{"id":38388,"date":"2024-12-09T15:38:22","date_gmt":"2024-12-09T20:38:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iie.org\/?post_type=iie-news&p=38388"},"modified":"2026-04-09T08:53:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T13:53:50","slug":"saudi-arabia-and-us-forge-a-new-era-of-higher-education-partnership","status":"publish","type":"iie-news","link":"https:\/\/www.iie.org\/news\/saudi-arabia-and-us-forge-a-new-era-of-higher-education-partnership\/","title":{"rendered":"Saudi Arabia and the United States Forge a New Era of Higher Education Partnership"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, December 5, 2024<\/strong> \u2013 U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mr. Michael Ratney,  and His Excellency Minister of Education, Mr. Yousef bin Abdullah Al-Benyan, last month inaugurated the Saudi-US Higher Education Partnerships Forum. The event on November 20 was co-organized by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Education, the U.S. Embassy, and the Institute of International Education (IIE). This forum brought together over 80 leading American and Saudi universities to explore and strengthen educational collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strengthening Bilateral Ties<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ambassador Ratney praised the longstanding historical ties between the two countries and reaffirmed the U.S. government’s commitment to international education. He noted that the Memorandum of Understanding signed during the forum marks a historic milestone, enabling American graduate students to study in Saudi Arabia for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rafiq Mansour, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, highlighted the impact of Saudi students studying in the U.S., with approximately 700,000 graduates currently residing in the Kingdom. He commended the Ministry of Education’s efforts to facilitate educational exchange programs and visa processes for American students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Shared Vision for the Future of Education<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his opening remarks, Minister Al-Benyan emphasized the Kingdom\u2019s commitment to becoming a global education hub. “We aim to cultivate a generation of globally competitive students by fostering…an internationally-oriented education system,” he stated. He highlighted the importance of joint initiatives, such as student and faculty exchanges, research collaborations, and joint degree programs, to elevate both countries’ higher education institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his keynote address, Professor Nasser Alaqeeli, Deputy Minister of Education for International Cooperation, stated: “The Saudi-US Higher Education Partnerships Forum marks a significant milestone in our journey to transform Saudi Arabia into a global knowledge hub. Through this collaboration, we aim to foster innovation, create opportunities, and empower our youth to shape the future.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key Highlights from the Forum:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Senior Vice President Edie Cecil moderates a panel on building and sustaining strategic partnerships.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Director of IIE\u2019s Center for International Partnerships, Sylvia Jons, and Jamal Alsayyed speak after signing the historic MOU to enhance academic and research collaboration between Saudi and American higher education institutions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Senior Director of Middle East Programs, Jamal Alsayyed, dives into case studies of successful Saudi\u2013U.S. partnerships with forum participants.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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