operational skills
Programs Procedures
–   Raising awareness of extracurricular student activities. –   Holding seminars and workshops to raise the awareness of extracurricular student activities.

–   Preparing for student activities.

–   Developing and modernizing student activities (sports, artistic, cultural, and professional). –   Organizing scientific, sports, artistic and cultural competitions within the university.

–   Intensive participation in sports, artistic and cultural competitions outside the university.

–   Developing the University of Baghdad Award for Extracurricular Student Activities. –   Forming a technical committee to set criteria for the award.
The Executive Party Follow-up Party Indicators of Success
– Student Activities Department in the university.

– Division of Student Activities in Colleges

–   Deputy President for Administrative Affairs

–   Department of Studies and Planning

–   Department of Quality Assurance and University Performance

– The number of extra-curricular activities students participated in inside and outside the university compared to previous years.

– The number of extra-curricular student activities that were carried out inside and outside the university compared to the plan.

– The number of awards obtained by the university

Implementation and Follow-Up Plan

The university designs the implementation plan and the appropriate follow-up system to implement its strategy. The following points have been taken into account in this regard:

  • The plan includes all activities that achieve the mission and strategic goals of the university.
  • The plan shows the priorities for implementing the activities and their logical sequence.
  • The plan clearly defines in each activity the following:
  • Objectives to be achieved.
  • Implementation mechanisms.
  • Responsibility
  • Schedule
  • Monitoring and evaluation indicators.
  • Achievement levels.
  • The plan estimates the financial allocations required to implement the plan, and the expected risk management methods.

The implementation and follow-up of the strategic plan is an essential part of the strategic management efforts of the university. Any effective strategic plan must be implemented within the framework of mechanisms, foundations, policies, programs and resources. Besides, there must be a good mechanism for following-up and monitoring the implementation processes. In light of this, the following must be done:

  1. Forming a permanent committee, whose mission is to follow-up and monitor the implementation of the strategy, in cooperation with the various parties related to the university.
  2. This committee is headed by the president of the university, and includes in its membership fourteen members who have a direct relationship and responsibility with the fifteen strategic issues. Two other members, who are specialists in the field of strategic planning are also added to benefit from their knowledge and opinions. The committee has a rapporteur concerned with recording its minutes, calling for its meetings, and compiling reports for the follow-up implementation.
  3. A sub-committee is formed for each axis, headed by a specialized member from the Standing Committee for the implementation and follow-up of the strategy. The sub-committee consists of four members.
  4. Drawing up operational plans annually in the light of the five-year strategy.
  5. The annual operational plans include detailed procedures and activities for all programs set out in the five-year strategy.
  6. Dividing the annual work plans into semi-annual plans to facilitate the procedures and follow-up.
  7. Forming a technical administrative unit under the name of Strategic Planning and Follow-up Unit, linked to the Studies and Planning Department/ University Presidency. Among the tasks of this unit are:

 

  1. Preparing annual and semi-annual plans necessary to implement the programs and activities of the strategy.
  2. Following-up the implementation of the plan, evaluating it periodically, and preparing periodic follow-up reports.
  3. Preparing a system to follow-up the implementation with the preparation of the required sample forms for the forms.
  4. Developing an accurate mechanism for the evaluation and control processes.
  5. All procedures required for the implementation and follow-up of the plan.

 

8. Establishing a precise mechanism for the follow-up and monitoring processes, including the following steps:

 

  1. Determining what is required to be measured during the implementation processes, and the activities, and results to be monitored and evaluated.
  2. Formulating performance standards and indicators that are characterized by the ability to measure objectively and consistently.
  3. Measuring the actual performance during the implementation of the activities of the axis under the follow-up.
  4. Balancing between the actual performance and the intended implementation using the specified criteria.
  5. Adopting the necessary corrective actions.