DOHA, Qatar-- More than 600 guests and dignitaries attended a gala event on the 10th of March 2005, to celebrate the inauguration of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar. The event was graced by the presence of H.H Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, wife of H.H the Emir and Chair of Qatar Foundation.
A delegation of academics, students, administrators and trustees from the main campus in Pittsburgh also attended the event, which in true Carnegie Mellon tradition commenced with the Carnegie Mellon bagpiper in celebration of the University's Tartan heritage.
"There is a spontaneous synergy between Qatar Foundation and Carnegie Mellon," H.H Sheikha Mozah stated in her address while welcoming Carnegie Mellon Qatar to Education City. "Carnegie Mellon has always been innovating, crossing boundaries and creating new frontiers. We have been assured that our confidence in Carnegie Mellon has not been misplaced."
H.H Sheikha Mozah described Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar as a testimony to the success of Qatar Foundation, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary soon. "We are convinced that Carnegie Mellon will be a major player in research in our country. As I see the students of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, I see the future of Qatar," H.H Sheikha Mozah concluded.
"Like Her Highness, Carnegie Mellon is deeply committed to the ideals that have shaped Education City from its inception - ideals like democracy, freedom, increased opportunities for both men and women, and most important, the power of higher education to turn these ideals into realities," said Jared L. Cohon, Ph.D., president of Carnegie Mellon University. "Our distinguished founder, Andrew Carnegie was a great businessman, philanthropist and visionary. Today in 2005, one hundred years later, Carnegie Mellon retains
the institutional values that were handed to us by Andrew Carnegie himself. These values are: Hard work, a commitment to problem-solving, a focus on teaching and research with every day applications, and a belief that bringing together individuals from diverse perspectives is the best way to tackle challenges."
"It is no exaggeration to say that the whole world is watching Education City - from Newsweek to the Chronicle of Higher Education to NBC Nightly News - they are watching what we have accomplished and eager to see what we will accomplish," continued Dr. Cohon. "What we accomplish will have a tremendous impact - not only on our students, but also on Qatar, on the Middle East and on the entire world."
During the ceremony, H.H Sheikha Mozah bestowed the Mozah Bint Nasser Chair of Computer Science and Robotics on Dr. Raj Reddy, the Simon University professor of Computer Science and Robotics from Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science. Dr. Reddy is the first recipient of the chair and was described by H.H Sheika Mozah as "an example of Andrew Carnegie's 'my heart in the work' philosophy'."
Guests at the Inaugural Gala were regaled with the world premier of "Fanfare for the Future: Celebrating the vision of Qatar Foundation" by students from Carnegie Mellon's School of Music. This piece was especially composed for H.H Sheikha Mozah by Alan Fletcher, D.M.A, professor and head of Carnegie Mellon's School of Music.
"Our students are hand-picked - it's hard to make the grade at Carnegie Mellon, and so we only offer admission to the best and brightest. And those leaders of tomorrow? They are here today," said Dr. Charles E. Thorpe, dean of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar.
Fahad Al-Jefairi, a business administration major and president of the Carnegie Mellon Qatar Student Majlis, speaking on behalf of the student community said, "I would like to express our deepest gratitude for the great educational opportunity that you have offered us in Qatar."
"I have been pleased and impressed, as I always knew I would be, by Carnegie Mellon Qatar's first year of classes. The faculty, students and staff overflow with enthusiasm and inquisitiveness. They have proved to be a fine addition to our family here," said Dr. Charles E. Young, president of Qatar Foundation. "I think it is wonderful and appropriate that Carnegie Mellon should celebrate its arrival and successes they have already had by demonstrating its capacity to be a resource to the community in the future. I look forward to celebrating the many successes yet to come."
-Ends-
About Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar:
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar is the first international branch campus operated by Carnegie Mellon University, a private American research university with a distinctive mix of programs in computer science, robotics, engineering, the sciences, business, public policy, fine arts and the humanities. In August 2004 Carnegie Mellon Qatar began offering its internationally recognized undergraduate programs in business and computer science at the invitation of the Qatar Foundation. Joining Texas A&M University, Virginia Commonwealth University and Weill Cornell Medical College, Carnegie Mellon plans to open a new facility on the Education City campus in 2007. More information can be found at www.qatar.cmu.edu.
Editors Notes:
About Dr. Raj Reddy:
Dr. Raj Reddy is the Herbert A. Simon University Professor of Computer Science and Robotics in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. He served as the founding Director of the Robotics Institute from 1979 to 1991 and held the position of Dean of School of Computer Science at CMU from 1991 to 1999.
Dr. Reddy's research interests include the study of human-computer interaction and artificial intelligence. His current research projects include spoken language systems, invisible computing, gigabit networks, universal digital libraries and distance learning on demand.
Dr. Reddy was awarded the Legion of Honor by President Mitterand of France in 1984 and the ACM Turing Award in 1994. He is a member and co-chair of the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC).
About the Qatar Foundation:
The Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development is a private, nonprofit, chartered organization founded in 1995 aiming to develop and utilize human potential through a network of centers and campuses. In 1997 the foundation set out a strategic plan to create an Education City, composed of progressive educational institutions for students of all ages, research facilities, a specialty teaching hospital and a science and technology park, as well as branch campuses of some of the world's leading universities and the RAND-Qatar Policy Institute. In October 2002, Education City was officially inaugurated. For more information, visit www.qf.org.qa.
© Press Release 2005
