Since it made its first appearance in 1963 as a small institution, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM), has emerged as a premier university in the Middle East. It comprises twenty-one academic departments offering numerous academic programs towards bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees, and houses a well-equipped Research Institute catering to the research and service needs of the Kingdom. The faculty body of the University is growing in size in response to the continuing growth of its student population, its ever-increasing focus on research and its expanding support to the community.

With the growth of the University, the administrative and support units at KFUPM have, also expectedly, enlarged both in number and size. For an efficient administration and management, the University, as a matter of policy, continually reviews the rules and regulations which are in place to improve the academic and on-campus environment, to foster the spirit of better education and research, and to ensure compliance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Higher Education.

Although information on faculty affairs at KFUPM is available from various departments and units, a faculty member may remain unaware of some of the University’s policies on various issues. The lack of a readily available single document, which would provide all information related to faculty affairs, including their duties, responsibilities, privileges and benefits, prompted the development of this Faculty Handbook. The idea of the Handbook also received support from a tacit recognition of its potential benefit to the faculty.

The importance of having an up-to-date Faculty Handbook is well recognized by both new and old faculty, more so by the newcomers. Through such a single document, a faculty member can become fully conversant with general rules, regulations and procedural formalities which are in effect. The Handbook also helps the Administration, as an employer, to inform the faculty members of the University’s general policies and procedures regarding their employment.

The committee entrusted with the task of preparing an informative Faculty Handbook faced the expected challenges of acquiring the correct information from all available sources, adding materials which are appropriate and informative, and then compiling them together in a coherent and sequential presentation. The collection of all relevant information which may be of interest and concern to a faculty member, and the verification of the authenticity and accuracy of this information, demanded a great deal of time and effort.

This Handbook contains detailed information on the affairs of faculty at KFUPM in sequentially written seven chapters. In addition to a brief introduction to the University and its organization and a broad coverage of the on-campus general services which are of interest to faculty, it covers in detail policies, rules and regulations concerning the employment, benefits, privileges, duties and responsibilities of a faculty member, which are currently in force. A faculty member is therefore advised to browse through the contents of this Handbook, as it allows him to be fully informed of policies and procedures of the University which would affect his employment.

Although a rigorous effort has been made to provide as complete and accurate information as possible, the Handbook may not contain all applicable regulations, and the University is not liable for any errors and omissions which may have occurred inadvertently in this Handbook. Furthermore, the current policies, rules and regulations of the University are expected to change from time to time. Consequently, this Handbook will be updated as and when necessary to incorporate those changes. As the current edition of the Faculty Handbook may not include changes in rules and regulations made recently by the University, it is the responsibility of the faculty members to seek the correct information from the departments concerned.

The preparation of this Faculty Handbook as a comprehensive information package for the employment of faculty at KFUPM is a much-awaited achievement. It is expected that with future revisions, the Handbook will receive the necessary changes, both in contents and style, with the feedback from its users. The Handbook will serve its intended purpose if the Faculty as well as the Administration find it useful and informative.