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New Building for the School of Foreign Service in Qatar

February 14, 2011 – Members of the Georgetown community gathered in Doha, Qatar, this past weekend to celebrate a new home for the School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Q).

The inauguration of Georgetown’s new building in Education City marked an important milestone in the history of the university’s partnership with the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.

The partnership began when Georgetown opened SFS-Q in 2005.

A Legacy

“It is unlikely that John Carroll could have imagined when he founded our university 222 years ago, that one day, we would have a campus 7,000 miles, 11,000 kilometers, away,” said President John J. DeGioia, “but I am certain that this is part of the legacy that he left for Georgetown.”

Today the university has more than 130 countries represented in its student body.

“Each of you here contributes to and enhances this important legacy,” he told members of the audience, which included Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser; His Excellency Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, deputy prime minister of Qatar; senior leadership from the Qatar Foundation; guests from Georgetown’s Washington, D.C., campus; SFS-Q faculty members and the entire SFS–Q student body.

State-of-the-Art

The new 360,000-square-foot building features a three-story high atrium, an auditorium with a seating capacity for 350 people and 14 classroom and lecture halls.

Prior to the official inauguration ceremony of the new building, Sheikha Moza, chair of the Qatar Foundation and chair of the Emiri Diwan, toured the facility along with other distinguished guests.

The tour explored the building’s state-of-the-art facilities, including the new public library, which houses one of the country’s most extensive collections of books and material.

Opening Doors

During the tour of the building, Ibrahim Al Derbasti (SFS’10) spoke about how proud alumni and the current student body is of Georgetown’s campus in Qatar.

“We thank Her Highness for the opportunity to study at Georgetown in Education City,” he said. “I think all of us here would agree that our time at Georgetown has opened many doors for us already, and we are very excited about Georgetown’s new home in Education City.”

Lifelong Learners

“When Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service first opened its doors here in Qatar, we found a partner who shared our vision,” Sheikha Moza explained. “Georgetown’s commitment to educating lifelong learners, dedicated to justice and the common good, echo the standards that have made Qatar Foundation and Education City so successful.”

To commemorate the occasion, a symposium on “The World in 2050” took place. Carol Lancaster, dean of School of Foreign Service in Washington, D.C., moderated the symposium, which focused on global issues and their impact on diplomacy and education.

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