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July 22, 2005 |
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PRINCE SULTAN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION PROVIDES PROFESSIONAL, HUMANITARIAN, EDUCATIONAL, AND HEALTH CARE SERVICES. A GROUP OF RESEARCHERS DETERMINE NINE ELEMENTS FOR THE PROGRESS OF ASSIR REGION. The Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Al- Saud Foundation crowns the many generous charities supported by Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, whose benevolence is acknowledged within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and around the world. The positive dimensions and long term perspectives of this giving includes the construction and care of Mosques, continuing education and aid to the sick and needy. The Foundation undertakes the task of managing and coordinating a part of these charities for the benefit of the Kingdom and its Citizens. The Foundation's projects fall within four main categories; medicine, science, technology and education. With the completion of the Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Humanitarian City, a 1,200,000 square meter medical facility, the Foundation will strive to provide health and social care for the elderly, handicap and children with special needs. The Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Science and Technology Center is an innovative project under development that will provide opportunities for the Kingdom's and the Gulf's youth to learn about science and technology. Its programs are designed to make learning fun and interesting. This approach, in turn, enables them to play an effective role in the future of science and technology within the Kingdom. The city comprises a full-fledged center for medical diagnosis, 18 large and small operation theaters, a 250-bed rehabilitation center, a recovery center, a 150-bed center for the elderly, a child development center and an education and training center. The humanitarian city encompasses both in-patient and outpatient facilities. An extensive range of rehabilitation programs is available including services for pediatric, neurological, brain injury and spinal cord injury. The child development center provides an integrated educational and therapeutic program for 150 children who have special educational needs due to physical handicaps, developmental disabilities or complex health problems. The outpatient clinics encompass 13 clinics with 55 examination rooms and eight operating rooms. Important features of the outpatient clinics are the day surgery center and the cranio-facial surgery center. A conference hall, sports hall, staff housing and an administration building, supplement the city' facilities. The foundation runs a number of projects within and outside the Kingdom. They include the Sultan Science and Technology Center in Al Khobar, an innovative project under development that will provide opportunities for youth to learn about science and technology. In combining medicine, science and technology, Medunet (Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Medical and Educational Telecommunications Program), utilizes the latest state of the art telecommunications facilities. These facilities were created to provide access to medical research resources in cooperation with major universities and research centers around the world. In order to provide education and understanding of the Arab and Islamic culture, the Foundation established the Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Continuing Education Program at the Gulf University in Bahrain and the Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Arab & Islamic Studies Program at the University of California, Berkeley. Since its beginning on Shaban 20, 1415 (January 21, 1995), the Foundation has strived to promote humanitarian, educational, social and cultural services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and around the world. The Foundation's programs encompass a variety of fields including medicine, science & technology, communications and education. Through its efforts, the Foundation hopes to improve the skills, ability, aptitude and understanding of those who's interest or needs fall within our programs. God willing, these efforts will grant individuals the tools necessary to reach their goals and aspirations. All of these aspirations are made possible by the generous support and continued direction of Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Al- Saud. As is known throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz maintains a sincere interest in the care of a sector of citizens who are dearest to him. This group includes the sick, the elderly, the handicap and children in need of special care during early childhood. In order to provide a tangible and meaningful way of assisting these people, the Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Humanitarian City was established by Royal Decree on 15th September 1996. This City was established to provide healthcare and rehabilitative services at the highest level of professionalism and craftsmanship. As the largest project undertaken, it crowns the many generous programs managed by the Foundation. Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz laid the cornerstone of the City on 30/5/1417 (October 12, 1996). The City is set on one million square meters in Binban, a small community 30 kilometers north of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia' s Capital City. The city occupies 200,000 square meters Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Science & Technology Center is one of the main projects of Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Saud Foundation. It represents another generous donation by Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Saud to the people of Saudi Arabia. Prince Sultan genuine interest in the welfare and educational and scientific development of Saudi Arabia, and especially its youth, has initiated the idea of building a state-of-the-art science and technology center in the city of Khobar, located in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Prince Sultan also realized the crucial role that science centers do play in enhancing science education, as well as exciting youngsters about the fields of science and technology and ultimately encouraging them to make career choices in these important fields. The Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Science & Technology Center aims at providing all the necessary facilities that helps its visitors in educating themselves about science and technology. It uses interactive and hands-on exhibits that engage visitors and makes science learning a family, enjoyable experience. Its library and educational facilities complements its exhibits by offering programs and resources that educate the visitors about certain fields of science and technology in which they are interested. Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Medical & Educational Telecommunications Program Medunet provides advanced technology solutions such as telemedicine and distance learning throughout the Arab World. By bringing the powers of modern technology, such as videoconferencing and internet access to the region, Medunet gives voice to the creative and intellectual abilities of many millions. Medical and educational resources that were once under- utilized in some regions and scarce in others will be made available through the Internet and via video- conferencing to communities across the region. Medunet will deploy satellite, fiber- optic cable and digital microwave telecommunications facilities to provide access to even the remotest village in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This access will allow previously impossible information exchanges between individuals across the country or around the world. The following provides an outline of Medunet's objectives and services. We invite you to spend some time with us learn about our unique programs. Objective MeduNet is chartered to establish a state of art Health Information Network, the HealthNet, for unrestricted delivery of: Telemedicine Health Information Systems Distance Learning Content Providing (medical) services throughout The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Arab world for the coming decade. Concept Integration of Telecommunication, Computing, and Information technologies to interconnect and ensure the interoperability of : Major healthcare institutions, Educational establishments, and Administrative organizations, regardless of their physical and administrative diversity, and irrespective their geographical location. Environment STC development projects are aggressively building telecommunications infrastructure Administrative and technological diversity of healthcare institutions Implementation costs (running costs are expected to be largely offset by the benefits generated through the delivery of targeted telehealth services) Heterogeneity of required technology: in communications, information systems, prioritization of the services. Services Telemedicine Modalities Tele- radiology (DICOM compliant) Tele- pathology Tele- ophthalmology Tele- otology Tele- dentistry Tele- endoscopy Tele- cardiology Tele- psychiatry Video and Audio Conferencing Health Information Systems Health/ Hospital Information Systems are mission critical for MeduNet in that they determine the level of inter/ intra- institution integration. The success of HealthNet relies to a large extent on proper automation of major medical institutions of the Kingdom. MeduNet promotes state of the art solutions in Hospital/ Health Information Systems, to secure their successful implementation, and to guarantee their subsistence. To achieve this goal, MeduNet intends to assume the licensing, installation, maintenance, and training responsibilities for a complete Hospital/ Health Information Systems product line. Distance Learning Support and relay continuous education classes and medical events from external sources. Sponsor and organize training and education activities from local sources. Educational programs, from building a virtual medical school to developing on- line courses. Content Providing Host and provide access to healthcare knowledge bases (medical, pharmaceutical, research, etc.) Host general public healthcare information (use groups, open forums, etc.) Host and organize healthcare management and administrative support systems (electronic- office/ commerce, incl. Healthcare professional registries, custom CME programs, consolidated purchasing functions, etc.) Technology Sustain Audio/ Video/ Data Traffic between : Fixed Locations Terrestrial Links (metro areas, cross- country) Aerial Links (metro areas) Satellite Links (cross- country, cross-continents) Mobile Units : Satellite Links (VSAT) Fixed commodity interfaces MeduNet is building the HealthNet backbone. Major healthcare institutions are being interconnected through HealthNet. Hospital Information System standards are being settled. State of the art telemedical instrumentation is being introduced. Distance learning programs are being designed and tested. Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Arab and Islamic Studies Program The Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Arab and Islamic Studies Program at the University of California, Berkeley began on November 2, 1998. This 5 million US Dollar endowment funds a significant portion of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies' programs as follows: 1. The Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Saud Foundation Visiting Professorship. This one million US Dollar endowment will allow the University to recruit both long and short term visiting faculty from Saudi Arabia or the Arab world. These visiting professors will focus on Arab and Islamic topics. 2. The Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Saud Foundation Visiting Scholar and Graduate Fellows Program. An endowment of one million US Dollars will support visiting professional, postgraduate fellows and graduate students engaged in the study of Arab and Islamic studies. These topics will include languages, history, sociology, anthropology and other disciplinary perspectives. 3. The Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Saud Foundation Research Fund This one million US Dollar fund will support the research of faculty, visiting scholars and advanced graduate students. This research will focus on historical and contemporary Arab and Islamic studies in social science, humanities and professional disciplines. This will include library acquisitions, conferences and travel support. 4. The Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Saud Foundation Outreach Fund The public outreach efforts of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies will be supported by this one million US Dollar endowment. Annual conferences, public lectures, professional workshops and other related activities are included. 5. New Quarters for the University of California at Berkeley Center for Middle Eastern Studies. The Center for Middle Eastern Studies inaugurated its new office space on July 11, 2000 funded by the Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Saud Foundation. The Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Special Education Program The Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Special Education Program began in 1996 at the Arabian Gulf University in Bahrain. The program mirrors the Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Saud Foundation's efforts to support institutions focusing on special education as an academic subject. The grant of 4.5 million Saudi Riyals supports the training of specialists in the field of rehabilitation education for the physically and mentally challenged. These students come from a variety of backgrounds in the six countries of the Arabian Gulf, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The co-operation agreement between the Foundation and the Arabian Gulf University outlines six areas of development. 1. To increase the number of special education faculty. 2. To support special education training courses for students seeking employment in the six countries of the Gulf. 3. To support research programs focusing on special education programs in the six Gulf countries. 4. To convene an annual symposium or workshop for special education specialists. 5. To fund investment in rehabilitation equipment for the special education department at the University. 6. To provide four scholarships annually in special education at the Arabian Gulf University. The Foundation scholarships have allowed ten Saudi students to join the special education program at the Arabian Gulf University. These students have specialised in mental retardation, learning difficulties and gifted students. Eight of the students have further qualified for masters degrees in special education while two have achieved higher diplomas. Thirteen students remain in the program, seeking their higher diplomas and masters degrees. In addition, several students have joined short-term courses in special education. The Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of California at Berkeley is proud to continue its Interdisciplinary Arab Studies Program made possible through the generous endowment from the Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Saud Charity Foundation of Saudi Arabia. This interdisciplinary program supports teaching, research, and public outreach on all Arab and related Islamic subjects with the objective of broadening the understanding of these subjects at Berkeley. The Program organizes these subjects around selected themes to be pursued by its faculty, students, and visiting scholars in multi-year cycles. Program Theme Throughout history, a large part of the world has been both influenced by, and in turn left its mark on Arab culture. While it is important to take cognizance of the rich contributions that Arab culture has made to world culture, it is equally important to realize that the strength of Arab culture has lain precisely in its ability to transform and change. Thus, rather than presenting tradition and transformation as dichotomies or conflicting processes, the theme of the Sultan Program for the years 2003-2006, instead suggests that transformations have been an integral part of, and are in fact embedded within the making of Arab cultural traditions. The theme "Arab Culture: Traditions and Transformations," is a continuation of the theme of "Arab Identity," which marked the first three years of the Sultan Program at UC Berkeley. The program's new theme hopes to encourage scholarship pertaining to the Arab world that works at the intersection of cultural studies and identity studies. It specially encourages those projects that focus on apparent ambivalences and polarities, and scholarship that could potentially lead to a richer understanding of the causes of conflict. As with the last three years, this program theme also cuts across disciplinary boundaries and is relevant to all of the social sciences, humanities, and professional fields. However, the program continues to place a special emphasis on, and helps integrate the specific insights of anthropology, architecture, history, literature, political science, and urban studies. Program Components To these ends, the Sultan Program supports a Research and Scholarship Fund, a Teaching, Acquisition and Publication Fund, and an Outreach and Conference Fund. The following call specifies priorities for the academic years 2003-2006. 1. The Visiting Professorship/Lectureship. 2. The Visiting Scholar/Post-Doctoral Fellowship 3. The Graduate Fellowships 4. The Undergraduate Scholarship Fund 5. Other Scholarly Initiatives The Sultan Program is also open to receiving proposals for conferences, workshops, multi media projects, web-sites, public radio and television projects, and collaborative and public outreach activities. The Prince Sultan Center for Environment, Water and Desert. The Desert Studies Center was established as an independent administrative unit affiliated with the Office of the President of King Saud University in A.H. 1406/1986, in accordance with administrative decree No. 12873 dated 25/10/A.H. 1406. This action emanates from the desire of the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to set up specialized research centers, particularly in a vital and important area concerning the prevailing dry desert climate of the Kingdom. The goal of establishing the Center was to design and carry out scientific research on desert development and resistance to desertification in the Arabian Peninsula, and especially in Saudi Arabia. Subsequently, the name of the Center was changed from the Desert Studies Center to the Prince Sultan Center for Environment, Water and Desert Studies, in accordance with the approval of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and President of the Council of Higher Education dated 17/3/A.H. 1421, of the decision of the Council of Higher Education No. 18/18/1421. This had the effect of adding goals and activities in wider areas of research of vital importance, most notably environmental studies in the broadest sense, with emphasis on water resources and the desert. The Center is presently affiliated with the Office of the Vice President of the University for Graduate Studies and Academic Research at King Saud University. Prince Sultan Center for Environment, Water and Desert Studies undertakes to achieve its goals by means of scientific studies and research, particularly in the realms of resistance to desertification, the preservation and organized use of natural and environmental resources, forestation and expansion of natural plant cover, forest and pastureland. The Center strives to develop its technical and research capabilities in remote sensing technology, and geographical information systems to support the research it sponsors, and undertakes a number of research and applied projects to study the desert environment in the Kingdom, making use of these technologies, in cooperation with concerned bodies. The Center has published numerous scientific works and informative bulletins; in addition, it carries out the collection and documentation of information, and supports scientific research undertaken by specialized units within the University directly concerned with the desert. The Center also seeks to develop ties and coordinate with organizations concerned with the study of aridity and the desert, on the local, regional and international levels. It has also participated in many of the University's scientific activities, particularly the periodic "University and Society Weeks", and has supplied seeds and trees to a number of organizations, and provided technical and scientific consultations to students and researchers, both within King Saud University and elsewhere. The Center has also organized many scientific conferences and symposia, and participated in numerous others, as part of its desire to organize and exchange information. Moreover, it has given special importance to promoting cooperation with governmental and private organizations, on the local, Arab and international levels, as manifested in it participation in a number of scientific projects, and its ratification of agreements of cooperation with prestigious scientific organizations which have similar interests. After having laid a firm foundation by virtue of the support and assistance offered by the University administration, the Center began to develop and expand its activities in accordance with the change in its designation. In this way, the area of its interests expanded to include the environment, broadly understood, incorporating such topics as the discovery of new techniques to increase water supplied at the lowest possible cost through applied studies and projects. In addition, the Center has adopted the Prince Sultan International Prize for Water, and is the headquarters of its Secretariat. The Supervisor of the Center is also a member of the National Consultative Board in the Ministry of Water. 1- Design and carry out scientific research relating to arid regions, particularly studies on the environment, water and desert. 2- Support scientific research on environment, water and desert-related topics undertaken by specialized divisions of the University. 3- Coordinate and cooperate with relevant bodies inside and outside the University in environment, water and desert-related studies, research and activities. 4- Collect and document information relating to the environment, water and the desert, and present it in an applied, directly utilizable fashion. 5- Utilize modern technologies especially remote sensing and geographical information systems in studies and research of the desert environment. 6- Organize conferences, meetings, symposia and workshops related to the environment, water and the desert. 7- Draw up training courses designed to prepare individuals qualified in fields related to environmental , water and desert studies, as well as remote sensing technology. 8- Provide technical advice and assistance to researchers and students within the University and elsewhere. 9- Publish research and topics relating to the research activities of the Center. 10- Support and develop the Prince Sultan International Prize for Water, through the General Secretarial of the Prize, located in the Center. On the other hand a group of Saudi researchers have defined the problems of developments in Assir region. They have specified nine elements which include the environment, urban and rural studies, the infrastructure of the area, inhabitants, public services, the economy and tourism the organization of the administrative system and potentials. A plan has been drawn to be implemented along with long terms projects in all different areas to push ahead with the development of the area and its progress. |
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