By Peter Townson
Despite the “many challenges” of opening a branch campus university so far away from its original home, the recent commencement of courses at Northwestern University in Qatar has been “very positive” according to an official, who said that he was looking forward to “a very bright future in Qatar.”
The official inauguration of Northwestern University in Qatar takes place this evening, and according to the Dean of the most recently opened branch campus at Qatar Foundation, the reaction from the students and the wider community in Qatar has been “extremely helpful,” making it possible to “offer a curriculum 7,000 miles and 9 time zones away from home” that results in students achieving the same qualifications and academic standards.
Dean John Margolis explained that since the course started in August of last year, the 38 students, representing 15 different nationalities, had put in a lot of “hard work” as well as “patience and good cheer” which has led to the successful first few months at the campus in Qatar.
Explaining why the university wanted to establish a campus in the country, Margolis said that the school had been “impressed with the vision of HH Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al-Misnad” and the “commitment to developing social capital” in the Qatar.
As well as an “opportunity to expand the footprint” of Northwestern in the region, Margolis claimed that the venture had mutual benefits for both the university and Qatar, stating that he “certainly expects that we will train professionals both for the local press and the communications industry as a whole.”
“We will be participating with institutions such as the Doha Centre for Press Freedom and ictQatar in bringing speakers and arranging seminars,” he said, adding “our primary focus is the education of our students but we are committed to being active members of the wider community.”
He explained that applications for next year’s class had already doubled compared to last year, expressing his gratitude for the “huge interest” in the university and the courses they offer.
With a bachelors of science degrees in communication and journalism, the school is offering two of its best-known courses to students in Qatar, and Margolis explained that there is a “possibility” that the university may offer post-graduate courses in the future – but was keen to point out that if that does happen, “it will not be for several few years.”
He explained that a group of students from Qatar would visit the main campus in Chicago in May, and claimed that there would be other exchange programmes open for students from both campuses in the future.
“This inaugural year has been successful beyond our expectations,” he said, adding “and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with Education City and the other campus universities in the future.” |
