On August 29, 2019, Rafik Hariri University bachelor’s degree programs in Civil, Electrical, Computer and Communications, Biomedical, Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering and the bachelor’s degree in the Computer Science Program have been accredited, respectively by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) and the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) of ABET, the global accreditor of college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology.
ABET accreditation assures that RHU programs meet standards to produce graduates ready to enter critical technical fields that are leading the way in innovation and emerging technologies and anticipating the welfare and safety needs of the public. Sought worldwide, ABET’s voluntary peer-review process is highly respected because it adds critical value to academic programs in the technical disciplines, where quality, precision, and safety are of the utmost importance.
President Suidan is particularly proud of the following statement by ABET that summarizes what RHU stands for; “A highly- supportive and positive, student- centered learning environment exists across all programs in the College of Engineering. Students take full advantage of access to caring professors, state- of- the- art facilities, and laboratories. This environment enhances the overall educational experience of students and prepares them to enter engineering practice.”
Moreover, the ABET evaluation report stipulated programs strengths that focused mainly on RHU’s highly qualified faculty members, the extremely supportive community outreach programs, and outstanding laboratory facilities.
ABET indicated that RHU faculty members are very dedicated and accessible and willing to help inside and outside the classroom which results in an enhanced and supportive learning environment for students. They also signified the faculty members’ extensive professional experience of over 40 years in industrial practice that they integrate into the curriculum and into their mentoring of the students.
“RHU faculty members bring a wealth of practical experience and real-world perspectives to their classes, thereby enhancing student learning.”
“The resulting pedagogy and guidance serve the students well as they transition to engineering careers following graduation.”
“The computer science program develops students’ computational and critical thinking skills."
On the other hand, ABET emphasized the multiple community outreach programs for middle and high school students that RHU students and faculty created including the highly successful Student Technology Club (STC).
“STC engages future and current program students in projects and contests that have resulted in multiple national and international awards. These outreach ventures have encouraged and strengthened the quality and enrollment of future students.”
The ABET report also underscored the extensive high-quality, and well maintained equipment in program laboratories that offer flexible support for a wide variety of projects and experiments.
“The program has outstanding laboratory facilities, laboratory support services and laboratory personnel, allowing students to receive practical and relevant state- of- the- art engineering experiences across the entire curriculum. These laboratory experiences greatly enhance the overall program quality in terms of attainment of student learning outcomes.”
“Students consistently cited the value of hands- on learning experiences that helped them learn the concepts and prepared them well to enter engineering practice after graduation.”
Moreover, the following units were reviewed and found to adequately support the engineering programs: admissions, biology, chemistry, communications and alumni relations, development, finance, information technology, library, mathematics, physics, registrar, and student affairs.
Dr. Suidan pledges that this character of the University along with the provision of delivering “Affordable Excellence in Education” will continue to be RHU’s primary mission as an institution of higher learning.