Stakeholders from 22 countries convene at SunGard Higher Education User Group Conference

The conference themed 'Performance Matters' is being hosted from 15th to 17th December with sponsorship from IT companies such as Scientia, Sun Microsystems, International Turnkey Systems, Oracle, SciQuest, TouchNet, Residential Management Systems and UC4. Participants from the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the US have the opportunity to network, exchange ideas, share best practices, and explore the latest developments in attaining a Unified Digital Campus.

Keynote speaker, Dr. Saeed Mohammed Al Barwani, General Manager, IT & Education Development, Ducab, said, "The region has been undergoing and continues to undergo challenges resulting from changing world economic picture, fast-paced regional development and need for implementation of new requirements hinging on institutional performance. This conference provides timely and invaluable platform to help higher education stakeholders gain unique insights and essential guidelines which will help them measure the achievement of their strategic goals."

Keynote speakers from the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and the USA are providing critical sessions to explore the theme of the conference and are complemented by the many presentations and case studies from institutions already using SunGard Higher Education solutions. The conference also features demonstrations and discussion on solutions from the event sponsors.

Mathew Boice, General Manager, International, SunGard Higher Education, said:

"The venue for the conference this year says a lot about what can be achieved in this region. Educational progress may be less tangible than iconic developments such as Atlantis The Palm, however, this conference attests to the fact that projects in education across the region are achieving remarkable goals."

"Student outcomes and institutional performance are of paramount importance to regional governments and we are seeing this user community tackle huge challenges for improved quality and access to Higher Education," Boice added.

User groups are vital communities in the sharing of expertise and the ongoing development of the SunGard Higher Education solutions. The Middle East User Group was established through an initial meeting in Beirut, Lebanon in December 2001; last year, more than 300 stakeholders attended the conference.