Princess Nora bint Abdul Rahman University
Encyclopedia
Princess Nora bint Abdulrahman University (PNU; ) is the first women's university in Saudi Arabia
and largest women-only university in the world, composed of 32 campuses across the Riyadh
region and a new library capable of holding 4.5 million volumes. The university was founded as Riyadh University for Women in 1970. King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz launched the building of the world's largest and most modern women's institution of higher education in a self-contained higher education city. A new campus dedicated May 2011 can accommodate 40,000 students and 12,000 employees. It has a 700 bed teaching hospital and research centers for nanotechnology, information technology and bioscience.
Women comprise 58% of Saudi Arabia's college students but only 14% of its labor force; much less than in neighboring Islamic countries. 85% of employed Saudi women work in education, 6% in public health, and 95% in the public sector.
The large campus and community have their own unique transport system. The world's largest Automated People Mover (APM) train system is at the university. APM railway total length is 14km having the rush hour capacity of 7000 passengers/hour. It has 33 trains each having maximum capacity up to 224 passengers and maximum speed of 60 km/h.
The expansion of the campus was done in a record time of two years supported by 75000 construction workers and latest building machinery and methodologies. The University City is expected to be fully functional by 2012.
Thirty-eight of its buildings, totaling a million square meters, have applied for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) green building rating. The campus operates a monorail
shuttle and electric vehicles, and solar panels power 18% of its air conditioning. The new PNU library has applied for the second highest LEED "Gold" rating, and will bring university holdings to six million volumes.
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
and largest women-only university in the world, composed of 32 campuses across the Riyadh
Riyadh
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a...
region and a new library capable of holding 4.5 million volumes. The university was founded as Riyadh University for Women in 1970. King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz launched the building of the world's largest and most modern women's institution of higher education in a self-contained higher education city. A new campus dedicated May 2011 can accommodate 40,000 students and 12,000 employees. It has a 700 bed teaching hospital and research centers for nanotechnology, information technology and bioscience.
History
The university was founded as Riyadh University for Women in 1970. King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz launched the building of the world's largest and most modern women's institution of higher education in a self-contained higher education city. This vision has become a reality with the opening of the University City for the Princess Noura Bint Abdulrahman University for Women. The University City is expected to be fully functional by 2012. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques says"Women carry a responsibility that is more than a duty, to maintain the stability of society and contribute to building the economy of the nation, and to represent the community and the nation to the highest standards, outside and inside the country. To be the caring mother, exemplary citizen and productive employee. Outside the nation, to be the ambassador of her country and community, and to represent well her religion, faith and our values."
Women comprise 58% of Saudi Arabia's college students but only 14% of its labor force; much less than in neighboring Islamic countries. 85% of employed Saudi women work in education, 6% in public health, and 95% in the public sector.
Faculties
Princess Nora bint Abdulrahman University is composed of fifteen colleges and several departments:- Health and medical education colleges
- NursingNursingNursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
, granting bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees - PharmacyPharmacyPharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
, granting bachelors (six year program), masters, and doctorates - Physical therapyPhysical therapyPhysical therapy , often abbreviated PT, is a health care profession. Physical therapy is concerned with identifying and maximizing quality of life and movement potential within the spheres of promotion, prevention, diagnosis, treatment/intervention,and rehabilitation...
- Nursing
- Science, arts and humanities colleges
- ArtArtArt is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
and designDesignDesign as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan... - Art and humanitiesHumanitiesThe humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
, granting bachelors, masters, and doctorates. Departments:- Arabic Language and Literature
- English Language and Literature
- Geography
- History
- Islamic Studies
- BusinessBusinessA business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
and administration - Community serviceCommunity serviceCommunity service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
- Computer and information sciencesComputer scienceComputer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
- EducationEducationEducation in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, granting bachelors, masters, and doctorates - Home economicsHome EconomicsHome economics is the profession and field of study that deals with the economics and management of the home and community...
- Kindergarten educationKindergartenA kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
, granting bachelors; diplomas in abnormal children, normal children, and children's literature; masters; and doctorates - Languages and simultaneous translation, granting bachelors in English, French, German, and Chinese majors; masters; and doctorates
- ScienceScienceScience is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
- Social servicesSocial workSocial Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
, granting bachelors, masters, and doctorates
- Art
- Continuing educationContinuing educationContinuing education is an all-encompassing term within a broad spectrum of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada...
- Postgraduate educationPostgraduate educationPostgraduate education involves learning and studying for degrees or other qualifications for which a first or Bachelor's degree generally is required, and is normally considered to be part of higher education...
- Preparatory educationUniversity-preparatory schoolA university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
- Administration: Admissions, Development, Faculty and staff affairs, Finance, Information technology, Legal, Libraries, Physical plant, Research, and Student affairs
Campus
The PNU campus spreads over 8 million square meters, including a new library which will hold 4.5 million books. There are 800 buildings and ten gates between Riyadh and the university campus. In addition to housing for university staff and students, it features mosques, schools and kindergarten for children, and recreation facilities. It is one of the ten largest universities in the world and the largest university for women.The large campus and community have their own unique transport system. The world's largest Automated People Mover (APM) train system is at the university. APM railway total length is 14km having the rush hour capacity of 7000 passengers/hour. It has 33 trains each having maximum capacity up to 224 passengers and maximum speed of 60 km/h.
The expansion of the campus was done in a record time of two years supported by 75000 construction workers and latest building machinery and methodologies. The University City is expected to be fully functional by 2012.
Thirty-eight of its buildings, totaling a million square meters, have applied for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
(LEED) green building rating. The campus operates a monorail
Monorail
A monorail is a rail-based transportation system based on a single rail, which acts as its sole support and its guideway. The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system, or the vehicles traveling on such a beam or track...
shuttle and electric vehicles, and solar panels power 18% of its air conditioning. The new PNU library has applied for the second highest LEED "Gold" rating, and will bring university holdings to six million volumes.
See also
- Education in Saudi ArabiaEducation in Saudi ArabiaWhen Saudi Arabia formally became a nation in 1932, education was largely limited to instruction for a select few in Islamic schools. Today, public education—from primary education through high school—is open and free to every citizen.-Education management system:...
- List of universities and colleges in Saudi Arabia
- Norah al-FaizNorah al-FaizNorah Abdallah al-Faiz is the first female member of the Saudi Arabia Council of Ministers.King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia appointed al-Faiz as the vice minister for women's education....
- Women's rights in Saudi ArabiaWomen's rights in Saudi ArabiaWomen's rights in Saudi Arabia are defined by Islam and tribal customs. The Arabian peninsula is the ancestral home of patriarchal, nomadic tribes, in which purdah and namus are considered central....
External links
- Official site in Arabic and in English
- Aerial view and building photos
- Photographs from Tridonic.fr and SkyscraperCity.com
- Dedication of the new campus by King Abdullah (video)