DOHA: A total of 111 students graduated from Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU) at a commencement exercises at the HBKU Student Centre yesterday.
H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson, Qatar Foundation, and H E Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice-Chairperson and CEO, QF, attended the ceremony which saw the graduates receive their diplomas.
This year’s class has 55 percent Qataris, an increase from 48 percent in 2015, and includes representatives from 29 countries.
Within HBKU’s graduating class, there are 52 graduates from HBKU’s Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies (QFIS), 43 from College of Science and Engineering, and 16 from College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
The students were joined at the ceremony by their families and friends, and faculty and staff of the university. Guests included ministers, ambassadors and deans of HBKU’s partner universities.
Habib Haddad was the guest speaker at the event. He is a tech entrepreneur and most recently founder of Yamli.com and YallaStartup.org.
In 2009, World Economic Forum recognised Habib as a Young Global Leader and the ArabianBusiness named him one of the top 30 influential Arabs under 30.
Around 700 people witnessed the graduation ceremony, including H H Sheikha Moza, who last year received a Master of Arts in Public Policy in Islam.
She said: “HBKU was launched to create a dynamic new home for innovative research education in Qatar; a place built to push the boundaries of learning in line with the needs of Qatar and its people.
“The university continues to grow and thrive, and is graduating exceptional students who will have been greatly enriched by the knowledge, skills and friendships that they’ve developed during their studies.
“I applaud the dedication of HBKU’s Class of 2016. As an alumna of the university myself, I understand the effort they have put in to achieve a significant milestone and wish them continued success as they apply what they’ve learned to build bright futures for themselves and their communities.”
Dr Ahmad M Hasnah, President, HBKU, presented diplomas to each of the graduates. He said: “We are an emerging research university that embeds innovation, and an ability to perceive, understand, and adapt to the new century’s major needs. These needs are the challenge we take on; at HBKU, we are committed to delivering multidisciplinary research education that is locally relevant and globally recognised.”
This year’s graduates included the inaugural class of the Master of Arts in Audiovisual Translation programme, who began their degree courses in August 2014. This new degree trains specialists in translating audiovisual texts, both for foreign-language viewers and sensory impaired audiences, with this year’s graduates focusing much of their research and projects over the past two years on engaging the local community and improving accessibility for the visually impaired in Qatar.
Also graduating was the second batch of students with an Executive Master in Energy and Resources (E&R) and the third cohort of graduates with a Master of Arts in Translation Studies.
A large number of students from QFIS also graduated from Master’s degree programmes in the fields of Islamic Studies and Islamic Finance.
This year’s student speaker Sabah Al Heidous, who graduated with an MA in Public Policy in Islam, said: “I joined this university without hesitation, not only for its academic offering, but also because of the social, cognitive and skill-based experience it offers.
“As a result, the workforce benefits from the university, which has a major influence in helping to achieve Qatar’s vision.”
More than 300 students have now graduated from HBKU. Three new HBKU programmes are accepting students ahead of classes starting in autumn 2016: A Master of Science in Data Science and Engineering; Master of Science in Cybersecurity; and Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering.
The Peninsula
