VOICEmcbs

Launch of New ProgramsThe college opened its door this Semester to students who wanted to register for our new programs. The new programs which were made available to the public were the Bachelor Degree in Airport Management, the Bachelor Degree in Statistics and the MBA program.

The MCBS- MBA Students’ BriefingsPAGE 2

5 Most Popular Open Software.PAGE 3

Launch of the Proposed New MCBS Website.PAGE 4

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MARCH 2011 - Issue 6

The Fall Semester began on September 25, 2010 with an Orientation Week. Students were welcomed by the Dean, MCB Staff from Registration/Admission, Student Service Officer and faculty members from each MCBS Department. Some new faculty members who have joined the College this semester are: Dr. Beverly Baker-Kelly, who was sent by the U.S. Government’s sponsored exchange program known as ‘the Fulbright Program for American Senior Scholars’. She has joined the Humanities & Social Sciences Department. Ms. Melissa Bodola, who is also a Fulbright Scholar, Ms. Asila

Al Ma’awali, Ms. Abeer Al Balushi, and Ms. Wafaa Al Hosni have all joined the English Language Center. The Department of Business and Economics received 2 faculty members of which Dr. A. W. Unas is a visiting faculty for the Fall Semester, teaching Marketing/Management while Dr. P. T. Thomas is a full time lecturer for Economics and Statistics.

MCBS Academic Year 2010-2011

Recruitment of MCBS StudentsMCBS Student Service Officer, Ms. Tahiya Al Maskery, along with Bahwan Cyber Tech, organized an interview for MCBS students on June 19, 2010. All those who had completed their Associate and Bachelor Degrees in IT and Computer Science were invited. The interview was held in the Seminar Room. Another interview which was organized by the Standard Chartered Bank was on June 23, 2010 for MCBS students who had completed their Associate and Bachelor Degrees in Business Management and had specialized in Marketing.

Visit of the Public Affairs Specialist from the US EmbassyOn October 4, 2010, the Public Affairs Specialist from the US Embassy, Mr. Adil Al Rahbi visited the College and met with the Dean, Dr. Badr El Din A. Ibrahim. They discussed mutual interests, exchanged views and talked about some intellectual issues.

ConferenceDr. Badr El Din A. Ibrahim, the Dean of the College attended a Conference for the 2nd Muscat Youth Summit on October 9, 2010 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

the dean of MCBs met with a delegation from Macromedia University

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This specialized workshop was to deliberate and to discuss the various options employees have to enhance overall institutional quality and effectiveness.

AIESEC VisitAn MCBS student, Mr. Rashad Al Jamal, was interviewed by AIESEC for an international internship in USA. The interview was held on June 5, 2010, in the Dean’s Conference Room. Present were members of AIESEC, along with Dr. Badr, Dr. Bernard and Dr. Mouhiba who are all members of the MCBS Academic Board. On June 13, 2010, they conducted a Workshop on “Emotional Intelligence” by an external speaker for the AIESEC members and held their local Committee’s election to decide on the next Executive Board for 2010-2011, at the American Corner in the College. On June 20, 2010 they interviewed other MCBS students, Ms. Abeer Al Rasbi and Mr. Moosa Murtadha, who were both given the same opportunity as that of Mr. Rashad.

Staff WorkshopsTwo workshops on October 14, and November 4, 2010, were conducted by Dr. S. K Pemmaraju, Head of the Department of Business & Economics. It was titled “Institutional Quality Enhancement & Effectiveness” and was for the non-academic staff.

This specialized workshop was to deliberate and to discuss the various options employees have to enhance overall institutional quality and effectiveness by focusing on issues that institutions consider important. Certificates were awarded on the second day of the Workshop to those who had attended.

the MCBs-MBA students’ BriefingsA series of MBA student briefings was held in the presence of H.E. Dr. Muneer Al Maskery, Founder and CEO of the MCBS, Dr. Badr El Din A. Ibrahim, Dean of MCBS, Dr. Bernard La Berge, Dean for Quality Assurance

and Program Development and Dr. Rohith Delikhan, MCBS Consultant, on May 17 and June 1, 2010. An exclusive meeting for the MCBS ALUMNI was held on June 22, 2010. The aim of this meeting was to inform those who are interested in the MBA program, that MCBS has signed a cooperation agreement with the Franklin University in USA and that the MBA program is the same as Franklin’s and will be available to students in Oman soon at the MCBS campus. This Franklin MBA is the first graduate program offered by the College and the first graduate American degree in Oman.

PresentationsOn June 17, 2010, Ms. Jaya Sangeetha attended the “Servicing 2010” International Research Conference in Portugal where she presented her paper titled “Service Quality across Multiple Customer Touch Points in Commercial Banking”. In July 2010, Dr. Badr El Din A. Ibrahim, the Dean, presented two papers in Sudan, one on “Suggestion to Measure and Classify Sudanese Islamic Banks in Microfinance”

prepared for the Sudan Academy for Banking and Financial Studies and the other paper which was on August 3 & 4, 2010 on “The role of Banks in Extending Finance to Sudanese Expatriates to Encourage Sudanese Incoming Migrants” for the Sudan Centre for Migration, Development and Population. He also gave two more presentations from October 25 to 27, in Cairo, Egypt. These presentations were

on the “The Effects of International Developments on Arab Cooperation, Labour Market and Employment Conditions” and “The Economic Effects of Asian Remittances on AGCC States”.

The meeting was meant to explore the possible academic and training relationships between MCBS and the Macromedia University.

A delegation, headed by a Chancellor of a German-based private Macromedia University of Applied Sciences Media and Communications; Professor Joachim Scheurer, visited MCBS and met with the Dean, Dr. Badr El Din A. Ibrahim on June 20, 2010. The meeting was meant to explore the possible academic and training relationships between MCBS and the Macromedia University. The Dean reviewed the history of MCBS,

and spoke about the quality assurance, and programs offered. The Chancellor of the Macromedia University identified undergraduate and graduate programs in Media & Communications Management as well as in Media & Design that have potential in

Oman. Moreover, the Dean and the Vice Chancellor exchanged ideas of cooperation between the two institutions

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Blood donation & workshop

The MCBS Marketing Department and the Blood Service Department of the Ministry of Health organized a Workshop on “The Importance of Blood Donation” on October 9, 2010. This Workshop was conducted by Dr. Ahmed Al Kashif, with the aim of encouraging students and the College staff to participate in such campaigns. The next day Dr. Kashif and his team received positive response from the

College employees and students, both male and female, which reflected their belief on the importance of donating blood and supporting the blood bank.

Film Show on Barrack Obama’s Presidential CampaignThe MCBS English Language Fulbright Scholar, Ms. Melissa Bodola, and members of the American Embassy, organized a film show on Barrack Obama’s p r e s i d e n t i a l campaign. The event was held at the MCBS American Corner on October 19, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. Those invited were Dr. Badr El Din, MCBS Dean, Dr. Bernard, Dean of Quality Assurance and Program Development, ESL faculty members and their students. Mr. Adil Al Rahbi, Public Affairs Specialist from the US Embassy, the Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Beverly Baker-Kelly and the Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Paul Kelley were also present. The aim of this film show was to share the story of the presidential campaign in the United States, as well as to discuss historical achievements and movements that have created positive changes in the United States of America.

Higher Education Institutions’ ExhibitionFour representatives from MCBS, Mr. Ahmed Al Rashdi, Mr. Abdullah Al Shouili, Mr. Khalid Kahour and Ms. Ziyoon Al Jabri represented the College at the exhibition. As many as 25 private higher education institutions and six government institutions participated in the three day event which started on July 13, 2010. The Exhibition was held at the Oman International Exhibition Center under the auspices of H.E. Sayyid Salem bin Musallam Al Busaidi, Undersecretary for Administrative Development Affairs at the Ministry of Civil Services.

MCBS Departmental WorkshopThe Department of Business and Economics, with the help of Dr. Thangavellu, organized an Accounting Workshop for students who have enrolled in Fundamentals of Financial Accounting and Financial Accounting courses. The Workshop was scheduled for four days in the month of October on the 1st, 8th,

18th, and 25th and once in November. Another Workshop on “ORACLE SQL *PLUS*”, was conducted by Mr. Smiju Sudevan for students who have enrolled in Computer Science, Information Communication Technology and Information System courses, organized by the Department of Maths and Computer Science on November 10, 2010.

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On October 13, 2010 the 1st draft of the new MCBS Website was presented in the Dean’s Conference Room, by Mr. Santhosh Nair and Mr. Sushil Susukumar in the presence of H.E. Dr. Muneer Al Maskery, members of the Academic Board, Database and IT Support Staff and the Marketing Department.

Reward CeremonyOn October 16, 2010 the MCBS Marketing Department organized a Ceremony at the MCBS Amphitheatre to honor and reward Companies who have sponsored some young Omanis in pursuing their education at MCBS and also to those who had sponsored the MCBS 1st Youth Festival. Awards were also given to students who had played a vital role in the College in 2009 – 2010 and to 30 members of the Students’ Council for the year 2009 – 2010. The ceremony was attended by Dr. Badr El Din, MCBS Dean, faculty, staff, and a number of students. Also present were some representatives of the Companies and Private Colleges in Muscat.

Launch of the Proposed New MCBs website

PO Box 100, Al-Khuwair 133Sultanate of Oman

Ph: +968 2458 3583 | Fax: +968 2458 3584Email: info@mcbs.edu.om

Web: www.mcbs.edu.om

Symposium

The Dean of MCBS, Dr. Badr El Din, and the Head of the Department of Humanities & Social Sciences, Dr. Mouhiba, attended a Symposium on “The Academic Chairs of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said and Their Contribution to the Development of Human Knowledge” under the Patronage of H.E. Sayyid Ali Hamoud Ali Al Busaidi, Minister of the Diwan of the Royal Court, which was held on Monday November 1, 2010 at the Sultan Qaboos University. In the evening, Dr. Mouhiba attended the dinner in honor of the same, at the Qantab Hall, Al Bustan Palace Hotel.

Visit of the Delegates from the State CouncilThe Dean of MCBS, Dr. Badr El Din, and the Head of the Department of Humanities & Social Sciences, Dr. Mouhiba, attended a Symposium on “The Academic Chairs of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said and Their Contribution to the Development of Human Knowledge” under the Patronage of H.E. Sayyid Ali Hamoud Ali Al Busaidi, Minister of the Diwan of the Royal Court, which was held on Monday November 1, 2010 at the Sultan Qaboos University. In the evening, Dr. Mouhiba attended the dinner in honor of the same, at the Qantab Hall, Al Bustan Palace Hotel.

The Resalati (My Message)As part of the 40th National Day Celebrations, MCBS hosted the Resalati (My Message) Campaign on Saturday, November 13, 2010. The female staff, faculty, and students of MCBS and other women working in adjacent areas took part in the Campaign. Words of thanks and praise for the Sultanate’s achievements under the wise and capable leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said during the past 40 years were expressed by all the Omani and expatriate women. It was an honor to host ‘The Resalati’ in the College.

Interview with American ExpressAmerican Express Al Omania: MCBS Omani graduates who have specialized in the field of Finance/Banking were invited to attend an interview on October 25, 2010 at the College for the positions of Customer Service, Marketing & Sales and Risk Management. The interview was organized by the Student Service Officer with the American Express Al Omania.

GHEDEX DubaiA team of MCBS IT staff and some students attended the GHEDEX in Dubai on October 20, 2010. GHEDEX showcases a wide range of diverse international suppliers and attracts many IT and Communications specialists. The team benefited by observing the latest technology.