- Rutgers School of Nursing signs an MOU with Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib College for Knowledge (Riyadh) to advance nursing education and global collaboration.
- The partnership supports Saudi Vision 2030 by strengthening the local nursing workforce through faculty development, curriculum innovation, and student exchange.
- Leaders from both institutions emphasized shared learning and research to enhance healthcare quality and prepare nurses to meet global health challenges.
With a forecasted shortage of nurses worldwide and an increased need for educated health professionals, the Rutgers School of Nursing has forged an important alliance with the Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib College for Knowledge in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-one that focuses on advancing nursing education and encouraging international cooperation.
The collaboration was cemented after leaders from the Saudi institution visited the Rutgers New Brunswick and Newark campuses for three days, concluding with the signing of a memorandum of understanding that provides a framework for academic exchange, joint research, and shared learning between the two schools.
The Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib College for Knowledge, which opened in September 2024 as part of the Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group, one of the largest healthcare systems in the Middle East, welcomed its first class of nursing students in August. The partnership with Rutgers, one of the best nursing schools in the United States, is a major achievement in the effort of Saudi Arabia to develop a leading local nursing workforce and depend less on expatriates.
The venture meets the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 aimed at increasing access to care, enhancing quality of care, and engaging the national workforce through education and professional development. Angela Starkweather, dean and professor of the Rutgers School of Nursing, underscores the importance of global partnerships in addressing shared healthcare challenges: "Healthcare challenges transcend borders. Sharing knowledge, research, and innovation will prepare nurses everywhere to meet their community's needs-and, in doing so, improve health outcomes globally".
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Her comments were echoed by Monir M. Almotairy, founding dean and associate professor of the Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib College for Knowledge, who framed the collaboration as an investment in the future of nursing education in Saudi Arabia. "We are delighted to work alongside Rutgers in areas such as leadership, faculty development, simulation, curriculum enhancement, and student engagement", he said. "This partnership will help strengthen nursing education and bring valuable insights back home to enhance our healthcare system".
The MOU identifies four main areas of collaboration: faculty development, curriculum innovation, student and faculty exchange, and future postgraduate nursing program design. Both institutions seek to enhance mutual learning, consolidate research capacities, and ensure a long-term capacity-building process for Saudi Arabia's healthcare sector. Emilia Iwu, Rutgers assistant dean of global health, said the program demonstrates two-way learning and the potential for mutual progress. “Working alongside our international colleagues allows us to learn from each other’s strengths, share innovations in education and practice, and advance nursing together in the U.S. and abroad”, she said.
The partnership also reflects Rutgers Health's wider mission toward advancing education, research, and patient care worldwide. Brian L. Strom, chancellor of Rutgers Health, described it as an example of Rutgers' mission to extend high-quality health care access through education and international collaboration. This is just one way the Center for Global Health at Rutgers connects faculty and students with partners from across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America-contributing to health equity, global engagement, and professional growth for the next generation of nurses.
