| Kent State Selected to Teach Entrepreneurial Courses at King Saud University, Saudi ArabiaReturn to Issue of Feb. 9, 2009
Kent State University and King Saud University have inked a $3.4 million pact for Kent State to provide entrepreneurial instruction and curriculum development at Saudi Arabia’s largest and most respected university.
A team of seven Kent State educators will travel this month to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to begin the partnership between the two schools. King Saud administrators selected Kent State after they were presented with numerous proposals from universities in Asia, Europe and North America. If the partnership proves successful, it will allow the two universities to discuss future expansion of academic ties and initiatives. "Kent State has had a long tradition of international collaboration, and this is an important example of our deepening commitment to take the university's excellence beyond our borders and to a global stage," Kent State President Lester A. Lefton says. "We are preparing students here and abroad to be active participants in the global landscape by becoming key to economic growth and social well being." The overall purpose of the project is to connect Kent State with the Middle East and allow the university to develop further collaborations with leading universities in the region, according to Dr. Steve O. Michael, Kent State vice provost for diversity and academic initiatives. "This is a major step forward in continuing the diligent work of expanding Kent State’s global footprint," says Michael. "Saudi Arabia is an important player in the financial and policy worlds. Their confidence in our institutions speaks volumes about Kent State in the Middle East and beyond." The Kent State team, which will be in place when King Saud starts its semester on Feb. 15, will teach classes on entrepreneurship to students in their first year, with the goal of preparing them to create opportunities and compete in the global world. In addition to course instruction, curricula development and technical advising, the Kent State team will create an entrepreneurial textbook. Dr. Kazim Kahn, professor of mathematics, is leading the project under the supervision of Michael. The first phase of the Kent State-King Saud partnership is scheduled to continue through June 2010. The instruction will provide King Saud students with the tools and skills necessary to take their creative ideas to the professional world. Under the tutelage of Kent State instructors, students will learn the basics of idea development, planning, management, marketing and seeking public and private capital. Do you have other examples of those who put Excellence in Action at Kent State? Submit your story ideas to einside@kent.edu.
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