The King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (K.F.U.P.M.) and Stanford University are worlds apart. This can be said literally and figuratively. This is because the two universities are located in different parts of the world, on two different continents. The former is in the Middle East while the latter is in America. Aside from the location, the other major difference concerns cultural diversity within both universities. It will be explained later in detail that the cultural diversity in terms of the number of foreign students enrolled as well as the different types of courses offered in each university greatly affect the quality of education in both universities. Thus, the administrators of King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals tried to establish cultural diversity. Yet when course offerings, the number of foreign students, and the type of services available to students were compared to those found at Stanford University it was discovered that K.F.U.P.M. has still a long way to go before it can experience the same level of cultural diversity found in Stanford.
Importance of Cultural Diversity
Cultural diversity begins in the development of the program. Each university must be committed to encouraging diversity in the campus by first providing resources that will lead to the establishment of an academic program as well as in attracting foreign staff, faculty, and students to the university. Cultural diversity will impact the following aspect of university life:
- Learning Environment;
- Extracurricular Activities;
- International Faculty and Staff; and the
- Courses that will be offered in the said university.
Quality of Education
There is no clear-cut definition of what comprises quality higher education. Still, there have to be some standards that exist in guiding administrators and regulators whose main task is to monitor the performance of colleges and universities. Parents and students will also demand some kind of a mechanism to determine what university will provide a good return of investment. Some of the widely accepted standards are as follows:
- The percentage of graduates able to hurdle licensure exams e.g. civil engineering and medical licensure exams etc.;
- The existence of a program that will ensure that graduates will readily make an impact in their chosen field;
- The existence of a program that will help students contribute to the sciences and the arts.
The following will help deepen the understanding of what is exactly the meaning of quality education. Quacquarelli Symonds or QS is an education organization that sets standards for global higher education. It comes as no surprise that QS works with multinationals and global recruiters such as Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, AT Kearney, Bain, Eli Lily, GE, Shell, and McKinsey. This simply means that QS helps these companies to hire the best and with their connections with top universities it is easy for them to network with educational institutions and employers to facilitate hiring the most competent individuals suited for the job. Quacquarelli Symonds is also the producer of the world renowned QS University Rankings making them an expert in assessing quality higher education.
Quacquarelli Symonds use of the following indicators reveals much about how to assess the relative strengths of the world’s leading universities; these indicators are listed as follows:
- Employer Review
- Faculty Student Ratio
- Number of international faculty
- Number of international students
The last two indicators are crucial to this discussion. This simply means that a university cannot experience significant improvements if it will close its doors to the outside world. In the 21st century isolation is an unacceptable policy. The whole planet is interconnected. What happens in New York will reverberate in many parts of the globe. In the same way, the behavior of Saudi Arabian firms will greatly impact the rest of the world. Therefore one way to keep updated about recent developments in the global arena, universities must strive to increase the number of international faculty and international students.
Two World-Class Universities
Thus, one can argue that quality education is about the program, the facilities, the students, and the faculty. It is also dependent upon the goals set by the university and its ability to achieve those goals. But at the same time, a third party like QS can come in and evaluate the capability of the university. In the case of K.F.U.P.M., the university’s main goal is to produce top-notch graduates that will be able to contribute to the field of engineering. A review of the current crop of graduates will easily reveal if K.F.U.P.M. is an institution that provides quality education.
Stanford University on the other hand aims to produce graduates that will make significant contributions in the sciences and the arts. The same standard should also apply as mentioned above. But aside from tracking the performance of graduates, one must begin with the study of the university’s current baccalaureate programs and find out how the said program is helping the students learn more about the world they live in and then at the same time learn the necessary skills to make that world a better place.
But it has to be pointed out that the quality of higher education can also be measured in different ways. It can also be gauged by the quality of the graduates in terms of their ability to work and serve in a real-world setting. Quality higher education can also be measured apart from the technical skills learned in college. This means producing graduates who will work not only for profit but also striving to make the world a safer place and ensure its survival for generations to come. In short quality higher education must not only produce technically proficient graduates but also men and women who will make contributions that will, in turn, improve the plight of humanity. In the context of the 21st century, this means, among others, the ability to comprehend the consequences as well as opportunities of globalization. In a paper submitted to the 1st European forum for quality assurance, it has been pointed out that universities are evolving due to the emergence of markets as tools for public policy as well as the impact of globalization.
There are many educational institutions all over the world whose core values reflect the above-mentioned sentiments. The University of Melbourne in Australia for instance believes that universities should, “…develop bilateral relationships with government, business, and the community and become increasingly visible, relevant, and accessible to society’s changing needs. The faculty and staff of the said university believe that quality higher education is not simply about mastering math, science, and language skills. These are graduates who do not shy away from the challenges of globalization and continually working toward the attainment of world peace, the eradication of poverty, and the lessening of the impact of deadly diseases and other epidemics. These are graduates who wisely understand that everyone is interconnected and that this earth that they call home will perish if its inhabitants will not work hand in hand.
But if one will allow for a more critical evaluation of the capabilities and resources of K.F.U.P.M., that person will also realize that it is in a disadvantageous position when it comes to increasing cultural diversity within the university. There are two reasons for this:
- First of all, K.F.U.P.M. was established in response to the fossil fuel industry in the Middle East in general and Saudi Arabia in particular; and
- Secondly, K.F.U.P.M. will always find it a challenge to attract foreign students to come to Saudi Arabia to study. This may not be a problem for those coming in from neighboring regions like Africa and other far-away countries in the Middle East but to convince Europeans to come and study in K.F.U.P.M. is an entirely different matter.
Stanford University on the other hand does not have the same problem. It is a world-renowned institution that has successfully adjusted to the needs of the outside world. Its location is also a plus factor. It is located in the United States of America, a nation known to easily assimilate peoples from different cultures. America is a melting pot of culture – a nation built by immigrants of diverse ethnic backgrounds. This means that its link to Europe as well as its proximity to Latin American countries enables Stanford University to attract Europeans, Africans, and Latin Americans and make them part of their diverse student body.
With this view in mind, one can conduct an informal investigation into the educational programs using online resources and be able to conclude that both institutions are committed to providing quality higher education to students who wish to study under their respective educational programs. K.F.U.P.M. has been recently recognized as one of the top 400 universities in the world by Quacquarelli Symonds’s world university ranking system. This is no small feat considering that there are thousands of universities scattered all over the globe. In the case of Stanford, no further argument is needed to prove that this highly successful university needs further coaxing to achieve greatness. While K.F.U.P.M. occupies the 400th spot in the world rankings, Stanford University currently occupies the 17th spot in the world rankings.
Overview of K.F.U.P.M.
Before going any further there is a need to have an overview of the two universities. Beginning with the King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, the first important thing to consider is that this is a relatively young university as compared to Stanford. The university was officially established on September 23, 1963, but admitted its first student a year later. The first batch where all men, 67 students enrolled in what was then the College of Petroleum and Minerals. The said university held its first graduation ceremony only in 1971 and all the graduates were engineers.
The goal of the university is related to petroleum and mineral deposits. The challenge was to successfully manage Saudi Arabia’s vast oil reserves. The official website provided the following, “To meet the challenge, the university has adopted advanced training in the fields of science, engineering, and management as one of its goals in order to promote leadership and service in the Kingdom’s petroleum and mineral industries.” The university is intensely focused on preparing professionals that will further develop the Kingdom in the field of science, technology, and business. It is also committed to producing graduates that will contribute knowledge that will ensure the sustainable development of the Kingdom.
It does not require a genius to perceive that patriotism and national interests are important in K.F.U.P.M. culture. After all, it is located in Dhahran, near the headquarters of the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (SAUDI ARAMCO). Aside from that, it is situated in an area where the first Saudi Arabian petroleum was discovered – in Dammam Well No. 7, about half a kilometer from campus. Petroleum is therefore central in the consciousness of the students, faculty, and staff. But it is also interesting to note that the university’s vision is to establish a vibrant multicultural university. This will be a challenge considering the facts mentioned in the preceding discussion.
Overview of Stanford University
The university is located in the world-famous Silicon Valley in the state of California, in the United States of America. It was Leland and Jane Stanford who founded the university in 1891. They founded the university to, “…promote the public welfare by exercising an influence on behalf of humanity and civilization…” and this serves as guiding words for the said educational institution even after more than a century in existence. The university is driven by the idea of helping others and this is only possible by forging partnerships and by having a worldview that includes people of various ethnic backgrounds.
Comparing the two Universities
Compared to Stanford University the academic program of K.F.U.P.M. leaves much to be desired. If the university is serious in its bid to create a multicultural university then it needs to consider upgrading the academic program offered in K.F.U.P.M., there are only five colleges as seen in the following list:
- Community Colleges
- College of Sciences
- College of Engineering Sciences
- College of Computer Sciences and Engineering
- College of Industrial Management
- College of Environmental Design
According to K.F.U.P.M., there are 15 departments all in all. At Stanford University, on the other hand, there are close to one hundred departments that include aeronautics, philosophy, photon science, and surgery. In K.F.U.P.M. there are only five colleges that are at the same time focused on the field of engineering and learning is aimed at mineral exploration and extraction. But at Stanford University seven major schools are teaching a variety of courses. These are the schools of:
- Business;
- Earth Sciences;
- Education;
- Engineering;
- Humanities and Sciences;
- Law;
- Medicine.
It is no wonder then that according to QS there are only a total of 7,327 students in K.F.U.P.M. and of that figure a small number, 820 are international students. When it comes to the faculty at K.F.U.P.M. there are only 1,113 but interestingly the number of international faculty is more than half, 762. It is a great contrast to Stanford University where the total number of students is higher. There is also a significant difference in terms of the number of international students.
According to QS school statistics for Stanford University, the total number of students is 19,782. In that figure, there are 4,214 international students. When it comes to the faculty the total number is significantly higher than K.F.U.P.M. because Stanford has 1,772. But interestingly the number of international faculty staff at Stanford is only 92. But Stanford University makes up for the low number of international faculty by attracting a significant number of international students. This is made possible by the course offerings. To have an idea of the different courses offered at Stanford a sampling of different departments will be listed below:
- Department of Anthropology
- Department of Asian Languages
- Department of French and Italian
- Department of German Studies
- Department of Slavic Languages & Literatures
- Department of Spanish and Portuguese
As mentioned earlier there are close to one hundred departments at Stanford University, the above-mentioned departments are just examples to show why it is possible to attract a large number of foreign students as well as interest the rest of the student body to learn about other people and other cultures. Aside from the varied course offerings, there are also offices across the university geared towards helping the diverse population of students at Stanford University. An example of such offices are shown in the following: a) Asian American Activities Center; b) Black Community Services Center; c) Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity; d) El Centro Chicano; e) Native American Cultural Center; and f) Stanford School of Medicine Office of Diversity and Leadership.
Conclusion
Before conducting a comparative analysis of the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and Stanford University it was first established that the main aim of the study is to find out the link between cultural diversity and achieving quality higher education. This means figuring out what cultural diversity and quality higher education mean. This also requires understanding the standards that will help assess if the university can deliver quality higher education or not. In this regard, an organization that is world-renowned in networking with universities proved useful in providing the indicators of quality education.
It did not come as a surprise that two major indicators are related to cultural diversity: a) several international faculty and b) the number of international students. This is not hard to understand. International faculty and international students bring different perspectives to the discussion table. They will help enrich the learning experience as they will be able to provide insights and information that could not be gleaned from books or websites. The presence of foreign students will also help others deal with people of other ethnic backgrounds. This ability will undoubtedly help future graduates deal with real-world conditions especially in a time when globalization is an important aspect of the business.
It has been pointed out that quality education is not only about producing graduates that can easily hurdle licensure exams. Quality education also means producing a graduate that will be able to help others especially when it comes to the eradication of global problems such as poverty, sickness, and diseases as well as environmental concerns. It is perfectly all right for an educational institution to prepare students for a demanding workplace thus teaching them the necessary skills to make contributions in their chosen field.
These qualities are evident in the graduates from both King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and especially from the graduates of Stanford University. But again highly proficient graduates will never be able to make this world a better place if they are ignorant of the many implications of globalization. These graduates will be severely limited if they will not be able to forge partnerships and reach an understanding with people from all walks of life and diverse cultural backgrounds.
Thus, it has been pointed out time and time again in the course of the discussion that there is a need for a multicultural university, an institution that will provide a learning environment where students can interact with others especially those whose worldviews are different from theirs. An overview of the K.F.U.P.M. academic program, as well as the mission statement of the university, created an impression that this educational institution is well aware of the need for multicultural diversity but is at a serious disadvantage considering its history and the purpose why it was established in the first place.
As mentioned earlier K.F.U.P.M. is no ordinary university. It was founded for the sole purpose of developing future leaders as well as engineers who will help the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reached its full potential in terms of managing its petroleum reserves. This single-mindedness of purpose is both the strength and weakness of K.F.U.P.M. It is considered the strength of the university because it has a clear-cut goal of what is needed to accomplish to be considered as a success. On the other hand, this can also be a weakness because the university should also develop well-rounded graduates who are not only knowledgeable about Saudi Arabia’s oil fields but also skilled in solving the problems that plague the world today such as the impact caused by globalization, migration, and environmental degradation.
It has been found out that there is no simple way to eradicate these problems. What is needed is a globally concerted effort. This means working across borders and even working outside the Middle East. This is an impossible task for narrow-minded graduates who are only concern about profit and how they can secure their local surroundings. In an age of globalization, an ordinary person living in the desert will experience the effect of global warming regardless of the fact if he contributed to the problem or not.
Stanford University does not share the problems encountered by K.F.U.P.M. when it comes to achieving multicultural diversity in terms of attracting foreign students to enroll in their academic programs. While K.F.U.P.M. is a new university, Stanford University is more than 100 years old. That kind of experience is difficult to beat. But the strength of Stanford lies in the vision of its founders. Leland and Jane Stanford did not merely envision an academically proficient university; they also wanted to build an educational institution that will be relevant and able to make contributions in improving the plight of humanity.
As a result, Stanford University’s course offerings are varied and it will surely attract foreigners from all over the world. There are courses on Slavic languages, Asian Studies, French, and Italian among others. Aside from that the university is actively pursuing a campaign that will ensure that diversity will work at Stanford. In this regard, a consortium of offices is working together to promote multicultural diversity. Some offices cater to African-Americans, Hispanics, Asian-Americans, etc.
It will take some time before K.F.U.P.M. can catch up. It is still possible to attract foreign students even if K.F.U.P.M. will continue to focus on the field of engineering and teaching the necessary skills involved in mineral extraction. But with the ongoing energy crisis, it is safe to assume that foreign students, especially Europeans, would rather enroll in universities that offer training on how to harness solar energy and develop hydrogen fuel rather in institutions that teach the art and science of drilling for oil.
Bibliography
Amaral, Alberto. “Higher Education and Quality Assessment: The Many Rationales for Quality.” European University Association. 2008. Web.
King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. 2008. Web.
Stanford University. 2008. Web.
The University of Melbourne. 2008. Web.
Quacquarelli Symonds. “The World’s Leading Network for Top Career and Education.” 2008. Web.
Quacquarelli Symonds. “QS Top Universities.” 2008. Web.