HH the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser with the graduates of Class of 2015 from Qatar Foundation’s Education City. PICTURE: AR Al-Baker/HHOPL
By Joseph Varghese/Staff ReporterDressed up in graduation gowns in the hues of their respective universities, a record number of 672 students from Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) and its partner universities graduated at the Education City convocation ceremony yesterday, also marking the 20th anniversary of Qatar Foundation (QF).HH the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, QF chairperson HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Moroccan Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane, Qatar Museums chairperson HE Sheikha Mayassa bint Hamad al-Thani, QF vice chairperson HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al-Thani, HBKU president Dr Ahmed Hasnah, deans of all the universities in Education City and several other distinguished guests graced the event.The venue at Qatar National Convention Centre was packed to capacity with families, relatives and friends of the largest group of graduates from the Education City so far. Speaking on the occasion, HH the Father Emir highlighted the achievements of Qatar Foundation in the last 20 years and commended the able leadership of HH Sheikha Moza in taking the organisation to such great heights. He also presented her with a memento for her tireless efforts.HH the Father Emir said: “I am pleased to meet with you today to celebrate honouring this year’s batch of graduates of the Education City universities, whom we consider a yield of a huge national project, that we launched in 2003, when Qatar Foundation entered into a strategic educational and scientific research partnership with prestigious universities.”“We are today reaping more fruits of this partnership; young cultured and educated youth who are proud of their identity, cultural heritage, and who will set out from the Education City to pass through ‘The Door to the Future,’ and to step forward confidently to contribute to the advancement and development of their country.”“In this regard, and on the 20th anniversary of establishing Qatar Foundation, it is incumbent on me to extend my thanks, all thanks to HH Sheikha Moza who exerted great efforts to make our common dream come true. This dream has today become a reality that we could feel its results and witness its successes to achieve a bright future for our country with steady and confident strides,” noted HH the Father Emir. The Class of 2015 includes 122 graduates from HBKU, 68 from Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar (VCUQatar), 43 from Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q), 101 from Texas A&M University at Qatar, 106 from Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q), 57 from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar, 38 from Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q), 94 from HEC Paris in Qatar and 43 from University College London in Qatar.During the event, the names of the recipients of the President’s Award for 2015 were also announced. They are Ibrahim Sultan AlHashmi and Marium Saeed (NU-Q), Noha Fahmy (VCUQatar), Tarek Alhariri (CMU-Q), and Ayman al-Jurdi (WCMC-Q).The number of graduates this year is 22% higher compared to 2014 when 549 students were awarded degrees. The graduates of Education City represent the diversity in Qatar, as many students come from countries around the world to study in different fields provided by the universities.Below: HH the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani presents HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser with a memento, in recognition of her efforts in Qatar Foundation for the past 20 years. PICTURE: AR Al-Baker/HHOPL