News
The President of YU, Dr. Zeidan Kafafi met a delegation from the University of Cambridge, which included Ramiz Haddadin, the Cambridge English Regional Commercial Head in the Middle East, Turkey, Africa, South and Central Asia, and Jane Al-Qus, the director of Business Development for the Cambridge English exams in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Kuwait and Lebanon. During the meeting, future plans of cooperation were discussed.
At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Kafafi stressed the keenness of YU to cooperate with the prestigious university of Cambridge in various academic and research fields that positively impact the educational process at the university, as well as the faculty members. Dr. Kafafi also expressed the readiness of YU to consider the proposal of Cambridge for applying the "Linguaskill", a program prepared by the University of Cambridge to accurately measure the students' English language skills.
For his part, Haddadin explained that the "Linguaskill” measures students' English language skills through several levels, starting from the easiest to the most difficult: "Pre A1, A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2". He also stated that, upon the completion of the exams, students receive a certificate from the University of Cambridge.
Haddadin also pointed to the possibility of enhancing cooperation between the two parties through a memorandum of understanding that aims at conducting joint research among the faculty members of both universities.
The meeting was attended by Prof. Yousef Bader, the deputy Dean of the Faculty of Arts, and Dr. Lutfi Abulhija, the head of the Department of English Language and Literature.
In the presence of President Prof. Zeidan Kafafi and the Dutch ambassador in Amman, Barbara Joziasse, the executive director of the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD), Farah Daghestani, sponsored the graduation ceremony of the first batch of students participating in Isma'ni "Listen to me" program. The program is implemented by the International Foundation for Research and Exchange in Jordan (IREX) in cooperation with the Faculty of Mass Media in the University and the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development. The program is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.
Dagestani stressed the importance of educating youth on how to properly use their talents through providing them with specialized courses and workshops, like that of "Isma'ni".
Dr. Kafafi stated that Jordan has qualified human resources that lead to success, and that the graduation of this batch is a proof for the efficiency and excellence of YU students. He also spoke of the effective role of media in the present time, and how YU pays extra attention to it.
Bilal Al-Khasawneh, a member of the Advisory Committee of the program, said that the advisory and Guidance Committee have provided students with advice and counseling and encouraged them to produce programs in a way that serves the local community.
The Vice President of YU for Student Affairs and External Communication, Prof. Fawwaz Al-Abed Al-Haq, met a delegation from the University of Manchester. The delegation included the Vice President of the University for International relations, Prof. Stephen Flint and the Coordinator of Research Strategies and International Cooperation at the University, Dr. Shaden Jaradat. Means and ways of enhancing cooperation were discussed between the two sides.
During the meeting, Al-Abed Al-Haq stressed the keenness of YU to enhance cooperation and communication with international universities. He also expressed YU’s willingness to send students to study in these universities to qualify them according to the latest academic methods, which reflects positively on their academic performance after rejoining YU. He also expressed the willingness of YU to enhance cooperation with the University of Manchester to conduct joint academic research, and staff and students exchange, and to receive students from Manchester to learn Arabic at the language center, in addition to the possibility of conducting joint international projects on issues of refugees and displaced persons.
For their part, Flint and Jaradat praised the outstanding academic reputation of YU, confirming the readiness of the University of Manchester to strengthen cooperation with YU through a memorandum of understanding, especially in the fields of scientific research and student exchange.
The president of YU, Prof. Zeidan Kafafi sponsored the opening ceremony of a series of academic seminars on asylum and forced migrations, entitled "Asylum and Forced Migrations: Academic Viewpoints ". The seminars were organized by the Refugees, Displaced persons and Forced Migration Studies Center at YU in cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF). 26 faculty members from different academic departments of YU participated in the seminars.
During the opening session, Dr. Kafafi pointed out that Jordan has received many human migrations throughout history. He added that human migrations started in the old ages, giving the example of the one that occurred 9000 years ago, when so many people migrated from the west bank of the River Jordan to the east bank due to climate change. The new comers had settled and built villages that are now more than 8000 years old. The president further expressed his happiness and pride of the number of participants, which shows their interest in such an important issue. At the end of his speech, Dr. Kafafi thanked Friedrich Nauman Foundation for their effective cooperation.
The Director of the Refugees, Displaced persons and Forced Migration Studies Center at YU, Dr. Ayat Nashwan, for her part, thanked the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom for providing fund for the seminars that deal with asylum issues from academic perspectives. Dr. Nashwan also referred to the different departments that participated in these seminars represented by the good number of scholars from the departments of Modern Languages, translation, Geography, Sociology, Economics and Administrative Sciences, Political Sciences and History.
The seminars included papers on risk readings, changes of identity, refugee women, sources of information among refugees in Jordan, education, immigration policies and the European position, the trauma of asylum in literature, the ideology of the Jordanian Islamic, national State and its impact on hosting Refugees, and International attitudes towards Refugees.
The opening session was attended by the project manager at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, Constanze Sturm, vice presidents Prof. Anis Khassawneh and Prof. Fawwaz Al-Abed Al-Haq, deans, faculty members and a number of students.
Vice president Prof. Anis Khassawneh inaugurated a workshop entitled "History and Architecture Diwan", organized by the Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University, and the French Institute for the Near East in cooperation with the German University of Jordan, the Department of General Monuments, the French Embassy, the Gerda Henkel Foundation, the British Research Institute and the German Protestant Institute of the Monuments of the Holy Land, in the presence of Vice president Prof. Fawwaz Al-Abed Al-Haq.
Dr. Khassawneh welcomed the participants in this interactive workshop, dedicated to presenting papers by graduate students to encourage them to do research. He also called other faculties of YU to follow the Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology in this respect.
For his part, the Dean of the Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology, Prof. Hani Al-Hayajneh said that the workshop aims at raising awareness about research in architecture and antiquities in Jordan, noting that this workshop is a platform for presenting the research of a group of distinguished graduate students, who they are proud of. The dean called on educational and research institutions to invest the creativity of their youth.
Dr. Suazik Bashtwal, from the French Institute for the Near East, said that the workshop is designed to promote research opportunities between the European and Jordanian universities in the field of antiquities and architecture in Jordan. She added that the workshop is a unique opportunity to share knowledge and experience, and an opportunity for the students to benefit from the participating educational and research institutions.
The workshop consisted of three sessions: the first was headed by Dr. Maher Tarboush, the second was headed by Dr. Abd Al-Rahim Ahmad and the third was headed by Dr. Ahmad Abu Dalo.
The opening session was attended by the Dean of Scientific Research and Graduate Studies, Dr. Qasim Hamouri, a number of faculty members, and students at the Faculty of Archeology.
