Texas A&M University Building at Qatar Foundation (Communication Sites)
Texas A&M University decided to close its branch in Qatar and end its partnership with the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, which funds the branch, in a move that the Qatari Foundation criticized and saw as being driven by a misinformation campaign seeking to harm its interests.
The Board of Regents of the parent university in Texas, which is considered the fourth largest university in the United States, voted by a majority to terminate the contract of the university’s branch in Qatar, which was established in 2003, effectively ending the 20-year-old academic program.
A statement issued by the university in this regard said that the decision to close the branch in Qatar this fall “due to the escalating instability in the Middle East.”
University Board of Regents Chairman Bill Mahomes said the board decided that Texas A&M's core mission "must be developed primarily within Texas and the United States," adding, "By the middle of the 21st century, the university will not necessarily need campus infrastructure 8 miles away." Thousands of miles to support educational and research cooperation.
Statement from Qatar Foundation
The Texas A&M University Board of Regents' decision to end its partnership with Qatar Foundation was influenced by a disinformation campaign designed to harm the foundation's interests. It is disturbing that this misinformation was the deciding factor in making this decision beyond the basic principles of education and knowledge, without any consideration...
- Qatar Foundation (@QF) February 9, 2024
Wrong decision
In a statement, Qatar Foundation described the decision to terminate the partnership and closure as disappointing, and said that the decision was influenced by a misinformation campaign aimed at harming the interests of the Foundation.
She said, “It is disturbing that this misleading information was the decisive factor in making this decision beyond the basic principles of education and knowledge, without any consideration of the positive impact this partnership has had on both the State of Qatar and the United States.”
The Qatari Foundation considered it disappointing that a world-class academic institution such as Texas A&M University would fall victim to such a campaign and “allow politics to infiltrate its decision-making process.”
She also said that the university's Board of Trustees did not bother, at any time, to communicate with the Qatar Foundation to investigate the truth before making this decision, which was built on a wrong foundation.
Qatar Foundation confirmed that it has a long-term vision to build a world-class education, research and social development system. To achieve this vision, it has established partnerships with international higher education institutions with the aim of establishing branches in the Education City in Doha, in which it teaches university and postgraduate education programs “alongside our local university”, Hamad Bin Khalifa University.
The Qatar Foundation's management said that decisions based on any consideration that ignores the interests of students and their pursuit of knowledge "will not affect our vision for higher education at Qatar Foundation and our strategy for achieving this vision. We have always firmly believed that education transcends vested interests and harmful influences, and we will remain committed to that." .
Source: Al Jazeera + websites