JEDDAH — Effat University has joined the Association of Arab Universities, which groups 330 universities from 22 Arab countries.

The prestigious recognition is expected to strengthen Effat's commitment to maintain international standards by expanding its association with educational institutions in the Arab world. The university currently has agreements with renowned global institutions such as Georgetown University, Syracuse University, Carnegie Mellon University, Duke University, Auburn University, Tisch School of the Arts, the University of Western Sydney, and Tokai University of Tokyo.

Expressing her pleasure on the occasion, Dr. Haifa Jamal Al-Lail, president of Effat University, said: "Becoming a member of the association is definitely a mark of recognition that will be added to the list of achievements by Effat University."

A delegation from the Association of Arab Universities, led by its secretary-general Dr. Sultan Abu Orabi had visited Effat and met with Dr. Jamal Al-Lail to review the procedures for the evaluation of its membership in the association. The delegation also reviewed the university's facilities, laboratories and faculties, as well as the records of its faculty members and their specializations and different programs.

"We at Effat University are contributing to the Kingdom's transformation into a productive society in line with Vision 2030, and it is certain that this noble goal aligns with the main objective of the Association of Arab Universities, which is to support and coordinate the efforts of Arab universities to prepare individuals capable of serving our Arab nations and contributing to preserving their unity in terms of culture and civilization," Jamal Al-Lail said.

The Association of Arab Universities is a legally independent institution headquartered in Amman, Jordan. It was established through an initiative by the Cultural Department of the League of Arab States, which sponsored two initial seminars for a number of higher education stakeholders in the Arab world, first in Benghazi in 1961 and then in Beirut in 1964, to discuss problems concerning higher education in the Arab world and the framework of technical cooperation between Arab universities.

The two seminars ended with the recommendation to establish an association for Arab universities and draft a project proposing the association's statute, which was approved by the Council of the League of Arab States. The first interim secretariat was established in 1965, while the first meeting was held in 1969 in Alexandria with the participation of 23 established Arab universities. The association's aims include cooperation to control the quality and quality of university and higher education, to seek mutual recognition of diplomas issued by educational institutions, to promote excellence and creativity of students, to encourage student activities among educational institutions and to encourage the establishment of research centers, among others.

Established in 1999 as the first non-profit educational institute specialized in offering higher education for women in Saudi Arabia. — SG