University strategy

Qassim University is among the first Saudi universities to have prepared a ten-year strategic plan for the years 2010-2020, which it recently completed with an achievement rate of 73%. It has also established a guiding framework for the preparation of sub-strategic plans for its academic and administrative units, and founded a specialized department for strategic planning. It is the third Saudi university to obtain institutional academic accreditation. The university possesses the components for institutional development in various strategic dimensions, along with a record of strategic partnerships with government sectors, business organizations, and a group of educational institutions and research centers; at local, national, and international levels, which is considered one of the most important reserves of excellence in educational, research, and service fields, in accordance with a sustainable development perspective.

The previous strategic practice built cumulative expertise within the university and entrenched a culture of strategic thinking and its applications, which greatly assisted in preparing its second strategic plan, a five-year strategy for the years 2020-2025. Given that the university is a «learning organization,» it benefited from the lessons learned from its first strategic experience. This was reflected in the structure and methodology of the new strategy. It has concluded the application of a qualitative idea in strategy building, related to the issue of «strategy ownership.» This idea consists of consolidating initiatives or projects into large bundles, called «strategic programs.» The ownership of each program was assigned to one of the university's vice presidents, according to the content or technical aspect of the program. This contributed to complete clarity of strategy ownership and the responsibilities arising from it, with the hope of increasing engagement with the strategy and increasing its implementation rate.

The 2020-2025 strategic plan has been prepared with a precise methodology, striving to involve all relevant stakeholders inside and outside the university. It draws upon governing national strategic frameworks, primarily the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 and the Saudi Universities Law. This plan is also characterized by its reliance on diverse and rich data. It is designed to guide strategic thinking and decision-making, raise the ambitions of university employees, and enhance a culture of quality, high performance, and innovation. It aims to imbue the university with the elements of «strategic alertness,» initiative, and quick, intelligent adaptation to the dynamic changes in the university's external environment. This will help it improve the utilization of its resources and strengths, seize favorable opportunities, and confront current and potential challenges with a strategic institutional framework.

This plan was approved at the fourth session of the University Council for the academic year 1442 AH, held on 05/05/1442 AH, corresponding to 02/21/2020 AD, and was ratified by His Excellency the Minister of Education. Qassim University, among the higher education institutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, enjoys the permanent and generous patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, may God protect them. The university also enjoys great support from His Highness the Prince of Qassim region and His Highness his deputy, and continuous support from His Excellency the Minister of Education to enable the university to achieve its goals and fulfill its role.