Georgetown in Qatar Welcomes Class of 2017

On Thursday, August 22, Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) gave a rousing welcome to the incoming Class of 2017 at its new student convocation.

The 76 entering students hail from over 20 countries ranging from China to Yemen to Georgia. Thirty of these students are from Qatar.Following a busy and activity-filled week of new student orientation activities, the enthusiastic freshmen assembled at the Georgetown auditorium, processed, and then pledged the honor code. The students were then officially inducted into their promising roles as members of the Georgetown community and officially donned their academic robes.Gerd Nonneman, dean of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar, welcomed the new students as they embarked on becoming sons and daughters of Georgetown. “These students are laying the foundation of their future,” Nonneman explained. “Over the next four years they will develop their capacity not only to change their lives but to positively impact the lives of others. This is the time for students to stretch their boundaries, to challenge themselves, and to showcase all they are capable of as they proceed on this remarkable journey.”

Georgetown’s well-respected internationally-focused curriculum has been a big draw for a significant number of young people. Because they are growing up in an increasingly globalized society, both culturally and economically, many students have a more sophisticated understanding of the interconnectedness of the world’s communities. Hence, pursuing and embracing the possibilities of a Georgetown education is highly valued among an increasing number of today’s international-minded young people.

Convocation speaker Dr. Jeremy Koons told the Class of 2017: “You have earned your place here. You wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think that you were the ones who would thrive here, who would make us proud, who would leave this place in four years as Georgetown men and women.”

The new student convocation ceremony is an important and time-honored tradition at the University. The Class of 2017 will be part of the the population of over 250 students at Georgetown’s Qatar campus this year. The campus has a history of attracting exceptional, top-talent students whose academic and research contributions are an asset to Georgetown and the community at large.