RIYADH, 11 December 2007 — Assuring its constant commitment to educating young Saudis and introducing them to the latest in the world of technology, King Saud University’s College of Computer & Information Sciences recently signed an agreement with Saudi Business Machines (SBM) as part of the IBM Academic Initiative program.
With this agreement, KSU will become the first university in the Kingdom to embark on this program and becomes part of a larger network of top universities worldwide which are part of the IBM Academic Initiative network.
In this context, Dr. Sami Saleh Al-Wakeel, dean of the College of Computer and Information Sciences at KSU, and Ali Dulaim, CEO of SBM, recently signed a memorandum of understanding at the College of Computer and Information Sciences at KSU.
“KSU intends to take the IT business a step forward,” said Al-Wakeel. “With this program, KSU will boost the skills and knowledge of its computer IT students and prepare them for the IT market that sees constant accelerative growth and a relentless pace of innovation.”
Dulaim said: “We are very pleased that KSU’s College of Computer & Information Sciences is the first college in Saudi Arabia to take up the IBM Academic Initiative and I am confident that KSU will be a leader in providing education excellence in the Information Technology fields for future generations.”
The IBM Academic Initiative will provide KSU and its scientific colleges with several benefits, such as free IBM software for the university’s educational requirements, training programs for the academic faculty, assistance in deployment of IBM software, internships for students, and access to certain IBM corporate resources.
Established over 50 years ago, KSU has grown to encompass 28 colleges that include research centers and hospitals. Its 62,000 students are served by 3,000 academic staff, trained and qualified to present KSU’s undergraduates with the best knowledge and skills.