The Department of Archaeology at the Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology at YU arranged a visit for their students to the American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR) in Amman, and the ancient city of Jerash, under the supervision of Dr. Khaled Al-Bashaireh.
During the visit, the students listened to a brief about the ACOR by the Director of the center, Dr. Barbara Porter, in which she talked about the center, and the main services they offer, particularly, scholarships, in addition to the important excavations, surveys and projects they achieved. She thanked YU for the visit and for the opportunity they had to meet with the students and talk to them about their achievements, projects and studies.
For his part, Dr. Al-Bashaireh thanked the Center’s administration for their program and for the valuable information they provided for the students regarding the main programs, plans and objectives of the center that have direct contact to their field of study.
During the visit, the students visited the center's library, one of the largest libraries in Jordan concerned with archaeology, anthropology, maintenance and restoration. The students were informed about the different kinds of books, journals and references, and the way to access them. In their visit, the students were accompanied by Hayoumi Al-Ayoubi, Hala Al-Sakka and Razan Ahmed from the center.
The president of YU received the French ambassador, David Bertolotti, and discussed possible ways of academic and cultural cooperation between YU and French educational institutions.
At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Kafafi expressed the willingness of YU to enhance their academic relations with French universities such as the University of Lyon for the distinguished reputation it enjoys at the international level. He also invited the French embassy to cooperate with YU through exchange programs, conducting joint scientific projects, and providing training opportunities for the University's students and faculty staff.
Dr. Kafafi also pointed out that the Department of Modern Languages at YU is one of the leading departments to teach French language, referring to the possibility of establishing a French corner at Al Hussein bin Talal Library that offers books on French language, culture and civilization, to spread awareness among YU students who wish to pursue their studies in France.
Bertolotti, for his part, expressed the keenness of the French embassy to promote academic cooperation between YU and French universities in French Language, law, tourism and media. He also expressed their willingness to facilitate sending YU students to French universities via scholarships and stressed the importance of learning French by YU students because of the growing number of French companies that operate in Jordan, adding that such companies take good care of their members and send them to different parts of the world to learn about the experiences of professionals in their field of work.
During his visit, the French ambassador had a meeting with the faculty members and the students of the Department of Modern Languages, in which Dr. Batoul Al-Muhaissen, the head of the department, reviewed the department's visions and achievements and introduced the MA program that starts next semester.
The meeting was attended by the vice president of the University, deans of the Faculties of Arts, Tourism, and Media, Head of the Department of Modern Languages, the Director of the Department of International Relations and Projects, the Director of the Department of Public Relations and Media, and several officials from the embassy.
The president of YU, Prof. Zeidan Kafafi, met with a delegation from the American University of Purdue, represented by Dr. Kory Cooper, Dr. Allen Greenbaum and Dr. Michael Boson. Possible avenues of cooperation between the two parties were discussed.
At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Kafafi reviewed the majors YU offers in its different scientific and human faculties, stressing the importance of enhancing cooperation with international universities to exchange educational experiences among faculty staff members, and to provide students with opportunities to pursue their graduate studies through exchange programs. The president also pointed to the possibility of conducting joint research and scientific projects in the fields of archaeology, anthropology, tourism and hotels, engineering, pharmacy, and medicine.
For their parts, the members of the delegation expressed the willingness of Purdue University to cooperate with YU in various fields, particularly in the fields of archaeology, anthropology, and tourism and hotel management for their direct connection with projects dealing with cultural heritage and civilization.
The members of the delegation also reviewed the many majors that Purdue University offers in scientific, medical and human fields in addition to the multidisciplinary degrees that combine more than one major such as biomedical engineering.
The meeting was attended by Vice Presidents of the University Prof. Ahmad Al-Ajlouni and Prof. Fawwaz Al-Abed Al-Haq, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Dr. Wisam Shihadeh, Dean of the Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology, Prof. Hani Hayajneh, the Director of the Department of International Relations and Projects, Dr. Mwaffaq Otoom, and the Director of the Department of Public Relations and Media, Mr. Mukhles Al-Ibbeni.
In collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Amman, the Faculty of Fine Arts, represented by the Department of Drama at YU organized a symposium on film and television production, as part of the Global Media Makers program. The symposium was opened in the presence of the Vice dean Dr. Wael Haddad, and the delegate of the American Embassy Kala Azar, with the participation of the international producers Sharon Hall and Todd Kessler.
The Head of the Department of Drama, Dr. Ghassan Haddad, welcomed the participants and thanked the cultural Affairs Office in the American Embassy for their continues cooperation with the Faculty of Fine Arts and their keenness to support the students of the University through involving them in cultural and art initiatives and programs.
In the symposium, Hall and Kessler discussed the duties of the television producer and presented the students with some advice about drama. Furthermore, a film made by the student Hiba Al-Nabilsi, entitled “Under the Sea" was displayed to the audience.
It is worth mentioning that Global Media Makers program works with countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey to enhance communication opportunities between visual story makers from around the world, including Jordan, and film professionals and experts from the United States of America.
In cooperation with the French Embassy in Amman, the Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, and the Faculty of Arts at YU organized a workshop entitled: “Tour Guides: Occupational Standards and Professionalism.”
In his opening speech, the dean of the Faculty of Tourism, Dr. Mohammed Al-Shunnaq stressed the importance of tourism industry and the role of the tourist guide that connects the local community with the touristic site and tourists. Dr. Al-Shunnaq added that the tour guide presents the true cultural image of Jordan, and that, in turn, enhances the tourists’ confidence in Jordan and encourages them to visit the different touristic sites.
Al-Shunnaq said that the workshop is academic and focuses on exchanging ideas and experiences among scholars, tour guides and tourism professionals through the papers they present. At the end of his speech, Al-Shunnaq expressed his sincere thanks to the university administration and to the organizing committee of the workshop.
For his part, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Dr. Mohammad Bani Doomi, described the tourism sector as one of the most important sectors in Jordan, that promotes and supports the national economy. He stressed the importance of the tour guide and the importance of conducting research, which contributes to solving problems that face the tourism sector in Jordan.
Mr. Mohammed Al Hammad from the Jordan Tour Guides Association (JTGA) commended YU for their role in teaching tourism at the Faculty of Tourism by the distinguished faculty members. He also commended the role of the Department of Modern Languages that teaches French, which contributes in increasing the number of tourist guides who speak French, noting that the number of French-speaking tourist guides is 200 out of 1200 .
The workshop included a scientific session on various topics related to tourism as well as a roundtable, in which participants discussed the professional standards of the tourist guide, how to improve them, and how to improve the working conditions of tourist guides.
The President of YU, Prof. Zeidan Kafafi signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Chairman of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in Jordan, Dr. Ghaith Abanda. The purpose of the MOU is to agree on a work mechanism for organizing the 5th International conference for Medical Engineering in the Middle East and Africa in 2020.
Kafafi expressed the keenness of YU to promote positive engagement with national institutions in all fields, to employ its academic and scientific experiences to develop the local community, and to use technology to improve the services provided to community members. Dr. Kafafi added that the University gives its full attention to employing science in serving humanity. He stressed that YU continuously works on integrating sciences to provide appropriate solutions to community issues and provide quality services to community to serve humanity.
For his part, Abanda thanked YU for their cooperation in organizing the conference, which aims at encouraging scientific research in medical engineering, and using engineering to serve medical fields, especially with the tremendous scientific and technological development of the present day. Abanda also praised the good reputation that YU enjoys in teaching engineering.
The signing of the memorandum was attended by Vice presidents, the dean of the Hijjawi Faculty for Engineering Technology and a number of officials from both sides.
On behalf of the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, the Secretary General of the Ministry, Mr. Issa Gammoh sponsored the ceremony of YU receiving the Tourism Education Quality "TedQual" certification, which is recognized by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The ceremony was organized by the Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management in cooperation with the Tourism Project of Promoting the Economic Sustainability in Jordan funded by the United States Agency for International Development, in the presence of the president of the University.
In his speech, Gammoh congratulated the Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management and YU for receiving the Tedqual certificate, which represents a great promise for the career future of the students in light of Jordan's severe need for highly qualified and trained human resources in tourism industry. The president pointed out that the University's visions are consistent with those of the Ministry, adding that tourism employment depends on the quality and human resources available to produce competitive graduates who meet the changing needs of the market.
Gammoh also stated that a significant growth in the tourism industry is expected in Jordan, and that they look forward to seeing more universities and colleges following YU in offering tourism education. He finally called on YU to proceed with the conclusion of the memorandum of understanding with the Ministry for the purpose of linking education in the fields of tourism and antiquities with educating the local community as well as disseminating the concepts of respect for cultural heritage in Jordan.
For his part, Dr. Kafafi expressed his happiness for the great achievement of the Faculty of tourism’s in receiving the TedQual, which is considered the world's highest degree for tourism education. He also expressed his pride of YU as the first Jordanian university to receive this prestigious award for a bachelor's degree in Tourism Management.
Dr. Kafafi also pointed that YU had applied for a grant from the US Agency for International Development to improve the quality of the Tourism program to meet the TedQual standards. To achieve that, many workshops were organized during the last three years to develop the knowledge and skills of the faculty members. At the end of his speech, the president thanked the support of the US Agency for International Development, Dean and faculty members of the Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management.
In his speech, Dr. Mohammed Al-Shunnaq, the Dean of the Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management, spoke highly of the great achievement of the faculty, referring to the beginnings of the faculty in 2011 and how, ever since, it has had bilateral agreements with employers in the local market to provide students with training opportunities that help develop their personal and professional skills. He added that the faculty offers two programs: a BA in Tourism Management, and a MSc in Tourism, taught by qualified faculty staff. Al-Shunnaq finally thanked the president, and he thanked the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for their interconnected support. He also thanked the faculty members as well as the members of the local community.
At the end of the ceremony, which was attended by vice presidents, college deans, faculty members, and officials from the Ministry of Tourism and the University, Gammoh handed the Tedqual certificate to the president of the University.
The president of YU, Prof. Zeidan Kafafi, and the representative of the Questscope for the Social Development in the Middle East, Dr. Majdi Al Qorom signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU aimed at holding cooperation between the two sides to implement a project entitled "Youth's persistence to enhance joint participation between host communities and refugees to build peace and to support local development". Funded by the European Trust Fund "Madad" in partnership with World Vision, the project aims at creating social support centers that target Jordanian and Syrian children in civil institutions who are "at risk".
The MOU also aims at building the capacity of the Jordanian youth in general and the students of Jordanian universities, in particular, through founding volunteer clubs within the program of "Al-Sadeeq". The program targets juveniles benefiting from the social defense centers and institutions of the Ministry of Social Development (convicts and detainees), and children aged (12-18) who are at risk.
The MOU also aims at promoting the concept of volunteering in local community institutes through crowding volunteers and training them, and at enhancing the abilities and skills of volunteering students to be able to work with the children "at risk".
The president stressed the desire of YU to enhance cooperation with various civil institutes, particularly those that support children and vulnerable groups. The president also pointed that signing such a memorandum would provide training opportunities for the students of the departments of Psychological Counseling and Special Education in the Faculty of Education, in addition to providing a platform for postgraduate students to carry out research studies in this field.
For his part, Al Qorom said that the association is keen to reactivate their cooperation with YU after the success of the previous experience they had with them. He also added that according to the memorandum, a social support center will be founded at the University to train students. In his speech, Al Qorom stated that the association is a non-governmental and non-profit institution that was established in the UK in 1988 and started work in Jordan in 1994 as an international association under a cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Social Development. The association targets poor and marginalized groups in society and works on implementing a number of educational and developmental programs in various regions of Jordan with the aim of improving the quality of life and alleviating the burdens and pressures suffered by the groups most in need in society.
Vice president, Dr. Fawwaz Al-Abed Al-Haq, the Dean of the Faculty of Education, Dr. Nawwaf Shatnawi, and a number of officials from both sides attended the meeting.
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.
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.
