His Excellency the Rector, Dr. Faleh bin Raja Allah Al-Solamy, sponsored the inauguration of the 2018-2020 Strategic Plan on Sunday the 22^nd of Rajab in the presence of senior university leadership and the organization tasked with the execution of the plan.

In his speech, Rector Al-Solamy stressed the importance of strategic planning in any institution, noting that it is a necessity for King Khalid University. He also added that the development and changes witnessed in the Kingdom to achieve the National 2020 Transformation Program, Vision 2030, and the new strategic plan developed by the Ministry of Education requires the University’s strategic plan to be agile.

He also pointed to the fact that the General Strategic Plan Administration and the Deanship of Development and Quality worked with a variety of government agencies and private organizations by arranging a workshop to develop this strategic plan. "The plan became a reality by the approval of the University Council." He related that the primary criterion of this plan would be the proper execution of newly developed standard operating procedures in a timely manner.

His Excellency expressed his optimism by saying, "I am sure that with the help and effort of everyone, we will achieve even more than what we planned. I would like to point out that we will support all activities to achieve our strategic plan. I thank all members of the administration and the University Development and Quality Agency on the effort and accomplishments achieved thus far."

In his segment, Strategic Planning Administration Supervisor, Dr. Faqeeh Al-Rabaie, thanked Rector Al-Solamy for honoring the inauguration of the strategic plan. He also thanked the attendees and everyone that contributed to the strategic plan and in achieving the University’s goals and desires in supporting the community. He emphasized that the path towards development is the starting point on the road to Vision 2030.

Al-Rabaie assured that a team of specialists was formed from different departments that included training sessions and workshops to review the fundamental elements of the strategic plan. The team also worked on general surveys to collect the opinions and views of faculty members and employees on the basis of the strategic plan. The results were overwhelmingly positive with over a 90% approval rating of building and executing a new plan. He added the plan was developed and designed through a consultative process which included the communication support plan, the support and development of the executive office, performance benchmarks, and the development of the key performance indicators board. He noted that the plan was approved by the University Council and Ministry of Education.

Vice Rector of Academic Development and Quality, Dr. Merzin Al-Shahrani, explained that the recent developments implemented are a vital quality transition in the University’s legacy. He pointed out -- during the update of the plan -- that labor market and global developments were all taken into account inline with Vision 2030. Moreover, the Afaq Development Plan and the National Education Evaluation Commission standards were interfaced into the strategic plan vision. Al-Shahrani asserted that the plan aims to achieve the University's goal in becoming one of the top 200 international universities, through developing quality education, providing an attractive academic environment, building international partnerships, developing high-quality postgraduate programs, and developing institutional performance and human resources in accord with the University mission.