| The Future University | |
|---|---|
| جامعة المستقبل Jāmiʿat al-Mustaqbal |
|
official logo of The Future University |
|
| Motto | Developing The Future |
| Established | 1991 (upgraded to university in August, 2010) |
| Type | Private |
| Chairman | Dr. Abubaker Mustafa |
| President | Dr. al-Tayeb Mustafa |
| Location | Khartoum, Sudan |
| Campus | Urban |
| Former names | Computer Man College, (CMC) |
| Colors | |
| Sports | Football, Basketball, Taekwondo |
| Affiliations |
UNESCO |
| Website | www.futureu.edu.sd |
The Future University (FU) (Arabic: جامعة المستقبل), or simply Future University, formerly known as Computer Man College (Arabic: كلية كمبيوترمان) or (CMC), is the first specialized inter-related ICT university in Sudan. Since its establishment in 1991 as Computer Man College, it was considered —at the regional level, as the first college to introduce an Information Technology program and —at the country level, as the first to introduce a Computer Engineering program and the second to introduce the Telecommunication Engineering and Architecture & Design programs. It was upgraded to a university in August 2010 by the Sudan Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. The university adopts the credit hours system in its education process, which makes it one of the first educational institutes to implement this system in Sudan. It is also the first private academic institution in Sudan hosting a UNESCO chair. Currently, The Future University contains seven faculties, with each faculty offering several programs (some running and others yet to be proposed).
Contents |
Dr. Abubaker Mustafa Mohammed Khair is the founder and chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Future University. Dr. Abubaker received a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering Communication (University of Belgrade, 1970), M.Sc. in Computer Technology, Computer System (American University), Applied Science in Engineering, (George Washington University, 1975), and a Ph.D. in Management of Information Systems (George Washington University). He has taken training courses in Khartoum Training Center in 1986 and in Saudi Arabia regarding Computer Policies.[1]
The foundation of the college was accompanied with the huge bounce in the field of information technology which the world has witnessed. The effect has been reflected in the administrative and economical structure of Sudan and other countries; new concepts were created, such as globalization, knowledge societies, e-commerce and e-government.
During this era, the college embarked on distinctive strategic plans to offer three programs in Information Technology, Computer Engineering and Computer Science, and then followed by the introduction of the Telecommunication Engineering and Architecture & Design programs. CMC is in buildings that are almost 20 years old; The Future University's new campus is being constructed.
The process of transforming Computer Man College into the new Future University has gone through many stages. The request to upgrade the college was submitted to the Sudan Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research three times; the first time was 15 years ago. The second time, several committees had to look at the proposal, approve it and check the status of Computer Man College to see if it was well established with all its contents including courses, staff, skills, techniques, performance and its related history to ensure that it deserved to be upgraded to university status.
The approval was then undertaken by the department for private sector in the ministry which submits a report to the higher council. Thereon, another committee was set to check on the concepts for upgrading the college together with the proposed vision including the rules and regulations laid by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. As the proposal goes back to the ministry, a request was sent to the president of Sudan to approve it and, on his approval, it went to the Sudan Ministry of Justice to check the act of bill and ensure that the laws would be abided by all the concepts of the oncoming university. Afterward, it was taken to the Sudan Cabinet of Ministers that reviews the request and makes the minister and his representatives to answer questions concerning it.
On approval by the Cabinet of Ministers, it was to go to the Parliament and then to the president of Sudan again for the final signature. Eventually, submission was to be done of the president of the university and the chairman of the Board of Trustees together with their curriculum vitae.[2] On the morning of the day after the approval, many of the students reported that they were surprised when they came in the college; because they saw the new sign at the forefront of the buildings saying “Future University” instead of the old “Computer Man College.” On that day, a camel and a number of sheep were sacrificed (i.e. slaughtered) inside the campus, and their meat was given away as charity (Karāma) for the poor and other people in the shape of a good-deed attempt to thank the grace of God that the college has been upgraded. — "as the Chairman has said."
The table below illustrates the different programs and certificates currently offered by The Future University:
| Program | Faculty | Degree | Duration (semesters) | Date Offered | aka |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Information Technology | Information Technology | B.Sc. | 10 | 1991/1992 | IT |
| Knowledge Management | Information Technology | B.Sc. | 10 | 2008/2009 | KM |
| Knowledge Engineering | Information Technology | B.Sc. | 10 | 2008/2009 | KE |
| Digital Marketing | Information Technology | B.Sc. | 10 | 2011/2012 | DM |
| Digital Banking | Information Technology | B.Sc. | 10 | 2011/2012 | DB |
| Computer Science | Computer Science | B.Sc. | 10 | 1991/1992 | CS |
| Artificial Intelligence | Computer Science | B.Sc. | 10 | 2011/2012 | AI |
| Bio-Informatics | Computer Science | B.Sc. | 10 | 2011/2012 | Bio-In |
| Telecommunication Engineering | Telecommunication and Space Technology | B.Sc. | 10 | 2002/2003 | TCOM |
| Satellite Engineering | Telecommunication and Space Technology | B.Sc. | 10 | 2011/2012 | SE |
| Computer Engineering | Engineering | B.Sc. | 10 | 1991/1992 | CE |
| Electronics Engineering | Engineering | B.Sc. | 10 | 2008/2009 | ELEC |
| Bio-Medical Engineering | Engineering | B.Sc. | 10 | 2011/2012 | Bio-Med |
| Laser Engineering | Engineering | B.Sc. | 10 | 2011/2012 | LE |
| Mechatronics Engineering | Engineering | B.Sc. | 10 | 2011/2012 | ME |
| Architecture & Design | Architecture | B.Sc. | 10 | 2002/2003 | ARCH |
| Interior Design | Architecture | B.Sc. | 10 | 2011/2012 | ID |
| Geo-Informatics | Geo-Informatics | B.Sc. | 10 | 2008/2009 | GIS |
| Remote Sensing | Geo-Informatics | B.Sc. | 10 | 2011/2012 | RS |
| Creative Multimedia | Arts and Design | B.Sc. | 10 | 2008/2009 | CMM |
| Fine Arts | Arts and Design | B.Sc. | 10 | 2011/2012 | FA |
| Information Technology | Information Technology | Diploma | 6 | 1991/1992 | DIT |
| Telecommunication Engineering | Telecommunication and Space Technology | Diploma | 6 | 2004/2005 | DTCOM |
| E-Commerce Technology | - | Diploma | 6 | 2004/2005 | - |
| Commerce & Accounting Information Technology | - | Diploma | 6 | 2004/2005 | - |
| Internet Design Technology | - | Diploma | 6 | 2004/2005 | - |
| Computer Engineering | Engineering | Diploma | 6 | 2011/2012 | DCE |
| Electronics Engineering | Engineering | Diploma | 6 | 2011/2012 | DELEC |
| Network Engineering | Engineering | Diploma | 6 | 2011/2012 | DNE |
| Additional & Continuing Education | - | Certificate | 1 | 1993/1994 | - |
| International Computer Driving License | - | Certificate | 1 | 2002/2003 | ICDL |
The Future University, and since its establishment as Computer Man College, has been implementing the credit hours system to guide its education process. This system aims to integrate the different bodies of the university into one coordinated unit; this allows the academic, administrative and financial departments to work in harmony to use the university facilities, staff and academic programs. The Future University has adopted the tri-semester method in which the academic year is divided into three semesters (generally, 14 weeks plus one week for final exams).[3] However, after the upgrade to university, some modifications were made to this system. The most obvious change is the introduction of the summer semester/course, which is a "compressed" semester of 10 weeks with the remaining four weeks period set for vacation. This summer semester takes place in semesters 3, 6, and 9.
The current logo of The Future University was chosen because it was the winning logo in the contest that the university held among the students and staff in order to choose its new official logo. The contest was monitored by the Creative Multimedia department represented by Ms. Gloria from The Philippines after being selected by Dr. Abubaker (the chairman) to supervise the contest. Many students participated in the logo contest, which also included designing logos for the other faculties of the university, yet, only few candidates were qualified to the final stage. The current logo was then chosen and approved after making some edits and retouches on it. Monetary prizes were awarded to the first and second place winners (1,500 and 500 SDG respectively).[4]
Future University has recently started building its new campus which is located side-by-side with the old and current buildings. The new campus is said to contain modern lecture rooms, labs, auditorium and libraries, and it accommodates about 18,000 students. In 2006, the land of the new campus was procured by the college, an area of 20,000 square meters. It is said that the cost of construction, equipment and furnishing the whole new buildings of the campus amounts to be approximately US $60 million.[5] The building has been paused several times for unclear reasons; the chairman of the board stated in an interview that he believes that the whole new buildings will be set up, fully constructed and ready to use by the end of 2011.[6]
Currently, the certificate degree gained in any engineering field/course in The Future University is not accredited by The Sudanese Engineering Council, i.e. the graduate is not given an engineering number (which is a license-like approval as a certified engineer); allegedly because The Future University Learning System does not meet the requirements of the engineering programs which are supervised by The Engineering Council. However, students, as well as managers, claim that the Tri-Semester system used by the university is a global standard and is not invented by the university, thus, it should be recognized. It is worth noting that this issue only started few years ago (in the past, all engineering graduates had their certificates approved by the Engineering Council). There are still undergoing negotiations with The Engineering Council regarding this issue, nonetheless, no solution has been offered so far.