Our Faculty – NEU, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Dean’s Message
The Programme, of which the language of instruction is English, of the Department of Civil Engineering was established during the Fall Term of the Academic Year 1992-1993 under the body of the Faculty of Engineering with a total of 38 students. Subsequently, the Program with Turkish as the language of instruction was initiated in 2013, and then the Program with English as the language of instruction at the Department of Environmental Engineering was started in 2018.

Due to considerations on the recent conditions and opportunities, and with the aim to give a wider range of graduates to solve human-induced problems in the world, especially on issues concerned with Environmental and Civil Engineering, the Department of Environmental Engineering was founded in 2018. Additionally in the same year, the Department of Civil Engineering (programs as Turkish and English as language of instruction) and Department of Environmental Engineering were separated from the Faculty of Engineering, and with the approval of the Higher Education Board of Turkey (YÖK) these departments began providing educational services as the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering in 2018.

Currently, we have 1131 students from 41 different countries at our faculty pursing their undergraduate, master’s and doctorate educations. At the Department of Civil Engineering there are a total of 1124 students, consisting of 27 female and 697 male students. Furthermore, at the Department of Civil Engineering (with Turkish as the language of instruction) there are 271 students 22 of which are female and 249 male students studying. Moreover, at the Department of Environmental Engineering there is 1 student pursuing undergraduate study. As for our graduate program, there are 10 female, 71 male students making a total of 81 students studying. On the other hand, 4 students are doing their master’s degree in Construction Management; where as a total of 19 students 3 of which are female and 13 male, are pursuing their doctorate degrees.

The main aim of our faculty is to prepare students to perform their engineering professions in the best way. For this purpose, it is among our faculty goals to take all the necessary facilities further during their education. NEU Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering graduates are aimed to be engineers that are innovative, capable of making a difference, having the capacity to play a pioneering role, idealist and keeping his / her ethic / moral values in the foreground under any circumstances. Our faculty aims to develop the students’ knowledge by conducting original research studies, by providing them with the knowledge and vision to contribute to increasing the welfare level of the society, it is aimed to have an innovative and creative vision in the engineering applications necessary for sustainable development which is of great importance today. At the Department of Civil Engineering (with English as the language of instruction) undergraduate and graduate (master`s and doctorate) programmes are offered. Works on the implementation of the graduate program in the Department of Environmental Engineering have come to an end and will be initiated at the fall term of the academic year 2019-2020.

All the departments have been accredited by both the higher education of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (YÖDAK) and Turkey (YÖK), and the undergraduate and graduate programmes of the Department of Civil Engineering (with English as the language of instruction) has been accredited by ASIIN in 2016-2022. The Faculty Board has a decision on initiating MÜDEK accreditation of Department of Civil Engineering (with Turkish as the language of instruction) and the works in this direction have commenced.

Our academic staff includes Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus citizens, in addition to academic staff from Turkey and from different countries around the world. Furthermore, our faculty actively continues to conduct successful studies which are aimed at making societal and academic contributions and scientific publications are made in numerous scientific journals each year. As a matter of fact, based on the articles published by our faculty members among the 21 faculties present in our university, and in line with its academic achievements, our faculty has been selected as ‘THE BEST FACULTY’ in 2018. In order to achieve this success again in 2019, we are determined to work hard as a faculty.

The biggest share in this success includes our highly valuable academic member Prof Dr Vahid Nourani who owns the ‘‘2018 NEU PUBLICATION HONOUR AWARD’’ and academic members who own ‘‘2018 NEU YOUNG RESEARCHER MENTION AWARD’’ Dr. Shaban Ismael Albka and Prof Dr. Derin Orhon, Prof. Dr. Kabir Sadeghi, Assoc Prof Dr Rifat Reşatoğlu and Assoc Prof Dr Fidan Aslanova and once again, I would like to express much gratitude to them for their success. This is much like a flag-race and the aim is to bring our university to the point it deserves in the world of higher education with our achievements.

It is among the priorities to introduce our Faculty, University and our country in the scientific arena. In this regard, our faculty members take part in the organization of many domestic and international scientific activities and by making presentations at these significant organisations, they are making noticeable contributions.

With the support and efforts of the faculty academic members and assistants, we have successfully held two very important conferenes titled as ‘‘2nd International Conference on The Cyprus Issue Past, Present and the Vision for the Future’’ during 1-3 April 2019; and ‘‘2nd International Conference on Water Problems in the Mediterranean Countries’’ on 6-10 May 2019. Furthermore, in 2019, we are carrying out the works to hold the conference named ‘‘2nd International Conference on The Environment Survival and Sustainability’’ during 7-11 October 2019.

I would like to thank all my colleagues who contributed to the preparation of this report which provides an assessment of the current situation in terms of physical, academic, technological and human resources. For the academic year of 2018-2019 and would like to wish you all great success.

Faculty Mission
Our faculty, which hosts students from many different countries in the region and provides education at an international level, is in line with the basic vision of the Near East University that involves raising engineers who have professional ethical values and ethics and can contribute to science and technology at international level, as engineers who are responsible to the environment and society compete on a global scale with a multi-disciplinary and innovative approach that is able to use new and advanced technologies.

Faculty Vision
The vision of the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering involves training highly equipped, professional and leadership engineers in line with its mission, and through realizing innovative scientific studies, is to be a leading and exemplary faculty by being internationally recognised and by producing engineering solutions to meet the needs of the society in order to increase the welfare of the society.

Authority, Duties and Responsibilities
The management and organization of the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering is determined in accordance with the provisions of Law No. 2547. Administrative bodies authorized by the Higher Education Law No. 2547 are defined as: Dean, Faculty Board, Faculty Managing Board, and Departments.

Dean
The dean, who is the representative of the faculty and its affiliated units, is appointed by the Rector from among the professors. Also, the dean selects up to two full-time faculty members as faculty deputy deans to assist him/her with duties. Upon the completion of the dean’s term, his deputies’ term ends as well. When the dean is not on duty, one of his assistants acts as proxy. The Rector is primarily responsible for the rational use and development of the teaching capacity of the faculty and its affiliated units, taking security measures when necessary, providing the necessary social services to students, conducting education, scientific research and publication activities on a regular basis, observing and supervision of activities, the follow-up and control, and for obtaining the relevant results. The dean, who is authorized by the Higher Education (YÖK) Law No. 2547 to manage faculties, has the following main duties:

To chair the faculty boards, to implement the decisions of the faculty boards and to ensure regular work between faculty units,
At the end of every academic year and to report to the Rector about the general situation and functioning of the faculty when requested,
and to present the needs of the faculty to the Rector’s Office after receiving the opinion of the faculty board of directors.
To carry out general supervision and supervision duties on the units of the faculty and its staff at all levels.

Faculty Board
Under the chairmanship of the dean, the Faculty Board consists of the heads of the departments and schools affiliated to the faculty, three professors selected among the professors of the faculty, two associate professors selected among the associate professors of the faculty, and a single assistant professor again selected among the assistant professors of the faculty.

The Faculty Board normally convenes at the beginning and end of each semester. The Dean calls the faculty committee to a meeting when deemed necessary. The faculty board is an academic body and performs the following tasks:

Faculty activities on education-tarining, scientific research, and publication and to decide on the principles, plan, program and education-training calendar for these activities,
To select members for the Faculty Managing Board.

Faculty Managing Board
Chaired by the Faculty Dean, the Faculty Managing Board consists of a professor, an associate professor, an assistant professor, and a lecturer chosen among the heads of departments of the faculty for a period of 3 years.

Faculty Managing Board meets upon the call of the Dean. Once found appropriate by the Faculty Managing Board may establish temporary working groups and education and training coordinatorships and organizes their tasks. The Faculty Managing Board is an assistant body to the dean in administrative activities and performs the following duties:

To assist the dean in the implementation of the principles determined by the Faculty Board decisions,
To ensure the implementation of the education and training, plans and programs of the faculty and the calendar,
To take decisions in all the works that the dean will bring about faculty management,
Deciding on the acceptance, exclusion and exclusion of students and the procedures for education and training.

Deputy Deans
The Deputy Deans are selected by the dean from among the full-time faculty members of the faculty to assist them in their studies and they are they are appointed for a maximum of 3 years. The dean may change his assistants if deemed necessary. When the dean’s term ends, his deputies’ term ends. Furthermore, in accordance with the vision and mission of the faculty, they assist the Dean in their studies in order to carry out all the activities necessary for education and training in accordance with the principles of efficiency.

Head of Departments
The department is managed by the Head of Department. The head of the department is responsible for the education and research of the department at all levels and for the regular and efficient conduct of all activities of the department. Department Board consists of all faculty members under the chairmanship of the department head. The Department’s Board, which is the main decision-making body of the department, is authorized to assure the education and training activities, research activities, programs, tools, equipment and physical facilities to provide the most effective opportunities.

In accordance with the objectives and principles determined by the top management of NEU, and in line with the vision and mission of the faculty, the Head of Departments conduct the works related to the department in order to carry out all the activities necessary for education and training in accordance with the principles of efficiency.

Faculty Secretary

The Faculty Secretary is firstly responsible to the Dean for the supervision and control of activities, the relevant follow-up, monitor and achieving results, and is responsible for the following duties:

To carry out the faculty’s internal and external administrative affairs,
To be a rapporteur to the Faculty Board and the Faculty Managing Board,
To ensure coordination between administrative units,
Internal and external correspondence of the Faculty,
To provide all kinds of infrastructure services for uninterrupted service flow in the faculty,
To assure all kinds of maintenance and repair of physical areas,
To provide the necessary assistance and support for the effective conduct of education and training,
To provide information about students when requested by higher authorities,
To perform other duties to be assigned within the framework of Laws and Regulations.