A graduation ceremony held Saturday at the all-female Dar Al-Hekma College gave officials and parents a chance to reiterate its success in qualifying women students for leading roles in the future of the Kingdom's society, a project to be reinforced by the offering next year of a more extensive range of qualifications. The ceremony, held to celebrate the seventh year of Dar Al-Hekma graduates, took place at the college's Bandar Bin Sultan Hall where successful students were formally presented with degree certificates by Prince Misha'l Bin Majed, Governor of Jeddah, while Dr. Suhair Hassan Al-Qurashi, Dean of Dar Al-Hekma, used the occasion to announce plans with universities abroad to increase academic programs in the Kingdom and address the needs of the Saudi job market, citing the University of California, Tufts University in Boston, the University of Colorado, and Colombia University in New York as among those involved. “In the second semester of the next academic year we will be offering a master's degree in business administration and bachelor degree programs in marketing and in human resources,” Al-Qurashi said. “We will also be offering bachelor degrees in fashion design, multimedia, animated films, international and diplomatic relations, as well as master's degree teacher training courses in learning difficulties, speech therapy, hearing therapy, elocution, family educational consultancy, and education leadership.” “The college took the name ‘Al-Hekma' as it suggests a dedication to science, thought and creativity, and to being a responsible member of society,” Al-Qurashi continued. “We seek to instill in our students the principles of leadership by offering a wide range of courses and arranging programs inside and outside the college.” According to Al-Qurashi, Dar Al-Hekma has this year produced 139 graduates, with a further 1031 studying subjects such as graphic design, interior design, architecture engineering, business administration, special needs education, finance, and nursing. “We have also been able to obtain for graduates employment at a variety of businesses both here and abroad, with positions, for example, at the Islamic Development Bank, Samba, Abdul Latif Jameel Company, and Samsung,” Al-Qurashi added. Sami Yassin Al-Bahamin, father of two Dar Al-Hekma students, said he was impressed with the college's program. “The system at Dar Al-Hekma shows the importance of a substantial educational process in helping our daughters overcome the challenges ahead,” Al
