Shortly before 10 a.m. Wednesday, a handful of Medill students and Northwestern faculty gathered in the TV studio of the McCormick Tribune Center, awaiting the arrival of royalty. Standing around the room, the group talked quietly among themselves, as some stole occasional glances toward the door.
Moments later, Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser al Missned of Qatar walked into the studio with about 10 others, including President Henry Bienen and Medill Dean John Lavine.
“It’s a pleasure to be here,” Sheikha Mozah said. “I hear you have excellent news.”
Sheikha Mozah, chairwoman of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, was referring to the quality of the NU’s journalism program.
She has been involved in the planning of Education City in Doha, where the Medill School of Journalism and School of Communication recently established branches. The morning studio tour was the first portion of her two-day visit to NU.
“It’s always nice to showcase what our students are doing,” said Al Cubbage, vice president for university relations. “What makes our school is how good our students are.”
Bienen visited Qatar earlier this week, along with the presidents of all the other schools, except Georgetown University, in Education City.
Journalism Prof. Larry Stuelpnagel led the 45-minute tour, which included a clip of an award-winning student video project surrounding Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing project and a sample of Northwestern News Network’s College Emmy Award-winning SportsNight.
Rather than simply touring the studio and listening to others talk about the school, Sheikha Mozah had her own questions to ask.
“I thought it was going to be more of a presentation, but I was impressed by the questions she asked,” said Medill junior Jenn Korducki, NNN’s news director. “It shows that she is really well-informed and really cares about media and what we’re doing.”
Throughout the morning visit, Sheikha Mozah spoke directly to several Medill students, asking them what students would like to see more of in the news, what their thoughts were on East-West relations and what work they have done as Medill students.
Sheikha Mozah spent the rest of her Wednesday in meetings with Medill and Communication faculty members before attending a formal dinner, Cubbage said.
She had plans to meet with the senior academic leadership, who would brief her on details about NU-Qatar’s campus opening, Bienen told The Daily on Monday.
On Thursday, she will be touring NU’s Chicago campus and visiting Prentice Women’s Hospital, a part of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, because of her interest in women and children, Bienen said.
This weekend, she will be heading to Washington, D.C., where she will receive an honorary degree from Georgetown University.
“The visit has been in the works for some time,” Bienen said. “It was exactly what we were hoping … She’ll see the product of our work and how Northwestern does a good job of educating.”
Before leaving the studio, Sheikha Mozah thanked everyone in the room and took time to shake hands with each student individually.
“You are most welcome to Qatar to join our students there,” she said.
