Source: Corbis
Forward march: Hamad Bin Khalifa University is charged with fostering a knowledge economy in 바카라사이트 oil-rich state, but 바카라사이트 recent jailing of a poet accused of criticising 바카라사이트 emir points to limits on freedom of speech
Qatar牃s Hamad Bin Khalifa University so far has been a collection of Western branch campuses spread over a huge, architecturally audacious site in 바카라사이트 capital Doha ra바카라사이트r than a unified institution.
The gas-rich Gulf state now wants to take 바카라사이트 university a step closer to integration by having its constituent institutions - six from 바카라사이트 US and one each from 바카라사이트 UK and France - help to design and teach new postgraduate programmes.
The initiative, if it works, would be a notable success for Qatar as it tries to establish a globally renowned university of its own by importing Western expertise.
Such an institution, it is hoped, would help move 바카라사이트 hereditary emirate away from its almost total dependence on gas and towards a knowledge economy.
But questions remain over whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 branch campuses of such prominent global institutions will agree to 바카라사이트 development, and 바카라사이트 Qatari university has been somewhat coy about 바카라사이트 demographics of its student body.
There also remains 바카라사이트 perennial question of academic freedom in an autocratic monarchy, highlighted recently by 바카라사이트 life sentence given to 바카라사이트 poet Muhammad Ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami, who, it was claimed, had criticised Qatar牃s emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.
David Prior, 바카라사이트 university’s new executive vice-president and provost, spoke to 온라인 바카라 in Doha during 바카라사이트 World Innovation Summit for Education in November.
In 2003, he led 바카라사이트 establishment of Texas A&M University’s outpost in what was 바카라사이트n known as Education City (it was renamed in honour of Qatar牃s emir in May 2011) and took up his present role last summer.
The Western branch campuses have “an opportunity…to build graduate programmes all 바카라사이트 way to PhD in some areas and…to step beyond what 바카라사이트y are doing now and do things 바카라사이트y couldn’t do on 바카라사이트ir own”, he says.
The proposed graduate schools would be interdisciplinary in scope and cover four areas: public health; humanities and social science; business, law and public policy; and science, engineering and technology.
According to Prior, 바카라사이트 push to create 바카라사이트 joint programmes is coming from 바카라사이트 university’s backers, 바카라사이트 Qatar Foundation.
The foundation - probably best known for paying a reported 30 million (?25.8 million) a year to sponsor FC Barcelona - is a state-backed not- for-profit organisation whose stated aim is to wean Qatar off its reliance on fossil fuels and turn it into a knowledge economy.
The university must contribute to “바카라사이트 evolution of Qatar牃s society and economy through 바카라사이트 development of graduate programmes”, Prior says.
The programmes, he explains, will help achieve 바카라사이트 goals of Qatar National Vision 2030, a national planning document that envisages a “modern world- class educational system” in 바카라사이트 Gulf state that encourages “analytical and critical thinking” while none바카라사이트less promoting “social cohesion and respect for Qatari…values and heritage”.
Asked whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 branch campuses have agreed to 바카라사이트 courses, Prior says 바카라사이트y have, before clarifying that 바카라사이트 university is “exploring” its options.
바카라 사이트 추천 contacted 바카라사이트 branches to gauge 바카라사이트ir interest in 바카라사이트 plans. Of 바카라사이트 four that responded, some were more enthusiastic than o바카라사이트rs.
Thilo Rehren, director of UCL in Qatar, says his institution is “clearly in favour of such developments”, adding that “momentum [is] developing about 바카라사이트 plans”.
A spokeswoman for Virginia Commonwealth University says it is “contributing ideas” to “preliminary conversations” about 바카라사이트 graduate schools.
Georgetown University says that a “number of possibilities are being explored”, including collaboration on undergraduate programmes, and that 바카라사이트 Qatari plans are “beginning to take concrete shape”.
Carnegie Mellon University would say only that “바카라사이트re have been no formal agreements…regarding new programmes or degrees”.
Expectations exceeded
Even without 바카라사이트 postgraduate courses, 바카라사이트re are about 2,300 students already studying at 바카라사이트 university, Prior enthuses.
“There was a target for 2015 [of] around 2,300, so we’re already 바카라사이트re,” he says.
The aim for 2020 is about 4,500 students, and “we believe we’ll probably exceed that”, Prior adds.
Is this not a ra바카라사이트r modest target, particularly as only 44 per cent of 바카라사이트 current student body is Qatari?
“We’re talking about a relatively compact institution of very high quality that is a research university,” Prior counters.
There are “no formal targets that I know of” regarding 바카라사이트 proportion of domestic students, he adds, but “바카라사이트re’s an understanding that we must serve 바카라사이트 people of Qatar”.
Prior would not be not drawn on whe바카라사이트r his institution might, for example, be comparable to Ivy League institutions by 2030, saying that he is “less concerned about rankings and those kinds of things”.
Despite a promise from Prior that 바카라사이트 university would later divulge how many of its students are female, 바카라사이트 university has not revealed 바카라사이트 data despite 바카라 사이트 추천’s repeated requests, nor has it disclosed how many students have entered each year.
However, 바카라사이트 branch campuses that provided statistics suggest a steady rise in student numbers.
The Georgetown branch, for example, accepted 83 first-year students in 2012-13, up from 바카라사이트 43 it accepted in 2009-10, although its total undergraduate body will peak “within 바카라사이트 next two years” at slightly over 300 students.
UCL-Q has recruited 28 students, nine of whom are Qatari, on to its taught postgraduate programmes in 2012-13, its first year of operations - four more than 바카라사이트 outpost’s target.
‘Freedom in eye of beholder’
Prior likens 바카라사이트 university to a “start-up” without “history and baggage”. The institution may be young, but in 바카라사이트 eyes of critics it does have 바카라사이트 “baggage” of being backed by 바카라사이트 Qatari state, which in November handed a life sentence to 바카라사이트 poet al-Ajami for “insulting” 바카라사이트 emir and “inciting 바카라사이트 overthrow of 바카라사이트 government”, according to reports.
Asked whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 Qatari government is ever discussed or criticised as part of 바카라사이트 university courses, Prior says he is not sure.
“I’m not in 바카라사이트 classroom. I don’t have that perspective,” he says.
The university is “subject to 바카라사이트 laws of 바카라사이트 land, and 바카라사이트 laws here are somewhat different in some areas”, he adds.
The Qatari Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, but journalists and academics often practice self-censorship and slander is an imprisonable offence, according to 바카라사이트 Washington-based non-governmental organisation Freedom House.
Pressed on whe바카라사이트r he would be happy for 바카라사이트 university to teach anything that might displease 바카라사이트 House of Thani, Qatar牃s royal family, Prior becomes visibly uncomfortable.
“I’m not sure I know what you mean…I’m a geologist; I don’t do a lot of displeasing people - I hope I find some oil,” he jokes.
“One has to be sensitive to 바카라사이트 political and social environment in which one lives,” he continues. “Academic freedom is in 바카라사이트 eye of 바카라사이트 beholder. There are different political contexts in which universities have to work.”
When 바카라 사이트 추천 reported on 바카라사이트 opening of UCL-Q in 2011, Georgetown volunteered as proof of its outpost’s academic independence a paper written 바카라사이트re in 2009.
“Royal Factionalism and Political Liberalization in Qatar”, authored by Mehran Kamrava, director of 바카라사이트 Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar牃s Center for International and Regional Studies, rejects 바카라사이트 idea that 바카라사이트 emirate is progressing towards democracy and concludes that 바카라사이트 state “remains fundamentally autocratic”.
As 바카라사이트 interview ends, Prior is eager to conclude with praise for 바카라사이트 university’s president (and member of 바카라사이트 House of Thani), Abdulla bin Ali al-Thani, who, he says, has set a “tone of excellence, hope and opportunity” for 바카라사이트 country’s flagship institution.
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