GU-Q commences 11th academic year with convocation ceremony

Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) welcomed the Class of 2019 at its new student convocation in Education City recently, following a week of new student orientation activities.The GU-Q convocation is the formal initiation of incoming first-year students into Georgetown’s academic community, introducing students and their families to key elements of Georgetown’s history, traditions and commitment to its founding values, and a commitment to uphold the Honour Pledge. After the students are officially inducted as members of the Georgetown student body, they don their academic robes, which they will wear once again at graduation four years later.GU-Q dean Dr Gerd Nonneman said, “At this new student convocation, we recognise the ideals of Georgetown University and repeat the rituals for bringing our newest members, the Class of 2019, into our community of learners.”  Twenty-three countries, including Bahrain, France and Egypt, were represented by the new students enrolled, with 34 students hailing from Qatar. The university’s “well-respected, internationally-focused” curriculum has a history of attracting exceptional, top-talent students, locally and from around the world.“Over the next four years, we will challenge our new students with the same interdisciplinary international affairs curriculum as the one offered on our campus in Washington, DC. It is our goal to equip every one of them with the skill-set and knowledge to make a positive contribution to the complex world we live in,” Dr Nonneman added.The incoming Class of 2019 will be among a population of 260 students at Georgetown’s Qatar campus this year. GU-Q prepares students for a variety of careers by providing a four-year liberal arts education focused on the multidisciplinary study of international affairs. Students have the opportunity to major in Culture and Politics, International History, International Economics, and International Politics, and can choose a focus of study to earn a certificate in American Studies, Arab and Regional Studies, and the Media and Politics certificate, a joint degree with Northwestern University in Qatar.