JEDDAH, 28 October 2005 — Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and Effat College for girls will cooperate in designing business school curricula for undergraduate students of Effat College. This was decided at a meeting between members of a delegation from the Georgetown University and Effat College officials here last week.
The meeting follows an agreement reached in May for collaboration in the development of undergraduate degree in Business Administration at Effat College. This cooperation is intended to groom young Saudi women as future business leaders.
Haifa Jamal Al-Lail, dean of Effat College, was optimistic about the outcome of the cooperation. “We are looking forward to the new business educational opportunities this agreement will bring to Saudi society.”
During its visit from Oct. 16-20, the Georgetown University team met with key figures in the business community including: Sheikh Amr Enany, chairman of the Jeddah Economic Forum; Dr. Ghassan Suleiman, chairman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry (JCCI); and Dr. Ghazi Binzagr, president of Arabian Stars Co. Ltd.
Sima Khan, chief strategy officer for the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) gave a presentation about SAGIA’s activities in the Kingdom.
The group also met with business administration students of Effat College to discuss their expectations and plans for the future.
Delegates from Georgetown University were impressed by the efforts Effat College is making to update the Business Administration curriculum. “I’m delighted by this visit. Effat College is a pioneer for progress in Saudi Arabia. I’m impressed by the efforts of Effat College as well as the business community in JCCI and people of SAGIA,” said Catherine Tinsley, associate professor at McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University.
Meetings were held to discuss the ideal qualifications of the business administration graduates of the future. This was to prepare the students to build themselves in a way that would qualify them for active participation in the Kingdom’s business environment.
“The business program at Effat College started in fall 2004. Our original business program curriculums are accredited from the Ministry of Higher Education and King Fahd University for Petrol & Minerals KFUPM.
After the cooperation with the Georgetown University, we expect to target the needs of the business in Saudi Arabia,” said Kerry Laufer, dean assistant of Institutional Development and the project manager for Georgetown University & Effat College.
