An Interview with the President of Al-Mustansiriya University
Prof. Dr. Ihsan Al Qurashi
Prof. Dr. Ihsan Al Qurashi
- I am Prof. Dr. Ihsan Kadem Al-Qurashi, a professor in Mathematical Statistics. I was born in 1955. My civil service career is nearly 36 years. I hold a Ph.D. from Al-Mustansiriya University. I’m married and have three daughters, one son and five grandchildren.
Q2: What are the achievements you made during your presidency of Al-Mustansiriya University?
- The cooperation between the university president and the Council of Teachers and Staff has created a lot of achievements on the administrative and service levels. In the scientific field, we have established in the past year 15 scientific conferences (note that such conferences were absent from the faculties of the university since the year 2000), in addition to 35 scientific and intellectual seminars that were attended by important figures such as Deputy Ministers. On Science Day, our university received the award for First Professor along with other five scientific awards, in addition to winning 17 scientific rewards by our teaching staff. As for extra-curricular activities, we have started exhibitions of painting and organized sporting events last year. We have even won first place in football and basketball, second place in chess and third place in volleyball. But the most important achievement for me was taking the university away from the political and religious interactions and effects.
Q 3: What are the problems faced currently by the university in its colleges and what are the solutions proposed to fix them?
- Our problems are not much different from the problems of the rest of the universities, and in next April a conference will be held in which the university will assess and criticize itself. We do suffer from a lack of spaces, an increase in the number of students and old laboratories. In addition to the university's lack of scientific techniques. We are in the process of addressing these problems to solve them.
Q4: How do you deal with students’ hostels and the successful ways to develop them?
- Now that is a big problem! Unfortunately, many of the students residing in these hostels do not take care of the public propertis and do not maintain them in any way, they act irresponsibly and this is a waste of funds. In addition, there are a lot of students and there is no place for them to go. So, we try to expand horizontally and vertically, and provide the best services to our dear students and all we ask for in return is for them to maintain the properties that we are providing for them.
Q5: What do you think of last year’ success rates? Is it on the level required? What are your approaches in this concern?
- Success rates varied last year according to colleges, but they were not as good as we wish for, because the premises were weak, so it is natural that the results will be weak as well. There are a lot of students, and we seek that each one of them gets what he truly deserves. Still, this does not mean that every student that graduates from preparatory school must be enrolled in college.
Q6: What are your future plans for the development of postgraduate studies at the university?
- We seek to get rid of a lot of unwanted burden in terms of students, faculty and staff so that we can get to the level that we require, and in our abovementioned April conference we will reconsider the question of the admission to graduate studies in terms of number and type, and we will provide the necessary facilities. There are also regulations concerning study leaves. The conditions of applying for graduate studies are to obtain the TOEFL and IC3 along with the average.
Q 7: Students suffer from high prices of food and drinks in the Students’ Club, what would you say about that?
- We will form a committee to monitor the prices and hygiene of the students’ club.
Q 8: Do you have any intention in expanding the university as far as buildings and departments are concerned?
- Yes, there are facilities under development (for example, the medical campuses in Al-Baya’a and in Sab’ Abkar.) New departments will be established like the Dpartment of Mass Media and the the Department of Turkish Language, and there is also a plan to further activate the Department of French Language.
Q9: What is your opinion in TRANSMAG: The Translation Students Magazine? What are your suggestions to develop it?
- Currently, I have no comment because I need to read it and get to know its activities better before I can give it a just assessment.
Q 10: Is there anything you would like to add?
- First, I hope my colleagues of the teaching staff will keep taking their responsibility to the fullest and doing their best in raising the level of education as they always did. Secondly, I hope our dear students will know their duty and make the efforts required of them. One day, we will all be gone and they will take the responsibility and carry the burden on their shoulders. So, they must seize the opportunity. We will do our part by providing ways for them to develop themselves.
I am glad to meet you.
Interveiwed by:
Dia Sulaibi,
Ibrahim T. Al-Bayati,
Hussien Faisal,
& Eve Dhiab
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