Houston Community College chosen to create first community college in Qatar
Houston Chronicle
April 20, 2010
Houston Community College has signed a $45 million, five-year contract with the government of Qatar to open the Persian Gulf nation's first community college.
Community College of Qatar is set to open this fall, offering job training and basic academic programs. Students who complete the program will be considered graduates of HCC.
HCC Chancellor Mary Spangler said the project is a natural extension of the community college's role.
“We need to prepare our students to be comfortable in a global environment,” she said. “They need to recognize that Houston isn't the start and end of their world.”
The initiative, along with other international programs launched by HCC in recent years, will provide students from Houston with the opportunities for international exchanges, she said.
HCC also has worked with institutions in Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and Brazil, experience that may come in handy as it hires faculty and staff for the Qatari campus over the next few months.
But unlike the earlier projects, which involved existing institutions, HCC will be creating a college from scratch in Qatar.
“We're not sitting on the sidelines saying, ‘Go hire six faculty. Get three administrators,' ” Spangler said. “We are actually doing the work for and with them.”
The Community College of Qatar will use HCC curriculum and be covered by HCC's accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
