Georgetown University in Qatar Goes Mobile

Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) recently launched “Georgetown Mobile”, a free smartphone application that puts the university’s public access content at users’ fingertips on any internet-enabled mobile device.

Developed in collaboration with Georgetown’s main campus in Washington D.C., the highly anticipated university-wide initiative is geared toward providing a wide array of audiences what they need in order to make accessing Georgetown’s activities more convenient. The free app is useful for members of the public, faculty, staff, alumni, visitors, and both current and prospective students who interact with Georgetown’s campus and community and can be set manually for the Qatar campus or via authorizing location access.

GU-Q’s Director of Communications, Moamer Qazafi, said “Mobile interaction via handheld devices is the most suitable way for Georgetown to stay connected with our community and its wide ranging interests. We have made every effort to give people access to our news, public lecture videos and our coming events in an easy to access central location for all audiences .”

While there are thousands of applications available for iPhone and Android, there are relatively few dedicated to educational institutions. The launch of the “Georgetown Mobile” app will now allow students to track the school’s transportation schedule, access the school’s library, as well as view the university’s extensive collection of research, news, and public lectures on video, directly from their mobile devices.

“This is truly an exciting development for us. If someone missed seeing Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at Georgetown in Qatar, or our Book Reading with Manal Omar or the climate change lecture series, now they can catch it all on their tablets and phones.” added Qazafi.

The initial release of GU-Q’s Mobile Web is a starting point for the Georgetown Mobile project, with plans for future enhanced services to be added in collaboration with input from students, faculty, and the community. The Georgetown Mobile app is available for free download from the Appstore and Google Play. Those with other operating systems may access the same content simply by pointing phone and tablet browsers to: m.qatar.georgetown.edu/.