The University of Abu Dhabi increases academic staff by 72 per cent in the last year

This is a 72% increase in their academic staff since last year. The 50 new faculty members joined the current full-time faculty and incoming Chancellor, Professor Dr. Reynold Macpherson, with the commencement of fall semester. With plans already well under way for the move to a brand new campus location in the fall of 2006, the University has experienced rapid growth in their student registration, expansion of its academic programs and a 52% increase in their administrative staff. ADU now has a total of 207 staff, compared to 128 last year.

"The University of Abu Dhabi has ambitions to continue to rise in stature, and I am confident that we have selected the right group of people, with very impressive credentials, to help us do this," said H.E. Ali Bin Harmal Al Dhaheri, Chairman of the Executive Board of Governors. "We are also pleased to introduce our new Chancellor, Professor Dr. Macpherson, who has a proven track record of successfully leading educational institutions in Europe, Western Australia and New Zealand." Professor Macpherson completed his PhD in the leadership of education systems at Monash University; his research focussed on educative leadership and is intended to help those who lead, and assist their organisations to learn to deal effectively with a changing world.

The university's new faculty come from a variety of academic backgrounds; they are highly qualified graduates from Harvard University, The University of London, Michigan State University, De Montfort University, The University of Oklahoma, The University of Florida, Leicester Business School, University of Pretoria, University of Nebraska, University of Pennsylvania, University of Ottawa, Auburn University, The Pennsylvania State University, University of Louisiana, Yarmouk University, Oregon State University, University of Jordan and The University of Wales, to name a few.

Among the highly acclaimed academic professionals at ADU are Dr. Jeffrey Robert Barker, Dean of Computer Science Information Technology; Dr. Julia Saurazas, Campus Director Al Ain; Dr. Hassan Hajjdiab, Chair of Computer Science; Dr. Mohammed Al Sakka, Chair of Marketing Department; Dr. Pieter Kachelhoffer, Chair of Teacher Education; Martha Highers, English faculty; Sandra Zaher, Director for ELI; and Mr. Shannon Glasgow, Deputy Director and - ELI Tesol Instructor Al Ain.

Dr. Jeffrey Robert Barker, Dean of Computer Science Information Technology earned his PhD in Information Systems and Manufacturing (Operations Research) from the University of New South Wales. Dr. Jeffrey's expertise reflects on the latest trends in the computer industry and will help to set very high standards for ADU's computer science and information technology courses. He is recognized as a leading authority in the revolutionary IG3 technology, which is the next generation of Information Technology. Dr. Jeffrey intends to incorporate the latest cutting edge practises and theory into the college of Computer Science and Information Technology. He is also an expert in Corporate Management, e-Business Strategy, Business Process Engineering & Process Mapping and the importance of Information Technology in Corporate Strategy to name a few.

Dr. Julia Saurazas, Campus Director Al Ain, earned her PhD in Marketing from the University of Bradford, U.K. The research for her doctorate on consumer behaviour was undertaken in the UAE. With her 13 years of educational experience in the United Arab Emirates, Dr. Saurazas will be driving the strategic development of the Al Ain campus, as well as reinforcing ADU's mission, vision and objectives.

Dr. Hassan Hajjdiab, Chair of Computer Science at ADU, has a PhD in Image Processing & Computer Vision and a Masters in Software engineering and graph theory from the University of Ottawa, Canada. Dr. Hajjdiab previously worked as a software designer and lectured classes in Fundamentals of Software Design, Assembly Language and Operating principles.

Dr. Mohammed Al Sakka, Chair of the Marketing Department acquired a PhD in Strategic Management and ICT from De Montfort University of England and a Masters in Marketing from Damascus University. Prior to moving to ADU, Dr. Mohammed lectured e-Business Strategy and Quantitative Research at the Leicester Business School.

Dr. Pieter Kachelhoffer, Chair of Teacher Education, has a PhD in Curriculum and Social Education and a Masters in Curriculum Development from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. He was a principal at the Design and Arts College of New Zealand, a Departmental Chair at the University of Pretoria and lectured classes in Curriculum Development, M&D supervision, Didactics and Curriculum & Instruction.

Martha Highers joins the ADU English faculty in Al; Ain, and holds a PhD in English from The University of Louisiana at Lafayette and an MA in English from Tennessee Tech University; Mr. Shannon Glasgow, ELI Deputy Director and TESOL Instructor Al Ain is a graduate of Southern Illinois University with a Masters degree in TEFL; and Sandra Zaher, ELI Director, is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University.