TABUK, 4 April 2007 — Prince Fahd ibn Sultan, governor of Tabuk and chairman of the board of trustees of the Prince Fahd ibn Sultan University (PFSU), has signed a contract with the American University of Beirut (AUB) that will see the two universities cooperate with each other in exchanging experience.

The cooperation agreement, which was signed on Monday, includes mutual help in the preparation of the opening of various PFSU faculties.

Under the terms of the agreement, AUB will help PFSU to set out its academic strategy, in the selection of teaching staff and the structuring of educational facilities that comply with international standards.

Prince Fahd said that the AUB is one of the Middle East’s leading universities and that signing the cooperation pact with it would mark the beginning of a new era for the Tabuk university.

PFSU, which is open for enrollment to both Saudi and expatriate students, is the first private university in the region and has acquired all necessary licenses from the Ministry of Higher Education to establish a number of IT, engineering and dentistry faculties.

The university is also planning to open new literature, pharmacology and business management departments. A girls’ section is set to open next semester.