Students say they were looking forward to a scheduled announcement by TAMUQ regarding the start of a petroleum engineering master’s degree next week, but instead, they received news of the campus closure.
Texas A&M announced last week it will be closing its almost 20-year-old Qatar campus by 2028, a decision Qatar Foundation had labelled as “disappointing”.
The move came after the university’s board voted to shut down TAMUQ over “heightened instability in the Middle East”, according to a decision by the Board of Regents Chair, Bill Mahomes, following an assessment of the regional situation in late 2023.
However, a report by the Texas Tribune said the decision came after Washington, D.C. think tank, the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP), questioned the partnership between QF and Texas A&M in light of the ongoing war in Gaza.
Doha News spoke to TAMUQ students and alumni about their opinions on the decision, and how it may potentially impact them.
Seif Elgazar, who graduated in 2020, questioned the university’s commitment to its values, saying: “Where is the honesty and integrity when the officials in the university base such an important decision on a dishonest propaganda campaign?”
“Such a strong allegation would require a deep and thorough investigation, which clearly did not take place. Instead, this seemed more of a quick and rash decision, based on Zionist propaganda campaigns,” Elgazar added.
Other students urged for more binding conditions to be put in place to ensure other universities do not do the same.
“This is a turning point for Qatar and Qatar Foundation to reevaluate the conditions of renowned universities. More binding conditions should be implemented in case these contracts are extended,” Abdullah Shaat, who studied both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at TAMUQ, told Doha News.
Current students worry that the closure would impact their educational experience at TAMUQ, even if they’re scheduled to graduate before the campus closes.
“So many accusations have been made against us (students, faculty, and staff) with no basis, they don’t even bother fact-checking and then make a life-changing decision with no further discussion,” a third-year student who didn’t give their name told Doha News, in reference to the university’s board.
The student also highlighted the practical consequences of the closure, expressing concerns about the continuity of academic and extracurricular activities.
“Faculty and staff will be leaving in droves, it’ll be good if the necessary classes can still be made available, never mind any extracurriculars.”
In a statement on Friday, QF said that Texas A&M’s decision had “been
influenced by a disinformation campaign aimed at harming” its interests, noting
that the university’s board did not attempt “to seek out the truth from Qatar
Foundation before making this misguided decision”.
