HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Wednesday graced as the guest of honour the graduation of 528 male students from Qatar University’s Class of 2016 at a ceremony at Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre.

A total of 67 highest-achieving students of GPA 3.50 and higher received their certificates from HH the Emir while another 461 students received their certificates from the deans of their respective colleges in the presence of QU president Dr Hassan Rashid al-Derham, members of QU leadership, deans, parents and well-wishers. Accounting student Khaled Hosny Hosny was the highest scorer with GPA 3.98.
HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, a number of ministers and other dignitaries were present at the ceremony which also saw the graduation of the first cohorts of several academic programmes - six students of BA Policy, Planning & Development -- College of Arts & Sciences; one from BBA Economics -- College of Business & Economics; one from B.Ed Secondary Education -- College of Education; and one from MSc Clinical Pharmacy and Practice -- College of Pharmacy.
Dr al-Derham said the graduation comes at a time when Qatar University is witnessing a period of transition, which is essential in the light of fast-growing development in all sectors of the society, particularly the economic development from which resulted numerous changes in social, cultural and intellectual areas.
“It is important for us to keep abreast of the society’s fast growth and needs by establishing a comprehensive vision for the future which aims to preserve and to promote the organisation’s achievements while aligning them with the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030,” he explained.
The president stressed that the vision focuses on QU being a model national university in the region, recognised for high-quality education and research and for being the first choice for students, parents and employers, as well as a leader of economic and social development.
Dr al-Derham noted that over the past ten years, QU continued to advance its standing in the international arena among the top universities in the world and achieved a number of rankings successes, the most recent of which is being named No 1 in the Arab region in the Round University Rankings.
He also highlighted that the organisation continued to develop its academic infrastructure by establishing a Health Education Cluster that merges the colleges of Pharmacy, Medicine and Health Sciences and which will contribute to equipping the healthcare sector with qualified and well-trained professionals, and enhancing its services.
“We are committed to providing our students with high-quality education -- underpinning this commitment is the goal to align our colleges with established international standards and best practices. As a result, QU colleges have been successful in their accreditation initiatives earning the endorsement of numerous leading international accrediting bodies, the most recent of which were the accreditations achieved by the colleges of Education and Law,” he added.
Valedictorian, Mohamed Ahmad al-Marri from the College of Arts & Sciences congratulated his colleagues and thanked the university, “I thank Qatar University for giving us an education of such high quality that is in line with the highest international standards and best practices, and that has provided us with invaluable opportunities to unlock our potential and excel in our respective goals. Today we embark on a new phase in our personal and professional lives and prepare to join the labour market and be the next generation of future leaders and loyal ambassadors of the university.”

Some of the graduates of the Class of 2016