Qatar Foundation Convocation Ceremony 2013

Convocation 2013

Dear graduates, ladies, and gentlemen:

At this time every year, I come here to celebrate with you the graduation of a new class from Qatar Foundation.

You graduates await this moment a long time. I, personally, look forward to this day, a day when I see dreams take shape. When I look at you, I feel confident that you graduates are capable of transforming our world and ushering in long-lasting change.

May Allah bless your efforts and shower you with success. We celebrate you here while the journey of life awaits you outside the walls of Education City and expects your achievements to be in alignment with the quality education acquired in your universities.

Remember, knowledge has value only when it is turned into achievement. So keep the spirit of achievement in your work and life, and spread values that promote a culture of excellence and contribute to building a knowledge society. For our part, we have spared no efforts to offer you an environment that nurtures innovation.

This environment is a result of our decision to establish progressive academic institutions in Qatar that would help the social, economic, scientific and cultural development of the country in a sustainable way. From the outset, Hamad bin Khalifa University’s mission has been to contribute to the development of Qatar by adopting the best education models.

In our minds, we wanted to make you the best in your chosen fields, capable of leading a knowledge-based economy and contributing to building the community and country. We also wanted you to have the highest standards in science and knowledge, and put your scientific skills at the disposal of your country and future.

Daughters and sons,

Don’t give in to reality, as it may mold you according to its own image. I advise you instead to bridge the gap between the present and the future, and bravely face the challenges and obstacles on the way. You all have what is needed to overcome these barriers. This is what we expect of you: to play the role of the leaders that you have been turned into during your time here.

The time has come for you to give something back to the community, to innovate, to produce ideas that will change our society – from one that consumes knowledge to one that produces it. The building of a knowledge economy generally requires minds capable of producing new knowledge.

It is our aim to deepen and diversify the academic knowledge of our graduates; this is why one of Hamad Bin Khalifa University's main priorities is to become a hub promoting all efforts of cooperation, coordination and interaction between the various universities of Education City.

The time has come to offer students more academic choices and allow them to diversify their specializations.

I am pleased to announce today that we will soon give our students priority to study a chosen discipline in a certain university while opting at the same time for another minor specialty in another university within Education City.

The first cooperation in cross-registration will be in Journalism and Political Sciences between Northwestern University and Georgetown University.

I expect of this initiative to academically enhance the students’ knowledge and enrich their future. This is the model that we thought would characterize our academic project - a project that would encompass new and diverse programs offered by a number of universities.

It our pleasure to also announce the launch of three new academic programs at Hamad Bin Khalifa University:

• The Executive Masters in Energy & Resources
• The Masters in Library and Information Studies
• The Academic Research and Methods certificate program.

Dear daughters and sons,

Each time I celebrate the graduation of a new class of Hamad bin Khalifa University students, my belief in the rightness of Qatar’s decision to invest in human capital - indeed to consider the human capital as the nation’s most precious source of wealth – becomes stronger and more profound. You are the trees that we have nurtured all this time. And today, you start bearing fruit.

You are the future.

Congratulations again. I wish you all the luck and success in this new stage of your life and hope to see you develop into scientists, experts and leaders in a future you helped build.

Thank you