Renewing our commitment to CMU Qatar

May 16, 2025

Dear Members of the CMU Community:

I am writing to share that, with the endorsement of our Board of Trustees, Carnegie Mellon University has renewed its commitment to our CMU-Qatar campus and our partnership with the Qatar Foundation for another 10 years.

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to travel to Doha to help celebrate this renewal at a signing ceremony attended by leaders from the Qatar Foundation and CMU. This event, which coincided with President Trump’s visit to the region, was also attended by U.S. Ambassador to Qatar Timmy Davis.

Since its founding in 2004, our campus in Doha has sought to leverage education as a platform for global engagement and a driver of economic opportunity. Today, CMU-Q’s alumni — a community of over 1,400 graduates — are making a positive impact on society through their contributions across the private, public and nonprofit sectors. These are innovators and leaders who are thriving in a world that is continuously being reshaped by AI and other emerging technologies.

As many in our university community already know: CMU-Q is one of six American universities in Qatar Foundation’s Education City, which is a unique ecosystem dedicated to fostering education, innovation and collaboration. CMU-Q is also an important part of our global footprint, which includes academic programs in Rwanda, Portugal and other locations. Renewing our commitment to CMU-Q’s success for 10 more years further strengthens the connections between Doha and Pittsburgh so that more students, faculty, staff and alumni can benefit from these collaborations.

Many individuals contributed to realizing this renewal. I would like to recognize and thank Dean Michael Trick for his leadership and unyielding dedication to CMU-Q over the past eight years. I also wish to congratulate and thank CMU-Q faculty, students and staff — both past and present — who have shaped and advanced our efforts in Doha, along with the academic and administrative leaders who supported the campus’s success. I am especially grateful to Vice President and General Counsel Mary Jo Dively, who led the contract renewal negotiations for CMU-Q.

I look forward to another decade of impact in Doha and to welcoming future generations to grow and thrive on all of Carnegie Mellon’s campuses!

Warm regards,
Farnam

Farnam Jahanian
President
Henry L. Hillman President’s Chair