May 6, 2025, New York, NY — The Saudi-U.S. Higher Education Partnerships Forum received the Public Diplomacy Council of America’s (PDCA) 2025 Award for Achievement in Public Diplomacy for “markedly enhanc[ing] U.S.–Saudi education and research partnerships, positively impact[ing] bilateral relations and help[ing] support American colleges and universities.” The Northstar team in the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Public Affairs also received a PDCA award.
PDCA President Joel Anthony Fischman praised the two award recipients for their innovation and creativity in furthering the practice of U.S. public diplomacy. “Both sets of recipients demonstrate the creative use of diplomacy in advancing U.S. interests and model the opportunities available to other public diplomacy practitioners in the State Department. We are pleased to recognize them and thank them on behalf of our members for their efforts.”
Education is a fundamental pillar of the U.S.-Saudi partnership, underpinning bilateral political and economic relations and providing critical financial support to U.S. colleges and universities via the Saudi government’s large foreign scholarship program. However, the Saudi Ministry of Education’s restructuring of that program has steadily reduced the number of Saudi students at U.S. universities over the past 10 years.
To ensure that the United States remains Saudi Arabia’s educational partner of choice, Embassy Riyadh’s cultural affairs office and representatives from the Institute of International Education collaborated on a strategy of sustained strategic engagement with senior Saudi Ministry of Education officials as well as U.S. and Saudi universities. The effort culminated in the first-ever U.S.-Saudi Higher Education Partnerships Forum that brought together U.S. university officials with Saudi government officials and educators for three days of site visits, roundtables, and partnership development.
Among its accomplishments, the Forum has led to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlining both countries’ commitment to strengthening higher education and scientific collaboration. The MOU has led to the creation of the first-ever Fulbright program in Saudi Arabia for U.S. graduate students. In addition, Saudi Arabia has committed to increase the number of Saudi students in the United States by 2,000 a year over the next five years, which will provide U.S. universities an additional 160 million dollars of annual revenue.
PDCA promotes excellence and honors achievement in professional practice, academic study, and advocacy for public diplomacy. Its 500 members include U.S. diplomats, scholars, rising professionals, and retired Foreign Service and Civil Service officials interested in the public dimension of U.S. statecraft and those involved in educational and cultural exchange.
This program was co-led by Jamal Alsayyed, Director of Middle East Programs and Sylvia Jons, Director, Center of International Partnerships.
Learn more about the Saudi-U.S. Higher Education Partnerships Forum.
About the Institute of International Education (IIE)
The Institute of International Education (IIE) is the leader in designing and implementing international education strategies and program services. We work with governments, policymakers, educators, and employers across the globe to prepare students and professionals for the global workforce and equip them to solve the increasingly complex challenges facing our interconnected world. With support from donors, we also create initiatives that assist students, scholars, and artists whose lives and work are threatened; expand teaching and learning across cultures; and provide life-changing opportunities. A not-for-profit organization founded in 1919, IIE has a network of offices and affiliates worldwide and over 1,600 higher education partners.
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