RIYADH, 1 July 2006 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has ordered the opening of a college for support studies and applied sciences in addition to a center for inventions at King Fahd University for Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran.
Minister of Higher Education Khaled Al-Anqari said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency yesterday that the royal order was in line with the recommendations of Council of the Higher Education’s 40th session.
“The decree also approved three new colleges affiliated to King Khaled University in Najran. They are a college of sciences, a college of applied medical sciences and one for computer sciences and information systems,” SPA quoted Al-Anqari as saying.
The new colleges are in line with the council’s policy to develop qualified manpower to satisfy the needs of the jobmarket and developmental requirements, the minister said.
The proposed center for inventions aims at promoting original ideas conceived by the students and faculty members and helping them to earn patent rights.
“The Higher Education Council also decided to rename the Department of Petroleum Engineering in King Saud University to the Department of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering,” the minister said.
The king appointed Ahmad ibn Saleh Al-Tami as the deputy president for academic affairs at Qasim University for a period of three years. He also ordered the creation a new projects division at King Saud University with Ahmad ibn Hassan Al-Arjani as its deputy president, the minister said.
