Faculty Promotion Policies and Procedures

Promotion results from the recognition of excellence in a Faculty member’s overall performance. The intent of the Promotion policy, which applies to all faculty members excluding faculty members who hold a master’s degree or its equivalent, is to evaluate whether the faculty member has met performance expectations and demonstrated satisfactory progress in the key elements of academic endeavor: professional development, teaching and learning, scientific research, university services as well as community engagement.

The components of the promotion application:

• 60% scientific research.
• 20% University Services.
• 20% community engagement.

General conditions for an applicant to apply for promotion:

• Five-year seniority at the rank from which the applicant will be promoted.
• At least two years of active service at the AFU.
• The applicant hasn’t been sentenced in the past two years.
• At least 70% of the research submitted for promotion should be within the exact specialization of the faculty member; and 30% at most is a joint research with related sciences.
• All research publications submitted for promotion must have been completed during the current rank of the applicant.  
• The   maximum number limit for research publications in the same journal should not exceed 50% of the total number of publications that required for promotion. Except the publications in journals with an impact factor of 3 or more.
• Applicant may start in applying for a promotion one month before the eligible due date.
• The due date for promotion to the highest rank is the date on which the board decides to upgrade or the date on which the legal period of the upgrade expires if it is processed before that period expires.

Acceptable Scientific research for promotion

• Scientific research published or accepted for publication in journals indexed by SCOPUS databases or a higher international rating.
• A book or chapter of a book published by an international publishing house and documented in an international database such as SCOPUS or better.
• Research published at a conference that has Proceeding indexed by SCOPUS or better. 
• Publication should not be derived from the master’s thesis or doctoral thesis of the applicant or of any co-authors.

Conditions for promotion from assistant professor to associate professor

• Five (5) years of serving as a full-time assistant professor at an accredited university or college. The last 2 years of service must be at AFU. 
• Six (6) publications at least in peer reviewed professional journals, during his/her tenure as an assistant professor. 
• At least seventy (70%) percent of his/her research work should be in his/her specific discipline and the balance in relevant fields. 
• At least three (3) of the required research works must bear the name of the university and they should be published or accepted for publication during his/her tenure at the university. 
• The applicant must be the main researcher for at least three papers, one of those 3 papers he/she must be the sole author. 
• At least fifty (50%) of his/her research work must have been published and the remaining papers are accepted for publication. 
• Not more than one conference can be counted toward his/her application. 
• Not more than one textbook that has been referred for research purposes can be counted toward his/her application. 
• A national / international patent can be counted toward his/her application. 

The application can be submitted six months prior to the completion of the required five years if the applicant has completed all other requirements.

Conditions for promotion from associate professor to professor

• Five (5) years of serving as a full-time associate professor at an accredited university or college. The last 2 years of service must be at AFU. 
• Eight (8) publications at least in peer reviewed professional journals, during his/her tenure as an associate professor. 
• At least seventy (70%) percent of his/her research work should be in his specific discipline and the balance in relevant fields. 
• At least four (4) of the required research works must bear the name of the university and they should be published or accepted for publication during his/her tenure at the university. 
• The applicant must be the main researcher for at least four papers, one of those 4 papers he/she must be the sole author. 
• At least fifty (50%) of his research work must have been published and the remaining papers are accepted for publication. 
• Not more than one conference can be counted toward his/her application. 
• Not more than one textbook that has been referred for research purposes can be counted toward his/her application. 
• A national / international patent can be counted toward his/her application. 

The application can be submitted six months prior to the completion of the required five years if the applicant has completed all other requirements.

Databases adopted in the promotion application

• SCOPUS
• Clarivate Analytics databases: Master List
• Approved journals - for Arabic faculty members.
• Approved International publishing houses - for books – 

Procedures for submitting a promotion application - Internal evaluation

• The applicant applies to the head of the department/dean of the college. The applicant profile contains all research work, biography, master's thesis, doctoral thesis and evidence of other community activities and services that he performed during his tenure at AFU.
• The head of the department shall form a committee consisting of two faculty members of a higher academic level, to review the faculty profile. If the number of faculty members at the college is not sufficient to consider the application, then faculty members from other colleges are assigned to complete the task.
• The committee's task is to ensure that the request for promotion is fulfilled in terms of AFU regulations.
• The University services and community engagement are evaluated as follows:
  • University Services: Based on the student’s evaluation in the last four semesters.  
  • Community Engagement: Based on the activities participated by the applicant outside the curriculum with evidence. the applicant receives 4 marks for each community engagement activity.

• Successful application should earn an 80% mark (for associate professor rank) or an 85% mark (for the rank of professor).
• The committee shall submit its report to the head of the department/dean of the college within one week accompanied by the decision to complete/not complete the application process.
• If the application is not complete, the head of the department/dean of the college will return the application to the applicant and explain the reason.
• If the application is complete, the head of the department/dean of the college will submit the application and all reports to the College council to make the appropriate recommendation about the promotion profile.
• The application assessment process and recommendation within the college should not exceed two weeks from the date of application.
• If the College Council agrees to proceed with the promotion profile, the application will be submitted to the Vice President.
• The Dean of the college is requested propose a list of reviewers names and addresses of at least fifteen reviewers who hold the rank of professor; to evaluate scientific research. The dean list must be of complete confidentiality. However, the appointment and promotion committee have the full right to amend/delete the list. The external reviewers should account the following:
  • Known for their objectivity and from the same university that the applicant graduated from. 
  • From different countries and universities, preferably no more than one from the same university and no more than two from the same country. 
  • Their addresses must be accurate including phone number and the official email.
• In any case, if the College Council is unable to make the appropriate recommendation within the specified period without an acceptable reason, the President shall form a committee of the department/college chaired by the Vice-President to consider the promotion request and submit its recommendations to the committee to make the appropriate decision within a period of not more than two weeks from the date of the formation of this committee.  
• The Committee will follow up on the promotion regulations by verifying the validity of the application and completing all requirements within a period of not more than two weeks.

Procedures for applying for promotion - external evaluation

• The application for promotion (CV, applicant master's/PhD thesis list of publications and all published/accepted research) is sent to three external examiners who have the same specialization as the applicant.
• Arbitrators are required to submit their reports within a period of not more than three months, so that each research work is evaluated from the 100% mark. 
• If not, all reports are received within three months, then the appointment and promotion committee has the right to appoint a fourth examiner.
• If not, all reports are received within six months, then the Dean council is entitled to take the decision based on any number of reports obtained.

Deciding on the promotion request

• The reports are submitted to the Dean Council to decide on the final promotion decision.
• The applicant is entitled to promotion if he or she receives a score of 75% or more from two out of three evaluation reports in case of applying for the rank of Associate Professor, and an 80% mark in all evaluation reports in the case of applying for the rank of professor.
• In the case that the promotion is rejected, the faculty member is entitled to again submit a new application that will be duly evaluated at least six months after  the deans council decision,  with at least one new article to be added to the applicant for the rank of associate professor, and at least two new articles for the applicant for the rank of professor.

Grounds for Appeals

Unsuccessful applicants will have an opportunity to appeal a decision regarding a promotion application decision. Applicants may appeal in writing to the concerned Dean who will then submit the written appeal to the appointment and Promotion Committee. The written appeal must be submitted within a week from the deemed date of receiving written notice of the outcome of their promotion application decision. The Committee reviews the appeal and then advises the appellant and the Dean in writing of the appeal decision.