The Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Khaled Al Omari sponsored the opening ceremony of Princess Iman bint Abdullah II building "Faculties of Medicine and Pharmacy", which was established with a financial support from Abu Dhabi Fund for Development- United Arab Emirates, in the presence of YU president Dr. Zeidan Kafafi, and the acting Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates in Jordan, Faisal al-Malik.
Al-Omari said that educational institutions are always established based on the efforts of their employees and their successive academic leadership, praising YU for the development it has witnessed since its establishment in terms of infrastructure, academic programs, and study plans, adding that this development has made Yarmouk today one of the important universities in Jordan and in the Arab region.
Al-Omari further pointed out that the base of educational institutions is the intellectual heritage that includes psychological, social and value capital, which can be achieved through arming faculty members and students with a set of values including justice, freedom of thought, making positive changes in societies, and tolerance of opinion, pointing out that the importance of the academic work lies in creating intellectual leadership. He further stressed that Yarmouk family should be a good example of the good citizenship and should pay attention to the behavioral aspects as well as students’ values to refine their personalities.
Al-Omari also expressed his appreciation for the support provided by the United Arab Emirates represented by Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, praising the efforts of the academic, administrative and technical cadres that contributed to the establishment of these two faculties, and encouraging students to seek excellence in their studies to maintain the prestigious academic reputation of Yarmouk.
In his speech, president Kafafi, thanked Abu Dhabi Fund for the generous support they provided to Yarmouk, which emphasizes the deep relationship between Jordan and the UAE that was first established between His Majesty King Abdullah II and His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates. Kafafi also expressed his appreciation to the acting Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Faisal Al-Malik for the future cooperation he looks forward to establishing a faculty of dentistry and an educational hospital, which shows UAE embassy’s interest in developing the educational process in Jordanian higher educational institutions.
Kafafi also pointed out that the building was designed in a way that suits the nature of the disciplines and the academic programs that these faculties offer. The building has classrooms that are designed according to high standards to offer good study environments for students, in addition to the well- equipped scientific labs. He added that YU has sought to attract distinguished academic members in various medical and pharmaceutical disciplines, and has sent outstanding students from Yarmouk to prestigious international universities to pursue their higher education, in addition to strengthening partnership with various medical companies and institutions to provide students with best training opportunities to ensure their readiness for the local, regional and international job markets.
The Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Wisam Shihadeh said that the building which covers an area of 21,000 square meters, cost 6.5 million Jordanian dinars, and equipped with latest teaching, training and scientific research methods, will be a strong competitor among local and regional universities.
For his part, Dr. Sayer Al-Azzam, the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy pointed out that Yarmouk University was the first to establish a faculty of pharmacy in the kingdom in 1979, which was then moved to the Jordan University of Science and Technology in 1986, pointing out that Yarmouk is re-opening it in 2013 with qualified administrative and teaching staff who have graduated from prestigious international universities.
The opening ceremony included a video about the two faculties and the stages of their establishment in addition to a tour in the different facilities of the building.
The opening ceremony was attended by vice presidents, faculties’ deans, ex-president, Dr. Abdullah Al-Mosa, heads of departments, faculty staff and students.
