jihad m albayyari

Candidate Message

December 13, 2020

Dear Search and Screening Committee:

I am submitting for your consideration my application for the Associate Vice President for Academic Quality position at College of North Atlantic- Qatar. This position is intriguing to me because your institution is similar to Wright State University – Lake Campus that I served. Moreover, my academic career has grown at public regional institutions located in rural and urban areas with significant agriculture, science and technology based industry where the location affords increased opportunities for the university and its students to engage in meaningful and numerous ways. In this letter I enclose a curriculum vita which describes in detail my executive and leadership qualifications and abilities. In this letter I highlight my broad range of academic knowledge: my commitment to innovation; and my achievements in higher education leadership uniquely suited for this opportunity.

My leadership experience is extensive with a proven record of effectiveness on many levels. I have engaged faculty in all aspects of program, curriculum, and infrastructure development, and have through the years accepted positions of increasing administrative responsibility leading to the position of Dean & Chief Administrative Officer of Wright State Lake Campus (Lake Campus CEO) in Celina, Ohio. I report to Wright State University Provost at the main campus in Dayton, Ohio.
A university administrator should be an effective team builder who values the individual and collective strengths of all key stakeholders. In addition, faculty members and staff share in this team building responsibility, and have an obligation to contribute to the development of the university and to share in its governance. This has been my philosophy as a university administrator and educator, and I have valued the opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of students and colleagues, and to play an instrumental role in the formation of the future of the institutions at which I served. I hope to do the same at College of North Atlantic- Qatar.
My teaching and scholarly discipline is in Engineering Technology which puts emphasis on more laboratory (hands-on) work and less on theory. My scholarly activities in the Engineering Technology field is sufficient for the appointment of full professor in a technology discipline. Below are examples of my experiences that have prepared me for the Associate Vice President for Academic Quality position at College of North Atlantic- Qatar.
Garnering Resources: Declining state support for campus infrastructure and programs are among the biggest constrains on a public university’s ability to develop innovative programs, recruit top notch faculty, and accommodate enrollment growth. In the past three and a half years I have secured an excess of 6.5 million dollars in capital, scholarships, and in-kind funds by working closely with our state legislators and Wright State University – Lake Campus Director of Advancement. The funds were used to build an Agriculture and Water Quality Education Center, and Extension Building to support the nursing program.
Shared governance: Shared governance allows the constituencies of a campus to contribute towards developing policies and decision making processes to enable them to take responsibility of a specific aspects of the community. My experience with shared governance have involved handling complex challenges and responsibilities. Communication and collaboration are very essential aspects for effectively leading a university and throughout my administrative career, I have made a concerted effort to communicate often and openly. I will work collaboratively with the board of trustees, and campus community to establish institutional priorities that support high quality academic standards.
Enrollment management: One of my accomplishment was to establish the enrollment management committee at Wright State University – Lake Campus to improve marketing strategies, recruitment and retention. The effort resulted in a large increase in enrollment from 2015 to present. My experience in enrollment management would be an asset for strategically managing student growth at College of North Atlantic- Qatar .
Commitment to diversity: Our country is approaching a crossroad of increasing demand to provide access to students from more diverse and socio-economic backgrounds. Diversity is an essential institutional strength and the development and maintenance of an inclusive campus learning community must be a top priority. During my time at Wright State University – Lake Campus, my leadership resulted in an increase in the number of minority student, faculty, and staff.
Fiscal Management: I currently manage a budget of eight million dollars. In the past, I successfully navigated increases and decreases to the budget and have found ways of supporting new initiatives that have become self-sustaining.
Athletics: Moving Wright State University – Lake Campus Athletics to the United State Colligate Athletic Association (USCAA) was one of my first priorities when I was hired. The move resulted in an increase in diversity and enrollment.
My experiences are all about leading change and leading people. This can only be accomplished with a clear organizational vision, results-driven leadership, teamwork, commitment, partnership and passion. I am proud to be an educator, and my administrative philosophy are deeply rooted in the belief that universities must be committed to promoting excellence in student learning and in creating and disseminating knowledge. A university president must be a respected intellectual leader, able to articulate the complex academic mission of the university with great credibility, and that has been one of my accomplishments as the Dean & Chief Administrative Officer at Wright State University – Lake Campus ( Lake Campus CEO).
I would like the opportunity to talk with the search committee to explain the circumstances that led to my resignation. My references, and news articles I can provide will support my story.

As outlined above, I have demonstrated those qualities and qualifications, and would be honored to serve as the next Associate Vice President for Academic Quality position at College of North Atlantic- Qatar.
I look forward to hearing from you regarding the status of my candidacy. Should you require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me at my email, jay.albayyari@wright.edu or cell phone, (419) 584-6358.
Best Regards,
Jihad (Jay) Albayyari, Ph.D.