During his visit to the Cultural Office of the State of Kuwait in Amman, the President of Yarmouk University, Professor Islam Massad, met with the Head of the Cultural Office of the State of Kuwait in Amman, Dr. Hamoud Al-Qashaan, to discuss ways of enhancing cooperation between the two sides in various academic, scientific, and cultural fields. Massad stressed Yarmouk's keenness to strengthen its cooperation relations with various Kuwaiti educational institutions and to open new horizons for cooperation in various cultural, academic, and scientific fields in a way that contributes to the exchange of experiences, the convergence of knowledge, and the advancement of scientific research. He added that Yarmouk considers all measures to raise its international status and rank and obtain international accreditations for its academic programs, which should reflect the distinguished academic level of the various academic programs and specializations of the University. For his part, Al-Qashaan praised the distinguished reputation enjoyed by Yarmouk University at the academic and scientific level, stressing the keenness of the office to strengthen its cooperation with Yarmouk University in the fields of exchanging student and faculty members and conducting research and scientific projects in areas of common interest.
In the presence of the Chair of the University’s Board of Trustees, Dr. Ruwaida Maaytah, and the members of the University’s Dean Council, Yarmouk University awarded the honorary doctorate degree in social sciences to the former President of the Republic of Kosovo, H.E. Atifete Jahjaga. The President of Yarmouk University, Professor Islam Massad, confirmed that such a ceremony is to honor one of the international symbols of the struggle against violence, the defense of women's rights and freedom, and the empowerment of youth at the level of the social, political, and economic levels, pointing out that H.E. Atifete Jahjaga is one of the strongest fighters against extremism, violence, and radicalism. He then emphasized that H.E. Atifete Jahjaga is the first woman in the Balkans to serve as a state president and that she is to be acknowledged for sparing no effort to support and advocate freedom, justice, democracy, and social change issues. Massad also pointed out that awarding an honorary doctorate to the guest stems from Yarmouk University's belief in the importance of encouraging activists in the field of women's empowerment, supporting youth, and urging them to actively participate politically and socially to create a better future.
For her part, the former President of Kosovo thanked Yarmouk University for awarding her an honorary doctorate degree, pointing out that such a deed represents the friendly environment of Jordan and the generosity of its people. She explained that she is a strong believer in social change, pointing to the importance of recognizing the contribution of women and youth to achieving the desired social change, which demands viewing women and youth’s issues as an integral part of the process of progress. She further added that women politicians realize the power they may have and the benefit their countries may get if gender diversity is incorporated into the ongoing policy-making process. Thus, she stressed the need to work at the international level to increase the empowerment of women challenging the stereotypical perspective promoted by the media against women and their competence or professionalism at work.
The Dean of the Scientific Research and Graduate Studies at the University, Dr. Ayman Hammouda, read out the decision of the Dean’s Council at Yarmouk University concerning granting H.E. Atifete Jahjaga an honorary doctorate degree in social sciences with all related rights and privileges. Then a dialogue took place between the guest and several individuals attending the ceremony, including a number of members of the University's Board of Trustees, a number of official and popular activities in Irbid governorate, a number of women activists in the local community, representatives of the National Democratic Institute, and a number of faculty members and university students. However, during the ceremony, two short films were screened: one about Yarmouk University and the other about the presidential career of the former President of the State of Kosovo.
Yarmouk University achieved the third place in Queen Rania National Award for Entrepreneurship, which was organized by Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship at Princess Sumaya University as part of the activities of the Global Entrepreneurship Week. This achievement was accomplished by a team of students established by the Leadership and Innovation Center at the university. The students are Yasser Al-Shakhshir, Abdul-Hamid Al-Dalkamouni, and Anas Al-Far from the Department of Computer Science in the Faculty of Information Technology and Computer Science. These students launched an electronic platform called "e-tollab" that aims at explaining and simplifying all university subjects for scientific, engineering, medical, and human faculties.
Deputizing for the President of Yarmouk University, the Assistant President of the University, Dr. Ziyad Zureikat, sponsored the activities of the introductory session, "The Campaign to Gain Advocacy for Darbi Platform", which was organized by Princess Basma Center for Jordanian Women's Studies and the Higher Population Council. Zureikat said that holding the activities of this session at the University embodies the role of the University in interacting with the local community and its various institutions to promote awareness among people on various societal issues. He then explained that reproductive health is an important part of humans’ life cycle, considering that reproductive health incorporates health and rights considerations for family members, pointing to the importance of Darbi platform to achieve a better level of reproductive health and involve men and women in the reproductive decision of the family.
In her turn, Dr. Nadia Hayasat, the Director of Princess Basma Center for Jordanian Women's Studies, pointed out the importance of introducing Jordanian youth to Darbi platform, which provides information on reproductive health issues, sheds light on issues related to adolescence and youth health, and other topics related to marriage, family planning, and protection from violence. She then emphasized that the center uses the data and statistics issued by Darbi platform to conduct scientific studies and design several training sessions and workshops.
For her part, the coordinator of the Program for Advocacy and Capacity Building of Partners at the Higher Population Council, Badi’a Qubeilat, expressed her thanks to Yarmouk University for its permanent cooperation with the Council and its support for the awareness programs that aim at educating the Jordanian youth on various societal issues. She then explained that the establishment of the platform by the Higher Population Council is supported by the United Nations Population Fund, considering that the platform aims at raising awareness among the members of society, especially young men and women, improving their reproductive health, and correcting misconceptions related to reproductive health issues.
Interestingly, the session included presentations about the platform and the programs it offers for young people. It also included interactive students’ competitions on various reproductive health issues. The session was attended by a number of officials from Princess Basma Center for Jordanian Women's Studies, the Higher Population Council, members of the University's faculty, and a crowd of students.
The President of Yarmouk University, Professor Islam Massad, affirmed the university's keenness to provide all appropriate conditions for the success of the higher diploma program to prepare pre-service teachers by offering a distinguished and qualified cadre to present their knowledge and share experiences with those enrolled in the diploma program. During his meeting with Dr. Christine Lord, CEO of the International IREX Foundation, and Cameron Mirza, Director of the USAID Program for Preparation and Qualification of Pre-Service Teachers in Jordan, Massad stressed Yarmouk University's belief in developing human resources to achieve sustainable development in our societies, confirming that the success of the program in its first year at Yarmouk University would not have been possible without the efforts of the administration of the Faculty of Education. He then called for strengthening ways of future cooperation between the university and IREX by organizing a joint international conference to discuss the mechanisms of implementing the program, its outputs, and the extent of its effectiveness. In return, Lord praised the active cooperation and the pivotal role of Yarmouk University in making the diploma program a success. She also confirmed the readiness of the IREX Foundation for future cooperation with Yarmouk University in implementing research studies related to the diploma and holding a specialized conference in this field.
It is noteworthy that the diploma program is implemented by the university in partnership with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Queen Rania Academy for Teacher Training, the Civil Service Bureau, the Commission for Accreditation and Quality Assurance of Higher Education Institutions, and the IREX Foundation, and the USAID.
In the Fourth International Student Media Forum organized by Al Qasimia University in the United Arab Emirates under the title "Digital Media and National Identity", Yarmouk University achieved first place in the master's category for the second year in a row. Yarmouk University won this research award for a study entitled "The Relationship between Media Education and the Consolidation of Citizenship Values in Terms of Behavioral Theory". The study is composed by student Suhaib Bodour from the Radio and Television Department at the Faculty of Mass Communication under the supervision of Dr. Muhammad Habis. However, noteworthy is that this edition of the forum, which came under the slogan "Our identity is our responsibility", hosted 568 student participations from 12 countries representing 32 universities and research institutions.
The President of Yarmouk University, Professor Islam Massad, met the Director of Aerial Photography Project in Jordan and Oman, Dr. Robert Boley, who visited the University to participate in a workshop on "Aerial Photography and Remote Sensing in Jordan" organized by the Faculty of Archeology and Anthropology at Yarmouk University. Massad stressed that the Faculty of Archeology and Anthropology in Yarmouk is one of the leading faculties in the field at the regional level as it hosts a group of specialists and researchers who have a long history and a distinguished academic reputation in the various fields of antiquities. He added that the history of Jordan and its geographical location constitute a fertile research environment for those wishing to implement scientific projects and conduct research, stressing the keenness of the university administration to provide its students with the knowledge and skills required to excel in the fields of archeology and anthropology.
In return, Boley praised the scientific and academic level of the academic staff and students of the Faculty of Archeology and Anthropology at Yarmouk University, pointing out the importance of enabling workers and specialists in this field to conduct studies and research in a more effective and accurate manner. He explained that the process of aerial photography of antiquities has developed significantly in recent decades, as this technology is used to facilitate the process of planning and documenting archaeological sites through remote sensing software and geographic information systems.
Noteworthy here is that the meeting was attended by the Dean of the Faculty of Archeology and Anthropology, Dr. Lamia Khoury, and the Chairman of the Seminars and Lectures Committee at the Faculty of Archeology and Anthropology, Dr. Omar Al-Ghoul.
The Jordanian Journal of Arts issued by the Deanship of Scientific Research and Graduate Studies at Yarmouk University and supported by the Scientific Research and Innovation Support Fund is set as the third journal among other 14 journals included in Arcif for the year 2022 with a standard of (0.2095).
The former minister of Social Development, Reem Abu Hassan, sponsored the activities of the "Hand in Hand to Stop Violence against Women" ceremony, which was organized by Princess Basma Center for Jordanian Women's Studies at Yarmouk University in cooperation with the International Relief Committee and the Lutheran Charitable Union as part of the 16-day campaign to combat violence against women. Abu Hassan said that Jordan recognizes the importance of promoting women's political, economic, and social participation as evident in amending the Jordanian constitution by adding the phrase “Jordanian women” for the first time, thus recording a regional democratic precedent in women's rights. She pointed out that violence against women is not a Jordanian case, but rather a global phenomenon that not only includes physical violence, but incorporates also economic, sexual, and political violence.
In his turn, Professor Massad stressed the keenness of Yarmouk University represented by Princess Basma Center for Jordanian Women's Studies to participate in the 16-day campaign to combat violence against women. Such keenness, he explained, stems from the fact that women's issues including their protection and the guarantee of their full and undiminished rights are among the main concerns of the whole Jordanian society. Besides, the university is interested in supporting and empowering women in line with the thought and directives of His Majesty King Abdullah II.
In her turn, Susan Borden, Executive Director of the International Relief Committee in Jordan, delivered a speech in which she said that gender-based violence, whether physical, sexual, emotional or economic, is universally recognized as a widespread and persistent violation of the rights of women and girls. She indicated that despite the passage of nearly 30 years since the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, women are still subjected to violence, indicating that in 2020, 21 cases of murder of women were recorded in Jordan, and about 7,000 women were subjected to violence. She also expressed her appreciation that the need to eliminate violence against women in Jordan had been recognized and that the government had put in place laws and regulations to protect women, listen to their complaints, and guarantee their rights.
The Director of Princess Basma Center for Jordanian Women's Studies, Dr. Nadia Hayasat, indicated that the slogan of the international campaign for this year is "stop violence against women" and it reflects the steady increase in the number of cases of domestic violence for the year (2022) compared to the previous years. She pointed out that the reasons behind domestic violence are the weakness of family ties, the rift in parental relationships, the lack of religious faith, and the low standard of living. She then explained that Princess Basma Center is concerned with studying the conditions of Jordanian women, organizing counseling courses, training workshops, and family therapy sessions to contribute to combating violence against women and similar phenomena.
The preparation of scientific competencies in various fields of knowledge, and the production of innovative scientific research aims to serve society by providing exemplary education in an intellectually stimulating university environment.