To achieve its strategic plan by offering new majors that serve the local, Arab and regional labor market, Yarmouk University declared establishing a faculty of Nursing, a new program in the Faculty of Arts called “Applied English Language”, and a Master program in digital marketing in the Faculty of Economy and Administrative Sciences beginning with next academic year 2022-2023.
The Radio and Television Department of the Faculty of Mass Communication at Yarmouk University won the second place in Al Jazeera Documentary Competition for the short film in 2022 through a film entitled "Ezwati-My Pride", which was written and directed by the student Bushra Al-Sarayrah and supervised by Dr. Khuzaym Al-Khalidi. The film is a short social documentary targeting male and female volunteers aged 15 years and above from inside and outside Jordan, and it talks about a popular restaurant in the center of Amman, a place that raises the slogan “inta azem aw mazoum- you are invited or being invited”. The documentary urges solidarity and economic integration, as the restaurant is frequented by many people of different nationalities.
In terms of the agreement concluded between the Faculty of Archeology and Anthropology at Yarmouk University and the Finnish University of Helsinki, a specialized archaeological team in cooperation with the Department of Antiquities began an archaeological survey work in the southern region and west of Irbid, through a joint project entitled “Archaeological Surveys in Tel Ya’amoun. The team relied on aerial maps and photographs of Tel Ya’amoun, aiming at documenting archaeological sites that include drawing, photography, surface layers, documentation, and analysis of architectural ruins in pursuit of understanding the social life of the people of the region. The team was supervised by the Head of the Archeology Department, Dr. Maher Tarboush, and the Head of the Heritage Resources Conservation and Management Department, Dr. Hussein Sababha, and Dr. Ahmad Al-Sharman. The Finnish side included Dr. Ante Lahelma, Dr. Marta Lorenzon, and several technicians from the University of Helsinki.
The Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) in Tunisia approved the request of Yarmouk University to join the ALECSO chair for educational studies and research in the network of scientific chairs affiliated with ALECSO since July 2022. The incumbent of the chair, Dr. Fawaz al-Momani, stated that the ALECSO Chair for Educational Studies and Research was established at Yarmouk University by a decision of the University Deans’ Council on February 24, 2020. He then mentioned that the chair is affiliated with the Scientific Network of ALECSO Chairs and that it aims at contributing to the various state institutions in conducting studies and implementing educational programs and research in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Arab region. He also added that the chair contributes to the dissemination of knowledge by holding academic and scientific seminars and by establishing links with local and international institutions, universities, and scientific institutes.
The President of Yarmouk University, Professor Islam Massad, said during the press conference organized by the Department of Public Relations and Media that the activities of "Youth Summer 2022" started with the beginning of summer semester as the university has completed full preparations for launching a number of interactive programs and activities in full partnership with students from various faculties and departments. He said that the university has prepared supervising teams through the Deanship of Student Affairs and the various deanships of the faculties and its departments in coordination with the Department of Public Relations and Media where all the logistical aspects, halls, theatres, amphitheaters, and the necessary arenas have been prepared. Massad then stressed that this unconventional university summer will be a periodic approach in all upcoming semesters, and it comes in a contemporary innovative way. He added that the university was keen to partner with all faculties to offer activities needed by students to lead interactive dialogue sessions with a high level of interaction between students, opinion leaders, and officials.
Regarding the type of activities included in Yarmouk Youth Summer 2022, the Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Muhammad Thiyabat, explained that the program is divided into five weeks and includes many events and activities at the level of knowledge, skills, entertainment, and awareness. He mentioned that the first week includes holding the Third National Conference “The Royal Discussion Papers between Study and Implementation" as well as several dialogue sessions on youth and politics empowerment, especially “democracy” and “active citizenship”. In the second week, two dialogue sessions will be presented in the field of youth and political empowerment covering the themes: "elections and political parties" and "extremism", in addition to an interactive seminar on “Yarmouk Success Stories”, an awareness seminar on the “Awareness of Traffic Accidents”, “Working before Employment”, an interactive workshop “Discover Yourself”, and another on “Cybercrime (defamation and extortion). The third week, he said, includes an area of youth and political empowerment through many dialogue sessions covering the royal discussion papers in addition to an exhibition of “Yarmouk innovations” that includes projects, innovations, patents, entrepreneurship, exhibitions, plays, music, singing, and other seminars on innovation, harassment, student sanctions, and awareness of the dangers of drug abuse. It also includes a community service activity, which is “cleaning Islamic and Christian cemeteries” and a symposium for celebrating the "Jordanian Youth and Sustainable Development". As for the activities of the fourth week, they include empowerment sessions, a number of poetry debates and a number of interactive dialogue sessions with students, a voluntary community activity in one of Bani Obaid schools, a symposium on the “Professional Accounting Certificate”, “Dealing with the University Security,” and “Sports Intolerance and its Reduction” and a competition entitled “Capturing the Flag/ CTF”. The last week includes various dialogue sessions and other activities, such as poetry readings to unleash talents in this field, “Jordanian cities and villages (in both Arabic and English), “Youth Empowerment and Volunteer Work”, “You are a Leader”, “Design Problems and Solutions”, a programming competition (YUPCP), and a panel discussion by the eminent preacher Dr. Muhammad Rateb al-Nabulsi.
For her part, the Director of the Dept. of Public Relations and Media, the official spokesperson for the university, Dr. Nawzat Abu Al-Asal, stated that it is expected that the “Youth Summer 2022” will achieve a number of outputs and desired goals, the first of which is that Yarmouk youth leads a cultural movement at the university and outside it and that their opinions, ideas and proposals will be adopted as beneficial decisions. She also stated that this summer comes as a proof that the university youth is a real and influential partner in public life through dialogue, which is a reliable channel for responsible expression in various national issues.
Based on the vision of Yarmouk University and in line with its mission, the Computer and Information Center launched a set of basic systems and services in cooperation with the various faculties and departments of the university, namely the Deanship of Scientific Research and Graduate Studies, the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Center, the Language Center, and the Procurement and Supplies Department. The Director of the Center, Dr. Muhammad Al-Zamil, indicated that the Center launched a system for supervising university theses, thus making the process of appointing a supervisor for MA and PhD theses fully automated. Also, the center launched the application service for research projects (general scientific research), which enables researchers at the university to apply for research projects through the personnel services system. The center also established two new systems regarding procurement and supplies. The first is concerned with managing tenders and bids, and the other is concerned with managing the holdings of the Jordanian Natural History Museum of the Faculty of Science in cooperation with the staff of the museum. Finally, the center also established a new system for managing the financial resources of the Language Center.
The President of Yarmouk University, Professor Islam Massad, met with a delegation from the University of Mexico, El Colegio de México, headed by the President of the University, Dr. Silvia Giorguli, in the presence of the Mexican Ambassador in Amman, Roberto Rodriguez Hernandez, to discuss possible ways of cooperation in social sciences and humanities, international relations, and studies of the Middle East and the Arab world as well as teaching Arabic to non-native speakers. Massad first welcomed the delegation and stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation through agreements and memoranda of understanding that contribute to achieving the desired outcomes, which reflects positively on the two parties. Such agreements, he explained, can include teaching Arabic and Spanish in a way that enhances the skills needed by students and opens up new horizons for them in the labor market. He also indicated that a special program for teaching Arabic to non-native speakers can be prepared at the university's language center to meet the expectations of the students of the University of Mexico, whether face-to-face or online.
The Mexican ambassador expressed the embassy's support for cooperative relations between Mexican educational institutions and Yarmouk University, stating that the University of Mexico is a gateway for cooperation with various universities, institutes and educational institutions in Latin America, especially as it has more than fifty years of experience in Research and studies related to Asia, Africa and Latin America.
For her part, Giorguli stressed the importance of the meeting, which is her first visit to the Middle East, pointing out her keenness to cooperate with Yarmouk University and open up prospects for joint work. She then pointed to the possibility of cooperation through the exchange of students and faculty members in the fields of social sciences and humanities, such as public administration, history, literature, sociology, demography, urban studies, and economics. She also referred to the possibility of cooperation in conducting and implementing research studies and scientific projects in areas of common interest like immigration and asylum, international relations and digital humanities, studies of the Middle East and the Arab world, and teaching Arabic for university students.
The former president of the Jordanian House of Representatives, Lawyer Abdel Moneim Al-Odat, sponsored the Third National Conference entitled “The Royal Discussion Papers between Study and Implementation: A Road Map for the Future of Jordan”, which was organized by the late Samir Al-Rifai Chair for Jordanian Studies at Yarmouk University and the Cultural Forum of Irbid, in cooperation with the Executive Office For the celebration of Irbid as the Capital of Arab Culture for 2022 over two days in the Conferences and Seminars Building.
Al-Odat said that Jordan was able to transform the principles and themes tackled in the royal discussion papers into practical reality by making constitutional amendments that established the principle of the rule of law and the integration of powers, and paved the way for a review of the legislation governing the political life. He added that Jordan has withstood regional and international challenges, thanks to the wisdom of its Hashemite leadership and the expertise of His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein in managing balances and crises, analyzing facts and developments, and foreseeing the future. He also pointed out that in light of the progress made by the country over the past few years after the publication of the seven discussion papers and the subsequent conferences, seminars and meetings were conducted in substantive discussions on the contents of those papers, which formed the basis for a wide national discussion about the foundations on which we should build our democratic system.
The President of the Conference - President of the University, Professor Islam Massad, said that by organizing this conference with the participation of a group of researchers, thinkers and academics, Yarmouk University completes what had been accomplished in previous conferences and keeps pace with new ideas and visions related to the royal discussion papers. He added that since His Majesty King Abdullah II assumed his constitutional powers in 1999, His Majesty has worked to lay down a clear vision for comprehensive reform, development and support for democracy in the Jordanian state, emphasizing this through a series of discussion papers dealing with development and reform issues, thus stimulating national dialogue and democratic transformation. Massad also pointed out that Yarmouk University organized this conference to confirm its important role in developing various types of science and knowledge and contributing to the history of the Jordanian state referring that the conference is the starting point of the important activities and events of “Youth Summer 2022”.
In his speech on behalf of the participants in the conference, the former Minister Dr. Hazem Qashou stressed that societies are formed by geography and themes. As for geography, it is defined for security purposes, and as for the latter, it is built on cognitive values that societies carry through their leadership. He added that in the midst of this expelling atmosphere in the region, everyone was looking for a compass for survival, then His Majesty King Abdullah II presented his vision for the modern state project through his discussion papers, thus opening dialogue tools and activating atmosphere for pluralistic democratic action. Qashou also pointed out that this conference held by Yarmouk University, which is well-established in its role and mission, will not fail to address the issue of cognitive learning, which has become obligatory in light of the acceleration of events and the changing pace of education, indicating that the call for a work strategy for cognitive learning has become a necessity, especially after the state has found work strategies for political, administrative, and economic reform.
The head of the preparatory committee for the conference - holder of the Chair of Late Samir Al-Rifai for Jordanian Studies, Dr. Muhammad Anaqra, said that he hopes that by the end of the conference sessions and dialogues, participants will present several recommendations that will make Jordan a pioneering country in understanding and implementing democracy and a living model in political reform and comprehensive development. He referred that over two days, participants would discuss 54 research papers addressing what was stated in the discussion papers, trying to draw appropriate recommendations for democratic Jordan. Moreover, Anaqra affirmed that the conference attempts to contribute to the political and democratic development of Jordan, indicating that this would not have been possible without the great efforts of His Majesty the King in composing the discussion papers that represent a road map that guides the people, individuals and institutions, and guides successive governments in all their activities.
The American Concrete Institute granted the student branch at Yarmouk University the award of “the most distinguished” Student Branch for the year 2021, which is granted annually by the Institute to the most active and distinguished student branch concerning the advanced and professional efforts of students based on criteria related to the number and quality of activities and competitions organized by student teams in international universities. The team included Qamar Al-Aqili, Sarah Obeidat, Malik Abu Al-Haijaa, Ahmed Bani Younes, Muhammad Bani Younes, Yasmine Safaqa, Hadeel Al-Shalakhti, Loujain Raji, Sarah Al-Jizawi, Hussam Al-Azzam, Rama Marian, Ahmed Abu Al-Ful, Ahmed Yasser, Jaafar Bani Melhem, Naseem Al Rawashdeh, Nour Al Mahamid, Ihab Al Fuqaha, Moath Al Zoubi, and Yara Obeidat.
Yarmouk University’s team organized during 2021 several local competitions that contributed to enhancing students' practical knowledge in the field of concrete, in addition to actively participating in international competitions. The team also organized local and regional seminars in cooperation with student branches from Tanta University in the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Islamic University of Beirut. It also networked students with the labor market and graduate studies, broadened students’ horizons towards knowledge and career progress in civil engineering, and participated in several voluntary, social activities.
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.
