Introduction

Universities have an effective role in the society; besides providing education for students, they can address community development issues. Universities are expected to provide scientific services that contribute to the development of society and its transformation into a knowledge society. Universities are also expected to spread awareness on various community issues. This conference will form a catalyst to foster the interest that is based on commitment to this issue, and take into account the available top expertise. This will allow enactment of regulations that take into consideration the phase’s priorities and its regional and international challenges. The definitions of social responsibility around the world agree that social responsibility is a form of institutions’ commitment directed towards the local community to contribute to sustainability. However, this commitment is voluntary at the present and the conference wishes to make it legally binding among universities in particular. The conference targets universities because they are pioneers in leading socially responsible activities through their cadres and graduates, and through their cooperation with the different sectors and their integration with these sectors’ public policies.

Conference Objectives

The conference aims at:

1. Identifying concepts, perspectives, basic issues and criteria that govern social responsibility to address them by specialists and place them within a scientific perspective.
2. Spreading the culture of social responsibility, disseminating knowledge and exchanging experience among specialists, practitioners and those with success stories from the different Arab universities.
3. Promoting social responsibility in the Arab universities and embedding it in their strategic plans.
4. Presenting practical initiatives that deal with social responsibility in Arab universities.
5. Promoting the partnership between Arab universities and community institutions to elevate social responsibility.
6. Discussing the most important challenges that impede the implementation of social responsibility and achievement of its objectives, and adopting practical measures and steps to overcome these challenges.
7. Anticipating the outlook of social responsibility and its integration into the processes of knowledge economy and its support by multiple sectors.
8. Shedding the light on mature experiences and practices in the field of social responsibility in the Arab universities.
9. Promoting the interest in drafting bills and legal grounds for institutionalizing social responsibility within a legislative framework.

Conference Themes

First theme: The reality of practicing social responsibility by universities:

1. Measurement of the application of social responsibility by universities (tools, standards, and indicators).
2. The extent to which universities create initiatives in the field of social responsibility.
3. The reality of empowering university students in the fields of democracy and good governance.
4. The role of social responsibility in fighting corruption.
5. Policies and practices that enhance the role of social responsibility at universities.
6. Promoting the role of higher education institutions in fulfilling social responsibility.
7. The proper social environment among university employees.
8. The civil role of higher education and its social responsibility.
9. Social responsibility of universities as an approach to sustainable development.
10. The role of universities in finding incubators to manage knowledge in the field of social responsibility.
11. The role of universities in employing media to enhance the social responsibility of universities.
12. The role of scientific research in supporting the needs of the society and its development.

Second theme: Legislative requirements for universities’ social responsibility:

1. The role of Ministry of Education and Higher Education in the legislation of universities’ social responsibility.
2. Legislations, regulations, and systems that promote the practice of social responsibility.
3. Standards, criteria and social responsibility in the implementation process.
4. Embedding social responsibility within the strategic plans of the universities.
5. Reviewing different initiatives that promote social responsibility as models to be considered in the legislation.
6. The role of professional unions in institutionalizing social responsibility.
7. Promoting the role of the private sector’s social responsibility in supporting higher education.
8. The responsibility of the universities towards learning outcome and labor market.
9. Social responsibility and university work ethics.
10. Endorsement of suitable legislations to upraise universities’ social responsibility.

Third theme: Universities’ stereotypes in the field of community responsibility.

1. Social responsibility’s indicators and the different scenarios to deal with it.
2. Developing strategies for the universities’ social responsibility in accordance with social priorities.
3. Conceptualization of social responsibility’s practice at universities in the light of proposed legislations.
4. Administrating social responsibility at universities (location, responsibilities, and duties).
5. The initiatives of community institutions that support social responsibility.
6. University leadership from the perspective of social responsible leader: Transformational leadership as a model.

Fourth theme: University interest in providing social responsible environment:

1. The extent to which university are interested in providing friendly environment.
2. Reviewing university’s strategy for waste treatment and disposal.
3. Models on product recycling and rationalization of consumption.
4. The role of universities in directing local trends to provide a healthy environment.
5. University activities for environmental preservation: addressing environmental problems and fighting environmental pollution.
6. The role of universities in spreading health awareness among members of society.
7. The role of universities in drafting socially responsible environmental policies.
8. Universities’ social responsibility towards environment protection and the preservation of its natural resources.
9. Criteria and indicators for measuring the level of universities’ contribution in environment preservation.

Terms and Conditions for Participation

1. The research should be original, not published or submitted in a previous conference or symposium.
2. The official language of the conference is Arabic and researches in English language can be submitted.
3. The researcher should identify the theme of the conference.
4. A brief CV of the researcher not exceeding 4 lines.
5. The researcher should submit a one-page abstract of the proposed research in one of the conference's themes.
6. If the abstract is accepted, the researcher has to send the full research either Arabic or English within the specified time.
7. The research should not exceed 25 pages size A4.
8. The font used for Arabic papers should be Simplified Arabic for research in Arabic and Times New Roman for research in English.
9. The font size should be 14 for titles and 12 for texts.
10. The margin space should be 2.5 cm.
11. The Arabic researches including abstracts, titles and key words should be submitted in English.
12. The English researches including abstracts, titles and key words should be submitted in Arabic.
13. The submitted papers will be peer reviewed and published on the conference website, the websites of both The Association of the Arab Universities and Amman Arab University in addition to a saved version on a USB.
14. Abstracts and researches should be sent in Word format via the conference website at: http://conferences.qou.edu/index.php/graduate/SRconf and e-mail ([email protected]).

Terms and Conditions for Participation

1. The research should be original, not published or submitted in a previous conference or symposium.
2. The official language of the conference is Arabic and researches in English language can be submitted.
3. The researcher should identify the theme of the conference.
4. A brief CV of the researcher not exceeding 4 lines.
5. The researcher should submit a one-page abstract of the proposed research in one of the conference's themes.
6. If the abstract is accepted, the researcher has to send the full research either Arabic or English within the specified time.
7. The research should not exceed 25 pages size A4.
8. The font used for Arabic papers should be Simplified Arabic for research in Arabic and Times New Roman for research in English.
9. The font size should be 14 for titles and 12 for texts.
10. The margin space should be 2.5 cm.
11. The Arabic researches including abstracts, titles and key words should be submitted in English.
12. The English researches including abstracts, titles and key words should be submitted in Arabic.
13. The submitted papers will be peer reviewed and published on the conference website, the websites of both The Association of the Arab Universities and Amman Arab University in addition to a saved version on a USB.
14. Abstracts and researches should be sent in Word format via the conference website at: http://conferences.qou.edu/index.php/graduate/SRconf and e-mail ([email protected]).

Participation fees

1. Participation with paper is $300 including 3 nights stay, meals during the conference sessions, mobility services and the conference services.
2. Participation without paper is $100 without hotel reservation or ($300) with accommodation and other services.

Fees are paid via the following addresses:

Inside Palestine

Name: Al-Quds Open University

Bank Name: Cairo Amman Bank

Branch Name: Jericho Branch

IBAN: PS68 CAAB 0809 0000 0660 0018 98167

SWIFT: CAABPS22

Currency: Dollar

Outside Palestine

Name: Al-Quds Open University

Bank Name: Cairo Amman Bank

Branch Name: Mecca Street Branch

IBAN: JO63 CAAB 1250 0000 0009 0000 5507 35

SWIFT: CAABJOAM

Currency: Dollar

Conference Committees

The Higher Steering Committee

The Preparatory Committee

The Scientific Committee

Media and PR Committee

Important Dates

1. Deadline for submitting abstracts is 5/8/2019.
2. The received abstracts shall be reviewed by the Scientific Committee of the Conference and the Researchers shall be informed by the results by 15/8/2019.
3. Deadline for submitting researches is 15/9/2019.
4. The conference date will be 3-4/11/2019.

Correspondences

1. [email protected]
2. For more information you can visit the conference website: http://conferences.qou.edu/index.php/graduate/SRconf