KUWAIT, Nov 26 (KUNA) -- Marking its 50th anniversary of establishment, Kuwait University earned its respect as one of the leading regional and international high-level educational institutions.
The university, which was inaugurated by His Highness the late Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, has made several achievements over the years that contributed to finding scientific solutions to the society's issues. It has been keen on development in accordance with a certain plan aiming to prepare graduates qualified enough for requirements of the modern age.
The university was established under Act N. 29/1966 regarding the organization of higher education and its laws, five years after the State of Kuwait gained its independence.
The idea of setting up the university was launched in 1960 as the Ministry of Education appointed a number of experts to form a commission that included professors Solaiman Hozain, from Egypt's Assiut University, Qustantin Zuraiq, from American University in Beirut, and Igor Genges, from Cambridge University.
The first academic years started in September of 1964 at the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Sciences. The Ministry of Education at that time appointed Professor Abdulhalim Montaser as the University's director. During his stay in Kuwait, he made several studies on the establishment of KU and its requirements.
The official inauguration of the university coincided with the establishment of the faculties of Arts, Sciences, Education and others.
Kuwait University is witnessing a significant expansion in the number of scientific colleges that reached 17 Colleges, with the issuance of the Amiri Decree to establish a College of Architecture and College of Computer Science and Engineering.
The university is considered the first government one seeking to provide quality education and contribute to knowledge and development to achieve development goals as well as the needs of the community.
The university's buildings, modern equipment, high-tech laboratories, advanced libraries and technological resources form a suitable environment for learning, development and innovation, as KU offers programs qualified research excellence performance and scientific interest towards global modern concerns and international academic accreditation for its programs to achieve a prestigious scientific status.
Some Amiri decrees were issued to set up College of Law and Sharia, College of Commerce, Economy and Political sciences in 1967, College of Administrative Sciences in 1971, College of Medicine in 1973 and College of Engineering and Petroleum in 1974.
Upon some Amiri decrees, it was also agreed to establish College of Graduate Studies in 1977, College of Education in 1980, College of Sharia and Islamic Studies in 1981, as well as College of Allied Health Sciences and Nursing in 1982.
Under Amiri decrees, Faculty of Pharmacy was established in 1996, Faculty of Dentistry in 1998 and Faculty of Social Sciences in 1999.
The Faculty of pharmacy relies on skilled and committed academic support staff, laboratory and research technicians, and support staff working in teams and in a friendly atmosphere.
The faculty accepted its first class of 32 full-time students into the first year of the curriculum in September 1997.
The university aims to preserve and transmit knowledge through scholarship, encourage innovation and development in the arts and the sciences through addressing issues of national, regional and global significance.
It has made significant advances since its establishment 50 years ago, and has evolved into a multi-faculty institution of higher learning comprised of 17 colleges.
The institution's scientific culture strives to further postgraduate studies, develop new programs, and enhance collaborations with world renowned universities and research centers to attain global recognition and visibility. This purpose dynamically involves faculties in exploring new dimensions in academic exchanges and research, in bolstering their institutions external profiles and international standing.
The KU takes pride in its distinguished students and bestows honors and awards on students who have demonstrated scholastic excellence; it also strives to nurture talent in rare specializations. Each faculty maintains a list of its honors students who achieve a grade point average of 3.5 and above. Students who finish their program's requirements within the prescribed period and graduate with a grade point average of 3.67 are awarded an honors degree in recognition of their distinguished accomplishment and academic excellence. (end) asa.hm