ASU Strategic Plan 2020-2025

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Community engagement is one of the main pillars of the strategic plan as shown below:

Community Engagement is incorporated in all aspects of ASU. The university works through its different colleges in conjunction with many societies, NGO and companies to offer its services to the community.

Deanships, departments and different organisational units contribute to serve this noble purpose. We are driven to bridge our teaching and learning process with the community through multiple and various. The students are the motor of these events and our staff are keen to make the community a focal point for development and flourishment.

Community Engagement Office is committed to create impact on society. Recognize that it has a duty to its students, alumni, and staff to ensure that they understand their obligations as citizens in engaging and supporting and supporting the community which they are part of

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE

 https://www.asu.edu.bh/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/booklet-Final.pdf

Ensure that ASU is committed to creating an impact on society through all activities, recognising its duty to ensure that students, alumni and staff understand their obligations as citizens to engage with and support the community.

Community Engagement is one of the three strategic pillars of ASU, alongside Teaching & Learning and Research. From its inception, the University gave utmost importance to community service and social responsibility because we strongly believe that higher education institutions have a major role to play in lifting up communities, giving back to societies, and empowering both individuals and collectivities. This is also perfectly in line with our “Graduate Attributes” as we aim to graduate students who are “ethically and socially responsible, understanding their social responsibility and good citizenship, and engaging with their community”.

Message from the Manager of Community Engagement Office

https://www.asu.edu.bh/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/booklet-Final.pdf

Dear Readers and Students,

Community engagement is a top priority for ASU, it is a strategic objective, and it has been included in the University mission and considered one of the most important University values. Community engagement is incorporated into all aspects of ASU. Through its different colleges and units, the University works in conjunction with many societies, NGOs, and companies to give its services to the community. Deanships, departments and different organisational units contribute to serving this noble cause. The community engagement college members are driven to bridge our teaching and learning process with the community. The students are the main factor of these events, and our staff are keen to make the community a focal point for development and flourishment.

The Community Engagement Office’s strategic objective is to ensure that the office is committed to creating an impact on society. Recognise that it has a duty to its students, alumni, and staff to ensure that they understand their obligations as citizens in engaging and supporting their community. The office’s strategic objective can be reached by achieving the following key priorities: Consultancy and Advisory and Knowledge Sharing, Community Support, Open Campus, and Public Outreach.

Best wishes,

Dr. Mohammad Alaa Hussain Al-Hamami

Manager of Community Engagement Office

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OFFICE DUTIES

https://www.asu.edu.bh/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Booklet-N12.pdf

• Develop and deliver a broad portfolio of services that the University can offer to the community in order to provide advice, discussion and debate on subject areas in which it has expertise.
• Arrange and participate in community engagement and service activities (ASU and external) that provide opportunities for students, alumni and staff to engage with and serve the community.
• Enable appropriate use of our campus, facilities and services by the public, schools, academic institutions and charitable organizations for free or at a nominal cost.
• Develop relationships with all sectors of society (including government, policymaking bodies, charities, distinguished figures, institutions, schools and media) to promote outreach through dialogue, engagement and collaboration.

Visit By He the Pakistani Minister of Health

On September 2016, the University was visited by H.E the Pakistani Minister of Health and H.E the Pakistani Ambassador to Bahrain. The delegation was received by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and President of the University and Vice Presidents and Director of Administration and Finance and Director of Marketing and public Relations. The delegation toured the University’s facilities and expressed their admiration of our Campus. In addition, opportunities for future collaboration between the Ministry of Health and Pakistani Universities and ASU were discussed [2].

Figure 3. Visit By He the Pakistani Minister of Health, taken from [2].

Challenges Created Forum

On behalf of the Community Engagement Office, Prof Saad Darwish attended the Forum of “Challenges Created Success” on 16 June 2016. The forum was held under the patronage of the Minister of Labor and Social Development and organized by the Bahrain Society for Training & Development. The event aimed to support blind people who in turn delivered presentations on how they overcome the challenges they face in their lives to reach success. The p resident of the Bahrain Society for Training & Development, Mr. Mohammed Mahmoud gave a speech about the role of society in developing the intellectual capital in Bahrain. Mr.Yousef Albader from BIPA and Mr. Isaac Al-Kooheji participated in the event [2].

Figure 4. Challenges Created Forum, taken from [2]

ASU Participates in Celebrating the Bahrain Action Charter

ASU participated in the MOE’s celebration of the 15th anniversary of the National Action Charter under the patronage of his Excellency Dr. Majed Bin Al Al-Nuaim, the Minister of Education. The universities in the caravan fair as part of the Higher Education institutions in Bahrain. The university

decorated vehicle was amongst the best in the fair and reflected the university’s commitment and sense of belonging and belief in the Charter. Prof. Ghassan Aouad, Dr. Assem Al-Hajj, Mr. Mohammed Yousif, Ms. Ruqaya Mohsin and the team who participated in the event were so happy to have had the chance toexpress their delight in being there and in meeting and shaking the hands of his highness, the King of Bahrain, Shaikh Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa [2].

Figure 5. ASU Participates in Celebrating the Bahrain Action Charter, taken from [2].

ASU held a forum about the Biography of Prophet Mohamed (God’s Peace be upon him)

Under the patronage of His Excellency Shaikh Khaled Bin Ali AL-Khalifa, the Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs, the Community Engagement Office at ASU held a forum in which the participants focused the light on the Biography of the Prophet Mohamed (God’s peace be upon him). During the forum, participants delivered speeches related to the civilized side of Islam and necessity of moderation in all the aspects of Muslim life [2].

Figure 6. ASU held a forum about the Biography of Prophet Mohamed (God’s Peace be upon him) [2]

BUMUM Conference

ASU students participated once again in the BUMUN (Bahrain Universities Model United Nations) [3] for its 14th year in Bahrain. Held on 21 and 22 October 2018, the event was under the Patronage of H.H. Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, in the Ramee Grand Hotel, Bahrain. BUMUN is an annual program in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Ministry of Youth and Sport Affairs organizes it for local and international universities. This year’s conference highlighted topics including the impact of climate change on sustainable population growth for Vision 2030, misuse of ICTs that generate cybercrime, economic empowerment of women, global drug control and assessment of the impact on the international community to protect the safety of world population, the consequences of climate change for energy with the rising demand for it, biological terrorism which is based on the use of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive materials, etc.

ASU’s delegation of 8 students attended training sessions as part of the preparation for the BUMUN program. Two of our students won a diplomatic award during the conference: Aliona Alessam and Abdullah Qudair. Our students have done extremely well and learned a lot. This type of event always makes us proud of our students who worked very hard and shined while representing ASU.

Figure 7. Bahrain Universities Model United Nations, taken from [3]

Faculty members at the collage

The Advisory Board at the college of law, A.S.U held a meeting chaired by professor Mohammed Yahiya Mahasnah, the head of the board with the presence the of faculty members at the collage, a number of the graduate students and a group of employers at the Kingdom of Bahrain. At the meeting, the participants discussed the vision and message of the college of Law and the latest amendments on the programme of the bachelor degree. The members of the advisory board expressed their satisfaction regarding the latest developments of the academic plan in the college [4].

Figure 8.  Faculty members at the college, taken from [4]

The Digital Rights Forum

The university’s participation in the Digital Rights Forum, Changes and Challenges, which was held in Rehab at the University of Bahrain, where the university was represented by Dr. Naseem Al Shawawrah, Assistant Professor of Commercial Law, Dr. Ali Al-Assistant, Assistant Professor of Criminal Law, and Dr. Mahmoud Sabry, Assistant Professor of Public Finance [5].

Figure 9. The Digital Rights Forum, taken from [5]

Community Service Office

Within the initiatives of the Community Service Office, a delegation from the university visited the General Secretariat of the Council of Representatives, which included Dr. Muhammad Alaa Al-Hamami, Director of the Community Service Office, Dr. Ali Musa Al-Dada, Acting Head of the Political Science Department, Dr. Ahlam Ibrahim Al-Ithawi, Assistant Professor in the Business Administration Department, and Ms. Ghada Nir Labib, Lecturer. Department of Public Law. Where they discussed ways of cooperation between the two parties, as part of the memorandum of understanding signed between the university and the council [6].

Figure 10. Community Service Office, taken from [6]

Currently, at ASU there are 1170 students studying law.

• A master’s thesis submitted by the student Fahd Muhammad Saleh Al-Madhahka from the Private Law Department – the Master’s program in Commercial Law at the College of Law was discussed at the university entitled: “The Legal Regulation of Electronic Documentary Credit – A Comparative Study”. Under the supervision of Dr. Naseem Khaled Ahmed Al-Shawawrah, where the message aimed at researching the legal regulation of documentary credit that takes place electronically, especially with the Bahraini legislator in its relationship to the unified assets and customs of electronic documentary credits according to Circular 600. The letter concluded that special rules should be established to regulate dealing with documentary credits in their electronic form to facilitate procedures for bank credits due to their importance in international trade and to overcome potential risks [7].

Figure 11. Private Law Department, taken from [7]

The university graduated more than 2000 students in law

Advice for new law students, written by Alia Law School graduate Jassem Al-Hamlan [8]

This question is always asked

• Is law specialization easy or difficult? I say that the law for those who love it is easy.
• First, choose from the beginning what do you want to be in the future after graduating from the Faculty of Law?
• Are you a lawyer, legal advisor, prosecutor, or judge?

The law is a set of foundations and rules that govern society and work to organize it, as a society cannot live successfully if its members are not subject to laws that govern them and do what they like without taking into account their duties. Laws are constantly in line with developments and changes that occur in society and in democratic societies. In the text of the law, there are methods for amending unfair laws because justice is one of the basic principles of law.

This definition includes what is found in legal books

The specialization of law does not need to memorize laws, but rather to understand the articles and the ability to relate topics to the facts before you.

You will study the basics of the law

How did the law originate? What does the law consist of? How did the law exist? How did the law lay? When will the law be implemented? Who does not enforce the law? When is this incident considered a crime? When is there a fine?

There is no preservation of the law. It is only necessary to understand the laws and know what article applies to each incident.

Law after graduation is a practice. The more you read, the more your knowledge in the legal field increases. Read recent books and take from previous judicial experiences because the law is developed from time to time. Law is a science that requires follow-up on an up-to-date basis.

My advice to the student

• First: Attend your lectures on a regular basis. All your lectures and your mind with you will be distinguished, God willing.
• Second: Do not let others influence you negatively, unlike if others influence you positively, learn from their ideas, and benefit from their experience in this field.
• Third: Give the study a right and enough time (time is like a sword if you do not cut it, it will cut you).
• Fourth: Learn how to analyze legal texts and how to analyze judicial decisions.
• Fifthly: I raise any problem or ambiguity you face to your professors.
• Sixth: Try to arrange your priorities and make your effort (so every hard-working person has a share)

Figure 12. Advice for new law students, taken from [8]

Abdullah Khalifa Al-Rumaihi, a student at the University of Applied Sciences, who recently obtained a master’s degree in commercial law at the university, confirmed his intention to continue studying to obtain a doctorate. Al-Rumaihi is the first student at the university to write his thesis in the English language in the field of commercial law, and the message was on international commercial arbitration [9].

Al-Rumaihi was able to complete the requirements for obtaining a master’s degree with distinction, to top his academic class with distinction.

Figure 13. Obtained a master’s degree in commercial law, taken  from [9]

At the Applied Sciences University and remotely and using visual communication means, a master’s thesis in the Master of Laws program at the College of Law was discussed and tagged with (Guarantees of Juvenile in a Fair Trial) presented by student Munira Abdulaziz Al-Binali) under the supervision of Dr. Amjad Al-Naqrash [10].

Figure 14. Master’s thesis in the Master of Laws program, taken from [10]

At the Applied Sciences University and remotely and using visual communication means, a master’s thesis was discussed in the master’s program in commercial law at the Faculty of Law tagged with (The Concept of Evidence in International Commercial Arbitration – Analytical Study) and submitted by the student Abdullah Khalifa Al-Rumaihi under the supervision of Dr. Qais Al-Maaytah [11].

Figure 15. Master’s thesis, taken from [11]

Excerpts from the virtual introductory meeting held by the Office of Professional Development and Alumni Affairs at the Deanship of Student Affairs and organized by the Board of Directors of the Applied Science University Graduates Club in its fourth session with university graduates in the presence of Prof. Ghassan Awad, President of the University, HE Professor Khaled Al-Gharabi, Vice President for Academic Affairs, and His Excellency Dr. Hayat Ali Q. The Dean of Student Affairs and the Higher Administration of the University and the Student Council, the organizational structure of the Board of Directors for the fourth session, the club’s objectives, the organizational structure of the club’s committees and their tasks, was opened for registration to join those committees and urged graduates to update their data for easy communication with them. At the conclusion of the meeting, the meeting was opened. The door to discuss and listen to the graduates ’proposals [12].

Figure 16. Office of Professional Development, taken from [12]

The Faculty Development Unit organized a workshop through visual communication technology entitled “Academic Guidance” in cooperation with the Educational Innovation Center and customized knowledge solutions [13].

Figure 17. Academic Advising Webinar, taken from [13]