I was greeted by friend from earlier RIT days - Jeff Sulik. He's a character - he loves his family, his friends and his students - and he really loves a good story. December in the Doha - people are bundled up for the "winter", but we're dressed as if it were a cool summer evening - Jeff is sporting one of his famous fabulous hats. We navigate my luggage through the crowds and we are on our way.
As we careen through the streets of Qatar, I remark that had I not been in the region for the past week and a half, I would accuse him of being a horrible driver. Now I know he's just adapted to the Gulf. Qatar will celebrate its national day next week and has just been awarded the FIFA World Cup for 2022. The city is getting decked out to celebrate both.
Doha has a distinctly different feel than Dubai. It almost feels more established: older. Both cities are quickly building, reconstructing - but just at first blush, there's a little more of Qatar history that is visible. In Dubai, the old part of town was about 40 years old. Here in Qatar,there are more shop fronts from the 70's that feel like some of the more interesting sections of a large metropolis. There's the museum of Islamic Art. The skyline rises in the distance...and I'm in the care of a resident of Qatar. Jeff and his family have been here for about 2 years now.
We arrive at his compound or complex after driving through a short patch of desert. Once inside his home, I am stunned by the immense size of his home: High ceilings, a living room over 4 times the size of my own... its stunning. He and Michelle have decorated it beautifully. He reminds me that this is housing that is provided to him by his employer. Extremely nice digs.
The following morning I meet the children, but its quick. They're a little tired and shy. Jeff and I go for a little run around the compound and debrief about observations of culture and race relations in the region...I also haven't been able to run much, plus still tired with the last traces of jet lag and I'm trying hard not to beg for a walk so I focus on the conversation. Clean up, breakfast and off we go.
Most of the Sulik clan and I pile in the car and we head toward Education City. A university campus is usually comprised of multiple buildings, each one hosting its own college: A university of colleges. Education City is a University of Universities. Texas A&M , Virginia Commonwealth, Cornell, Northwestern, Carnegie Mellon, Georgetown, and University College London have branch campuses on site. The campus also offers a college for Islamic studies, as well as Qatar Academy for pre-school through high school, and the Academic Bridge Program which is a university preparatory program.
We drive onto the campus of Education City and we drive past a stunning sculpture, ceremonial area in white with water...
We pull up to Texas A&M's building. I'm not sure what I had envisioned, but it was nothing like this. One, this is the perfect building for Jeff. Walking up to the grand entrance, you feel like you're in the middle of an Indiana Jones movie. Jeff has a little of that Indiana Jones thing going on for him - not sure if its his wild adventures up in the great north of Canada or just that he liked to show up to staff outings (particularly ropes course day) in his Indiana Jones hat and I'm fairly sure he didn't bring a whip - maybe it was just the memories of the harnesses they had us make out of climbing rope - but as Jeff walks up to the entrance, I'm sure that there will be some treasure found in our day ahead.
Walking into the building I'm just floored by everything. The architecture is stunning. You have a sense of greatness with that touch of Arabic architecture - but in a completely contemporary way. The more traditional themes you see in buildings is absent, but the grandness is there. The best way I can describe it is if the architects of the pyramids had been able to go through modern training, meet up with a bunch of extremely ambitious Aggies and throw down a Aggie worthy building. It's very impressive.
My eye was caught by a corner where the students had created a lounge space. Apparently there had been some furniture there but then it was removed. The students relocated a few cushions, purchased some material to lay down as a rug (which matched the cushions) and created a pretty authentic and welcoming space. There were no students there but it had this energy that made me stop and take a picture of it -and Jeff filled me in on its history.
Many of the students were busy studying for finals, so the building was a bit quiet.
I met with Jessica, a hall director for the Qatar Foundation. Was great to see her again as we had met last spring in Chicago. The Qatar Foundation manages and runs the Residence Life and Housing program for Education City. Its interesting to see how a multi-institution housing model works, and even more so to see how it works in a region where student affairs as a profession is new. Oh, and then to see how all of this works in a conservative Islamic country.
Jessica showed me one of the student residences. Here, there is a greater need to monitor the comings and goings of students. Not for safety reasons, but I would say for cultural and accountability reasons. Students and staff use a small device to check in and out of a building and parents who would like to monitor their student's curfews can sign up to get a transcript of these comings and goings on a monthly basis. However, the family is responsible to follow up with the student if the child does not abide by their family set curfew. QF is just the messenger.
The former staff and faculty apartments that are being used for student housing are generous. While the students occasionally complain about a lack of space, space is rarely the real issue. Buildings are gender specific and there are restrictions on visitation and overnights. Certainly no visitation of men and women, but there are even restrictions on guests in your room: no overnights for friends of the same gender or families. These policies coupled with the weather and facilities make for some interesting challenges. The policies make it a little more difficult to get to know people in your community besides your roommate. The stifling heat and lack of air conditioning in the hallways further compound that problem.
The residence life program here is only about 3 years old. So, while Education City has existed since 1998 and has provided housing for sometime, the residence life program is in its early stages with much growth ahead. Talking with Jessica, we shared the basic (and what now appear to be universal) challenges of residence life, the unique aspects of student life in Qatar, and what it means to be part of a new program.
I snuck off campus with the TAMUQ (Texas A&M Qatar) staff for their holiday lunch. We drove over to the Four Seasons for their lunch buffet. Big and amazing: the buildings, the service, the food - everything was over the top. I felt very welcome and at home with my Aggie colleagues.
In the afternoon, I met with Chris who has been with QF for several years. We talked about its beginnings, its challenges and where it is headed and the impact that QF is having on life in this conservative nation. As an example, he noted the images of Qatar being awarded the 2022 FIFA World Cup: One of the first times the Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and the Sheikha Mariam bint Muhammad Al-Thani have been photographed together - here receiving the World Cup AND one of the first times they have been photographed in western, not national, dress.
Chris gave me a virtual tour of the new housing that was being constructed for students. The buildings will be LEED Platinum which is a particular challenge given the culture of construction in the region. Sustainability is also a challenge in this region yet the design of the buildings and the grounds strives to generate and conserve resources. You can get a sneak peek of this facility here: http://www.qf.org.qa/output/page303.asp
Our day on campus concluded with a tour of the Student Center. It was great to get the inside scoop on design decisions (well, the co-ed prayer rooms was originally a good idea, but in practice...) and see the amazing facility. Like everything at Education City, it would seem that QF is the gold and platinum standard. We got some hints as to the reality of the construction of the facility (which is already delayed), but it was extremely impressive all the same. I believe it was designed for a campus of 10,000 which is about twice what the QF states as its goal for Education City!
The leadership of Qatar is transforming the region - higher education will be a major vehicle to push that evolution. Bringing these universities to Qatar is not about simply cutting and pasting knowledge as if it were some code. And likewise, each university that opts to place a campus in the region will find a campus that will emerge that is similar yet distinct...just as much as each college within a university has its distinct character and culture. I'm sure there must be some organizational development theory out there that addresses this...
Much of the vision here in the gulf comes with a quiet knowledge that what made these nations rich will not be here forever: Oil. As I think of the challenges and resources of this region, I have to think about my community in Rochester and the vision of a wealthy man of his day: George Eastman. Eastman invested in many parts of our community but in particular he invested in higher education. Rochester continues to go through challenging times, and we did so before much of the nation did. Yet, we're persistent and progressing in great part to higher education in our region. Our universities and colleges have been an important part of retooling our workforce and helping to facilitate the transformation from big box companies to smaller ventures.
So, still digesting much of the trip. Lots to consider. Lots of conversations to be had.
Really grateful for the opportunity to see higher education from this angle...and grateful for the support of many offices at RIT and the hospitality of the Sulik Family, Texas A&M and the Qatar Foundation.
More digesting .... a few more blogs to come! My new best buddy is home and wants to hang out so forgive the editing for now! :)
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