Quote:

---

Texas A&M-Qatar Campus to Close by 2028
February 8, 2024 Updated on February 9, 2024

Board of Regents votes to terminate contract with Qatar Foundation
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas The Board of Regents of the Texas A&M University System voted Thursday to begin a multi-year process to shut down the flagship's campus in the Middle East nation of Qatar.

"The Board has decided that the core mission of Texas A&M should be advanced primarily within Texas and the United States," Board Chairman Bill Mahomes said. "By the middle of the 21st century, the university will not necessarily need a campus infrastructure 8,000 miles away to support education and research collaborations."

The decision does not immediately change operations or services on the campus. Under terms of the contract with the Qatar Foundation, the termination will take four years. In the coming days, the university administration will assemble a team to ensure several imperatives: Students complete their education, faculty and staff are supported, and research obligations are appropriately fulfilled.
Texas A&M at Qatar (TAMUQ) opened in 2003 to advance education and research in chemical, electrical, mechanical, and petroleum engineering. TAMUQ is one of six U.S. universities in Qatar's Education City.

---

Quote:

---

DUBAI Texas A&M University is shutting down its branch in Qatar, citing "heightened regional instability" in a statement from the university board. Qatar quickly issued a reply, calling the move "misguided" and "influenced by a disinformation campaign."

The university's decision comes as the war in Gaza has escalated tensions across the Middle East, but it also follows increased criticism of Qatar specifically for the country's ties to Hamas, the militant Palestinian group that Israel is at war with.

---