Northwestern University in Qatar Dean and CEO Everette E Dennis (pictured) will step down as the head of Northwestern University in Qatar in 2020 after serving nearly a decade leading Northwestern’s 12th school to new academic achievements and greater global influence, Provost Jonathan Holloway announced.
Dennis took on the role at the helm of Northwestern’s newest school in June 2011, and he has led NU-Q into a new era of growth, with record enrolments and an expanding base of research that has impacted Qatar, the region and the wider world.
“Dean Dennis has sharpened the focus on educating students in a rapidly changing global media environment and helped NU-Q foster research in the Arab media world with far-reaching effects,” said President Morton Schapiro. “We are grateful for his leadership, which has helped NU-Q grow impressively and substantially in reach and impact. We wish him well on the road ahead.”
While Dennis will complete his service as dean in summer 2020, he will be on leave during the 2020-21 academic year and then return to the faculty at Northwestern through his tenured faculty appointment at the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, Holloway said. The Office of the Provost will appoint a search committee in the near future to find a successor to succeed Dennis.
Dennis managed to lead NU-Q with a steady hand through some turbulent times in the Middle East that included wars in Iraq and Syria, a blockade of Qatar by its Arabian Gulf neighbours and a transforming media landscape upended by new reforms in Arab societies and disruptive change driven by digital and social media.
Dennis said, “I have always been bullish on this whole enterprise and am proud to have guided NU-Q into a stunning new building, expand our research and lead this unique, one-of-a-kind school at a time when we are preparing our students to enter the 21st-century media economy. With our close partners in the Qatar Foundation and the royal family, I believe we have made a real difference in shaping the influence of Education City, the changes in Arab society and the lives of Qataris and international students alike.”
