The Deputy Emir of Makkah, HRH Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud, honored the academics who participated in the universities' Leadership Program (Academic Transformation Leadership Program) as the representative of the region. The ceremony was held at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah.

The UQU participants in the Academic Transformation Leadership Program include Dr. Ayman Jawahirji, Dr. Hanaa Yamani Dr. Jabir Al-Zahrani, Dr. Muwffaq Urijah, Dr. Majid Farrash, Dr. Najwa Samarqandi, Dr. Ali Al-Qarni, Dr. Dhiyab Al-Maliki, and Dr. Fahd Al-Hashimi.

During the closing ceremony held at King Fahd Center for Medical Research, the Deputy Emir of Makkah handed out the graduation certificates to 50 academic leaders. The certificates were given in the presence of the President of King Abdul-Aziz University, Dr. Abdul-Rahman bin Ubaid Al-Youbi, and the acting UQU President, the UQU Vice-President for Development and Entrepreneurship, Dr. Hani bin Uthman Ghazi.

The Program witnessed participation of academic leaders from Umm Al-Qura University, King Abdul-Aziz University, Jeddah University and Taif University. The acting UQU President, the UQU Vice-President for Development and Entrepreneurship, Dr. Hani bin Uthman Ghazi said the program aims at qualifying a new generation of academic leaders who will become the leaders of the universities in the future, and who will contribute to the fulfillment of the aims of the Saudi Vision 2030 in the university education sector. He expressed his appreciation of the boundless support and directions the UQU President Prof. Abdullah Bafail gives the academic leaders.

It should be noted that the Academic Transformation Leadership Program is in its second season as part of the universities' Leaders Program, which aims to boost the capabilities of 50 academics from the universities of the Makkah region to enable them to spearhead the transformation efforts in their academic environments. The Leaders Program is based on an integrated training program designed and implemented by the Expertise House for Accreditation and Development Consultancies at King Abdul-Aziz University, and funded by Salem Bin Mahfouz Foundation as part of its community partnerships with the university education sector.