Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and may blessings and peace be upon the most honorable of the prophets and messengers, our Master and Prophet Muhammad, and upon all his family and companions. As for what follows:
Within the framework of the qualitative shift in higher education and the unlimited support from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, may God protect him, Hail University was established in 1426 AH. It seeks to be among the most prestigious Saudi universities, and continues its strides towards achieving leadership and reaching the global level through the distinguished academic and research programs it provides to serve the local community in its national and international dimensions.
The university enjoys generous support from His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Abdul Mohsen bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of the Hail region - may Allah protect him, within the framework of its communication with local community bodies and institutions to integrate in performing the cultural role of the university and fulfill the requirements of development and advancement. The university also receives the attention of His Excellency the Minister of Higher Education, Professor Dr. Khalid bin Mohammad Al-Anqari, following up on its specific plans and programmes. The university administration is keen on the continuous development of scientific research programs and the activation of its plans and strategies under the follow-up and guidance of His Excellency the University Rector, Professor Dr. Khalil bin Ibrahim Al-Ibrahim, and under the supervision of the Vice Deanship for Postgraduate Studies and Scientific Research, represented by His Excellency Professor Dr. Othman bin Saleh Al-Amer.
The university has achieved pioneering steps in the field of strengthening the scientific research system through the funded research program, which is about to bear fruit in many scientific fields and their applications that serve the issues of the local community and the surrounding environment in fulfillment of its development requirements, as well as the research chairs program aimed at supporting research and scientific studies, as well as faculty research and scientific dissertations for students, research centers with specific specializations, and the University's Research and Consulting Services Institute.
These programs represent indicators that confirm the availability of the components of the academic structure and research expertise of the scientific research system at the university and the necessary support for all components, which makes the university look forward to establishing a pioneering research entity represented by the Dr. Nasser bin Ibrahim Al-Rasheed Chair for Hail Studies.
The reason for allocating a research chair in studies of the Hail region is that the national entity is based on two pillars that represent foundations for building nations: place and people. Through human interaction with the place, a documented history of the homeland and civilization is created with its intellectual, social, cultural, and economic dimensions, underlined by leadership in successive and parallel civilizational and national renaissance projects to achieve the state's desired position in the competitive global race.
A place, with its many geographical meanings, characteristics, components, antiquities, heritage, wealth, climate, opportunities, and challenges, is considered the first basic pillar in the structure of the nation and an effective influence on patterns of local, regional, and international interactions. Man is the main component of geographical existence, present and future, and represents a renewable resource as the basic force for survival and development. Accordingly, building the human being and affirming the value of the place are two renewable sources for forming national sentiment, consolidating trends, formulating awareness, and forming the mental image of successive generations of loyalty and belonging, patriotism, and citizenship.
This is attested to by origins of the Arabic language and the science of semantics, that the homeland is the house in which one resides (man's homeland and place). A homeland that buzzes with life: he resides in it. The plural of homeland is homelands: a person's place of residence, and his soul is settled on the matter. Citizenship is attributed to it; the verb watan means he participated in the place of residence and birth, and patriotism in terminology refers to love of the homeland and emotional connection to it.
The same meaning confirms that influence, interaction, and activation is a natural phenomenon and a ruling criterion, not only in civilizational exchanges, but also within citizenship, which brings together man, his hopes, place, and conditions. Societies confirm the influence of place on man and the activation of human thought. The place produces a creative composition compatible with modern national concepts, despite diverse backgrounds and multiple sources, guiding visions and ambitions according to a general national context.
If love of the homeland is an instinct among all peoples, there are special ties uniting man and place. These ties strengthen national bonds, loyalty, sacrifice, and pride. These meanings do not exist naturally or arbitrarily, but are acquired through societal institutions and paths of knowledge that create an organic connection between man and place, achieving social cohesion and national identity.