DOHA: Qatar University Center for Academic Advising and Retention was recently presented with NACADA 2014 Outstanding Academic Advising Programme Certificate of Merit Award.
The Award is in recognition of the Center’s distinctive academic advising programmes, making QU the only university in the Gulf and the Middle East to receive this prestigious achievement. Plans are underway to submit application for National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) accreditation of the Center’s programmes.
Close to 200 academic advisers, academic and student affairs professionals and educators in Doha, the region and beyond attended the 2014 NACADA Middle East conference, the first-ever conference on academic advising in the region.
Co-hosted by QU Center for Academic Advising and Retention and the NACADA, the two day forum which is being held for the first time in the Middle East, drew presenters from more than 20 institutions across the Middle East such as QU, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi University, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa University, American University of Sharjah, University of Leicester, Isik University, and Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences.
The opening ceremony was attended by officials from both parties including QU President Prof Sheikha Abdulla Al Misnad, NACADA Executive Director Dr Charlie Nutt (both keynote speakers), QU VP for Student Affairs Dr Omar Al Ansari, deans, faculty and students. Also attending were representatives from Community College Qatar, College of the North Atlantic Qatar, Stenden University, and branch universities at Education City.
In her opening remarks, Prof Al Misnad said:
“Qatar University has set a strategic vision on four pillars, of which student success is a key component. In recent years, student services, including academic advising, have seen tremendous growth and development at QU. Their growth has been integral to the University’s strategic vision for providing high-quality education that extends beyond academic achievement.”
The conference programme included workshops, discussion panels, poster sessions and paper presentations that address the most current trends in academic advising and practices towards students’ motivation, retention, and success such as the First-Year Experience, student welfare, peer mentoring and career planning.
The Peninsula
