Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) welcomed its largest freshman class of 55 undergraduates during a convocation ceremony held at Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) this week.
The Class of 2017, which includes 22 Qataris, was welcomed into the Wildcat community by NU-Q dean and CEO Dr Everette E Dennis and Student Government president Yara Darwish in the presence of friends, family members, NU-Q staff, faculty and alumni.
Dennis stressed the role of the new members of the NU-Q community in “fulfilling Qatar’s visionary plan for national development”. “Qatar National Vision 2030 explicitly acknowledges the need for educated citizens and professionals concerned with media and communication as part of a quest to create a knowledge-based economy for this country and the region. We at NU-Q are pleased to be in active support of these developments,” the dean said.
The 32 communications and
23 journalism students will receive instruction from a renowned faculty at an institution that boasts of more than 200,000 alumni of living individuals whose ranks include statespersons and society leaders.
“You will have classes you love, classes you find difficult, but you will have the opportunity to travel to places like the heart of Rio de Janeiro and the slums of India,” Darwish said to her colleagues. “Most importantly, you are all part of a new media revolution happening in the region, so be sure to embrace it.”
The convocation proceedings were led by Professor Tracy Vaughn, faculty marshal, who carried the NU-Q mace - a symbol of the authority of the university. The mace, designed and produced in Qatar, is inscribed with the university seal on one side and the NU-Q logo in Arabic on the other. It blends Northwestern and Qatari traditions, as does the university itself.
NU-Q dean and CEO Dr Everette E Dennis addressing the gathering.
