Doha: As part of the quarterly joint advisory board meeting between Carnegie Mellon University and Qatar Foundation, taking place now at Education City, university representatives hosted a lunch for students in the spirit of a town hall meeting.

The session gave students, staff and faculty the opportunity to give feedback to joint advisory board members visiting from the Pittsburgh campus. They are Mark Kamlet, PhD, provost and senior vice president; Mary Jo Dively, vice president for legal affairs and chief counsel; William Elliott, vice president for enrollment; and Ilker Baybars, PhD, deputy dean of the Tepper School of Business.

When asked how the Qatar campus plans to continue to foster the spirit of the main campus, Kamlet said he saw the main difference as one of critical mass. "As we move more toward a global marketplace, the difference between universities that will continue to shine and those that will lose their luster will be the willingness to take their programmes abroad", Kamlet said.

"Improving this experience is up to you," Elliott added. "We're here to create opportunities, but it's up to you to take advantage of them. None of us has been a Carnegie Mellon student in Doha, you're the only people who can really talk about what you're doing here, and why other people would want to join you. You're going to remember more about what you learn from each other than from any of us."

Students also asked about plans for scholarships for non-Qatari students. Dean Charles Thorpe, who moderated the session, said he looks forward to announcing new opportunities soon.