Introduction

Managing strategic matters in any academic organisation is crucial to ensure sustained success and development in an era of rapid change. In this evolving reality, a university must be fully aware of the importance of building a new vision, mission, goals and strategic plan that reflects the challenges of the times and is in line with modern developments.  

In the next five years, the Islamic University of Najaf and its other branches face a host of challenges that call for strategic thinking and future vision. These challenges include rapid digital transformation, changing needs, labour market requirements and expectations for future students, teaching and learning methods, interaction with ongoing technological developments and the emergence of a new generation of education centred on artificial intelligence. Therefore, building a new vision and mission is a vital necessity to guide the university towards a sustainable and progressive path.

The importance of building a new vision, mission, goals and five-year strategic plan is at the heart of the university’s readiness to cope with change. It is not just an administrative document, but a reflection of the university’s identity, vision, purpose and future direction. These key elements form a guiding tool that promotes good interaction with the internal and external environment, building a strong bridge between strategic analysis and successful implementation.

Changing the vision, mission, goals and strategic plan requires an ambitious vision that reflects the Islamic, heritage and humanitarian values that the university believes in with modernity, innovation, excellence and technology. The university must be a pioneer in exploiting new opportunities and defining its directions with very high professionalism, to achieve leadership in the field of higher education and scientific research. Building a strong and applicable vision and mission that motivates all members of the university community towards achieving common goals and achieving sustainable excellence.

In light of this changing context, this new five-year strategy will address many important aspects, such as technological development and innovation, excellence and leadership, student experiences, labour market requirements, international academic reputation, and environmental and social sustainability. We will strive to achieve an effective balance between tradition and modernisation, professionalism and educational spirit, with the aim of achieving a university vision that overcomes challenges, embraces innovation and change, and is able to meet the requirements of the local community, the nation and the labour market changes.

Organisational Performance Indicators

The use of statistical data in the university’s website is vital to assess the performance of academic and administrative processes and ensure the achievement of continuous development and improvement goals. Analysing and using statistical data effectively is a powerful tool in building sustainable development strategies in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has incorporated into its strategies.

Statistical analysis plays an important role in understanding and evaluating the university’s institutional performance and the extent to which it achieves its goals and adheres to national and international academic and administrative standards. These analyses can be used to identify areas that need development and improvement, identify trends and directions needed to achieve excellence and constitute a valuable tool for making strategic decisions, directing improvement and development efforts, building a new vision, mission and goals, and developing a five-year strategic plan capable of achieving quality, excellence and sustainability in the field of higher education.

In order to build the new vision and strategy, a SWOT Analysis was conducted on this data, which is usually based on four main aspects Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT). Using this model, the university can find internal strengths and weaknesses, external opportunities and threats and help direct efforts towards exploiting opportunities, overcoming challenges and building an effective strategy.

This analysis was conducted in two phases: A general analysis of the organisation and a partial analysis of each of the important strategic plan pillars.

Based on the SWOT analysis of the most important strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the university’s performance in the axes of the educational and administrative process, we developed a new vision, mission, goals and five-year strategic plan that is in line with the changes and developments taking place in my agencies:

Vision

“An Islamic scientific beacon of knowledge and values, contributing to the promotion of innovation in higher education and scientific research,  and a catalyst for sustainable socio-economic development.“

Mission

‘Developing minds and serving the community by providing high-quality academic programmes for undergraduate and postgraduate education and quality research programmes that stimulate innovation, enable entrepreneurship and skills development, support sustainable development and community partnership in line with the university’s vision of spreading Islamic values.’

Evaluation

Based on the vision, mission and objectives of the Islamic Universitythe following governing values have been defined

1- Islamic and Humanitarian Values

2- Ethics

3- Excellence and Innovation

4. Quality

5- Leadership

6- Sustainability

Objectives

1- Academic Excellence

2- Religious, national and humanitarian awareness

3- Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship

4- Partnership and Social Responsibility

5. Organisational Sustainability