In December 2023 I traveled to Saudi Arabia with friend and colleague Jeannie Sager. We had the honor of being two of three women presenters at the Eleventh Forum for the Development of the Non-Profit Sector. While I have been privileged to travel personally and professionally many times, this was my first trip to the Middle East. In this blog post I update readers on the school’s new collaborative master’s degree program with the Saudi Arabian university, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM).
My earliest notes about a potential collaborative master’s degree program date back to 2019, well before the COVID lockdown. The momentum for the degree program comes from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s expansive Vision 2030 for Saudi Arabia. Vision 2030 creates a vibrant economy with reduced dependence on oil exports, devolution of services to sectors outside government, and dramatically increased capacity of the business and nonprofit sectors. In part to undergird Vision 2030, KFUPM is advancing its curricular offerings beyond engineering and has recently begun admitting women.
Growth through collaborative partnerships is integral to KFUPM’s strategy. The university’s business school, through its Center of Excellence in Development of Nonprofit Organizations, has partnered with several U.S. and U.K. peer universities in recent years. The kingdom, moreover, has already invested significant time and money into nonprofit professional development. The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, through The Fund Raising School, has trained hundreds of practitioners in the Arab Region, so a collaborative master’s degree with the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy was a natural next step. The partnership would allow KFUPM to identify, recruit, and train future nonprofit leaders relatively quickly, by building on our curriculum and the existing relationship with us.
It is impossible to overstate how many individuals, units, and divisions of both Indiana University and KFUPM worked to create the collaborative degree program, including IU’s Office of International Affairs, University Graduate School, Office of the General Counsel, and more. Our teams met weekly for almost two years to hammer out a myriad of details, including admissions, curriculum sequencing, instructional design, and more. Both institutions signed an agreement in March 2023.
Both institutions shifted into implementation and operations once the agreement was in place. The process works like this: KFUPM recruits candidates, evaluates applicants, admits them, then refers students to apply – again – to Indiana University. Over 200 people in Saudi Arabia expressed interest in the degree program. The first cohort includes nine students (7 men and 2 women) who enrolled in their three KFUPM courses in fall 2023. Each applicant expressed deep commitment to either a philanthropic profession, voluntarism, or future career. Many wrote about Vision 2030 in their personal statements. They come from a variety of disciplinary and professional backgrounds, including engineering, with a desire to make a difference in the world. Dr. Shariq Siddiqui is teaching two hybrid courses in spring 2024, with online instruction and two visits to Saudi Arabia during the semester. All 9 students, some with their family members, will travel to Indiana in August to spend the fall semester studying full-time with us.
One of the many highlights of my Saudi Arabian trip was the opportunity to meet my collaborators, Dr. Hesham Merdad and Dr. Mohammad Al-Ahmadi, and our nine new master’s students. The faculty and students met me for lunch and most of a Saturday afternoon so that we could get to know each other – in person.
For both schools, these nine people represent a dream come true. You will see them on our floor, so please pause to welcome them. Everyone in Saudi Arabia welcomed me with open arms – I have no doubt that we can do the same to ensure these changemakers feel part of the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy community.
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