King Abdulaziz University

History

Private university

In the year 1964, the idea of establishing a private university in the city of Jeddah was originally put forward by Mohammed Ali Hafiz. In the same year, a preparatory committee of 6 members was formed, including Mohamed Ali Hafiz and Muhammad Abu Bakr Bakhashab. Shortly after, then-Crown Prince Faisal officially approved the idea. In 1965, the university's executive committee was formed. In 1966, the KAU held a competition to design their logo. The winning design was submitted by Abdul-Halim Radwi, a local artist from Jeddah.

In the year 1967, King Abdulaziz University was officially established as a private university, with goals to spread higher education in the western region of Saudi Arabia. Prior to this date, there were no higher-education institutions in Jeddah. These goals were met through efforts of high-ranking businessmen and notable Saudi figures; and additionally with the help of King Faisal's encouragement and financial support. The university started its first academic year in 1968, with a relatively small number of students (68 male - 30 female). In 1969, the first faculty was established (Faculty of Economics and Administration). In 1970, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities was established. The university was named after King Abdulaziz, founder of Saudi Arabia.

Public university (1974-present)

In 1974, the Council of Ministers of Saudi Arabia decided to merge the university with the government; converting it to a public university. , it had almost 31,000 students, of which 28% are international.

The building's construction was designed by Bangladeshi-American architect Fazlur Rahman Khan.

In 2018, it was ranked the 1st Arab university by Times Higher Education due to very strong citation impact and highly international outlook. It also ranked no. 1 in percentage of total publications with international collaboration, according to US News rankings.

Research programs

Between 2004 and 2014, King Abdulaziz University enacted a program to attract the international community and has welcomed nearly 150 researches of various disciplines. The university has developed international research partners, including in Morocco where it has developed a joint lunar research program with the Astronomic Observatory of Oukaïmeden. The university has 13 different research centers, predominantly in the fields of medicine (medical genomes and osteoperosis), environment and energy, climate change, and desalination.

Founded in the 1970s by Sami Angawi, the research center on pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj Research Center) conducts a series of works around the religious event, notably on the aspects of logistics surrounding the pilgrimage.

Faculties

Faculty of Engineering

• Electrical Engineering
• Computer Engineering
• Biomedical & Electrical Engineering
• Nuclear Engineering
• Aeronautical Engineering
• Chemical & Materials Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Electrical & Computer Engineering
• Industrial Engineering
• Mining Engineering
• Production Engineering and Mechanical Systems Design
• Thermal Engineering and Desalination Technology These programs are accredited by ABET as Substantially Equivalent Programs since 2003.

Faculty of Economics and Administration

The Faculty of Economics and Administration was the first college to be established in King Abdulaziz University, and until this day it is called "The Base of Founder's University," referring to the founder of the country.

• Department of Business Administration
• Department of Finance
• Department of Marketing
• Department of Human Resource Management
• Department of Accounting
• Department of Management Information Systems
• Department of Political Science
• Department of Health Administration
• Department of Public Administration
• Department of Economics
• Department of Law (defunct in 2012; separated into a new faculty)

In 2015, FEA received its fourth international accreditation, the AACSB making it one of the top business colleges in the middle east and across the world.

Faculty of Law

The Faculty of Law was established in 2012 as it segregated from Faculty of Economics and Administration.

• Public Law
• Private Law

Other faculties

• Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences
• Faculty of Medicine
• Faculty of Medicine at Rabigh
• Faculty of Arts and Humanities
• Faculty of Business
• Faculty of Education
• Faculty of Communication and Media
• Faculty of Computing and Information Technology
• Faculty of Design
• Faculty of Meteorology, Environment and Arid Land Agriculture
• Faculty of Nursing
• Faculty of Science
• Faculty of Pharmacy
• Faculty of Dentistry
• Faculty of Earth Sciences
• Faculty of Health Sciences
• Faculty of Environmental Designs
• Faculty of Home Economics
• Faculty of Marine Sciences
• Faculty of Tourism
• Faculty of Maritime Studies
• Faculty of Architecture and Planning

Ranking

King Abdulaziz University is ranked between 101 and 150 since 2020 by Academic Ranking of World Universities. Furthermore, according to U.S. News & World Report Best Global University Ranking, King Abdulaziz University is ranked 44 in 2022. And according to QS World University Rankings, King Abdulaziz University is ranked at number 143 in 2021 in the world's top universities ranking by the London-based Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).

KAU has faced criticism for allegedly paying highly cited researchers from around the world to cite KAU as a "secondary academic affiliation" in order to boost their rankings. It also faced criticism for its high ranking by Times of Higher Education.

Former university directors

• Prof. Ahmed Mohammed Ali Al-Madani (January 1, 1967 – August 1, 1972)
• Prof. Muhammad bin Abduh Yamani (August 26, 1973 – September 6, 1975)
• Prof. Muhammad bin Omar Zubair (June 15, 1976 – December 7, 1979)
• Prof. Abdullah Omar Nasseef (February 19, 1980 – November 3, 1983)
• Prof. Reda bin Mohammed Saeed Obeid (January 19, 1984 – December 8, 1993)
• Prof. Ossama bin Abdul Majed Shobokshi (April 3, 1994 – December 8, 1995)
• Prof. Ghazi bin Obeid Madani (December 9, 1995 – May 8, 2003)
• Prof. Osama Tayyib (2003 – 2016)
• Prof. Abdulrahman Obaid Al-Youbi (2016 – 2023)
• Prof. Hana Abdullah Alnuaim (acting, 2023 – 2024)
• Dr. Tareef bin Yousuf Alaama (2024 – present)

Notable alumni

• Magda Abu Ras, microbiologist and Deputy Director of the Saudi Environmental Society
• Nahed Taher, founder and chief executive officer of Gulf One Investment Bank
• Adel Fakeih, engineer and former mayor of Jeddah
• Muna AbuSulayman, Saudi businesswoman
• Tariq Alhomayed, journalist and former Editor-in-Chief of the Arabic-language newspaper Asharq Alawsat, the youngest person to be appointed that position
• Samar Alsaggaf, first female Saudi anatomist
• Tasneem Alsultan, Saudi-American photographer and artist, covering stories primarily for The New York Times and National Geographic
• Yahya Al-Hamud, Saudi politician and Governor of Bareq
• Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz, Saudi businessman and philanthropist
• Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, Saudi Minister of Transport
• Abdallah Bin Bayyah, Muslim scholar, teaches in the university; Bin Bayyah holds a Mauritanian citizenship
• Amr Dabbagh, Saudi economist and businessman. Member of World Economic Forum and founder of Jeddah Economic Forum
• Shalimar Sharbatly, Saudi abstract artist
• Said Aqil Siradj, leader of Nahdlatul Ulama, world's largest Islamic organization in Indonesia
• Osama bin Laden, militant leader

References

References

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