AUDUS NEWS
Merci Beaucoup (Thank you), Dr. Safwan Qasem
Dr. Safwan Qasem is an established figure in the field of IT and computer science back in his hometown Paris, France. A top-notch graduate of University Joseph Fourier, Dr. Qasem decided to take part in the on-going renaissance happening in King Saud University, through the efforts of AUDUS. It is expected that his inclusion in the College of Computer and Information Science, together with the rest of other AUDUS candidates-turned faculty members, will be more than enough to accelerate the College's efforts of becoming the best computer science college in the Middle East.
Goodbye Chrysler, hello King Saud University
Dr. Mourtada joins the roster of distinguished university staff in KSU as assistant professor in the College of Engineering and as consultant for the Knowledge Exchange and Technology Transfer (KETT) program under the auspices of the Vice-Rector, Prof. Ali Al-Ghamdi. AUDUS takes pride in attracting Dr. Mourtada, who is one of the formidable figures in the US-based Automobile giant Chrysler Company, and recipient of the most coveted Walter P. Chrysler Patent of the Year Award last 2007 for his invention that allowed the company to create a new six-speed automatic transmission out of an existing four-speed transmission.
COMMENTARY
The obstacles of AUDUS: a commentary
Since the foundation of AUDUS 5 months ago, hundreds of resumes from various experts around the world have been received and screened for possible employment at KSU. The process of handling these resumes is cyclical but not monotonous, hard but not difficult, fair but not balanced. Although we have been successful in many ways in terms of recruiting the "distinguished", there came a point where the "selected few" should be "more". So now comes this dilemma: Are we really after the quality of the candidates we choose? Or do we prefer to just recruit as many as we can as long as we reach a quota that KSU can be proud of?
To begin with, the definition of distinguished, based on AUDUS' experience, is highly subjective, and varies from one concerned college to another. It is imperative to note that the colleges' recommended candidates are not recruited for the sole purpose of filling empty spaces in their respective departments. Rather, they are attracted to join KSU for their exemplary performance and unique accomplishments in their areas of expertise. They are first and foremost, AUDUS' candidates, not ordinary job seekers. It takes more than just a fraction of increase in basic salary to attract a distinguished candidate. There have been cases where the candidates truly deserved more, but were offered in a stingy non-negotiable way, resulting in their decline to the offer. In another scenario, there were instances where the offer was too generous in relation to the candidate's qualifications. Offers by the way, are subject to the college's approval.
And then there's the element of time. There is "urgency" in attracting candidates and it's been going on since AUDUS was founded. That a certain quantity of accepted candidates should be met at a given short period, and not measuring up is considered a failure for AUDUS. Quality by the way is never rushed, and so are the candidates who have full-time professional obligations in their current jobs. Short notices do not apply to a presumably indispensable employee, again another factor that separates the AUDUS' candidate, from a job seeker. If we let this pattern of inequity and pressure continue, we might end up losing diamonds, because we've been too busy picking up stones.
So far, AUDUS has fulfilled its part in helping the different colleges attract their recommended candidates, most of whom if not all, are still nothing short of distinguished. It is but fair to declare that AUDUS after 5 months is a very well-organized team doing their best for the greater glory of KSU, but it is also safe to say that we are not perfect. At this very early stage, the premature AUDUS has already proven its worth, but the challenges remain and continue to build up. Attracting the genuine "elite" is never easy, but AUDUS takes pride in handling this task, because it takes one to know one. At the end of the day, it is KSU's reputation and not AUDUS that we are uplifting and preserving, through the manpower we are bringing.