On behalf of His Excellency the Minister of Education and the Chairman of Umm Al-Qura University Council, Dr. Hamad bin Muhammad bin Hamad Al Al-Sheikh, His Excellency the UQU President, Prof. Abdullah bin Omar Bafail, chaired the second session of the University Council for the academic year 1440/1441 A.H., in King Faisal Hall at the University City, in Al-Abdiyyah.

The President of the University said that the good news of the national budget for the fiscal year 2020 was announced a few days ago. The 2020 budget and its record numbers, with regard to the sustainable development of the country and all its territories and constituents, guarantees the building of a prosperous future for the coming generations, with health and education as some of its prime priorities. The president gratefully expressed his thanks and appreciation to His Majesty the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Prince Muhammad bin Salman (may Allah safeguard them), for the remarkable interest and kind care in supporting the scientific and research fields, and harnessing all potentials, including development projects and high-quality infrastructures. His Excellency pointed out that part of this support is directed to research services specialized in the services for Hajj, Umrah, and visits to the Sacred Mosques of Makkah and Madinah, in order to achieve the goals of improving the services provided to the guests of the Merciful.

Prof. Bafail emphasized, "The figures achieved by the budget of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia confirm the strength and steadfastness of the Saudi economy; these figures, with the diversity of economic, cultural, scientific and social quotas, indicate the varied efforts of the leadership." He supplicated Allah to maintain the blessings of security, well-being, and prosperity for our country, under its wise leadership.

At the end of the session, the Secretary General and member of the University Council, Dr. Thamir bin Hamdan Al-Harbi, clarified that the College Council discussed a number of topics on its agenda. This is in addition to studying and discussing many academic, educational, and administrative topics related to many scientific and educational aspects, stressing that appropriate decisions have been taken about them, according to the following statements:

1. A request to approve the granting of bachelor's and diploma degrees to students who are expected to graduate by the end of the first semester of the academic year 1440/1441 A.H., from all the UQU colleges and institutes in Makkah and its branches in the governorates of Jamoum, Al-Leith, Adham and Al-Qunfudhah, as well as the Institute of Arabic Language for Non-Native Speakers. Students must attain a GPA of no less than "pass".
2. A request to approve the promotion of Mr. Adel bin Abdullah Attas to the fourteenth rank.
3. A request to approve the membership of faculty members in the boards of some colleges and institutes, and in the University Scientific Council, for a period of two years.
4. A request to approve the acceptance of an in-kind donation to the University Medical Center from Al-Jeel Medical and Trading Company Limited.
5. A request to approve a proposal submitted by the Deanship of the Postgraduate Study Council to continue the implementation of some old executive rules for students admitted to postgraduate studies in the academic year 1439 /1440 A.H. and earlier.
6. A request to approve a proposal to reconstitute the Council of the Deanship of Scientific Research, for a period of two years.
7. A request to approve the appointment of the university chiefs and members of the editorial boards, for a period of two years.
8. A request to approve the establishment of a research chair named, "Umm Al-Qura Chair for Reviving the Islamic Heritage", according to the enclosed establishment proposal.
9. A request to approve the addition of new members to the Permanent Committee of Scholarships and Training.
10. In addition, there were many other topics for which the appropriate decisions and recommendations were made.