Shia Strength: [MahdiUniteMuslims] Saudi launches 10 billion Saudi Riyal University of Science and Tech

Saudi launches 10 billion Saudi Riyal University of Science and Tech

THUWAL, 22 October 2007 — This small village on the Red Sea coast to the north of Jeddah yesterday served as the setting for the realization of a great vision when Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah launched a project that he has been dreaming of for the last quarter of a century.

The groundbreaking ceremony for a world-class coeducational research university brought together a number of learned men and women of all faiths from around the globe to Saudi Arabia.

Speaking at the ceremony for the establishment of the SR10 billion King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), the king exuded optimism, saying the new university would serve as a bridge between cultures and nations and a lighthouse of knowledge.

"Inspired by the eternal teachings of Islam that call for seeking knowledge, engaging in development works and promoting better understanding between peoples, we hereby announce the establishment of KAUST," the king said. "The establishment of this university has been a living idea in my mind for more than 25 years and I thank God for helping us to realize it."

The king said KAUST would help Saudi Arabia have a world-class independent scientific research center. It would, he said, act as a scientific base as well as a driving force for the national economy. "As a new 'Bayt Al-Hekma' (House of Wisdom), KAUST will be a beacon of hope and reconciliation and will serve the people of the Kingdom and benefit all the peoples of the world in keeping with the teachings of the Holy Qur'an, which explains that God created mankind in order for us to come to know each other," the king said.

King Abdullah expressed the hope that KAUST's benefits would be enjoyed by all of humanity. "We hope that the university carries out its noble humanitarian message in a pure and clean atmosphere, taking the help of God and then that of enlightened intellectuals all over the world, without any bias or discrimination," he said.

King Abdullah said an endowment was set up following a system that was prevalent in the golden age of Islam. "By doing this work, we seek only the happiness of God and then the benefit of citizens of this great country, the birthplace of Islam and for the benefit of all humanity," he said.

Crown Prince Sultan, Prince Miteb, minister of municipal and rural affairs, Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal and senior Cabinet members as well as foreign dignitaries including chancellors of international universities from Asia, Europe and the United States were present.

Although Thuwal's beautiful beach provided the fantastic backdrop for the groundbreaking ceremony, once the international dignitaries and press entered the pavilion set up for the event, the atmosphere put everyone on notice that Saudi education had entered a phase in which technology would be the primary enabler. Within the pavilion, a high-tech multimedia presentation wrapped the audience in a world of imagination.

The goal of the impressive event was to show not only the strong foundation that the government's public policies have built for this nation, but also to provide a vision of the future of higher education in Saudi Arabia. The entire production left the audience speechless, but no response was required — King Abdullah's delighted and beaming smile was a statement in itself.

Dr. Frank H.T. Rhodes, president emeritus, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, who is also a member of KAUST's International Advisory Council, set the pavilion abuzz with excitement with his excellent and highly articulate speech.

"This is a great occasion," he said. "A memorable event in the history not only of the Kingdom but also the region and the world. It is also a significant event in the long history of higher education. A new chapter is being opened and written today.

"We celebrate the educational groundbreaking which represents a new vision for this university of the 21st century. We celebrate today the visionary purpose that KAUST represents. This day is memorable for the vision itself which King Abdullah has cherished for more than a quarter of a century. That of recreating in this place of such spiritual and cultural significance a 'Bayt Al-Hekma,' a new house of wisdom where people can come together in partnership in the quest for knowledge and the search for understanding."

Dr. Rhodes said the occasion was memorable because of the generosity of the endowment that makes this vision a reality. "This university aspires to place itself among the leading international universities that exist in the world today, ancient and modern, not just another university or another college."

Most importantly, and for this Dr. Rhodes received thunderous applause, he said: "Thanks to the partnerships that this new university will have, men and women will come here from across the world, men and women of all persuasions, all beliefs, and all faiths committed together to openness. The membership of KAUST's International Advisory Council is indicative of the openness and the international character the university embodies."

Dr. Rhodes said KAUST would be an independent institution. "It will be governed by an independent board of directors committed in its public statement to openness, to freedom of inquiry, to freedom of discussion, to freedom of expression and that freedom is the very basis on which great universities exist."

Dr. Rhodes was much appreciated by the large number of Saudi women in the audience. "I am very impressed by Dr. Rhodes' words of wisdom," said Samar Fatany, a Jeddah-based radio journalist and columnist. "For him to reiterate what our beloved king said about KAUST being the House of Wisdom was inspiring. This proves that humanity can indeed come together for a better future."

"This is history in the making and I am proud to be here at this moment," said Amira Kashgary, a Saudi academic. "It is time to celebrate and rejoice. This is a dream come true. For the first time in my life, I feel that dreams can indeed come true," she said.

"King Abdullah's vision coincides with his being a reformer. He is a visionary leader who wants to empower his people. This university will fulfill the growing need of our society."

Maysun Al-Dakheel of King Abdul Aziz University was equally excited. "The torch of Andalusia has been ignited. Nothing can stop us now from quenching our thirst for knowledge. Hand in hand with professionals from across the world, we will build the bridges of peace and knowledge that will benefit all humanity," she said, adding: "A great vision can only be executed by a great king."

Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali Al-Naimi, who is chairman of Saudi Aramco, said KAUST would bring about a new era in Saudi Arabia. "KAUST is designed to become an international university for research... and will exert its efforts for the dawn of a new era of scientific achievement in Saudi Arabia, in the region and other parts of the world," he said. "Being an independent university, KAUST will apply the best methodologies followed by leading research universities all over the world," said Al-Naimi, adding that the university would open in September 2009.

Academic leaders from 10 of the world's top science and technology research universities had gathered in London in March to review plans for the new university. Chaired by Al-Naimi, the KAUST International Advisory Council reviewed progress on the university's master plan, academic and research model, external research funding, facilities master plan, recruitment and staffing and the overall communications strategy.

Nadhmi A. Al-Nasr, the university's interim president, said KAUST would act as a catalyst for creating a knowledge economy in Saudi Arabia.

"The goal of becoming a world-class university, able to contribute to the global-research enterprise, is a motivating factor behind the university's strategic plan," he added.

"Unlike many primarily undergraduate universities, KAUST will not have a two-tier faculty," said Al-Nasr. "All faculties will be of the highest caliber and able to formulate value-added research projects or will have unique background experience — as teachers or in private industry."

KAUST's students will be drawn from countries around the world. "But, of course, we are working hard to make sure that a large proportion is from Saudi Arabia, from existing Saudi universities, as well as Saudi students from international universities. We are targeting universities in Europe, in the United States and Asia," said Al-Nasr.

KAUST has so far established partnerships with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in the US, Institut Francais du Petrole in France, the National University of Singapore, the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IITB) and, most recently, the American University in Cairo.

John F. Burgess, who runs a popular website (xrdarabia.org) devoted to improving Saudi Arabia's image abroad, said the most important aspect about the new university is that it will be independent of any government ministry.

"The government's role will be to write the check for the multibillion-dollar endowment and to recognize the degrees awarded by the university. Not having to keep looking over one's shoulder to see if anyone's being offended and not having to worry about funding being cut because a vocal minority disapproves of the course curricula is an enormous amount of freedom in the Saudi context," said Burgess at the groundbreaking ceremony.

Pradipta Banerji of Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay said KAUST was a great idea.

"It has taken all the right steps to succeed. As a KAUST partner, we at IIT-Bombay are counting on the collaborative exchange of ideas, faculty and students and formal research activities to produce breakthroughs in technology that have the possibility to create tomorrow's whole new industries."

Meanwhile, a number of businessmen said the launch of KAUST in the village of Thuwal would boost the area's prospects for tourism and real estate projects.

"The presence of this university near King Abdullah Economic City will promote investments in research and economic fields," said Dr. Hamad Al-Bishri, head of tourism and hotel business at the College of Technology in Jeddah.

"The university will boost the hospitality and tourism service sector as its students, researchers and visitors will require housing and recreation facilities," Bishri told Arab News yesterday.

The presence of KAUST will inevitably lead to the development of the Red Sea coast near Thuwal for tourism.

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