Professor Dr. Waheed Mahmoud Al-Ibrahimi, President of the University of Mosul, chaired the University Council’s 25th session for the 2025–2026 academic year on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, with all Council members in attendance.

The agenda included a number of important topics, foremost among them the regulation of postgraduate thesis and dissertation defenses.

In an effort to reinforce the scientific and academic nature of postgraduate defenses, and to promote the principles of rigor, impartiality, and independence in the evaluation of scientific research, and given that a defense is regarded as an academic examination of the student rather than a social or celebratory occasion, the Council discussed establishing regulations governing postgraduate defenses and resolved the following:

1. Attendance by individuals not directly concerned with the defense shall be prohibited. Attendance shall be limited to the student, the examining committee, and those whose professional duties or academic status require their presence. Guests may attend only after the defense result has been announced.
2. The serving of sweets, food, or beverages to the examining committee or attendees during or after the defense shall be prohibited.
3. Decorating defense halls or displaying banners, flowers, decorations, or any other celebratory features shall be prohibited in order to preserve the formal academic character of the defense.
4. Students, their families, and supervisors shall be prohibited from extending invitations or hosting meals or gatherings for members of the examining committee after the defense in any form. Members of the examining committee and faculty members shall also refrain from attending such gatherings in order to avoid any potential embarrassment or conflict of interest.
5. The college shall be responsible for providing a suitable venue and a quiet, formal academic environment for conducting the defense in a manner consistent with its status as a scientific and academic examination.

The meeting also addressed a number of other matters, including the reduction of tuition fees for certain colleges, the updating of postgraduate curricula in some colleges, extensions of postgraduate students’ study periods, extensions of service for a number of faculty members, as well as academic promotions and the importance of facilitating their procedures in accordance with the approved regulations. The Council also emphasized the importance of reconstituting a number of the University’s scientific journals.

The session further considered several other items listed and presented on its agenda, with the aim of identifying effective means for their successful implementation and approving the most important mechanisms in support of the University’s efforts to advance its educational, research, and administrative processes.