PhD Degree Awarded to Researcher Nawal Mufreh in Educational Administration and Planning
Researcher Nawal Yahya Saleh Mufreh was awarded a PhD degree in Educational Administration and Planning for her dissertation titled: The Extent of Practicing Leadership Ethics among Academic Leaders and Its Relationship to Competitive Advantage in Yemeni Universities, which was submitted to the Department of Educational Administration and Planning, Faculty of Education –Sana’a University. The dissertation defense was held on Thursday, July 24, 2026.
The PhD Viva-Voce Committee, which was formed based on a resolution issued by the Graduate Studies and Scientific Research Council, consisted of the following:
# Committee Members Designation Position
1 Prof. Abduljabbar Al-Tayeb Amin Al-Nour Internal Examiner Chair
2 Assoc. Prof. Ali Yahya Ali Sharaf Al-Deen Main Supervisor Member
3 Prof. Mansour Qasim Farea Al-Madhhaji External Examiner Member
The dissertation aimed to examine the extent to which academic leaders practice leadership ethics and to investigate its relationship with the achievement of competitive advantage in public and private Yemeni universities. The study also explored variations according to university type, faculty, job position, academic rank, and years of experience among academic and administrative leaders.
The study produced several key findings. It revealed that academic leaders in Yemeni universities generally practice leadership ethics at a moderate level. The findings also indicated statistically significant differences at the 0.05 level or below in respondents’ perceptions based on the type of university, both in the overall score and across the dimensions of leadership ethics, with private universities demonstrating higher levels of ethical leadership practices than public universities.
The dissertation recommended strengthening and institutionalizing ethical values as a fundamental pillar for the sustainability and success of higher education institutions, while reinforcing administrative values that support effective institutional performance. It also called for the development and adoption of evaluation standards based on fairness, trust, integrity, honesty, accountability, independence, and objectivity to regulate relationships between academic and administrative leaders and university staff. Furthermore, the study emphasized promoting the concept of the public good by fostering exemplary leadership among academic and administrative leaders in Yemeni universities.
The dissertation defense was attended by a number of academics, postgraduate students, researchers, as well as the researcher’s colleagues and family members.
