International Program Director Dr. Daphne Hobson and College of Education Dean Dr. Sally A. White with Aramco graduating class on October 24, 2005.

The evening of October 24, 2005 Saudi Aramco Schools and the Career Development Department hosted a dinner and graduation ceremony in the Ad-Diwan Building to honor the accomplishments of 15 individuals who have earned a Master’s Degree in Global Leadership from Lehigh University's College of Education.

In his welcoming remarks, Muhammad Salim Al-Abdallah, Acting Director, Industrial Training Department, congratulated the students for their accomplishments. “This is a distinguished and outstanding example of the self-development initiative at Saudi Aramco,” he said. He promised the continued support of Career Development.

The graduation address was delivered by Dr. Sally A. White, Dean of the College of Education and emphasized the need to educate students for the global world by developing "intellectual flexibility", and how this was achieved when teachers challenged students to think in both the "vertical and horizontal planes of knowledge". White went onto stress the importance of an educational system that focused on promoting student's abilities to critically think, problem solve across disciplines, work in multicultural teams, apply logic and reasoning, and communicate effectively in both the written and oral form. This was the first graduation ceremony to be held off the Bethlehem Campus and the student's degrees were conferred by Dean Sally A. White.

The graduates were: Martha Ann Copeland, Ras Tanura; Deborah Dahl, Abqaiq; Brian Gallagher, Dhahran; John Igleheart, Dhahran; Megan Johnson, Dhahran; Gary Lunsford, Dhahran; Walter Maakestad, Dhahran; Naghmana Malik, Dhahran; Amilia Noori, Dhahran; Brian Remsburg, Udhailiyah; John Snakenberg, Dhahran; Pam Snakenberg, Dhahran; Mark Stenov, Dhahran; William Taylor, Abqaiq; and Madison Tyler, Dhahran. All of the students had been working for SA Aramco for at least three years and several had parents who had worked for the company as well.

John Snakenberg was chosen by his classmates to speak on their behalf. “Aramco has acknowledged a resource that may be even greater than oil,” he said as he thanked the management of the company for investing in the education of its employees. Dr. Brent Mutsch, Superintendent of Saudi Aramco Schools, echoed this sentiment. “The level of support we receive from this company, the level of support that the graduates had to make this night possible, proves that we work for a company that is concerned with more than just making money. The company is also deeply committed to their greatest resource – its employees and their development.”

The students did all of their coursework in Saudi Arabia and three courses were taught by Lehigh professors who traveled to Dhahran, three were taught by Saudi Aramco employees Dr. Nathan Taylor and Dr. David Warren, who served as adjunct professors, and four courses were taught via the Internet. Because most of the students were Saudi Aramco Schools’ employees, the content of the classes was geared specifically to meet the needs of Saudi Aramco Schools.

This innovative program began in 2003, after Curriculum Coordinator Brian Bahr set out to find opportunities for teachers to further their education while continuing to work in the classroom. “We needed to bring in instructors who were up on the current reading and research so that our staff could tap into that knowledge base,” Bahr said. At a professional conference in Miami, Florida, he struck up a conversation with Dr. Daphne Hobson of Lehigh University. Because Dr. Hobson had lived for years at Saudi Aramco and raised her children in Dhahran, she still considers herself part of the Aramco family. “Once an Aramcon, always an Aramcon,” she said at the graduation ceremony.

The coursework taught students leadership skills they can use in the classroom or as school department leaders. Associate Director of the College of Education's International Program, Dr. Roger Douglas said, “Through additional coursework, the students had the freedom to specialize in areas such as technology, school administration, counseling, English as a Second Language, and Special Education.”

The College is also offering a doctoral program and has eight Saudi Aramco employees pursuing their degrees in Educational Leadership. This program takes a minimum of four years, during which time students must travel twice to Pennsylvania to attend summer classes. The rest of the courses are offered locally or via the Internet. A second Master's degree program from Lehigh University started in early October with nine more employees who take to heart the Saudi Aramco School's drive for continuous improvement.