Doha: Regional and international university leaders, representatives of leading educational, business and industry organisations and global experts in higher education will attend the MENA Universities Summit Qatar University (QU) is co-hosting with Times Higher Education (THE) magazine.
The event has drawn sponsorship support from leading organisations in Qatar such as Qatar National Bank (QNB), Commercial Bank and Qatar Petrochemical Company (Qapco).
The summit under the patronage of Deputy Emir
H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani will see the participation of academic institutions, including QU, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Imperial College London, St Joseph’s University UAE, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Sultan Qaboos University, New York University (NYU) Abu Dhabi, Northwestern University Qatar (NU-Q), Al Akhawayn University, and Community College Qatar (CCQ).
A gala dinner will open the event and will be chaired by Hamad Bin Khalifa University President and Vice-Chair, QU Board of Regents, H E Sheikh Dr Abdullah bin Ali Al Thani who will represent Deputy Emir.
The agenda includes keynote addresses, discussion sessions, a master class and an open consultation session on proposals for a full THE MENA University Ranking.
Welcoming speeches will be delivered by QU President, Sheikha Abdulla Al Misnad, and THE Editor-at-Large Phil Baty, and keynote speeches by Imperial College London Prof Alice Gast, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology President. Prof Jean-Lou Chameau, and World Bank official and tertiary education expert Dr Jamil Salmi.
A panel discussion on university-industry collaboration will include CEOs and directors from Qatar Airways, Qatar Petroleum, Amwal, Qapco, Ooredoo, Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation, and Qatar Rail.
QU V-P for Institutional Development, Dr Saif Al Sowaidi, will join university leaders Dr Alfred Bloom (NYU Abu Dhabi), Dr Nisrine Abiad (St Joseph’s University), Dr Everette Dennis (NU-Q) and Dr Driss Ouaouicha (Al Akhawayn University) in a session on ‘Satellite Campuses and Transnational Education’.
A session on ‘Strengths & Weaknesses of HE in MENA’ will be attended by experts from Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), Qatar Foundation Academy for Academic Leadership and CCQ, while representatives from QU, Higher Education Funding Council for England and Elsevier will discuss ‘Social Economic Impact of Universities: Emerging New Metrics’.
The master class on ranking will be delivered by Phil Baty in which QU Scholarships Office, officials from MENA AIR, Association of Arab Universities, and others will participate.
The Peninsula
