CMUQ to celebrate its 10th anniversary

By Joseph Varghese/Staff Reporter

Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMUQ) will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a special ceremony at its premises in Qatar Foundation’s Education City tomorrow. Key leaders from the parent campus of Carnegie Mellon University and Qatar Foundation will take part in the event.

“The campus in Qatar is the most important one for us as other branch campuses do not offer such long programmes outside the US,” CMU president Dr Subra Suresh told at press conference yesterday.

“This is a great occasion for the university, which has a vibrant presence in Qatar as its vision is related to the national vision of the country. “

The growth of the branch campus in Qatar  from 41 students  in 2004 to 400 students in 10 years, is a major milestone for the university as well as for the country, pointed out CMU provost and executive vice president Dr Mark S Kamlet.

Dr Suresh said that CMUQ had also undertaken a number of research programmes that are related to Qatar’s needs. The graduates from the university are playing a major role in different fields in Qatar and the region.

When asked about the expansion programmes of CMUQ, Dr Suresh said that the university comes out with new programmes at the appropriate times.

“What we are focusing is the quality of the programmes that we are offering and at present we come across new developments very frequently. Accordingly, we design the programmes. We also offer executive programmes and other short courses that are relevant to the wider community.”

Qatar Foundation’s Capital Projects and Facilities Management group executive director Jassim Telefat said that the relationship between both the entities is paying great dividends.

“We are enjoying the fruits of this relationship. The research expertise of the university is helping Qatar Foundation and the country by  contributing to the development of the country in many ways.”

Kamlet said that CMUQ graduates are highly sought-after. “More than 90% of the university’s alumni are either in graduate programmes or employed in top organisations such as HSBC, Google, Microsoft, Qatar Petroleum, Qatar Shell and Sidra Medical and Research Center amongst others. When CMUQ students and graduates compete on the international level, they come out on top.”

Qatar Shell’s talent and resourcing manager Jamal al-Ammari and a number of CMUQ alumni were also present at the press conference.

CMUQ offers five programmes to students from 42 countries in a  multi-cultural environment. To date, almost 300 young men and women have graduated from the university.

The 10th year celebrations will feature live music, videos and speeches. The celebrations will highlight key achievements of the university during the last decade in Qatar.