On Thursday April 7, 2016, His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Governor of the Eastern Province, will patronage the graduation ceremony of King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, which will be held at the stadium on Dhahran campus. The ceremony will include the first semester graduates and candidates for graduation in both second semester and summer semester. Total graduates reached (1561) students; (1147) receiving bachelor's degree, (365) Master's and (49) PhD's.
His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Nayef, in his speech at the graduation ceremony said: "In this happy night in our prestigious university, we celebrate the graduation of our distinguished sons, who graduated from this leading educational institution. Those students are able to fulfill their roles in the development of society and to complete the giving of their colleagues, and to be as prominent as them in the sectors they worked in. These sectors seek to attract graduates from the university, and to benefit from their knowledge and skills and their ability to meet the business requirements that are assigned to them.
This patronage is the embodiment of the great attention given to education by our government under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef bin Abdul Aziz and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz – may Allah save them. This interest stems from a deep conviction of the role of education in the preparation of human resources committed to high principles, maintaining good values, keeping up with the latest developments and conscious of their role in the nation's development
King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals has responded to this great support from our government which enabled it to apply the latest education techniques, giving the students the proper rehabilitation and training, encourage innovation and creativity, keep up with developments in science and technology and make training in productive and service sectors component of their rehabilitation.
Addressing the graduates, HRH said: I am pleased to congratulate you in your graduation from this educational edifice, and for this great accomplishment achieved through hard work. I, also, congratulate your fathers, mothers and teachers for their effort, care and attention, until your graduation dream became a reality. I wish your performance in work will reflect the status of the university and the quality of its programs and its ability to rehabilitate their students, to continue its process of building the nation, armed with the science and knowledge.
I thanked all those who participated in the superiority of our students and all those who participated to make their superiority. I extend my thanks to Dr. Khalid Al-Sultan and university employees for their efforts in improving the university performance, and I thank all attendees and attendees. He added.
On the other hand, Dr. Khaled S. Al-Sultan, KFUPM Rector, expressed his pride, with all KFUPM members, for this patronage. His Excellency said that this patronage is consider recognition of the university and its role in the rehabilitation and preparation of human resources to perform the role expected in the productive and service sectors.
KFUPM graduates and its employees stand united behind their leadership, against anyone who might be tempted to tamper with the security of this country, to face the surrounding challenges and to be aware of their role in preserving the nation's resources and gains. They, also, knew that this good land gave them a lot and wait for their giving and faithful.
All the achievements of this university's success is due - after the help of Allah - to the great support to the education institutions from our government under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Crown Prince and the Deputy Crown Prince. These huge allocations to education sector are the foundations of the scientific, economic and industrial renaissance, and the moral support of every day achievements.
Dr. Al-Sultan reviewed a number of KFUPM achievements during the last year, including:
· New College of Petroleum Engineering and Earth Science, as a result of cooperation between KFUPM and Saudi Aramco, expected to be one of the first five colleges in the world in this vital area.
· King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals jumped to the 13th position in the global universities ranking on the number of patents registered at US Patent Office for 2015, and more than 65% of Arab universities patents.
· KFUPM developed some of its products to commercial products in the areas of water purification, fluid leak discovery systems, catalytic materials for hydrogen production, etc. Today some of KFUPM techniques are used in international major factories.
· The second phase of Dhahran Technology Valley attracted advanced research centers of major companies in the areas related to energy, by providing the appropriate conditions for the launch of start-up companies and emerging the leadership thinking in the university.
· KFUPM continued its cooperation with the world famous universities such as MIT, Georgia Tech, Caltech and its strategic partnership with Saudi Aramco, SABIC, telecommunications and Saudi Electricity.
· KFUPM researchers, professors and students achieved important local and international awards in many areas challenging experts around the world.
· The University continued its efforts to diversify its sources of funding and sustainability, through "KFUPM Endowment" which is headed by Your Highness. Its two packages (investment and real estate) amounted to nearly two billion riyals. The infrastructure of the Business Center, which will be an interactive environment for students and faculty with the engineering and the business sector, had been completed. With this, KFUPM aimed to reach three and a half billion riyals endowment in three years, God willing.
· KFUPM achieved a great success in developing labs of study and research, enhancing the environment, health and safety programs, raising the university self-efficacy, increasing productivity, providing interactive e-learning, and increasing graduate students, alumni relations programs, and other influential programs.
· KFUPM campus development projects had been finished with the completion of the academic buildings, students housing, faculty housing, and the development of university beach totally costed about 3 billion riyals during the past few years. The development projects enhanced the University infrastructure.
As all educational institutions got support, this university receives special support from our wise leadership which enables it to have influential effect on community, difficult to be counted, after it became the title of commitment, discipline and excellence through its students, alumni, professors and researchers. The University had become a symbol of the quality in its initiatives and entrepreneurship, senses the needs of the community and keeps up with its hopes and aspirations. He added
Addressing the graduates, Al Sultan said "congratulation, with your efforts you have been graduated from this prestigious university which will remain a source of proud and congratulations to your fathers, mothers and family to achieve their hopes and aspirations after their effort and sacrifice and congratulations to your professors who utilize their knowledge and experience to your education and to develop your skills and congratulations to our nation where you will go tomorrow for his service and begin the stage of giving and construction.
We placed our big hopes in you looking for great giving, which throws on you an enormous responsibility to be distinct ambassadors to your university, which became a title for excellence, its programs became symbol of quality, and the impact of its graduates were remarkable in various positions in our beloved country. We look forward to you like your preceding colleagues who occupied key positions in the leadership of major companies and industrial development sectors.