Texas A&M in Qatar - arts and sciences proposal

A proposal to reorganize the arts and sciences programs offered by Texas A&M at its Qatar location stirred questions about faculty involvement in decision making as well as raised questions about the autonomy of the remote campus. Timothy Scott, interim provost in College Station, intervened by postponing changes and by forming a committee "to evaluate the potential impact of the reorganization proposal and recommend changes to the plan and timeline." In addition, the committee will explore "key performance indicators" that are included in the contract between Texas A&M and Qatar Foundation.

The Chronicle of Higher Education also covered the Texas A&M dispute. The greater detail of the Chronicle article included quotes from Francisco Marmolejo, President of Higher Education for Qatar Foundation, and noted U.S. experts in international higher education Philip Altbach and Jason Lane. However, the most salient insights were offered by Jana Kleibert, a researcher at the Leibniz Institute in Germany, who noted that branch programs and sponsoring entities in international higher education think they're on the same page but often are not. That Qatar Foundation asserted performance expectations in the contract negotiations with Texas A&M makes total sense and was a good way for Qatar to clarify what it expects in terms of outcomes. Reinforcing the legitimacy of Qatar's move to include new performance indicators in its contract with Texas A&M, Jason Lane suggested that international partnership models commonly evolve over time.

As the Texas A&M Qatar reorganization and accompanying changes moved to implementation, faculty in Qatar and College Station voiced continuing concerns. While the Qatar Dean's management style may have contributed to the controversy, the issue of faculty participation in decision making really demonstrates the broader problem - faculty understanding of what the Qatar program is about and how practices of U.S.A. institutions likely require modification in other country settings.

Having worked at Qatar Foundation and assisted in the very early phases of establishing the graduate programs of Hamad bin Khalifa University, everyone should have assumed from the beginning that expectations and contracts would change over time and that the partnerships should increasingly tip toward the funding entity's expectations. In what world does any entity say to its benefactor, "Take it or leave it. Our approach is so good that it cannot be adapted to local expectations or changing needs."