Diversity and Inclusion

Racial Equity Task Force

As part of university-wide diversity and equity efforts around racial justice and anti-racism, a Task Force on Racial Equity at GU-Q was convened. The Racial Equity Task Force is charged with engaging students, faculty, and staff to assess current institutional practices, identify structural gaps, and recommend actions that foster a more inclusive environment. Work began mid-year and will continue into the next academic year.

Title IX Working Group

The Title IX Working Group, established in 2019, continued its efforts in close collaboration with students to maintain a safe and nondiscriminatory environment for the entire community.

This year the university launched the Culturally Engaging Campus Environments Survey designed to deepen understanding of the experiences of students in different campus settings. The survey, the first of its kind in the region, uses contextually customized questions from the questionnaire developed by the National Institute for Transformation and Equity. It was developed and implemented in close collaboration with Georgetown University’s Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Affirmative Action, and Office of Assessment and Decision Support. The survey in Qatar follows similar climate surveys for DC campus students conducted in 2020.

Sheikha Alanoud bint Hamad Al-Thani

Georgetown Women’s Alliance

I was grateful to be able to hear from a woman in another male-dominated industry, and her personal anecdote of being the only female in the room resonated a lot with me.

—Sooin Jessica Choi (SFS’21)

The Georgetown Women’s Alliance in Qatar fosters a number of collaborative events during the year with Washington, DC, and Qatar constituents. One of these events included a Mentor Tea featuring Sheikha Alanoud bint Hamad Al-Thani, Managing Director of Business Development at Qatar Financial Centre Authority, who spoke about the important role women play in Qatar’s economy.

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Annual Report 2020-2021 •

Georgetown University in Qatar

Research Reimagined

Research and a culture of restless inquiry undergirds the teaching, learning, and community engagement at GU-Q. In a year when lockdowns and restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic presented a number of challenges for research, our community explored new opportunities for collaborating and communicating outcomes, and introduced practices that will endure beyond the pandemic. Capacity building through investments in our communication technologies supported learning and knowledge exchange with students and scholars across the globe that would not have been possible before. The virtual research landscape also resulted in a rich digital library of resources that extends access to GU-Q’s scholarly work.

Faculty at GU-Q are committed to mentoring their students, providing both time and expertise. The BSFS program is taught by scholars who are the best in their fields and equips students— technically and intellectually—to produce work of publishable calibre.

— Reza Pirbhai, GU-Q Faculty Chair