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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.
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.
For his part, Mr. Clark said that the agency is willing to enhance cooperation with YU in various fields in view of the distinguished academic reputation it enjoys, pointing out that the project will contribute to qualifying students with necessary skills and training courses that will help them enter job markets and make positive changes in physical education teaching methods in various Jordanian schools. He also pointed out that the targeted schools in northern Jordan will be equipped with the necessary sports’ tools and equipment to develop the educational process.
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 meeting was attended by the vice presidents Dr. Anis Khasawneh and Dr. Fawwaz Al-Abed Al-Haq, the dean of the faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Dr. Mona Al Mola, the teaching staff of the faculty of Physical education and several officials from both sides.
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.”
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 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.
