Dar Al-Hekma University celebrated its 20th anniversary on Monday with a grand ceremony at the university's Prince Bandar Bin Sultan Auditorium. The celebrations were organized to honor employees who have been working with the university since its inception 20 years ago. Students, staff, faculty members and board of directors as well as guests who included the institution's founders, alumnae and donors attended the event. The celebrations started off with playing of the Saudi national anthem, followed by speeches from Dr. Zuhair H. Fayez, chairman of the board, and Kais I. Julaidan, deputy chairman of the board, and Dr. Suhair H. Al-Qurashi, president of the university. Then 24 employees who have been serving in various departments of the university since its founding were honored. Qurashi gave a presentation about the history and success of Dar Al-Hekma, which became the first institution in Saudi Arabia to receive accreditation from the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), Washington. She said Dar Al-Hekma received the first best employer award for an educational institution from the minister of labor in 2013. And on Sept. 14, 2015, the university became the first Arab institution to enter the Guinness World Record for Mental Literacy. After the presentation, a few alumnae compiled a video where they talked about their experience at Dar Al-Hekma University and how much the university helped them become accomplished women. The successful alumnae in the video were Hadeel Ayoub, Dr. Hanan Taleb and Dina Madani. As the honoring ceremony began, Qurashi was surprised by the board chairman by giving her a certificate and gift for her continuous effort and distinguished service since 1997. Later, Qurashi along with members of the Board of Trustees, honored long-time employees of the university who included Dr. Saleha Abedin, Iysha Bibi Ali, Nada Mardini, Randa Awad, Jihan Ghulam, Ishraq Barakat, Zohaira Fayez, Reem Saklou, Areej Fidah, Hawazen Bakor, Roula Dajani, Saeeda Shehab, Eitedal Idress, Fouzia Achmakh, Fatima Bayoumy, Dr. Chaman Rahim, Dr. Amal El-Tigani, Samia Khashoggi, Divina Rodriguez, Nessah Lobaton, Teresa Valles, Samyah Alzahrani, Maha Alafranji and Noor Mohammad. "What started out as a humble college with just three undergraduate majors and 90 student, has now flourished into an illustrious institution that boasts over 2,184 graduates from 15 different academic programs of excellence," said Qurashi prior to the event.
