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The president of YU, Dr. Zeidan Kafafi, met with Rana Al-Anani, the Senior Program Officer at the Jordanian-American Commission for Educational Exchange (Fulbright- Jordanian Programs). The two sides discussed ways of cooperation, and the possibility of YU receiving faculty members from American universities to teach in its various academic departments for a certain period, the possible grants for YU students to study in American universities, and the academic visits of the faculty members.
During the meeting, Kafafi pointed out that YU was one of the first universities to join the Fulbright program, and a key partner in terms of academic staff exchange and students grants, stressing the need to activate relationships, which contributes to enriching the teaching process at YU and to expertise exchange that have positive impact on students and the university academic status.
The president said that Yarmouk strongly believes in the importance of student’s exchange, and faculty members’ academic visits, that provide them with opportunities to communicate with people from developed countries, refine their personalities, broaden their knowledge, and stimulate their creative thinking, which, in turn, enable them to make desired positive changes and promote the status of our university and national institutions.
For her part, Al-Anani stressed the keenness of Fulbright in Jordan to activate cooperation with Yarmouk, the first in this field, explaining the opportunities that students and faculty members can benefit from by joining the program.
During her visit, Al-Anani gave a lecture on the scholarships they offer to students who wish to study at American universities for the master's degree, as well as educational exchange opportunities available to faculty members who wish to spend their sabbaticals in one of the American universities or teach Arabic to the speakers of other languages.
The meeting was attended by Vice presidents, Dr. Ahmad Al-Ajlouni, and Dr. Fawwaz Al-Abed Al-Haq, and director of public relations and media department, Mr. Mukhles Al-Ibbeni.
The vice president of YU, prof. Anis Khasawneh met a delegation from the Erasmus+ office that included Dr. Ammar Al-Maaytah, expert of international relations, and several officials. During the meeting, the two sides discussed how YU can benefit from Erasmus+ projects. The meeting was attended by the director of the Department of International Relations and Projects, Dr. Mwaffaq Al-Otoom.
At the beginning of the meeting, prof. Khasawneh confirmed the importance of enhancing scientific research as well as faculty staff participation in various kinds of international projects, particularly the ones supported by the European Union like Erasmus+ in terms of students exchange or developing higher education, adding that such projects have positive impact on researchers as well as students.
Khasawneh also stressed the keenness of YU, represented by the department of international relations, to enhance international relations with different international academic institutions and to encourage YU academic staff and students to benefit from such programs. He also stressed the importance of cooperation among researchers from various Jordanian universities in coordination with the ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Planning to get fund for scientific projects through Erasmus+, which embodies the principle of partnership among them and enhances their chances for achieving internationalization.
For his part, Al-Maaytah encouraged researchers from different Jordanian universities to apply for the Erasmus+ Fund, pointing out that the budget for the years 2010-2017 is doubled due to the importance of the projects that have been applied since 2014. These projects, he added, benefited both the EU countries and the Arab countries, particularly the Mediterranean countries, and provided good opportunities for Jordanian universities to build global partnerships and enhance their chances for internationalization.
During their visit, the members of the delegation gave a lecture on the Erasmus+ program for education, training and sport for the period 2014-2010.The program provides good opportunities for MA, and PhD students as well as the teaching staff in higher education institutions around the world. In the lecture, Al-Maaytah reviewed the programs and the projects that Erasmus+ is carrying out in Jordan, such as the mobility and exchange program, institutional competences building projects, and virtual exchange program.
Al-Maaytah further explained that the virtual exchange program provides opportunities for young people to connect in safe online facilitated dialogue to discuss current issues that matter to them, develop a better understanding of each other, build meaningful relationships across borders and cultures, and practice important employability skills.
Under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince El-Hassan bin Talal, the 14th International Conference on the History and Archaeology of Jordan, entitled "Culture in Crisis: Flows of People, Artifacts and Ideas" was opened on February 21 in Florence, Italy, and in which more than 300 international scholars and archaeologists, interested in the cultural history of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, participated.
It is worth noting that nine researchers from the faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology at YU participated in the conference. The president, Dr. Zeidan Kafafi presented a paper entitled “Late Neolithic Settlement Patterns in Wadi az-Zarqa (Sixth and Fifth Millennia BC)”, while the dean of the faculty, Dr. Hani Hayajneh presented on “Nomadic Mobility during the late 2nd Millennium BC and Early 1st Millennium AD among Arabian Safaitic Tribes in the Jordanian Badia and Beyond: An Epigraphical and Philological Approach”. Dr. Ziad Al Saad’s paper was on “The use of 3D technologies in cultural heritage interpretation and presentation: a case study from Jordan” and Dr. Abdelhakeem Al Husban presented on “Discontinuities (Physical, Emotional and Cognitive) and cultural heritage in Jordan: Illicit trafficking of archaeological objects”. Dr. Khaled Al Bashaireh’s paper was entitled “Ecclesiastical marble trade in Jordan during the Byzantine period: Case studies discussion”, Dr. Omar Al Ghul’s paper was entitled “The Assyrian Contacts with the Jordan Valley during Iron Age II”, Dr. Maher Tarboush’s paper was on “Preliminary results of Tell Al-Hooson excavations – North Jordan”, Dr. Sahar Al Khasawneh’s paper on “ Testing new luminescence dating technique for the wide spread terraces structures in Petra region” , and finally Mohammad Jaradat’s paper was entitled “The Techniques of Mud Bricks Manufacturing & Its construction Deir Alla / Jordan Valley.”
Dr. Anis Khassawneh, vice president of YU, sponsored a lecture titled "The Contemporary Refugee Crisis in Canada: An Overview of Psychosocial and Social Challenges". The lecture was given by Dr.
Jehad Hammad, a Sociology professor at The King's University College, and president of Middle East Studies Institute in Canada, and was organized by The Refugees, Displaced Persons and Forced Migration Studies Center at Yarmouk University.
At the beginning of the lecture, Hammad thanked the Refugees, Displaced Persons and Forced Migration Studies Center for their invitation considering the consequences that the countries hosting refugees face, particularly Jordan, whose first experience in receiving refugees in the region has been the strongest despite the economic challenges it goes through. He also pointed out that Jordan has been dealing with asylum issues over the years due to its geographical location, which represents a home for most refugees in the region.
Hammad, then, reviewed the services that the Canadian Government provides to refugees and the procedures followed by the Canadian Asylum program, which provides economic, social and psychological support to refugees for a limited period, provided they sought work that suits them to be productive members of the Canadian society. He also pointed to the psychological pressures that refugees suffer from before, during and after the asylum process, as well as the social pressures they suffer to integrate with host communities.
At the end of the lecture that was attended by the director of the center, Dr. Ayat Nashwan, deans, faculty members, and a crowd of students, Dr. Hammad answered the audience' questions and inquiries.
The president of YU, Dr. Zeidan Kafafi, met a delegation from the German development agency (GIZ) (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) headed by the manager of the development project in Jordan, Mr. Henning Clark. The meeting comes during their visit to YU to enhance cooperation with the faculty of Physical Education and to carry out a joint project that aims at developing field training courses.
During the meeting, Dr. Kafafi stated that YU is ready to enhance the fruitful partnership with the German agency for international cooperation. He added that YU is ready to harness all YU’s expertise and competencies to carry out international projects that aim at promoting education, which, in turn, will have positive impact on YU’s academic reputation as well as the quality of its graduates.
The dean of the faculty of Physical Education, Dr. Nabil Shamroukh, expressed the faculty’s readiness to carry out the project in cooperation with the German agency. He added that this project comes in view of the faculty keenness to qualify students according to recent international teaching methods, to prepare them to apply the skills and knowledge they learn at schools, and to discover and develop school students’ skills. The dean further noted that, under this project, field training courses will be developed, new teaching strategies will be adopted, and advanced training courses will be offered for the students of the faculty.
The president of YU, Dr. Zeidan Kafafi met a delegation from Portland State University, headed by its President Rahmat Shoureshi in the presence of former minister Dr. Mohi Alddin Touq. Possible avenues of cooperation between the two universities were discussed.
During the meeting, Kafafi stated that YU has a long history of cooperation with various American universities, confirming YU keenness to broaden cooperation with international educational institutions which contributes to the exchange of expertise and improves instructional processes at YU. Kafafi also confirmed the keenness of YU to send their students to pursue their higher education in American universities. He added that YU is willing to sign a MOU with Portland State University to enhance future cooperation in terms of staff and students’ exchange and conducting joint research, in addition to inviting Portland State students to learn Arabic at the Languages Centre that attracts students from different countries on an annual basis.
For his part, Shoureshi reviewed the programs offered by Portland University and expressed their willingness to extend the bridges of cooperation with YU in various fields, particularly in economics, Business Administration, and education. He also expressed their willingness to establish joint academic programs for BA and MA degrees in areas of common interest, pointing to the distinguished academic reputation that YU enjoys in the region.
Touq stressed the importance of increasing international universities’ knowledge of the Jordanian universities’ experience in the field of higher education and exploring the possibility of cooperation with such universities in various areas of common interest, particularly in the field of distant online learning, which enriches teaching processes and contributes to the improvement of graduates.
The meeting was attended by the vice presidents, Dr. Fawwaz Al-Abed Al-Haq, and Dr. Anis Khasawneh, dean of Economics and Administrative sciences faculty, Dr. Mona Mola, dean of Education faculty, Dr. Nawwaf Shatnawi, dean of scientific research and graduate studies, Dr. Qasim Hammouri, and the dean of the faculty of Business at Portland State University, Dr. Cliff Allen.
In his speech at the opening ceremony, Kafafi said that YU strongly believes in the importance of creating effective relationships between academic and industrial sectors. He stressed the importance of benefiting from European universities’ experiences in the field of technology transfer and applying them in the Jordanian higher education system. Kafai then praised the efforts of the project members for their hard work and dedication to ensure the program's success.
The president also stressed the keenness of YU to graduate qualified, distinguished, and creative youth energies to be active individuals who can make positive changes in their society. He further pointed out that Yarmouk offers training courses and programs to its employees, students and to the members of the local community in various areas, in collaboration with business and industrial institutions as well as non-governmental organizations and other local or international institutions, pointing out that YU have established several incubators for various companies to provide training opportunities for students and to prepare them to enter the job market efficiently and competently.
For his part, Dr. Ahmad Abu-El-Haija, the director of the Erasmus+ office in Jordan, said that the EU-funded Erasmus+ program is a European collaborative program that supports project partnerships, exchange, policy dialogue in education and training, youth and sports, and offers opportunities for higher education institutions, employees and students from all over the world.
Abu-El-Haija further added that the European Union funded 91 collaborative projects in which Jordan participated in the past 15 years: 54 projects within Tempus program and 37 projects within the Erasmus program. Jordan received 16 grants with a share of 38 million euros for implementing the projects. He further noted that, between "2015-2018", the international exchange program under the Erasmus+ project provided exchange opportunities for more than 3,000 students and employees who traveled between EU and Jordan for training or educational purposes.
Abu-El-Haija added that YU is a leading institution in Tempus projects since its beginning in Jordan in 2002 with a total of 12 projects, noting that the first Tempus project coordinated by Jordan was applied by YU.
He further stated that Erasmus and Tempus programs helped Jordanian higher education institutions to cooperate with 29 of the 34 countries participating in the program, 9 Arab countries, in addition to Iran and Russia. Such connections helped Jordanian public and private institutions to collaborate with each other, linking academic institutes with nearly 30 ministries, non-governmental organizations and institutions, and enabling thousands of employees and students to travel between Jordan and Europe, which provided a suitable environment for cultural exchange and mutual understanding between the peoples of Jordan and Europe. The program also contributed to the development of Jordanian professors' competences in different areas, and helped Jordanian institutes to develop curricula for BA and MA levels.
The project manager, Dr. Mwaffaq Otoom, said that the meeting aims at creating a roadmap for the activities of the BITTCOIN-JO project, which is expected to offer new opportunities for Jordanian researchers, businessmen and industry, adding that the program supports innovations and emerging companies, based on the growing need to invest talented youth in Jordan
Otoom also noted that researchers and academics develop their research outputs into new products and services, pointing out that patents, publishing and marketing of these products, as well as cooperating with the industrial sector have become an urgent need for higher education institutions in Jordan, pointing out the BITTCOIN-JO project is an important step toward achieving these goals.
Otoom further said that the project will contribute to building a new model for technology transfer activities in Jordan through a series of training and capacity-building activities that will be implemented by the Project's Working Group, who will identify the challenges that technology transfer activities and models face to reach the process of research marketing.
Otoom also pointed out that the main product of the BITTCOIN-JO project will be the establishment of sustainable technology transfer offices at Jordanian universities, which are expected to work with the faculty members and students to market their projects, and patents to establish emerging companies
Otoom then reviewed the opening ceremony's events, which included a lecture on technology transfer by Frank Ohland, the CEO of the professional start company in Germany, a discussion on EU-funded projects results and the challenges they face when carrying them out as INVENT and TEJ projects, a discussion on establishing an effective technology transfer model in Jordan, and a lecture on financial management of Erasmus+ projects by Dr. Ahmad Abu-El-Haija, the director of the Erasmus+ office in Jordan.
The second day will include a meeting for the project partners to discuss financial and technical frameworks and the best implementation practices and will agree on the workplan, results and indicators. The event was attended by Vice president Dr. Fawwaz Al-Abed Al-Haq, Dr. Ahmad Al-Ajlouni, and a number of deans, faculty members and university officials.
The president of YU, Dr. Zeidan Kafafi, met the international officer of the British University of Staffordshire, Dr. Al Haj Bin Khalifa, to discuss possible avenues of cooperation.
At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Kafafi confirmed the keenness of YU to enhance research and academic cooperation with distinguished international universities. He added that such cooperation serves the educational process at Yarmouk, offers research opportunities for the teaching staff, and offers study opportunities for the students who wish to pursue their higher education abroad.
Kafafi also praised Staffordshire University’s distinguished academic status, one of the first ten universities in the UK, and expressed Yarmouk readiness to cooperate with them in various fields, particularly in the field of engineering by sending YU students to receive higher education there as well as creating joint MA programs in fields of mutual interest.
For his part, Bin Khalifa pointed out that Staffordshire University seeks to expand their cooperation network and build academic partnerships with various countries through the various programs they offer, adding that Staffordshire focuses on the practical side of education to better qualify students for the job market.
The meeting was attended by the vice president, Dr. Ahmed Al-Ajlouni, dean of the Faculty of Hijjawi for Engineering Technology, Dr. Ahmed Al-Shimali, dean of the faculty of Information Technology and Computer Sciences, Dr. Samer Samara, the Director of International Relations and Projects, Dr. Mwaffaq Otoom, the director of Public Relations and Media, Mr. Mukhlis Ibbini, and Dr. Haytham Bani Salameh from the faculty of Hijjawi for Engineering Technology.
The President of YU, Dr. Zeidan Kafafi met a delegation from Bridgewater State University which included the Assistant Provost for Global Engagement and Senior International Officer Dr. Wing-Kai To, the Academic Director of International Programs Dr. Jabbar Al-Obaidi, and the director of the Center for Middle East Studies Dr. Mado Rao, where means of cooperation were discussed.
At the beginning of the meeting, Kafafi confirmed the keenness of YU to cooperate with the prestigious university of Bridgewater State, which reflects positively on students and faculty members through exchange programs. He pointed out that YU can benefit from the scholarships offered by Bridgewater State University to Jordanian students to pursue their higher education in various specialties, confirming the university's readiness to receive Bridgewater students to learn Arabic through the Arabic language program offered by the Languages Center for the speakers of other languages.
For their part, the members of the delegation pointed out that Bridgewater State University welcomes various forms of cooperation with international universities proceeding from its strategy of opening to diverse cultures and providing academic and scientific opportunities for students and faculty members. They also expressed their hope to strengthen cooperation with YU through inviting YU students to join the summer schools’ programs which they offer for 2-3 weeks and through staff exchange programs.
The delegation members also noted that Bridgewater State University has recently introduced the program of Global Religious Studies, pointing to the possibility of cooperation with YU in this field. Finally, they gave a lecture on "international education and global communication" in the presence of Vice President Dr. Fawwaz Al-Abed Al-Haq, several deans, faculty members and university officials.
The meeting was attended by Vice presidents Dr. Fawwaz Al-Abed Al-Haq, Dr. Anis Khassawneh, dean of the Faculty of Law, Dr. Lafi Daradkeh, dean of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Dr. Mona Mola and a number of university officials.
