H.E. Sheikha Hind meets senior University officials and education innovators on U.S. visit

Her Excellency Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation (QF), and Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU), met senior officials from QF’s partner universities during a recent five-day visit to the United States.

The visit, which took place last week, served as an opportunity to strengthen international ties in the field of education to help continue building a diversified and sustainable economy in Qatar. The tour included meetings with Cornell University, Texas A&M University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, Georgetown University, HEC Paris, and University College London (UCL).

Commenting on the visit, Her Excellency Sheikha Hind said: “At Qatar Foundation everything starts with education, it’s how we began. We’re committed to the concept of lifelong learning, and to providing an ecosystem where education can impact the life of every person.”

In 2008, QF celebrated its first convocation, and in 2016, its cohort of graduates included 650 students, with a large number of alumni now pursuing rewarding careers and contributing to Qatar’s sustainable development.

Highlighting the importance of QF’s multidisciplinary learning environment – Education City – in producing graduates who serve the needs of Qatar, Her Excellency said: “Through our partnership model with international universities, we have brought top-ranking programs and specializations to Education City in the areas of priority to Qatar. We’re currently witnessing impressive outcomes as a result of the efforts exerted by our students and graduates, which are helping to transform Qatar into an international center for innovation excellence.”

H.E. Sheikha Hind also visited a number of innovative educational, philanthropic and research organizations and centers, including Google Jigsaw, Spark!Lab, and the Institute of Play, where she connected with likeminded entities to QF in a bid to encourage knowledge sharing and promote intercultural exchange.

Commenting on these visits, she said: “At QF, we believe innovation in education is vital for success in an ever-evolving world. We therefore continuously strive to reimagine the academic landscape in Qatar in order to build creative educational strategies that will equip today’s young men and women with the skills, knowledge, and tools to help them face the challenges of tomorrow.”

Concluding her tour, H.E. visited Qatar Foundation International’s (QFI) flagship Arabic language program at Washington Latin Public Charter School. QFI, a U.S.-based member of QF, is dedicated to Arabic language and culture education for students and teachers across the world. The initiative currently supports more than 24 schools in the U.S. and more than 2,500 students.