At our institution everything falls into the following three categories: 1) research, 2) teaching, and 3) professional service. I use the same as this is the standard in America. However in relation to research I am focusing on citations to my work, journal ranking, journal indexing, and research funds such as government grants. In respect to teaching I focus on quality feedback from evaluations and getting students involved in developing critical thinking across multiple disciplines. With professional service the focus is on professional and academic organizations that I am involved in. For example, serving as the section chair for engineering and computer science for the Alabama Academy of Science or the workshop lead at a technical organization. Administrative service is geared strictly towards that. For those interested in appointments as deans that type of activity would matter. For the rest research, teaching, and professional service. I hope that was of assistance.

Mr. Achkar,

the 'administrative work' is not in the first place in the evaluation of the 'academic career'. Event it is not often includes. It has impact only if you apply for managing functions at Universities (and/or Research Institutes). For application for Rector-position forr example the administrative experience is only benefit for the candidate. Because of that according to the labour-laws often such experience for Rector position even is not explicitly written as obbliigatory. In large number of the Unis this is only question of inner rules for election of the candidates. For 'Directors' of the Research Institutes is the same. Furthermore to be good manager of University and/or Research Institutes does not means that one is good academic (researcher). the opposite is also valid. Often the good academics/researchers are not good managers of Educational and Rresearch Institutions. The 'Administrative work' and 'academic (research) one' are not joined. The matter of activities, responsibilities, and obligations are different.

All what you've mentioned are factors to improve your academic career, not to forget community work which people may sometimes believe its not important in building Academic career. However, unfortunately, the priority varies between one institute to another. For instance, I have only one Graduate program in my faculty, so teaching comes above research with us. Furthermore, since we are interested in MOU's with other institutes as well as team work, joint research becomes also higher than independent research.

At our institution everything falls into the following three categories: 1) research, 2) teaching, and 3) professional service. I use the same as this is the standard in America. However in relation to research I am focusing on citations to my work, journal ranking, journal indexing, and research funds such as government grants. In respect to teaching I focus on quality feedback from evaluations and getting students involved in developing critical thinking across multiple disciplines. With professional service the focus is on professional and academic organizations that I am involved in. For example, serving as the section chair for engineering and computer science for the Alabama Academy of Science or the workshop lead at a technical organization. Administrative service is geared strictly towards that. For those interested in appointments as deans that type of activity would matter. For the rest research, teaching, and professional service. I hope that was of assistance.

Dear Bojidarka, thank you for your valuable comment.

I intended to put the administrative work in the beginning because a majority of Universities administrations consider this work as part of the academic job which takes a big part of the daily work.

Dear Nael, thank you for your valuable comment.

Teaching also is considered as a part of the academic job.

The problem is to have enough time for research.

Dear Maurice, thank you for your feedback.

What do you mean by professional service?

Dear Dr. Achkar,

The president and the provost of AUST have specified the three areas for evaluating the academic career: 1) Teaching, 2) Research, and 3) Service. I am also familiar with the annual report of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at the American University of Beirut where the focus is on the above three areas.

1) Teaching includes the courses taught during the evaluation period, with their levels, the number of students, the students' evaluations, the feedback from the department chairperson, the updates made to the material in the course, slides, etc.

2) Research involves publications as books, book chapters, journal articles, conference proceedings, etc. As well as the grants or funds given to the research work. Evaluation of the Impact of the research may be done in different ways (Impact factor, citations, etc.)

3) Service involves university service (committees, councils, etc.) and professional service (Organizations, Conference Organizations, Article reviewing, etc.). Some add the service given back to the society (How can the faculty member/department be involved in making the society/surroundings better).

Different universities give different weights to the three factors depending on the nature of the institute (teaching institute or research) as well as the maturity of the university.

I have also to mention networking and politics, because the decisions in many universities involve knowing the key persons and how to influence them. This is more obvious in the third world countries, and newly established institutes.

Another criteria for evaluation may be the exposure that the faculty member is making, nationally and internationally (This maybe included in Research and Service).

An academic person such as an assistant or associate professor is evaluated by the amount of the research work done. At the same time teaching and academic services are required as Michel mentioned.

Are there common criterias used by university administrations?

When you do activities in your department, are you enriching your career?

I agree with my colleagues in their inputs, specially the personalized requirements by institution. However, it is also agreed that university relations with its community being professionals or civic society is an important dimension to all.