FIRST CCQ CONVOCATION WELCOME
Judith M. L. Hansen, Ph.D.
September 2, 2010
Asalaam Alekum! Good Morning! Marjaba! Welcome!
Wow! What a day! We are making history each day at the Community College of Qatar:
This day marks the first day of setting CCQ traditions, traditions that will succeed our service and time in Qatar and extend to all future CCQ faculty and staff members. Our work and roles this first year of CCQ will include both commitment to quality higher education and the joy of setting the template, the tone, the personality and the passion for a national institution: joy, surprise, anchored professionalism, commitment to purpose, energy and embrace of our students and community.
Our collective passion for the community college mission of access to higher education for successful futures has been chosen by Qatar to transform national workforce potential for global economic leadership. And since Qatar holds the single largest natural gas field in the world, the second largest natural gas resources in the world, and the largest per capita income in the world, the access to educational opportunity is the only limiting factor for Qatar Global Economic Leadership. I have now enjoyed five months of working with the most intelligent, visionary and committed professionals in one place that I have worked with in my lifetime: Qatar leadership. They are counting on us to link their knowledge, commitment and vision to all Qataris through CCQ.
With experience, I have come to rely on understanding that our life paths, while maybe seemingly serendipitous at times, put us at the right place at the right time. Our paths today have brought each of us together at this right place and right time to set a direction for our Qatari students and community.
We have come to a deeply spiritual, Islamic country at a very spiritual time, Ramadan. I have found, and I believe you will to, that the energy and contemplative spirit of Ramadan touches our college. Our students are in many ways like students we have known in the US: hungry for opportunity: a hunger equal to the end of each day during Ramadan for Breaking Fast: Iftar. So the beginning of CCQ comes at the end of Ramadan, just as Eid al Fitr celebration begins, a metaphor for an educational beginning and recommitment that CCQ can bring to our students, the same way Qatar is celebrating spiritual recommitment.
You will hear this morning about the beginnings of the Community College of Qatar journey from each of us. My beginning, as many of you have heard, came at a time when I was seeking new meaning for a career in community college leadership. The opportunity provided to me by the vision of His Highness, direction of Her Highness, Sheikha Mozah, leadership of The Supreme Education Council, commitment of Minister of Education HE Saad Al Mahmoud and guidance of Dr. Ibrahim Al Naimi and the Community College Steering Committee has been the most rewarding in my lifetime. We are indeed at the right place at the right time, together, to build the new Community College of Qatar
No comments:
Post a Comment