Dr Darwish Abdulrahman al-Emadi (right) receiving a Long Service Award from Dr al-Derham as vice president and chief financial officer Dr Humaid al-Midfaa looks on.

The new academic year at Qatar University was inaugurated yesterday with the Annual Convocation address.
QU president Dr Hassan al-Derham highlighted the organisation’s achievements over the last academic year, and discussed its continuing efforts to provide an inspiring teaching/learning environment to ensure student success.
The event was attended by QU leadership, deans, heads of departments, programme directors, faculty members, staff, students and alumni.
It was an opportunity for the president to update QU community on the university’s development in line with goals set out in the strategic plan and to inform them on the five principles of the reform plan towards education and research excellence.
Dr al-Derham also honoured QU members in various categories -- Merit Award, Faculty Service Award, Media Award, Employee of the Year Award, Developing Online Course Award, Young Alumnus Award, and Long Service Award.
Dr al-Derham pointed at QU’s continuing mission to improving its ranking position regionally and globally, and to expanding its role in formulating educational policies at the national level which will result in promoting educational and research excellence.
“We will continue to assess and align the qualities of our graduates with the needs of the fast-developing labour market, and to review policies to empower faculty members and promote their professional development,” he said.
On driving innovation, Dr al-Derham noted that QU is commitment to preparing university students from an early age to maximise motivation for learning and innovative thinking, and to develop the critical mass necessary for furthering research, professional work, volunteer work, and social service. “We will also advance humanities and social science education by injecting innovative approaches in programme delivery and graduate profiles, and will nurture students’ personal and leadership qualities in line with Unesco’s Education for the 21st Century, in order to invest students’ energy in making a positive impact on society,” he said.
Following his address, Dr al-Derham distributed the following awards: Merit Award --  Dr Atif Iqbal (College of Engineering associate professor of electrical engineering); Runner-up Merit Award -- Dr Jassim Al Khayat (CAS associate professor of marine sciences); Faculty Service Award -- Dr Kaltham Ghanim (director CAS Centre for Humanities and Social Sciences); Runner-up Faculty Service Award --  Dr Maha al-Hendawi (director Core Curriculum Program); and Developing Online Course Award -- Dr Basyouny Nahela (CAS professor of mass communication).
Employee of the Year Award -- Dr Mohamed Saleh al-Saadi (director of Procurement); Media Award --  Dr Hanan al-Fayadh (CAS acting head of Department of Arabic Language), and Young Alumnus Award (Saleh Hamad al-Marri and Sultan Nayef al-Thani).
Recognised for Long Service Awards were Dr Darwish Abdulrahman al-Emadi, Acting VP for Research; Dr Khalid Abdulla al-Ali, Associate VP for Faculty Affairs; Dr Salama Abdulla al-Suwaidi, CAS Arabic language professor; Dr Modi Hamad al-Nasr, CAS associate professor of mathematics; Dr Abdulqader Hemoud al-Qahtani, CAS associate professor of history; Dr Fuad Khalil al-Muhannadi, CAS assistant professor of mathematics; Dr Aisha Yousuf al-Mannai, College of Sharia and Islamic Studies professor of Islamic studies; Prof Abdulla Salem al-Mannai, CED professor of instructional technology; Dr Fatima Yousuf al-Maadadi, co-ordinator CED Early Childhood Centre; Ramadan AbdelFattah Mohamed Ibrahim, CED executive assistant; Mr Ali Hadi Al-Naimi, assistant director for immigration relations; Mr Yehia Adb El Mohsen Ibrahim El-Mechad, senior accountant; Hamed Adbel-Latif Salah, treasurer; Rifaat Galal Massbah Hasanin, lab technician; and Ahmed Adel Ahmed Mohamed El-Azab, store co-ordinator.