Industrial Advisory Board

Mission: The aim of the Board is to provide an independent, expert review and critique of the academic activities of the Department in order to improve the quality of teaching, research and service activities.

Board's Terms of Reference

The Board will accomplish its mission by carrying out the following functions:

• Review the program educational objectives to ensure that they meet industrial needs. 
• Evaluate strengths, merits, and weaknesses of the current curriculum in the context of the Department's mission and program educational objectives.
• Provide recommendations to the Department on all matters related to the curriculum in order to improve the relationship between academic and professional practices.
• Review students' performances relative to the program outcomes and propose strategies for continuous improvement of the program. 
• Assist in identifying opportunities for students' involvement in research and capstone projects. 
• Review the Department's activities and plans related to research, consultancy, and short courses and make recommendations. 
• Assist in identifying opportunities for faculty research and development.
• Assist in soliciting funds for scholarships and endowments.
• Help in students' placement in for the work experience program.
• Provide assistance in the review of students' work and the collection of assessment data.
• Enhance the visibility of the Department in the engineering community 

Process

The process is consistent with Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) regulations. In the event of a conflict between this process and SQU regulations, the provisions of SQU regulations will prevail.

Membership

IAB shall consist of a maximum of seventeen  (17) voting members including members from external organizations; two members form the CAE Department; and the Head of the Department. These members are recommended by the Department's Board and approved by the University Administration. It should be comprised of noted professionals who hold leadership positions in their respective organizations. Qualifications include preferably a degree in Civil or Architectural Engineering; rich professional experience; knowledge of current industrial needs and practices; and a strong desire to help improve the Civil and Architectural Engineering Programs at Sultan Qaboos University.
Membership appointments are for renewable three-year terms and may be renewed subject to the commitment and involvement in activities and meetings. The Department, through the office of the College of Engineering Dean, selects and invites individuals to join the Board and extends a notice of release based on the IAB decisions. Candidates may be recommended by the Department Board members as well as by other sources. The members shall represent the major organizations that employ our students and other Department's stakeholders. Board membership shall not be limited to graduates of the Department, but may include individuals who are or can be active in their support of the Department.
The officers of the industrial advisory Board will be the Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary. The Chair of the Board will be the Head of the Department, while the Vice-Chair shall be from the industry elected by the members of the IAB at the Fall meeting of each year. The Secretary of the Board shall be a faculty of the Department. The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Board and serve as a spokesperson for the Board. The Vice-Chair shall perform all the functions of the Chair in his/her absence or other duties as assigned by the Chair.
No remuneration for participation is given and members or their sponsoring organizations are encouraged to cover any travel and loading expenses associated with board's activities.

Committees

In order to ensure the active participation of all members of the IAB, committees are formed to perform certain major functions related to the mission of the Board. All members are encouraged to participate in at least one committee with the opportunity to rotate to other committees based on a committee's needs and an individual's interests. The committees are formed for one year and are expected to report their activities at the next IAB meeting.
 An IAB member will chair each committee. Faculty members will be assigned to the different committees and a faculty contact focal point will be designated for each committee to coordinate related Department activities. Additionally, IAB members may be invited to serve as specialists on committees as the needs arise. The following three committees will have specified roles and responsibilities, in keeping with the mission of the IAB. The number and types of committees may change as different needs arise.

Curriculum and Accreditation Committee

This committee is responsible for:
a. Reviewing the educational objectives of the CAE programs as well as recommending suitable educational outcomes and indicators.
b. Proposing strategies for establishing smart classes and updating labs in such a way that they meet the needs of the profession in Oman.
c. Assisting the Department in establishing all the processes required to attain ABET accreditation.
d. Soliciting samples of industrial materials for use in course work such as drawings, case studies, and final year and design projects.

Industrial Outreach Committee

This committee is responsible for:
a. Identifying opportunities for student research: final year projects and faculty research, and development.
b. Assisting in students' placement in the work experience program
c. Helping in promoting the visibility of the Department in the engineering community though the promotion of faculty consultancy and short courses.

Sponsorship and Endowments Committee

This committee is responsible for helping the Department in generating funds for scholarships; hosting conferences; procuring gifts and awards (including equipment); and endowments to support program and faculty development.

Meetings

Regular meetings of the IAB shall be held twice (2) a year on the SQU campus, normally in September and March. The Chair in consultation with IAB members will decide the dates of these meetings. The Fall meeting will be designated as the Annual Meeting of the IAB. The annual meetings are for general reporting, assessment, and planning. Moreover, additional meetings or visits are also arranged for interviewing students; mentoring; and for project evaluation and assessment. The Chair may also call special meetings at any time. A simple majority of the members of the Advisory Board shall constitute a quorum.

Minutes Reporting

The Chair and the Secretary of the Advisory Board are responsible for preparing the minutes of the meetings of the Board and for highlighting action items for members of the Board. The Chair of any established committee is responsible for preparing the minutes of the activities and for highlighting the suggested action items for members of the Board and the Chair. The Secretary will submit to the Chair the minutes within seven (7) days after the last meeting, for revision and comments. The Secretary will furnish electronic copies of the final version of minutes to all members of the Board within fourteen (14) days, for comments and suggestions. In case of no comments received by the members within two (2) weeks, the minutes will be considered as approved. The Chair will make available hard copies of the final version of the minutes to the IAB members, Dean, and Assistant Vice President for Science Colleges of SQU within 30 days before the next meeting. As required, the Chair will arrange for the Board members to meet with the Dean and high–level University Administrators.

Board Members

External Board members of the CAE Department include:

Sr.	Name	Affiliation	Position
1	Engineer Hilal Said Al-Aghbari	PDO	Senior Civil Project Engineer
2	Engineer Hanan Salim Al-Rahbi	Minsitry of Transport and Communications	Director, Department of Land Transportation
3	Engineer Abdullah Issa Al-Shamsi	Royal Court Affairs / The Royal Estates	Director of Projects
4	Engineer Omar Bin Ali Al-Kathiri	Royal Court Affairs / The Royal Estates	Project Coordinator
5	Engineer Asad Al-Khanjari	Oman telecommunications Company	Manager, Network Development and Projects Division
6	Engineer Hamad Bin Khamis Al-Hatmi	Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources	D.G. Assistant of Water Resources Management for Aflaj
7	Engineer Ahmed Abdullah Al-Zakwani	National Engineering Office	Assistant Manager-Infrastructure
8	Engineer Badr Salem Al-Rabaani	Public Authority for Electricity and Water	Maintenance Engineer-Water Network in Muscat
9	Engineer Hilal Al-Sarmi	Sultan Qaboos University	Head, Quantity Surveying, Contracts and Drawings Section
10	Engineer Khalifa Al-Siyabi	Muscat Municipality	Director-Roads Department
11	Mr. Nigel Craven	Image Consultants	Partner
12	Mr. Fred Park	Huckle and Partners LLC	Resident Associate
13	Mr. Said Al-Mukhaini	The Wave Muscat	Construction Manager
14	Mr. John Loader	Royal Estates	Project Director
15	Mr. Rehan Tilakaratna	Cowi-Larsen Joint Venture	Project Architect
16	Mr. Morten Collin	Cowi-Larsen JV	Technical Director / Civil Works

Internal Board members of the CAE Department include:

Sr.	Name	Affiliation	Position
1	Prof. Ramzi Taha	CAE	Chairman
2	Dr. Abdel Wahid Hago	CAE	Secretary
3	Prof. Awni Shaaban	CAE	Member
4	Dr. Salim al-Oraimi	CAE	Member