Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar - VCUQ, Doha - Gallery news: VCUQatar Awards Ceremony

VCUQatar Awards Ceremony (31.8.2009)

VCUQatar Awards Ceremony

Doha, Qatar - VCUQatar held its annual Awards Ceremony on Wednesday evening to celebrate the achievements and accomplishments of VCUQatar students. The ceremony is also an opportunity for VCUQatar donors to meet the recipients of their scholarships and for VCUQatar to acknowledge industry leaders, donors and sponsors who have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of art and design in Qatar.

VCUQatar students were honored for academic and personal excellence.
A gathering of students, staff, faculty, family members and friends congratulated recipients as they received their certificates and gifts.

Donors this year included Abdullah Abdulghani and Brothers Company, Al Jaber Engineering, Dar Al Watan, the Qatar Development Bank, the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club and Sarah and Sumai Abdulghani.

Dean Allyson Vanstone also thanked the Qatar Foundation for one International student scholarship for the MFA program, the first graduate program in the region, that was awarded to Amin Matni for his outstanding potential in design research. She also recognized the Higher Education Institute for their continuous support of VCUQatar's Qatari students and in particular for their recent support of the newly implemented programs, the Masters degree and the summer intensive. Hissa Yousuf Al-Aali, Director Scholarship Office, Higher Education Institute was presented with a token of appreciation by the dean.

During the ceremony, the 61 freshmen students representing VCUQatar's largest incoming class were presented with white coats that will be worn during their art foundation classes - their first year at VCUQatar. "We hope they will not stay white for long, but rather soon be filled with marks of our freshmen's commitment to success and creativity in art and design," said Valerie Jeremijenko, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, during the presentation.

Dean Vanstone also welcomed the inaugural class of the Master of Fine Arts in Design Studies. "These four working professionals have taken on the challenge of master's level studies. They will forever be memorialized in VCUQatar's history," she said.

Dr Saif Al Hajari, Vice Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, shared his congratulations in his closing remarks. "You are in the right place if you want to be designers," he said. "In the future we hope to see VCUQatar graduates design Qatar and the region," he added.

The evening came to a close with Dean Vanstone thanking everybody for sharing in the recognition of the talent and creativity of VCUQatar students. "We are confident that their education at VCUQatar will prepare them to meet the design challenges of today and tomorrow," she concluded.

About Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar:
Established in the US in 1838 and in Qatar in 1998, Virginia Commonwealth University offers students from all over the world the opportunity to earn Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in fashion, graphic, interior design and painting & printmaking and a Master of Fine Arts degree in design studies. A team of highly skilled professors provide rigorous curricula that prepare students to assume leadership roles in the professional design field of their choice. VCUQatar regularly organizes and hosts exhibitions, gallery events, world-class conferences and holds an annual fashion show. VCUQatar is supported and funded by the Qatar Foundation. For more information please visit www.qatar.vcu.edu

About Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development
Founded in 1995 by His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, and chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned, Qatar Foundation is a private, non-profit organization committed to the principle that a nation's greatest natural resource is its people. The headquarters of Qatar Foundation are located within its flagship project, Education City, a fourteen million square-meter campus which hosts numerous progressive learning institutions and centers of research, including branch campuses of six of the world's leading universities, plus a cutting-edge research and development center. Qatar Foundation also works to enhance the quality of life in Qatar by investing in community health and development.
For more information please visit: http://www.qf.org.qa

Images:
Dean Allyson Vanstone welcoming guests

Hissa Yousuf Al-Aali, Director Scholarship Office, Higher Education Institute was presented with a token of appreciation by the dean

Dr Saif Al Hajari, Vice Chairperson of Qatar Foundation congratulating the recepients

Award recepients with Dr Saif, Dean Vanstone and Hissa Al-Aali