Ten years ago College of the North Atlantic (CNA) made history with its international campus in the Middle East State of Qatar. College of the North Atlantic-Qatar (CNA-Q) was the first of its kind in the country, as its premier comprehensive college of technology, first foreign institution with predominantly Qatari student body and as its first coed institution.
Now celebrating the 10-year milestone, and driven by Qatar’s strategic education goals, the success of this remarkable project is evident in its growth – CNA-Q opened its doors in September 2002 with an initial student enrollment of 300. Today, enrollment has reached nearly 3,000, the initial staff complement of 50 has grown to some 700, and programs have expanded to include custom curriculum for the needs of the State, such as banking and finance, a security academy and more.
CNA-Q is celebrating its 10-year anniversary with a series of celebrations throughout the 2012-2013 academic year themed
A Decade of Excellence, beginning with the launch held in October. The event was hosted at the campus and attended by CNA President and CEO Ann Marie Vaughan, Dr. Ken MacLeod, President of CNA-Q, and Dr. Latifa Ibrahim Al Houty, director of the project, among other notable guests from Canada and Qatar.
“In celebrating this milestone we must acknowledge the students, staff, faculty, alumni, and especially the visionaries who believed in and worked towards realizing Qatar’s National Vision – a vision that is built upon social progress, and that draws upon CNA’s half-century of educational experience,” said Vaughan.
The launch featured a celebratory presentation designed to showcase the college’s history, achievements, and the people behind the vision. A new logo was revealed, along with the exciting slate of events for the entire year.
“The CNA-Q 10
th anniversary logo was inspired by the concept of a medal, a universal symbol of reward for the hard work and dedication of the visionaries, leaders, professors, staff, students, alumni, business partners and community members who make up the CNA-Q community,” said MacLeod. “The Arabesque design motif and the use of the Qatari national colour speak of unity across cultures in pursuit of excellence.”
The launch event was the first of six 10
th Anniversary events promising a year full of CNA-Q celebrations.
On October 20, CNA-Q hosted a Family Day at the Museum of Islamic Art Park, to observe the importance of family, which is highly valued in the Qatari culture, and to recognize the many Canadian employees of CNA-Q and their families who live in Doha. The community event included a festive day of entertainment, outdoor games and activities for children and adults, and an opportunity to sample the cuisines of the world at a food court with dozens of booths.
From April 5-7, 2013, CNA-Q will host
Global Innovators 2013: Leading and Learning in Technical and Vocational Education, a conference to be held at Qatar National Convention Center. As an international forum designed to gather the world’s leading practitioners in technical and vocational education (TVET), Global Innovators will offer its delegates and exhibitors a dynamic environment in which to experience novel and pragmatic approaches to TVET strategies, techniques, methodologies and tools.
“Featuring world-class speakers and numerous opportunities for networking and discussion, the conference will be a valuable opportunity for leaders and professionals in the TVET field to take away new knowledge that can positively transform the learning experience,” said Vaughan. “The event will provide extremely fertile ground for these educational professionals to improve upon student engagement while supporting the development mandate inherent in global technical education.”
This year will also see a student event to raise funds to benefit a local charity, as well as a National Skills Competition, both of which will be held on campus. The skills competition will involve students from all CNA-Q disciplines, including Engineering Technology, Health Sciences, Information Technology, Technician Preparatory Program and Language Studies & Academics. The two-day event will feature students competing in over 40 judged competitions specific to their areas of study.
Celebration festivities will conclude with a 10
th Anniversary Gala in May 2013. This black tie event will feature a formal dinner, a 10
th Anniversary documentary film, remarks, and recognition of the key individuals behind this decade of success.
The college is also asking students, faculty, staff and alumni to contribute CNA-Q memories to a 10
th Anniversary electronic file, affectionately dubbed “Filing Memo,” which will serve as a time capsule.
“We have come so far since our 2002 opening in a temporary campus with 300 students and 50 staff,” said Dr. Latifa Ibrahim Al-Houty, Vice Chair, Executive Committee, one of the founders of CNA-Q, Qatar’s first technical college. “Her Highness, Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, envisioned a technical college that would put Qatar on the map while producing competent leaders of industry for the future – and now, 10 years later, we have 3,000 graduates who are helping to shape our country’s strategic economic and development goals for future generations.”
CNA-Q fulfills the technical education needs of the State of Qatar by delivering innovative, internationally recognized programs that prepare individuals to be active contributors to their local communities, the State of Qatar and the Gulf Region.
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Media Contact:
Roger Hulan
Communications Specialist
College of the North Atlantic
(709) 643-7938
roger.hulan@cna.nl.ca