The Saudi Students Club is holding an open house about Saudi Arabia from 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, at the James B. Woulfe Alumni Hall in the Anderson Student Center. Guests to the event will discover the rich heritage, values, unique culture, traditions, distinctive customs and history of an exotic and ancient land.
Guests will meet male and female Saudi students; experience henna; sample Arabic food; learn about Saudi Arabia’s education, health system, development, music and culture; partake in the seating arrangements in a tent assembled in the room and join discussions run by several Saudi students about women in Saudi, Islam and America in the mind of Saudi students; and experience many more activities.
In 2005, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz made an agreement with President George W. Bush to increase the number of Saudi students coming to the United States. As a result, Saudi Arabia decided to launch approximately 5,000 scholarships for Saudi students every semester to come and study in the USA during the coming 15 years. These scholarships are in 14 technical fields related to medicine, engineering and technology.
During the current spring semester, 700 Saudi students are in different schools and universities around the St. Paul area. More are expected to come in the next few years. This increase of students encourages the Saudi Students Club to organize programs and events that will provide cultural exchange between Saudi and American students. One of the prime objectives of the Saudi Students Club is to promote better understanding, because education and awareness empower peace and tolerance.
