Qatar University (QU) released details of its new strategy (2018-2022) themed “A Strategy for Transformation From Reform to Transform” at a launching ceremony yesterday held at QU Library.
The event was attended by QU president Dr Hassan al-Derham and chief strategy and development officer Dr Darwish al-Emadi, as well as QU leadership, college deans, faculty and staff. It featured the screening of a short film on “QU Strategy (2018-2022)”.
Dr al-Derham noted that QU’s new strategy is inspired from the speech of His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on July 21, in which he said,“We require diligence, creativity, independent thinking, constructive initiatives and interest in academic achievement in all disciplines, self-reliance and fighting indolence and dependency. This is not just wishful thinking, and these are not mere dreams. Our goals are realistic and practical.”
The QU president highlighted the importance of education as it is placed at the heart of Qatar National Vision 2030.
“QU is the country’s first higher education institution. It has been an educational pioneer from the outset. We have rigorously pursued educational excellence and the highest quality research. We are dedicated to the improvement of opportunities for all our students,” Dr al-Derham said.
“Building on the successful development of the university into a preeminent educational institution, we have developed a new five-year strategy (2018-2022) which will map out the routes to achieving continuing performance excellence and build on our achievements in our key areas of education, research, institution and engagement.”
He also noted that QU’s strategic direction is derived directly from the university’s mission, new vision and core values and has been based on comprehensive strategic analysis. According to him QU’s new strategy is built upon the accomplishments and experience of the past 24 years.
He said QU is committed to six core values, derived from its guiding principles and aligned with its mission statement - Excellence, Integrity, Academic Freedom, Diversity, Innovation, and Social Responsibility.
Dr al-Derham outlined QU’s core strategies which include Teaching and Learning Strategy, Student Experience Strategy, Research and Knowledge Advancement Strategy, Institutional Excellence Strategy, and Engagement Strategy. He also pointed to the enabling strategies, which are spread across the QU’s goals and which include Digital Transformation and Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
On higher education transformation, Dr al-Derham noted that QU is committed to transforming higher education in Qatar by proactively playing a leading role in shaping and enabling the transformation of the nation’s higher education system.
“We are positioning QU to transform into a proactive institution which leads higher education in Qatar by strategically harnessing the capabilities of other providers, while addressing the developmental needs of the nation as it moves towards a knowledge-based economy,” he said.
“We aspire to be an educational institution which offers the next generation of degree programmes. Current degrees will need to be reimagined and reconstituted, competency-based learning should be embedded into the curriculum, which is to be supported by experiential learning methods. Resources will be directed to recruit, invest in and retain leading faculty and researchers, and we will draw on their creativity in reconstituting the curricula and pathways in a manner which distinguishes QU as a model national university,” he added.