Overview

Aligning programs, Colleges and Departments to the needs of industry and society has become one of the major criteria for success and a major attraction in Higher Education Institutions. One of the best practices to achieve this is to involve and to make stakeholders participate in teaching and learning process. To fulfil this goal the Institution, the Colleges and the Departments establish an “Advisory Board” (AB), which is a selected group of experts representing industry and society constituencies charged with providing advice to faculty and administrative officials. The AB serves as a platform for exchange between employers and the academic leaders of the college. Among its main objectives is to give advice on important topics in the field and help the departments within the college in preparing graduates that fit the market needs using the latest teaching and learning approaches.

Purpose

This policy provides guidelines for establishing Advisory Boards to help create and foster a strong partnership between PSU and relevant constituencies from industry, business, government, and society at large to address better the needs of the industry and improve the quality of the academic programs, and prepare graduates to fit the job market needs.

Scope

A College Advisory Board for each college shall be composed of academics and community stakeholders (alumnae and employers) from various local or international institutions. Advisory boards are comprised of accomplished experts offering innovative advice and dynamic perspectives in their respective specializations. Members’ diverse range of knowledge, skills, and abilities shall help the college in ensuring their program offerings are current.

Policy

Each Advisory Board shall meet at least once a year to provide support to the college for the improvement of the program and course offerings, strategic direction, guide quality improvement, and assess program effectiveness. The AB shall consist of 5 to 10 members representing relevant industry, organizations, and constituencies including the following stipulations:

• The Chairman of the Advisory Board is the Dean of the College or the chair of the Department
• The College Vice Dean or one of the Program Chairpersons will act as a secretary for the AB.
• Community Stakeholders (alumnae, employers from the field)
• A faculty member from each department
  The representatives from the industry should be recognized experts in the field or senior officials in their organizations. The AB period of service is three years and renewable. It should be made clear that the AB has no decision-making or enforcement powers and has been established to provide feedback.

• Establish good relations with constituencies served by the department
• Provide a communication channel for constituencies served by the Department Ensure that the department programs are producing the right type of graduates
• Improve the quality of the department programs through constructive feedback.
• Provide guidance and directions regarding research and future developments in the field
• Provide opportunities and resources for faculty to engage in industry-related collaborative research and development projects
• Help in placing COOP students and provide opportunities for student training
• Help in placing program graduates and provider wider employment options

The process of establishing and approving an Advisory Board is as follows:

• The Program Chairperson discusses the matter with the College Dean and gets his approval.
• The Program Chairperson and faculty members nominate the potential AB members based on consultation with the College Administration and industry organizations. The AB members should represent current and potential employers of program graduates, relevant industrial organizations, potential sponsors and supporters of students.
• The list of nominated members should be approved by the Department Council and College Council
• After approval by the College Council, the matter is raised to the Rector for final approval.
• The AB starts its work immediately after receiving the approval from the Rector’s office.
• The College and Program academic leaders may issue further bylaws and regulations to improve the effectiveness of the AB as needed.
• All the AB meetings should be documented, and the minutes need to be approved by the University Rector within 30 days of the meeting.