Carnegie Mellon Celebrates 20 Years in Qatar Foundation’s Education City

More than 300 alumni returned to Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar(opens in new window) to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the campus in Education City, and a shared commitment and vision to providing world-class education in Qatar that continues to unite the university and Qatar Foundation (QF).

Her Excellency Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al-Thani, vice chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation, attended the event in the CMU-Q building. United States Ambassador to Qatar Timmy Davis was also in attendance.

Since opening its doors in 2004, CMU-Q — a Qatar Foundation partner university — has seen 1,300 graduates, most of whom are now working and living in Qatar. At the ceremony, Michael Trick, who was appointed dean of CMU-Q in 2017, spoke about the impact of the campus over the past 20 years.

“It is the highest honor for educators to see our students succeed and shape the world. That was the vision of Qatar Foundation and Carnegie Mellon in 2004 when this university opened,” he said. “This vision is realized — and continues to be realized — with every graduating student who crosses the stage and begins their career journey.”

In a message shared prior to the event, Her Excellency Sheikha Hind said: “The vision of Qatar Foundation is to unlock human potential, and we share this dedication to education and inspiration with our Carnegie Mellon partners. The graduates of CMU-Q receive diplomas in a select set of disciplines, and with this knowledge, they have traveled many paths and are transforming the world in truly unique ways. We value this partnership, and look forward to many more years of collaboration and educational excellence.”

“Thanks to the education you received here, you are distinctly well-prepared to define and manage the space where technology and humanity intersect; where change is viewed as an opportunity, not a barrier; and where working across sectors and borders is intentional and seamless, not unusual,” Farnam Jahanian, president of Carnegie Mellon University, said during his remarks.

Francisco Marmolejo, president of higher education and education adviser, Qatar Foundation, spoke on behalf of Qatar Foundation.

“As CMU-Q and QF enter the third decade of their partnership, our commitment to educational advancement and benefiting society through knowledge, innovation, collaboration, and impactful learning experiences is stronger than ever,” he said.

Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar began classes in August 2004, with just 41 students in two undergraduate programs: business administration and computer science. In 2007, CMU-Q added information systems to its program offerings, and biological sciences was added in 2011.

Trick discussed how the shared vision of Carnegie Mellon and Qatar Foundation lay the groundwork for an impactful partnership over the last two decades.

“The vision was to have a transformative impact on society. And tonight, you can see that this vision has become a reality,” he remarked. “Look around the room at the hundreds of alumni who are here. Our graduates are transforming our world using the education they received at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar and Education City.”

The evening was a celebration of alumni success, and the official program included several graduates who shared their experiences as CMU-Q alumni in the Qatar workplace. An alumni panel included Mohammed Al-Hardan (business administration, 2009), head of technology, media and telecom investment at Qatar Investment Authority; Abdulla Al-Khenji (information systems, 2015), founder of Meddy and Flare Business; Noora Al-Muftah (computational biology, 2016), assistant professor at Qatar University; Nofe Al-Suwaidi (business administration, 2011), acting director for international cooperation and development, Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Fahim Dalvi (computer science, 2014)  senior software engineer, Arabic language technologies, Qatar Computing Research Institute; and Farjana Salahuddin (information systems, 2017), chief operating officer of STA and an interactive and new media artist.

The evening closed with a look to the future. One of the latest graduates, Abdulrahman Darwish Fakhroo (business administration, 2024), shared his perspective on the impact the newest graduates — and those who will graduate in the coming years — will have on Qatar and the world.

Today, CMU-Q is home to more than 450 students from 61 countries. The incoming class, who will graduate in 2028, includes the largest number of Qatari citizens in campus history. CMU-Q offers undergraduate programs in biological sciences, business administration, computer science and information systems. Students can tailor their degrees to suit their interests, with a host of minor discipline options, cross-registration opportunities within Education City, study abroad semesters, and micro courses offered by faculty from the CMU campus in Pittsburgh.

CMU-Q alumni form a vibrant and active network, both within Qatar and beyond. They frequently return to campus to meet with students, offer mentorship and guidance, participate in competitions and events, and reconnect with the community.