Fourteen Georgetown MSFS graduate students— 7 women, 7 men— were summoned as a U.S. ‘delegation’ to Saudi Arabia on the royal family’s dime (via the Ministry of Education) from March 2nd to 10th, to learn about the nation’s ongoing efforts to improve its higher education system and diversify its economy away from oil (currently constituting ~90% of export earnings).
The powers that be have prudently determined that petroleum will not provide a sustainable source of income in the long-term. So they are investing heavily in youth-targeted technical training and education to promote private sector development, focusing on technology-based enterprises and industrial manufacturing. Economic diversification efforts have been underway since 1970 in successive 5-year development plans, focusing initially on infrastructure before shifting to education, health, and social services.
Saudi Arabia has been one of the U.S.’ staunchest allies since the two established strong security ties during the 1990 Gulf War. It also happens to be the birthplace of Osama Bin Ladin (who was expelled and had his Saudi nationality revoked in 1994), and is often described as the ‘Cradle of Islam’ because it holds both Mecca and Medina and favors an extremely strict application of Islamic law.
Saturday, March 10: King Abdullah University
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) opened its doors in September 2009 as Saudi Arabia's first co-ed university. It was built and operated for its first three years by Aramco, and offers programs in applied sciences and engineering to a cohort of ~800 graduate students. The intended capacity of the University is closer to 2,000, but it takes time to build a reputation capable of attracting the calibre of student KAUST is aiming for.
70% of KAUST's student body and nearly all of its faculty come from abroad. Nearly 40% of the students are female. The strict Islamic laws that govern the rest of the country are essentially irrelevant within the University's compound. KAUST answers to no government ministry, only to a Board of Directors controlled directly by the King. This grants the area effective diplomatic immunity. It also means women are free to stroll underneath the desert sun in shorts and a tank top rather than an Abaya, and open discourse about religion, human rights, politics, and any other subject is not only allowed but encouraged. KAUST serves as a vision of Saudi Arabia's intended future, a vision promoted much more by the reformist King and royal family than by the conservative public.
If I were to speculate a few decades down the line, I would guess that as KAUST graduates move into increasingly influential positions throughout Saudi Arabia's steadily privatizing economy, their liberal and progressive ideas will gain increasing power within society. Female graduates will have been exposed to Western values and associated freedoms, and will seek to promote them as they gain ministerial positions within the Saudi government. A lot of work remains to be done. Progress will be neither rapid nor flashy enough to make frequent headlines, but as Saudi Arabia continues to integrate globally, cultural change will prove inexorable.
Saudi Arabia has been one of the U.S.’ staunchest allies since the two established strong security ties during the 1990 Gulf War. It also happens to be the birthplace of Osama Bin Ladin (who was expelled and had his Saudi nationality revoked in 1994), and is often described as the ‘Cradle of Islam’ because it holds both Mecca and Medina and favors an extremely strict application of Islamic law.Saturday, March 10: King Abdullah University
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) opened its doors in September 2009 as Saudi Arabia's first co-ed university. It was built and operated for its first three years by Aramco, and offers programs in applied sciences and engineering to a cohort of ~800 graduate students. The intended capacity of the University is closer to 2,000, but it takes time to build a reputation capable of attracting the calibre of student KAUST is aiming for.
70% of KAUST's student body and nearly all of its faculty come from abroad. Nearly 40% of the students are female. The strict Islamic laws that govern the rest of the country are essentially irrelevant within the University's compound. KAUST answers to no government ministry, only to a Board of Directors controlled directly by the King. This grants the area effective diplomatic immunity. It also means women are free to stroll underneath the desert sun in shorts and a tank top rather than an Abaya, and open discourse about religion, human rights, politics, and any other subject is not only allowed but encouraged. KAUST serves as a vision of Saudi Arabia's intended future, a vision promoted much more by the reformist King and royal family than by the conservative public.If I were to speculate a few decades down the line, I would guess that as KAUST graduates move into increasingly influential positions throughout Saudi Arabia's steadily privatizing economy, their liberal and progressive ideas will gain increasing power within society. Female graduates will have been exposed to Western values and associated freedoms, and will seek to promote them as they gain ministerial positions within the Saudi government. A lot of work remains to be done. Progress will be neither rapid nor flashy enough to make frequent headlines, but as Saudi Arabia continues to integrate globally, cultural change will prove inexorable.Environments like KAUST which promote rational freedom of inquiry are critical to these developments. Thanks to the Saudi royal family, progressive universities are receiving the kind of resources and planning necessary to thrive in a harsh cultural climate.
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