Honorary Doctorate Awarded to Mr. Abdul Mohsen Al-Qattan

 An honorary doctorate was today conferred on Mr. Abdul Mohsen Al-Qattan at a ceremony held in the Kamal Nasir Hall. The ceremony was attended by members of Birzeit University faculty, friends of the university, and visiting dignitaries.

Mr. Al-Qattan is an honorary member of the Birzeit University Board of Trustees and has been a strong supporter of the University for many years. He was born in Jaffa and left in 1948 to Lebanon, where he received a degree in Business Administration at the American University of Beirut. Following his education in Lebanon, he moved to Kuwait where he worked as the Controller General for the Ministry of Electricity and Water between 1953 and 1963.

Currently, Mr. Al-Qattan is the Chairman and Founder of the A.M Qattan Foundation the main objectives of which are to identify and promote scholarly, artistic and scientific excellence and research that contributes towards the advancement of Arabs in general and of Palestinians in particular. The work of the foundation is now focused on two main projects, a Children's Cultural Centre in Gaza and The Educational Research Centre in Ramallah. The latter works with Oxford University Education Department and aims to improve the training of teachers and raise standards in teaching and learning.

Mr. Qattan is also a co-founder and Deputy Chairman of the Welfare Association in Geneva, Switzerland. The association provides social, cultural, economic aid and promotes self-reliance of the indigenous Palestinian population. Mr. Qattan is responsible for strategic planning and relations with governmental and Arab financial institutions.

Today's ceremony was addressed by Dr. Hanna Nasir, President of Birzeit University, Professor Ibrahim Abu Lughod and Dr. Darwish Nazzal, Chairman of the Birzeit University Board of Trustees. Dr. Nasir told the audience about Mr. Abdul Mohsen Al-Qattan's contributions to Palestinian society and education in particular. Mr. Al-Qattan spoke after receiving the honorary degree, discussing his childhood in Yaffa and his experiences working in strengthening the self-reliance of Palestinian society since that time. He finished by thanking the university and Dr. Nasir for the award.