Dr. Mesfer M. Al-Zahrani
Vice President, Academic Affairs
Building 21 , Room 805 University Blvd, Dhahran 34463
About the Vice President Of Academic Affairs
Dr. Mesfer M. Al-Zahrani is the Vice President of Academic Affairs and a faculty member in the Department of Civil Engineering at KFUPM. Dr. Al-Zahrani obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Civil Engineering from KFUPM and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Pennsylvania State University in 1995. Dr. Al-Zahrani has held many positions at KFUPM. He worked as Deputy Dean of Student Affairs for Employment and Training during the period 2005-2008. He was the Dean of Student Affairs from 2008 to 2016. He then served as the Dean of the College of Engineering from 2016 until he was appointed as Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Vision and Mission
Vision
To be globally recognized for all-round excellence and highest standards of quality in cutting-edge academic activities, processes and programs.
Mission
To guarantee an established culture of excellence through the execution of best practices in all of KFUPM’s academic activities and programs thereby ensuring that the university continually makes a remarkable difference in the fields of sciences, engineering and business within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and beyond.
Core Commitments
Community Service
We are committed to making a positive impact on our community. On this note, we are fully engaged with our local community by organizing programs and alliances to meet the needs of the community. We also promote a sense of environmental and community responsibility among our students, faculty and staff.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Academic excellence can not be achieved without equity, diversity and inclusion. In order to make a great impact on the community we serve, we recognize that the diversity of this community should be reflected in all aspects of our academic activities. We are committed to attracting and developing the most talented individuals, irrespective of their age, race or disability status.
Excellence
In line with our vision to be globally recognized for all round excellence in our academic activities and programs, we have a mandate to encourage shared responsibility across all colleges and deanships for executing the best practices and intentional continuous process improvement that support this vision.
Quality
We are committed to achieving excellence in all our academic programs and services provided to students and the community by fostering an atmosphere of inquiry, knowledge and learning while providing an avenue for exceptional academic and professional development for KFUPM students, faculty and staff.
Success
We define success as a shared obligation among students and staff of the university. KFUPM’s Academic Affairs places a great value on the academic and personal success of its students and staff within and outside the university.
The Nexus Between Academic Affairs and Research & Innovation
The faculties in KFUPM colleges have the option of conducting their personal research or apply to be part of an interdisciplinary research center within the university, thereby effectively contributing to the Research and Innovation (R&I) arm of KFUPM by conducting various research that are aligned to the university’s strategic priorities as well as regional and global inclinations. There are 12 interdisciplinary research centers under R&I. Even though these research centers are not under academic affairs, the affiliates running these interdisciplinary centers are from the colleges under academic affairs.