Sultan Qaboos University, Institutional Quality Audit, May 2009
 
Dr Abood Al-Sawafi
 
Dr. Abood bin Hamed Al Sawafi holds a B.Sc. Electrical Engineering – Electronics (Communications) from Bahrain University (1981-1985). In 1985, He was honored by HH The Emir of Bahrain (the Emir’s Shield) for his achievement at the university. He earned a Ph.D. in the same field from the University of Bradford in 1993.   Dr. Abood is currently Vice-Chancellor at Al Sharqia University. He has worked as Vice-Chancellor of Sohar University, having been promoted to the position in 2007 after serving there as Deputy Vice-Chancellor since 2005. During that time he initiated several reforms in the university including overseeing the strategic plan for the University and spearheading the introduction of a quality assurance manual for the University.  Prior to joining Sohar University as Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Abood served for six years as Dean with Majan (University) College. During his tenure there, he planned and implemented a number of academic reforms and led the college to a University College status.  In his role at Majan College, he chaired the College Academic Board, Quality Assurance Committee and the College Academic Management team. At that time, Majan College was affiliated to the University of Luton in the UK and worked under their quality assurance regime.
 
Prof. Barbara Stauble
 
Dr. Barbara Stäuble is a consultant in international higher education with over 25 years of hands-on experience in Europe, Asia and the Americas. As Professor and Deputy-Rector for Academic Affairs at the German University of Technology in Oman, she played a key role in establishing this private university in affiliation with  RWTH Aachen University in Germany. Prior to taking up this position, she worked as Inaugural Director of Research & Development and as acting Dean at Curtin University of Technology, Sarawak Campus (Malaysia). An experienced academic, Dr Stäuble has also held positions as Associate Professor in Physics at the National University in Colombia and post-doctoral researcher at the Free University in Amsterdam and the Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands. Barbara Stäuble holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Zurich and a Master in International Education from Monash University. She has published numerous scholarly articles, including four with Nobel Laureate K.A. Müller. She has reviewed proposals for the Colombian Research Foundation COLCIENCIAS and chaired or co-chaired the organising committees for various international conferences. During her career Dr Stäuble has been conferred a number of awards, including an award for Excellence and Innovation in Teaching (2004). In addition to being an External Reviewer for the Oman Authority for Academic Accreditation, Barbara Stäuble worked as a reviewer for Saudi Arabia’s National Commission for Academic Accreditation and Assessment and was a member of the Inaugural Steering Committee of the MENA-Association for Institutional Research. 
 
Dr. Elizabeth C. Stanley
 

Dr. Stanley (Ph.D.,Analytical Chemistry, University of Illinois, 1972) served in faculty and administrative positions in higher education organizations in the United States for 28 years and in Saudi Arabia for two years before joining the Office of the Provost at Zayed University (United Arab Emirates) in fall 2001.  She retired from her position at Zayed University in August 2010 and currently serves as an independent consultant in higher education, with particular interests in accreditation and international higher education.    Dr. Stanley previously held positions in institutional research, institutional advancement, academic affairs, business and finance, continuing education, assessment of experiential learning, and degree program coordination.  She has consulted with a number of institutions, held leadership roles in professional organizations, and served as a consultant-evaluator with the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, as a site visitor for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, and as an external reviewer for the Oman Academic Accreditation Authority.


 
Dr. John B. Lee
 
John B. Lee is president of JBL Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in postsecondary education policy research and located in Bethesda, MD.  His career includes work at the local, state and national level.  Dr. Lee has published dozens of reports on different aspects of postsecondary education policy and finance.  The report topics have included financial aid, affordability of college and student access and persistence, for clients including the National Center for Education Statistics and the Office of Student Financial Aid in the U.S. Department of Education, the National Education Association, and the Lumina Foundation.  Currently Dr. Lee is involved in two national projects to improve student graduation rates.    Before founding JBL Associates in 1985, he worked for the Education and Labor Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Education Commission of the States, and Stanford Research International.  He earned a BA and MA from California State University at Sacramento, and received an Ed.D. in postsecondary education from the University of California, Berkeley.