CCQ Press Remarks

THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF QATAR


REMARKS TO PRESS

10 MAY 2010

JUDITH M. L. HANSEN, PH.D.

DEAN

GOOD MORNING AND THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION TO HER HIGHNESS SHEIKHA MOZAH BINT NASSER AL MISSNED WHO DREAMED OF A COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF QATAR; HIS EXCELLENCY SAAD BIN IBRAHIM AL-MAHMOUD MINISTER OF EDUCATION AND HIGHER EDUCATION , SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE SUPREME EDUCATION COUNCIL (SEC) WHO HAS LEAD THE SEC DREAM OF A COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF QATAR, TO PROJECT DIRECTOR DR. IBRAHIM S. AL-NAIMI WHO MADE THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF QATAR DREAM A REALITY ALONG WITH THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR VISION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR STRENGTH OF MISSION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR DRIVE TOWARD THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF QATAR GOAL. THANK YOU FOR THE GIFT YOU PROVIDED ME TO WORK WITH YOU ALL TOWARD A WORLD’S FIRST NATION-WIDE COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOR THE PEOPLE OF QATAR, THE CCQ. AS A PROFESSIONAL WHO HAS TAUGHT AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES AND PROVIDED LEADERSHIP FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES FOR OVER THIRTY YEARS, I CONGRATULATE YOU ON BRINGING A DREAM TO REALITY IN QATAR.

OUR CCQ WILL USE THE MISSION OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO MEET QATAR EDUCATIONAL NEEDS: THE NEED FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE NOT TESTED WELL ENOUGH FOR UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE, BUT CAN STUDY FOUNDATION COURSEWORK IN ENGLISH OR MATH ALONG WITH COLLEGE COURSES FOR UNIVERSITY ENROLLMENT AFTER TWO YEARS. THE NEED FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE DROPPED OUT OF UNIVERSITY BUT WOULD LIKE ANOTHER CHANCE BY TAKING COLLEGE COURSEWORK FOR TWO YEARS AND THEN ENROLLING AT THE UNIVERSITY. THE NEED FOR STUDENTS TO ENROLL IN COLLEGE TECHNICAL DEGREE PROGRAMS FOR A BETTER JOB WITHOUT GOING TO UNIVERSITY. THE NEED FOR WORKING STUDENTS TO ADVANCE IN THEIR PROFESSION BY GOING TO COLLEGE. THE NEED FOR COLLEGE GRADUATES AND PROFESSIONALS TO ENROLL IN COURSES FOR NEW KNOWLEDGE IN THEIR JOB. OUR CCQ IS DESIGNED TO MEET THE WORKFORCE QATARIZATION CHALLENGES STILL FACING OUR STATE BY PROVIDING ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSITY PREPARATION, TECHNICAL SKILL DEGREES AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION FOR OUR PROFESSIONALS AND CITIZENS.

OUR COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF QATAR WILL PROVIDE ASSOCIATE IN SCIENCE AND ASSOCIATE IN ARTS DEGREES FOR ARTICULATION TO UNIVERSITY; ASSOCIATE IN APPLIED SCIENCE DEGREES FOR GRADUATES TO GO TO WORK; AND CERTIFICATES AND SPECIALIZED COURSES FOR SHORT-TERM INFORMATION AND PROFESSIONAL UPDATE.

HOW CAN THE CCQ PROVIDE DEGREES AND PROGRAMS SO QUICKLY FOLLOWING THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF OUR DREAM ONLY A FEW YEARS AGO? WE HAVE CONTRACTED WITH HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE (HCC) IN AMERICA FOR EDUCATIONAL, OPERATIONAL AND ACCREDITATION SERVICES DURING THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF CCQ. THE ACCREDITATION THAT WE WILL BE SEEKING WITH PARTNER COLLEGE HCC IS THE SAME ACCREDITATION ALSO BEING SOUGHT BY QATAR UNIVERSITY, THE SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS (SACS), AND CURRENTLY HELD BY HCC. WITH THE ACCREDITED ASSOCIATE IN ARTS AND ASSOCIATE IN SCIENCES DEGREES FROM HCC, CCQ INTENDS FOR GRADUATES TO ARTICULATE THE DEGREES, OR TRANSFER TO ANY UNIVERSITY AS A THIRD YEAR STUDENT, WITHOUT TAKING ADDITIONAL COURSES. DR. IBRAHIM AND I HAVE BEEN VISITING WITH OUR UNIVERSITY COLLEAGUES ABOUT CCQ ARTICULATION WITH QATAR UNIVERSITY AND UNIVERSITIES IN EDUCATION CITY. TEXAS A & M HAS EXPRESSED THAT THEY ALREADY ARTICULATE THEIR COURSES WITH HCC AND WILL WELCOME THOSE GRADUATES WHO COMPLETE THE ARTICULATED CCQ PROGRAMS OF STUDY.

THIS FIRST YEAR CCQ PLANS TO FOCUS ON THE ASSOCIATE IN ARTS AND ASSOCIATE IN SCIENCES DEGREES FOR TRANSFER TO UNIVERSITY UPON GRADUATION AND THE ASSOCIATE IN APPLIED SCIENCES DEGREE TECHNICAL PROGRAMS IN BUSINESS AND FINANCE AND COMPUTER TECHNOLOGIES.

CCQ STUDENTS WILL TAKE THE ACCUPLACER TEST THAT WILL PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PLACEMENT IN CLASSES THAT MATCH THEIR ABILITY. DIFFERENT THAN UNIVERSITIES, CCQ STUDENTS WILL TAKE BOTH FOUNDATION COURSES AND UNIVERSITY-LEVEL COURSES AT THE SAME TIME, IF THEIR ACADEMIC TESTS RECOMMEND THEIR ABILITY TO DO SO.

THE CCQ WILL OPEN IN SEPTEMBER 2010 IN OUR BEAUTIFUL, NEWLY REMODELED COLLEGE BUILDING ON C-RING ROAD ACROSS THE ROAD FROM AMERICAN HOSPITAL AND NEXT DOOR TO THE MOSQUE. IN TWO WEEKS WE WILL BE SPEAKING WITH COUNSELORS ABOUT HOW TO ENROLL STUDENTS AT THE CCQ AND IN JUNE WE WILL ATTEND THE SEC STUDENT DEVELOPMENT OPEN HOUSE TO PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION TO STUDENTS.

CCQ WILL BE THE NEW FACE OF EDUCATED QATAR: WE WILL BE ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FROM STUDENTS AND ALSO FROM QATARI CITIZENS WHO WISH WORK AT CCQ. MY POSITION AS DEAN OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF QATAR WORKING WITH THE SUPREME EDUCATION COUNCIL PROVIDES LEADERSHIP TO START OUR NEW COLLEGE THAT WILL SOON PROUDLY EMPLOY ONLY QATARI CITIZENS PROVIDING COLLEGE EDUCATION FOR THE QATAR OF TOMORROW