The Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Yarmouk University, Professor Musa Rababah, patronized the opening of the “Deutscher Tag Day” activities, which was organized by the Department of Modern Languages in cooperation with the German Embassy in Amman, the (DAAD), the Deanship of Students' Affairs, and the Department of Networking and International Relations.
The celebration included a variety of cultural activities presented by a group of students from the department of Modern Languages, and it focused on acknowledging cultural cooperation between Jordan and Germany, especially in the field of education. Thus, the event included displaying a set of photographs, pamphlets, and cultural books about Germany and its universities, institutes, and educational as well as cultural bodies. The event also included a meeting between the cultural attaché at the German Embassy in Amman, Ms. Leonie Lorenz, and a representative of the DAAD , Dr. Abd al-Nasser Al-Hindawi, with the students of the department. During the meeting, Lorenz and Al-Hindawi answered students' questions and inquiries about studying in Germany and the scholarships provided by the German authorities for Jordanian students. Furthermore, Lorenz and Al-Hindawi valued the role of the Department of Modern Languages in spreading the German language and culture, which reflected positively on strengthening the cultural and academic cooperation between the two countries.
The President of Yarmouk University, Dr. Islam Massad, met with the U.S. Ambassador to Jordan Henry T. Wooster, during his visit to the university to discuss ways to enhance cooperation between Yarmouk and various American higher education institutions.
At the beginning of the meeting, Massad affirmed Yarmouk's keenness to strengthen the prospects for joint cooperation between Yarmouk and the U.S. Embassy in Amman, which would create opportunities for scientific, research and academic cooperation with American universities and educational institutes in various fields, pointing to the deep interest of the university administration in consolidating ways of cooperation with the American educational authorities, given the university students' interest to complete their academic studies in prestigious American universities, noting that a large percentage of the university's faculty members are graduates of the United States of America.
He pointed out that Yarmouk is ready to receive students from the United States of America who wish to learn Arabic for non-native speakers, through a program dedicated to that offered by the Language Center at the university, which includes competencies capable of teaching Arabic using modern methods that ensure students' mastery of the basic skills of the Arabic language.
The U.S. Ambassador Wooster stressed the Embassy's keenness to strengthen the ties of American-Jordanian cooperation in many fields, the most important of which are scientific, academic, and cultural, pointing out that cooperation and communication with Yarmouk University would provide opportunities for students and faculty members at the university to obtain scholarships to complete their academic studies or make scientific visits to various American universities and institutes, in addition to the possibility of cooperation between the embassy and Yarmouk in implementing a range of cultural and linguistic activities inside the university campus.
Deputizing for the President of Yarmouk University, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Professor Mousa Rababah, sponsored the launching of the activities of the project GEO-IT / Geospatial data collection technology for sustainable development and risk management, which was organized by the Geography Department of the Faculty of Arts at Yarmouk University. The project was funded by the DAAD, in cooperation with the Free University of Berlin, the Lebanese University, the Lebanese Remote Sensing Center, the Geography Department at Mu’tah University, the Regional Center for Teaching Space Science and Technology for West Asia - Jordan / United Nations, and the United Nations World Food Program, with the participation of a number of researchers from the universities of Aleppo and Hama / Syria, Munich University of Technology / Germany, and Vienna University of Technology / Austria.
In his opening speech, Rababah welcomed the participants, praising the efforts made for organizing workshops during the difficult circumstances of the Corona pandemic and stressing that Yarmouk University, based on its strategic plan, supports the gathering of such research groups and holding any international projects that contribute to advancing the development process in the region and exchanging experiences and scientific knowledge between researchers and students.
The Head of the Geography Department and project coordinator, Dr. Khaled Hazaimeh, gave a welcoming speech to the guests, explaining the project objectives and the importance of using and embedding geospatial data technology in conducting the sustainable development process, thus supporting decision-makers to developing policies and future plans to confront challenges and natural as well as human risks whether at the national, regional or global levels.
In his turn, the project’s general coordinator, Dr. Wahib Sahwan from the Free University of Berlin, thanked Yarmouk University for organizing the first face-to-face workshop of the project after a series of online workshops due to Corona Pandemic. Then he thanked all participants for attending and participating in the activities of the workshops.
Dr. Nadine Nassif, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at the Lebanese University, gave a speech on behalf of the Lebanese team involved in the project, indicating the great role that the project plays in linking andnetworking researchers from several countries to serve the scientific research in the region.
Dr. Ahmed Yaghi from Damascus University gave an online speech on behalf of the participants from Syria, reviewing the development of using remote sensing techniques in Syria and the role of researchers in this field in supporting decision-making in many natural and human studies based on Geospatial Technologies. Finally, Dimitris Karakostus from the World Food Program Office in Syria gave a presentation on the programs and projects that the office provides and supervises in Syria and the Arab region.
Noteworthy is that a number of faculty members at Yarmouk University participated in the opening activities, besides a group of students from the departments of geography, earth sciences and environment at the university.
A Student exchange Agreement has been signed with the French University of Sciences Po as part of the collaborative endeavors of both parties, noting that this agreement builds on existing relationships between both universities. The agreement puts in place an exchange program of students of both institutions in the humanities, social sciences with emphasis on linguistic, artistic, and digital education, aiming at strengthening mutual understanding and cooperation between both universities. It also seeks to enhance the exchange of faculty members, develop intensive language programs, and conduct joint research programs as well as organize joint conferences.
In this context, Yarmouk University participated in “Choose France Jordan 2021” event which was organized at the French Institute in Jordan in collaboration with Campus France and the French Embassy in Amman. The event included Institutional Meetings between representatives from Jordanian Universities and a number of higher education institutions in France to discuss possible collaboration in terms of student and staff exchange, summer courses, internship opportunities and to boost new partnerships. A Student fair for French higher education institutions was also organized where presentations and meetings were conducted for interested students.
As part of the University’s celebrations of the centenary of Jordan, Professor Islam Massad patronized the University’s celebrations of the return of face-to-face education on the university campus after about two years of distance learning due to the Corona pandemic and its repercussions on the whole world. Thus, in the reading hall at the Faculty of Medicine, Massad inaugurated the Fine Arts exhibition “Representations of the Mask in the Time of Corona” prepared and designed by students of the Faculty of Fine Arts under the supervision of Professor Muhammad Salem Bani Hamad.
Furthermore, Massad patronized the celebration of the Deanship of Students’ Affairs for students’ return to the university campus, as he attended a flag-raising ceremony by the rovers. Massad stated, “this day is one of the most beautiful days as we see our students returning to the University campus after their long absence due to the repercussions of the Corona pandemic”. He then stated that the University has developed a tight plan for face-to-face education, which guarantees a safe environment for all students wishing an uninterrupted academic year, calling on them to exert effort in their lectures and courses and inviting them to engage in the extracurricular activities that the Deanship of Students’ Affairs supervises and implements in various cultural, artistic and sports fields.
The President of Yarmouk University, Professor Islam Massad, met with a Malaysian delegation that included the educational attaché at the Malaysian Embassy in Amman, Muhammad bin Wahab, and the Vice President of Pahang State College University (UCYP), Dr. Azhar bin Jaafar, and Dr. Hajj Ahmed Farid, the Dean of the Faculty of Languages at the university, where they discussed ways to enhance cooperation between the two sides.
At the beginning of the meeting, Massad stressed the keenness of the University to offer the Malaysian students studying in Yarmouk the utmost attention and care to be the best ambassadors for the University in their country, pointing to the university's readiness to receive more Malaysian students wishing to continue their studies in Yarmouk, especially in the fields of Arabic language and Sharia and Islamic studies. He then added that the Language Center of the University seeks to hold remote training courses in Arabic for non-native speakers and Islamic law at reduced fees in order to help Malaysian students pass the Arabic language proficiency exam and enable those wishing to learn Arabic from other countries to join such courses without the need to be physically at the University.
In return, the members of the delegation valued the attention Yarmouk pays to Malaysian students, praising the University’s academic reputation and the excellence of its teaching staff, noting that 300 Malaysian students will be sent to continue their studies in Yarmouk University.
The meeting was attended by the Vice Presidents of the University, Professor Muwaffaq Alomoush, Professor Riad Almomani, theDeans of the Faculties of Arts, Professor Mousa Al-Rababah, Sharia and Islamic Studies, Professor Adam Al-Qudah, Students’ Affairs, Dr. Muhammad Khalaf Al-Thiabat, theDirector of the Department of Foreign Relations, Dr. GhaziAl-Muqabala, the Director of Public Relations, Mukhles Al-Ebeni, and Dr. Ziad Al-Azzam from the Malaysian Cultural Attaché, and a number of officials from both sides.
In the presence of the Vice President for Administrative Affairs, Professor Riad al-Momani, the Vice President of Yarmouk University for Academic Affairs, Professor Muwaffaq al-Omoush, met with the Canadian Ambassador to Amman Donica Pottie and the accompanying delegation, discussing ways to enhance cooperation between Yarmouk University on the one hand and the Canadian Embassy as well as Canadian universities on the other.
During the meeting, al-Omoush praised the Canadian government’s support for a number of scientific and research projects implemented by Yarmouk University, stressing that the university is keen to strengthen cooperation with international sponsors in a way that supports the process of developing the scientific research at the university. He then talked about the development of Yarmouk University and its scientific, medical and humanities faculties, pointing out that 8% of its students comes from 45 different nationalities, which reflects Yarmouk University’s international reputation and its ability to meet the requirements of the labor market. Al-Omoush also referred to the university’s aspiration to start new academic programs that meet the aspirations of Jordanian youth.
For her part, Pottie praised the scientific reputation of Yarmouk University, expressing the embassy's readiness to provide more support and assistance in terms of cooperation agreements between Yarmouk and Canadian universities. She also said that the embassy, through its academic and scientific exchange team, will work to strengthen such bridges of cooperation to facilitate implementing the agreements and memoranda of understanding between Yarmouk and Canadian universities, pointing to the possibility of benefiting from the Expo 2022 program for universities in this field.
As she completed her talk, the Canadian ambassador met with those in charge of the project: “Increasing the participation of the female academics at Yarmouk University in leading international research projects through capacity building”, which is funded by the Canadian Embassy. She then met with the organizers of the Economic Development and Sustainable Energy Project in Jordan through which photovoltaic cells will be installed at Deir Alla Station for Archaeological Studies of the Faculty of Archeology and Anthropology at the university. During the two meetings, the ambassador praised Yarmouk University's excellence in implementing scientific projects supported by Canadian donors, acknowledging the university’s keenness to provide full logistical and technical support to achieve the maximum benefit from such projects.
Noteworthy is that the meeting was attended by the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Professor Mousa Rababaa, the Dean of al-Hijjawi Faculty of Engineering Technology and the Director of the Department of Networking and International Relations, Professor Mowaffaq Al-Atoom, the Dean of Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, Professor Ayman Hammouda, the Political Relations Officer at the Canadian Embassy, Nancy al-Otoom, the Counselor at the Embassy, Manon Bawakir, and the Coordinator of the Canadian Fund in the embassy, Mona Darwaza.
The President of Yarmouk University, Professor Islam Massad, confirmed the university's readiness, through the Faculty of Education, to launch the Teacher Education Professional Diploma (TEPD). The Diploma supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) aims at preparing and qualifying teachers, and it begins in the first semester of the academic year 2021-2022, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
During his meeting to sign the material and financial resources agreement with the Director of the USAID Program for the Pre-Service Teacher Education in Jordan, Cameron Mirza, at Yarmouk University’s Liaison Office in Amman, Massad stated that Yarmouk University is proud of such a partnership due to the significance of the "Professional Diploma” for developing teachers’ knowledge and skills and for enhancing the level of the educational and pedagogical process in the various schools of the Kingdom. Massad then explained that the University has already allocated classrooms and private offices for the program in the Faculty of Education and provided the necessary requirements for the teaching process.
For his part, Mirza praised the status of Yarmouk University and its cooperation to conduct such a program, stressing that the University’s collaboration is manifested through the joint technical committees that have examined all the minute details related to the program. He then pointed out that the program is very promising, as it inspires future collaboration with Yarmouk University in a way that achieves common aspirations and serves the educational sciences and students in general.
Twelve students from the Department of Sociology and Community Service at Yarmouk University participated in the first Summer School held at Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences in Germany, as part of the international project "Cross-Border Communication and Social Work Localization in the Context of Social Work with Refugees". Funded by the German DAAD, Yarmouk participates alongside the University of Frankfurt in this project through Yarmouk students accompanied by Dr. Ayat Nashwan, Dr. Nancy Al-Daghmi, Dr. Mohammed Al-Harahsha and Dr. Mohammed Nusairat of the Faculty of Arts visited Frankfurt University and stayed there for a week. Considering that the project lasts for two years, the coming Summer School will take place in Yarmouk University next year.
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