Bahrain Higher Education Executive Meeting to be Convened by SunGard Higher Education and Ahlia University
Special Gathering of Higher Education Leaders to Discuss Quality Assurance and Challenges to Higher Education in Bahrain
22 February 2009: Higher education leaders across Bahrain are set to attend an executive meeting organized by Ahlia University in collaboration with SunGard Higher Education, a global provider of IT solutions for colleges and universities.
The event, ‘Performance Matters in Higher Education,’ is being convened under the patronage of His Excellency, Dr. Majid Al-Nuaimi, Minister of Higher Education in Bahrain. Topics to be discussed at the executive meeting include Bahrain’s higher education issues including reforms and challenges, as well as quality assurance assessment. In addition, SunGard Higher Education experts will share insights on the role of IT in supporting Bahrain’s higher education strategic objectives and reform initiatives.
Commenting on the executive meeting, Professor Abdulla Al-Hawaj, President, Ahlia University, said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with SunGard Higher Education for this unique gathering of Bahrain’s higher education stakeholders and I trust that attendees will leave the meeting better equipped to measurably improve performance and help achieve the vision of improved quality in Bahrain’s higher education.”
Higher education in Bahrain is striving to provide affordable educational programs, improve operational efficiencies, and meet rigorous accountability and compliance standards. Colleges and universities have undergone or are still in the process of quality assurance assessments by government appointed bodies, such as Quality Assurance Authority (QAA). The benchmark criteria include quality academic, administrative, financial and infrastructure standards.
Mathew Boice, general manager, Middle East, SunGard Higher Education stated, “High expectations for performance and productivity are transforming how colleges and universities define and measure success. While there are common themes in the mission of many institutions about quality and student success, how institutions pursue and support their own mission has become increasingly complex. To meet the benchmarks for quality assurance assessment, decision makers in universities and colleges require timely and accurate information to identify trends, forecast outcomes, evaluate options, and take the actions necessary to achieve their objectives.”
Dr. Jawaher, Al-Madhaki, one of the keynote speakers scheduled for the event, said “This executive meeting is coming at a time when acceptable standards in our colleges and universities are increasingly being defined by the compliance and accountability records of institutions. I commend the effort of Ahlia University and SunGard Higher Education in organizing this event and look forward to similar initiatives that may contribute to making Bahrain one of the global centers of excellence for higher education.”
The event will be held at the Sheraton Hotel on 23 February 2009 and over 100 academicians and educationalists representing Bahrain’s higher education sector are expected to attend.
- END -
About SunGard Higher Education
SunGard Higher Education provides software and support, systems implementation and integration, strategic consulting, and technology management services to help colleges and universities build, unify, and manage their digital campuses. Bringing together people, processes, and technology, SunGard Higher Education assists 1,600 higher education organizations around the world, including colleges, universities, campuses, foundations, state systems, central and district offices to strengthen institutional performance through improved constituent services, increased accountability, and better educational experiences. www.sungardhe.com.
About SunGard
SunGard is one of the world’s leading software and IT services companies. SunGard serves more than 25,000 customers in more than 70 countries, including the world’s 25 largest financial services companies.
SunGard provides software and processing solutions for financial services, higher education and the public sector. SunGard also provides disaster recovery services, managed IT services, information availability consulting services and business continuity management software.
With annual revenue exceeding $5 billion, SunGard is ranked 472 on the Fortune 500 and is the largest privately held business software and services company on the Forbes list of private businesses. Based on information compiled by Datamonitor*, SunGard is the third largest provider of business applications software after Oracle and SAP. Continuity, Insurance & Risk has recognized SunGard as service provider of the year an unprecedented five times. For more information, please visit SunGard at www.sungard.com.
*January 2009 Technology Vendors Financial Database Tracker http://www.datamonitor.com
Trademark Information: SunGard and the SunGard logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of SunGard Data Systems Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries. All other trade names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.