January 13, 2008

New Saudi University Appoints First President

The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia’s much anticipated $10-billion university, has announced the appointment of its first president, Choon Fong Shih. Mr. Shih, who is president of the National University of Singapore, will assume the task of creating from scratch what Saudi Arabia hopes will become one of the world’s leading research institutions.

Ali Al-Naimi, Saudi Arabia’s minister of petroleum and mineral resources, who is chairman of the university’s governing board, said in a written statement today that Mr. Shih was “the right person” to fulfill the vision for the new institution. The university, known as Kaust, is scheduled to open in September 2009.

Mr. Shih, who is expected to begin his presidency late this year, will face daunting challenges. Until recently, Saudi Arabia spent less than a quarter of 1 percent of its gross domestic product on scientific research. King Abdullah provided $10-billion of his own money to start the new institution, making it the sixth richest university in the world even before it opens.

Despite having millions of dollars at his disposal, Mr. Shih will face the difficult challenge of recruiting top faculty members to one of the most socially conservative countries in the world, balancing the freedom and openness required for a world-class research university with the more traditional forces in Saudi society.

The new president touched on those challenges in his acceptance message today. “This community will be international, encompassing people from all faiths, from all over the world,” he said. “This openness to talented individuals of outstanding ability will be the hallmark of this new university and the best guarantee it offers for achieving its remarkable goals.”

Mr. Shih, who received his Ph.D. from Harvard University and is a former professor of engineering at Brown University, has also led a research group for the General Electric Company and has served as a consultant for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He is the author of almost 150 scholarly publications, making him among the world’s most highly cited engineering researchers, according to the Institute for Scientific Information, and he has received numerous awards.

Kaust hopes that Mr. Shih can replicate in Saudi Arabia his experience in Singapore, where he was able to transform the National University into one of the world’s top 50 universities by building global networks for the university and links between academe and industry. His support for commercially lucrative research and his work with the Singaporean government on economic development will be helpful in accomplishing one of the new university’s stated goals of helping to diversify the Saudi economy away from dependence on oil revenue, as well as creating new jobs for the 30 percent of Saudi young people who are currently unemployed.

The university also hopes that Mr. Shih’s personal connections in both North America and Asia will help connect the university, and the country, with these two global hubs for science and technology. At the National University of Singapore, Mr. Shih focused on building 10 core programs, rather than all fields — a strategy that is in line with Kaust’s goal of focusing on four primary research areas to drive the university. —Zvika Krieger

Comments

1. Let’s hope this university sticks to science and technology. The typical Saudi institution of higher learning insists on training terrorists in violence and Islamism and hatred of Chrsitians and Jews.

   — Martin Slann    Jan 14, 09:39 AM    #

2. Martin, that is a very bold statement. Where is your proof.

   — dta    Jan 14, 12:11 PM    #

3. dta, please consult Robert Baer, Sleeping with the Enemy; Robert Spencer, Onward Muslim Soldiers; Walid Phares, Future Jihad.

   — Martin Slann    Jan 14, 12:15 PM    #

4. Spencer, Phares and the gangs are known for their anti-Muslim bigoted viewpoints, not for scholarly works. So reference to these sources for proof of ‘terrorism’ by Saudi institutions may be an easy shot, but it lacks validity.

   — faiz    Jan 14, 02:10 PM    #

5. How about the ones under sentence of death-Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Irshad Manji, Wafa Sultan, Ibn Warraq-from Saudi supported Wahabbists because they either are apostates or have called for reform?

   — Martin Slann    Jan 14, 02:32 PM    #

6. Martin Slann, unfortunately you are mentioning something that is not true. None of Ayaan, Irshad, Wafa or Warraq are under death sentences from Saudi supported Wahabbists. These claims are simply untrue, and indications of anti-Muslim and bigoted propaganda that are continuously being circulated around by the likes of Robert Spencer and his ilks. Please have proof before you claim something defamatory to others. It’s just fair to do so.

   — faiz    Jan 14, 09:27 PM    #

7. for gods sake this a report on education could we pls have the muslims out of here they dont know the meaning of the word.

   — eickk    Jan 15, 06:18 PM    #

8. For someone posting in a higher education website,you are certainly very ignorant about muslims and education. The first rule of education is ‘don’t generalize without hard facts, figures and substantial proof’.

   — Jay    Jan 16, 12:18 AM    #

9. Kudos to the Saudi Government for going for the best person for the job, rather than necessarily looking for the best muslim for the job as President of a university. I trust that Mr. Shih shall be given the freehand to shape his governance and administrative policies.

   — Sulaiman Yassin    Jan 16, 05:23 AM    #

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