Executive Officers

Christopher Shove, Ph.D
Vice Provost for Academic Affairs.

Dr. Christopher Shove joined Alfaisal University in Feb-2008 and is responsible for Academic Affairs.

Dr. Shove received his Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida State University in 1988 with his main area of research being knowledge-based economic development. He completed his Masters degree in City and Regional Planning from Clemson University, South Carolina in 1983, and prior to that he graduated with a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 1980.

Dr. Shove has taught and conducted research at several American universities on regional planning and development for the last 25 years. Previously he has been a professor, department chairman and a dean. His general research interest is in regional planning of knowledge-based economic development. Dr. Shove’s unique research interests are in economic development related to space commerce and planning spaceports. His recent academic publication on this is “Emerging Space Commerce and State Economic Development Strategies” Economic Development Quarterly, May 2005; vol. 19: pages 190 – 206. Dr. Shove has received several millions of dollars of grants for various projects including the planning and construction of technology incubators.

Professionally, Dr. Shove was the Director of the Office of Space for the State of Florida and was the planner for the Florida Spaceport Authority, the first commercial spaceport. He has also consulted on regional economic development and computer mapping projects using satellite imagery in Russia and the United States. In 1985 he received the award “Outstanding Young Economic Development Professional in the United States”.