Georgetown University Qatar Launches First ever International Alumni Weekend in the Middle East

Over 250 registered Georgetown University graduates will be taking part in the upcoming International Alumni Weekend, hosted by the Georgetown University Qatar (GU-Q) branch campus in Education City, Doha, starting this December 5th, 2013, and running through the 8th. The event, which is open to all alumni from the main campus in Washington D.C., the GCC, and worldwide, is a mix of academic and cultural events providing the opportunity for alumni to connect with one another, and learn about the University’s work in Qatar, and the region.

“The International Alumni weekend enables our graduates to meet, create professional networking connections and collectively enjoy a full range of intellectual and recreational activities. In addition it serves as a strong feeder for generating strategies for alumni club leaders to take back to their home countries,” said Jonathan Cartmell, Executive Director of the Office of Outreach and Business Development, that has responsibility for GU-Q’s alumni relations function. “The event also provides an excellent example of how Georgetown has become a truly global university and I am delighted to see the strong attendance numbers demonstrating the ever growing importance of Qatar as a ‘must visit’ destination for international visitors. Whether our students graduate from campus in DC, or in Doha, our alumni community will benefit from a strong and supportive professional network around the world”.

Participants will be taking part in several planned panels and lectures that will cover various topical issues such as Qatar’s growing role on the world stage, globalization and development, and the leadership role of the GCC in the Global Economy. Three Georgetown alumni, the CEOs of Barclay’s Bank MENA and Gulf Capital, John Vitalo and Karim El Solh, and a Senior Partner from the Abraaj Group, Hassan Radwan, will be taking part in the panel along with Joannes Mongardini, the Head of Economics at QNB.

Another program highlight is the panel on sports and development, which will feature prominent Georgetown alumnus, Paul Tagliabue, a former Commissioner of the National Football League (NFL), and the current Chairman of Georgetown’s Board of Directors.

“We are excited to be hosting the University’s first-ever International Alumni Weekend in the Middle East, right here in Qatar. This is a real demonstration of the importance of this region, and its role as a hub for the creation and exchange of knowledge,” said Dean Gerd Nonneman. “Georgetown’s Qatar campus is well placed not only to take part in the development of the best and brightest minds in the region, but in creating a successful professional alumni community that brings superb personal and professional networking opportunities following graduation.”

Founded in 1881 in Washington D.C., Georgetown University’s Alumni Association has grown to include more than 160,000 alumni from all 50 U.S. states and more than 110 countries. And while each of these clubs holds local events that unite Georgetown graduates, this is the first time the Alumni Association has held an international event in the Middle East.

The Alumni Weekend comes on the heels of several local events, as well as recent elections for its executive committee of Georgetown’s newly formed Alumni Club of the GCC, which officially set in motion the organization’s presence as the first ever region-wide alumni club, representing more than 350 Georgetown alumni living and working in the GCC.