Effat University, the first private women's college in the Kingdom, celebrated on Sunday night its 10th anniversary in the presence of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah, Prince Muhammad Al-Faisal, a founding member of the university, heads of foreign missions, senior officials, and scholars. Since its inception, Effat College has offered technical disciplines for women in engineering and computer science, breaking away from regular government higher education for women which has for decades focused on teaching and nursing. “Effat University is the living legacy of Queen Effat's vision for education, exemplifying the spirit of Islam in its quest for knowledge, truth and enlightenment,” the university says in its mission statement. The university was the brainchild of “my mother Queen Effat Al-Thunayan who dreamed for over 50 years of establishing this school”, said Prince Muhammad Al-Faisal. The idea started with Dar Al-Hanan School in 1955 and in 1999, Effat College was born, he said. The university has become a model to follow for private institutions, gaining the full support of King Abdullah who approved its upgrade from a college to a university, said Prince Muhammad Al-Faisal. The university will continue its march towards a brighter education for the women of this country who have now become true partners in the development of the nation, Prince Muhammad said. The university is planning to launch a research center and a full-fledged deanship of graduate studies, which has already started with a few scholarly chairs to fund research, he added.
