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The vice president for Students Affairs and External Relations, Dr. Fawwaz Al-Abed Al-Haq met the president of Gaziantep University (Turkey), Dr. Ali Gur to discuss possible avenues of cooperation between the two sides.
At the beginning of the meeting, Al-Abed Al-Haq stressed the keenness of YU to cooperate with regional and international universities, which offers educational and research opportunities for YU students and faculty members as well, pointing to the academic reputation that Turkish universities enjoy. Al-Abed Al-Haq further stated that YU welcomes cooperation with Gaziantep University in terms of establishing joint academic programs and invited Gaziantep students to join the Arabic language for speakers of other languages program offered by the Languages Center and which receives hundreds of students from around the world on an annual basis.
For his part, Gur stated that Gaziantep University has 54 thousand students and 14 faculties and that Turkish, English and Arabic are used as mediums of instruction, pointing that Arabic is used as a medium of instruction for 12 programs. Gur also pointed that Gaziantep University has international students representing 108 countries adding that the university is a center of excellence for medicine and engineering. He finally expressed his university willingness to expand cooperation with Arab universities in general, and with YU, confirming their willingness to establish joint programs.
The meeting was attended by the Dean of the Faculty of Arts Dr. Mohammed Bani Doumi, the Director of International Relations and Projects Dr. Mwaffaq Otoom, Dr. Ayman Hayajneh from the Department of Political Science, and the vice president of Gaziantep University, Dr. Shimis Demir, and several officials from both universities.
The President of YU, Dr. Zeidan Kafafi, sponsored the graduation ceremony of the Arabic as a Foreign Language program offered by the Languages Center.
Kafafi congratulated the graduates and emphasized that the graduates are now part of the YU family who will represent it wherever they go. He also expressed his hope that the students have achieved the goals they joined the program for, which include learning Arabic and knowing the Jordanian people and culture. The president also stressed on the keenness of YU to provide all possible means to ensure that students from different foreign and Islamic countries benefit from the program.
The graduating students thanked YU for the attention paid to them while studying at the center, and thanked the Languages center's administration for providing them with the qualified instructors, language labs, and extra-curricular activities that contributed to their integration with other students on campus and with the local community. Students added that the program provided them with the opportunity to learn about the history of Jordan by visiting historical and touristic sights, and they spoke of the reasons that encouraged them to choose the languages Center at YU to learn Arabic.
During the ceremony, a short film was presented on the extracurricular activities the students participated in during their study, in addition to some folklore performances that reflected the different cultures of the participating students.
At the end of the ceremony, Dr. Kafafi gave the completion certificates to the 32 students from the USA, France, Spain, Australia, Belgium, Turkey, China, Malaysia, Romania, Singapore, and Korea.
It is noteworthy to mention that the languages center has 150 students from several foreign and Islamic Countries studying Arabic.
Dr. Zaidan Kafafi, the president of YU, met a delegation from Tadarus, represented by its chairman Dr. Abdelmoneim Awad and Dr. Hussain Jedaya. The two parties discussed possible avenues of cooperation, which includes establishing a university in Turkey that offers joint BA and Diploma programs in different majors.
Dr. Kafafi stressed the keenness of YU to cooperate with various international educational institutes, pointing to the cooperation agreements Yarmouk already have with a number of Turkish colleges and universities, adding that they are willing to cooperate with Tadarus to offer joint academic programs in different majors of mutual interest.
The president also noted that Yarmouk constantly develops the academic program plans they offer and establishes new programs to keep up with the rapid developments and to meet the needs of the local and Arab market.
Dr. Awad, for his part, praised the academic reputation that YU enjoys and stressed their keenness to cooperate with them in light of the current openness that international educational institutions witness. He also expressed their desire to sign a cooperation agreement with YU after submitting the project proposal.
Official Opening of Um Qais Water Tunnel
Deputizing for his royal highness Prince Al Hassan bin Talal, the chairman of the board of trustees of Yarmouk University Dr. Khaled Al-Omari attended the opening ceremony of the water tunnel in the city of Um Qais (Jadara).
Al-Omari conveyed the greetings of His Royal Highness Prince Al Hassan and expressed his appreciation for the prince's continuous support to the various activities that YU carry out. He added that this project, which is implemented by the Faculty of Archeology, is a proof of YU keenness to support research, pointing that the American embassy has always been a main supporter of the Higher education sector in Jordan. He further stressed the importance of the historical site of Umm Qais, and invited decision makers to give it the proper attention it deserves and to include it in the UNESCO World cultural heritage list. Al-Omari also referred to the excavations, maintenance and renovation works which the faculty of archaeology have carried out in various archeological sites in Jordan, adding that the discovery of the water tunnel in Jadara city enhances sustainable development in Irbid city and in Um Qais archaeological site.
President Dr. Zeidan Kafafi expressed his pride of YU for accomplishing the project in one of the most important archaeological sites in Jordan in cooperation with the Department of Public Antiquities, and with the financial support of the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation. He added that many archaeological sites in Jordan are subject to destruction, whether by people searching for treasures or by natural causes and invited all parts to cooperate to protect them. The president also encouraged YU faculty to attract international development projects that benefit the university and the community.
The cultural attaché at the US embassy, Peter Neisuler , stated that the American Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation seeks to protect cultural sites and all forms of traditional cultural expression around the world, pointing out that Jordan has received grants of more than 2 million dollars, since 2001, support 18 projects that aimed at preserving cultural heritage in several areas in Jordan, including Petra, Al-Bayda, Um Jamal, Abella, the Jordan Valley, and downtown Amman, pointing that such archeological sites are proof of the past human civilizations. Neisuler praised the efforts of YU and the Department of Antiques for their efforts in the discovery, maintenance and restoration of heritage sites, which positively reflects on the tourism and economic sectors in Jordan. At the end of his speech, he expressed the pride of the United States for their partnership with Jordan and emphasized on the US intention to continue to support Jordan to develop the tourism sector.
For his part, the project manager, Dr. Ziad Al-Saad, welcomed everybody and thanked them for attending the ceremony. He then stated that the project was part of an integrated plan developed by the Faculty of Archeology as a translation for the YU strategic plan in terms of community responsibility towards preserving the diverse cultural heritage of the archaeological city of Jadara. The plan included doing excavation works, archaeological studies and implementing maintenance, restoration and rehabilitation projects, describing this project as the first fruit of their work. He added that there are other similar projects to be done in other sites in Umm Qais as those that aim at maintaining the Roman Market, the main fountain (Nymphaeum) and the columns street. Al-Saad further stated that the choice of Jadara Tunnel to be the first project stems from its historical and technical importance, especially that it is part of an integrated water system that enabled dragging fresh water from distant places (up to 170 km) through mountains and valleys using only the power of gravity, making this site a proof of the architectural genuineness and creativity of the Roman period. The tunnel, he added, is 94 km long and is considered as the longest ancient water tunnel in the world, which is considered as an addition to the diversity of Jordan's cultural heritage.
The project team included Dr. Mustafa Al-Nadaf, Dr. Ahmed Abubakar, Dr. Abdul Rahim Ahmed, Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Serugi, Dr. Wasef Alsakhaineh, Dr. Sahar Khasawneh, engineer Fandi Al-Wakid, Mohammed Jaradat, Musa Al-Sarbel, Muwafaq Al-Bataineh, Hussein Dibaja, and Mohamed Rababba'.
The opening ceremony included a tour in the water tunnel during in which attendees got to know the stages of rehabilitation and renovation of the tunnel.
The ceremony was attended by Vice President Dr. Fawwaz Al-Abed Al-Haq Abdel Haq, dean of the Faculty of Archaeology, Dr. Hani Hayajneh, director of Bani Kenana district Ahmed Olaimat, Mayor of Khalid bin Alwaleed Municipality Hussain Malkawi, and Deputy Director of the Dept. of Antiquities Yazid Elayyan, director of the Irbid Tourism Directorate, Masha'el Khasawneh, and several officials from the U.S. Embassy in Amman and the university.
The President of YU, Dr. Zeidan Kafafi along with the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Khaled Al-Omari attended the graduation ceremony of the 11th and 12th batches of students at Oman College of Management and Technology. The graduation ceremony was held, for the first time, on the college's campus in Halban under the patronage of the Omani Deputy Minister of Tourism, Maitha bint Saif Al-Mahrouqiah.
During the ceremony, Kafafi delivered a speech in which he stated that the graduation ceremony is a result of the academic collaboration between YU and Oman College, which provides the Sultanate of Oman with qualified and trained graduates who will contribute to the development of Omani institutions in various sectors. Kafafi also asserted that YU will continue to academically support the college in a way that goes with its objectives.
Kafafi, then congratulated the graduates and invited them to reflect their learning experiences in their future careers to best represent YU and Oman College.
In his speech, the dean of the College, Dr. Walid Hmaidat stated that the young college of Oman has turned into an academic edifice in the Sultanate of Oman, noting that this ceremony is a proof of the qualified and trained graduates the college provides to the Omani market.
Student Sheikha Al-Saeedi, in her speech on behalf of her fellow graduates, thanked the administration of the College and the faculty members for arming them with knowledge and education that enable them to keep up with the developments of the current time and to benefit the Omani society.
At the end of the ceremony, Al-Mahrouqia honored distinguished students and delivered the certificates to the 357 graduates in the fields of Business Administration, accounting, financial and banking sciences, computer science, management information systems, and interior design.
The president of YU, Dr. Zeidan Kafafi, met a delegation from the Raden Fatah State Islamic University Palembang headed by its President, Dr. Muhammad Shirazi, where possible avenues of cooperation and the possibility of signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) were discussed.
Dr. Kafafi stressed the keenness of YU to cooperate with universities from around the globe to improve educational processes at YU and the quality of its graduates. Kafafi then reviewed the programs that YU offers for students and pointed to the possibility of signing a MOU with Raden Fatah in various fields including Arabic language, Islamic Studies, and Islamic Banks, in addition to staff exchange, receiving Raden Fatah's students to study at YU, holding joint conferences and conducting joint research.
For his turn, Shirazi praised the academic reputation that YU enjoys particularly in teaching Islamic studies. He further explained that Jordan enjoys a good reputation in teaching moderate Islam, which shows clearly in the speeches of His Majesty King Abdullah II in international platforms, and also shows in Amman Message that calls for clarifying to the modern world the true nature of Islam and the nature of true Islam.
The meeting was also attended by the Vice Presidents, deans of faculties and officials from both parties.
YU received a fund of €110,000 from the Agence française de développement (ADF) to carry out a research project on "Economic and Social Inequality within the Host Communities of Syrian Refugees in Jordan."
The project manager, and the head of the Economics department, Dr. Abd Al-Baset Athamneh said that the proposed project will last for eighteen months and covers Amman and Irbid governorates. He added that the project includes four stages and at the end of each stage, a specialized seminar will be conducted to announce the results. Then, at the end of the project, a specialized international conference will be held.
Athamneh pointed that the research project aims at increasing awareness of the consequences of economic and social inequalities within the refugee-hosting communities and the factors behind that, in addition to investigating the role of asylum in decreasing/increasing the consequences of inequality.
The research team, which is headed by Dr. Athamneh, includes Dr. Mahmoud Hailat from the Department of Economics, the director of the Refugees, Displaced Persons and Forced Migration Studies Center, Dr. Ayat Nashwan, and Dr. Rana Jawarneh from the Department of Geography, and will be implemented in accordance to the agreement signed between YU and the AFD.
The AFD is a public financial institution that was founded in 1941 and implements the policy defined by the French Government. It works to fight poverty and promote sustainable development.
The Director of the International Relations and Projects Department at YU, Dr. Muwafaq Al-Otoom, sponsored the graduation ceremony of YU Jordanian and Syrian refugees’ students who participated in the SYMPRO project, which received €8,000 fund from the European Credit Fund.
At the beginning of the ceremony, the project director, Dr. Ahmed Al-Aroud, from the Faculty of Information Technology and Computer Science gave a presentation about the project which aims at qualifying Jordanian and Syrian students to join MA programs offered by international universities through open source online educational platforms. He further explained that the 11 students who participated in the project received education and training for two semesters as part of the programs offered by the New York City College of Technology in the USA and the Curtin University in Australia. The areas of training included cyber information Security and Data Science which are of current demand in local and international markets. He added that such online programs are less expensive than the traditional ones and can be easily registered by students from all around the world even those in remote places.
The research team of the project included Dr. Ahmed Al-Aroud, Dr. Khaled Nahar, and Abdullah Al Zoubi from the Faculty of Information Technology and Computer Science, and Ahmed Al-Zyout from the Computer and Information Center.
It is noteworthy to mention that the YU hosts 484 Syrian refugee students who are enrolled in various academic majors.
At the end of the ceremony, and with the presence of the Director of the Refugees, Displaced Persons and Forced Migration Studies Center, Dr. Ayat Nashwan, and several officials from YU, Dr. Otoom handed the certificates to the participating students.
The president of YU, Dr. Zeidan Kafafi met a delegation from Oman College of Management and Technology. The delegation consisted of Khamis Al-Khsaibi, Hanan Al-Badria, Noura Al-Baluchia and Lamia Al-Majenia, who came to YU to attend training courses in public relations, finance, supplies and services, and human resources. The meeting was attended by the Vice presidents, Dr. Anis Khassawneh and Dr. Fawwaz Abd Al-Haq, the Director of International Relations and Projects, and the Director of Public Relations and Media.
At the beginning of the meeting, Kafafi stated that YU is proud of their active partnership with Oman College. He added that YU will take all necessary measures to develop the academic and administrative processes at Oman College through the training courses they offer for their staff. Kafafi also noted that YU and Oman College will take necessary measures to develop Oman College, such as offering new majors and programs.
For their part, the delegation members thanked YU and praised their efforts to support Oman College academically and administratively. They also thanked YU employees who provided them with the knowledge they need in various fields.