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A Look Back at 2024

December 17, 2024

As we conclude the calendar year at Georgetown University in Qatar, we remember the tremendous accomplishments of students, the innovative discoveries by faculty, and the celebration of new beginnings and important legacies. We look back on the year when…

We celebrated the accomplishments of our students…

Georgetown said goodbye to the Class of 2024 and welcomed the next generation of Hoyas to Qatar. We also applauded 2024 Rhodes Scholar Asma Shakeel (SFS’24), Education Excellence Award Winners, and our many students awarded fellowships, and who are making a difference in their communities through entrepreneurship or through service.

…And got a firsthand look into the student experiences only found at Georgetown in Qatar.

Like Qatar cultural immersion through a course taught by a Qatari professor, classroom visits from local heritage professionals, a summer in Greece tackling climate change, and our unique Arabic program offering local immersion experiences. Students from the Washington, DC, campus even agree, studying in Qatar is an “experience like no other.”

We welcomed new regional partnerships, and built local capacity… 

Georgetown partnered with organizations to enhance the local research infrastructure, like a collaborative research project with HBKU College of Law developing Industrial Policy for Digital Development, which focuses on path-breaking issues in the trade field. We also forged a partnership with Sidra Medicine, offering a five-month-long Certificate in Leadership to advance Qatar’s healthcare industry, and offered a lecture series with Qatar Museums.

…And fostered impactful community conversations to advance regional priorities on the global stage.

Four Hiwaraat Conferences brought together experts from across the globe to share insights and offer solutions from the Global South, including conversations around Gender and Foreign Policy,  AI and the Future of Work, and Palestine. We hosted a forum for Women Shaping Peace in the MENA Region, and a Diplomat-in-Residence and a Writer-in-Residence offered students mentorship and inspiration. A new Qalam series offered the community the chance to engage with prize-winning authors including Abdulrazaq Gurnah.

We pushed boundaries in important fields…

Across Georgetown, faculty and researchers provided insight on issues ranging from the US elections, to involving more Muslim women in public life, to a new research project on Basketball in Qatar and the MENA region, and launched a new journal on the Indian Ocean World.

…And celebrated the legacy of 20 years of partnership with Qatar Foundation.

We launched a memorable campaign to thank Qatar for its support through the years, celebrated 10 years of curricular partnership with Northwestern Qatar, held a symposium in remembrance of founding faculty member, Amira Sonbol, and talked to our alumni, including a Sandhurst Medal-winning officer cadet, and an alumni-founded strategy consulting firm making strides in Qatar.

Here’s to all that lies ahead as we celebrate two decades in Qatar.

Hoya Saxa!