The Jordanian Journal of Chemistry issued by the Deanship of Scientific Research and Graduate Studies at Yarmouk University successfully fulfilled the requirements for indexing in Scopus for scientific publication. This achievement, which resulted from the University’s international aspirations and plans, makes the JordanianJournal of Chemistry the fourth YU Jordanian journal included in Scopus, considering that the Jordanian Journal of Physics, the Jordanian Journal of Mathematics and Statistics, and the Jordanian Journal of Modern Languages and Literature are already included in that database.
Noteworthy here is that the Jordanian Journal of Chemistry is a scientific, international, refereed, and specialized journal that is supported by the Scientific Research and Innovation Support Fund. Its editorial board is chaired by Professor Ayman Hammouda from the Department of Chemistry at the Faculty of Science – Yarmouk University, and it includes a group of chemistry professors from various Jordanian universities. Besides, the journal has an international advisory board from different countries across the world. Thus, the Scopus database indexes Yarmouk University as an institute with impact factor within the Clarivate Analytics databases as follows:
- TheJordanian Journal of Physics: 0.7
- The Jordanian Journal of Mathematics and Statistics: 0.3
- The Jordanian Journal of Modern Languages and Literature: 0.2
The President of Yarmouk University, Professor Islam Massad, met with a delegation from Auburn University headed by the Assistant Provost Office of International Programs, Dr. Andrew Gillespie, to discuss ways of cooperation between the two sides in the various scientific and academic fields. During the meeting, Massad stressed Yarmouk’s keenness to strengthen cooperation with various universities and leading international education institutions, including Auburn University with which Yarmouk has been cooperating for years. He then expressed his hope to expand the areas of cooperation and to activate that cooperation in the field of exchanging scientific visits between students and faculty members in various fields of common interest. Massad pointed out that Yarmouk, as one of the leading national institutions, is keen to play its role in translating the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein concerning the empowerment of youth and preparing them to keep pace with the different developments and international standards.
In return, Gillespie praised the distinguished scientific reputation of Yarmouk University pointing to the possibility of enhancing cooperation between the two universities in a number of areas of common interest. He then reviewed the establishment of Auburn University and its Faculties naming the scientific specializations they offer for various academic degrees.
After the meeting, which was attended by the vice-presidents of Yarmouk, the director of the Department of International Relations and Projects at the University, and a number of Auburn University students, the delegation toured the University campus and visited the Refugees, Displaced Persons and Forced Migration Studies Center, the Jordanian Heritage Museum, the Faculty of Sharia and Islamic Studies, and Al-Hussein Bin Talal Library.
Al-Maaytah: “Our vision is to stimulate the energies of students and guide their talents towards leadership and creativity”.
Massad: “Our goal is to provide space for students to express themselves and participate positively”.
Thiabat: “We want this summer to be distinguished with its activities”.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Yarmouk University, Dr. Ruwaida Al-Maaytah, sponsored the ceremony of launching the Youth Summer 2023 activities in its second season, in the presence of the University President, Professor Islam Massad, and a great number of students from different faculties. In her opening speech, Al-Maaytah said that our view at Yarmouk University is not restricted to classrooms or the acquisition of theoretical knowledge, but to empower students in the various political, economic, social, and cultural fields. The University, she added, works to stimulate students’ energies, develop their talents, and empower their leadership and creativity skills. She then explained that the University's vision is based on empowering youth, transforming their ideas into development projects, registering patents, and making them aware of the need to think outside the traditional framework and seize the opportunities available to them.
In his turn, Massad said that organizing the Youth Summer at Yarmouk University is the implantation of a decision made by the University’s Council of Deans in its meeting at the ancient city of Umm Qais last Spring. Such a decision, he stated, shows that Yarmouk University is trying to be a beacon and role model for Jordanian universities in fulfilling the vision of His Majesty the King and His trustworthy Crown Prince concerning youth and their invaluable role in developing the country and building its future. He continued: “We have to provide the means to young people to innovate and create whatever necessary for the property of Jordan and future generations. He then explained that Yarmouk University attempts to make the summer semester an exceptional session for students, as the activities of Youth Summer include teaching lectures in the classrooms, a series of events and activities emphasizing the vision of political, economic, and administrative modernization, and the development of the public sector.
The Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Muhammad Thiabat, said that the second edition of the Youth Summer will be distinguished in its various activities and fields relying on the University’s vision of supporting its students. He added that the role of the deanship of Student Affairs concerning this festival involves implementing and organizing the different activities practiced by and for students.
However, the opening ceremony started with an introductory video showing Yarmouk’s Youth Summer in its first season and students' aspirations for 2023 Summer. Besides, the ceremony included success stories presented by some Yarmouk graduates like Mr. Moath Al-Radaida, and Miss Lilac Marji, graduates of the Faculty of Mass Communication, who talked about their university experience and the skills they acquired at Yarmouk. The ceremony also witnessed the participation of the artist, Zuhair Al-Nubani, who urged students to engage in extracurricular activities and acquire important knowledge that builds and refines their personality. Moreover, it included a theatrical performance by the University Theater Group at the Deanship of Student Affairs, a performance that dealt with the idea of inviting students and encouraging them to engage in partisan and political work. Also, it included a national artistic performance presented by the Deanship of Student Affairs Choir. Noteworthy here is that the launch ceremony of the Youth Summer activities was preceded by an exhibition of plastic art and murals as well as a musical performance by a group of students from the Faculty of Fine Arts.
Following up his series of dialogues with young people, the Prime Minister of Jordan, Dr. Bishr Al-Khasawneh, had his third dialogue meeting at Yarmouk University in Irbid Governorate with a huge number of young people from the northern governorates of Jordan under the title: “Visions of Modernization: Youth are the Focus of Attention”.
During the meeting, which was attended by a number of ministers, the president of Yarmouk University, and hundreds of public and private university students from the northern governorates, the Prime Minister affirmed that the state system in its various institutions and executive agencies is the guarantor of fulfilling the vision of His Majesty King Abdullah II by implementing the outputs of the Political System Modernization Committee, which provides the basis for the existence of political and partisan life and is based on parties and political participation.
Al-Khasawneh said: "During my dialogues with young people in the central and southern regions, I clearly felt apprehension about the idea of participating in the partisan life as a result of the prohibitions that prevailed previously, stressing that the recent constitutional amendments and the election and party laws provided clear guarantees to enhance the participation of youth and women in partisan and political life and that there are no longer obstacles for young men and women to engage in that experience”. He also stated: " Students of universities will not be negatively affected due to their participation in political and partisan work, whether they are studying in universities at their own expense or on scholarships at the expense of third parties".
The Prime Minister confirmed that there is a rule of guarantees to protect the political and partisan life in Jordan and that the government will use the law in a deterrent framework against anyone who tries to discourage youth from engaging in the partisan work within the framework of parties that legally correct their status. He then pointed to the existence of a clear determination from His Majesty King Abdullah II and His Highness Prince Al-Hussein bin Abdullah II, the Crown Prince, and from the state with its various components, executive agencies, and security system to encourage the involvement of youth in the partisan work and political life, pointing to the incorporation of concepts related to awareness and encouragement of the practice of the partisan work in school and university curricula for the purposes of breaking taboos and motivating young people to participate in parties.
Moreover, the Prime Minister explained that (70%) of public spending goes under the item of salaries and pensions and about (13.7%) for indebtedness obligations, indicating that despite what is achieved from public revenues, i.e. taxes, aids, and returns from mining industries, there is a gap between revenues and expenditures amounting to about 2 billion Jordanian dinars, which is covered through annual borrowing. He then stressed that Jordan’s economic indicators during the first quarter of this year achieve promising targets that confirm that we are on the right path, as we achieved an economic growth rate of (2.8%), an increase in the volume of national exports (4%), an increase in tourism income (68%), a decrease in unemployment (1%), a decrease in the trade balance deficit, in addition to a historical balance of cash reserves in foreign currencies. He also pointed out that the laws regulating the investment environment provides income tax exemptions of between 30% and 100% for investments that provide job opportunities for Jordanians or investments that are established outside the capital. He then mentioned the launch of the (invest jo) platform that displays the advantages and exemptions granted to investments in addition to the list of projects offered for investment.
In response to questions from young men and women, the Prime Minister confirmed that the government is working on real reforms in the education sector, focusing on tracks related to encouraging vocational and technical education, in addition to the general secondary exam (Al-Tawjihi). Concerning the university education, he indicated that the government is moving towards abolishing the Ministry of Higher Education and assigning its work to the Council of Higher Education, which will gradually result in independent policies for university admission, in addition to addressing the problem of stagnant majors and encouraging required majors in the labor market, such as artificial intelligence, information security, professional and technical specializations, and others. In response to a question about the issue of the Teachers Syndicate, the Prime Minister noted that the case is still considered by the judiciary today, stressing that there are no problems with other professional unions that hold their elections regularly.
Regarding improving the services in the government hospitals, the Prime Minister affirmed that there is a relentless pursuit by the government to improve the health and treatment services starting with Al-Bashir Hospital. He also stressed that the government seeks to cover the lack of medical specializations in government hospitals in the periphery governorates by contracting with doctors and reconsidering the scholarship process, in addition to seeking to improve the infrastructure and hotel services in hospitals, stressing that the quality of medical services provided in government hospitals is very distinguished based on statistics and studies.
Regarding the new city project, the Prime Minister pointed out that it is now undergoing in-depth feasibility studies, in addition to preparing a comprehensive plan, noting that it is not envisaged that the actual work will start before 2025 due to the fact that there is a capital investment in that city’s infrastructure, about (441) million US dollars. Regarding the role of the media, Al-Khasawneh stressed the centrality and importance of such a means of communication, pointing out that there is a lack of understanding of the role of alternative media as a modern tool that took a large part of the role of traditional media in communication. Also, he noted that stopping the application of TikTok in Jordan is related to the issue of responsible content in accordance with the law, pointing out that according to the law there must be a regional or local office in Jordan and this has not been responded to so far.
However, the Prime Minister concluded his speech saying: "I am impressed by the level of awareness among our youth and their sincere desire to move and work to make a difference and change", stressing that the government is working to reproduce credibility between the government and state institutions, on the one hand, and the citizens, on the other hand, through establishing a conscious discourse that shows facts and highlights the gradual political, economic, and administrative plans that extend over years.
The President of Yarmouk University, Professor Islam Massad, confirmed that the University is an incubator for various activities and events, a translation of the visions and directives of His Majesty King Abdullah II and His Highness Prince Al-Hussein bin Abdullah II, the Crown Prince, and their directions and plans in the areas of political, economic, and administrative modernization. He also pointed out to the activities of the second season of Yarmouk’s Youth Summer 2023, which involve inviting several community personalities to have a dialogue with University students. Finally, Massad drew attention to the University's ambitious plan to establish partnerships with the private sector to implement many projects and investments belonging to the University.
With the participation of Jordanian, Algerian, and German universities, a delegation from Yarmouk University, through the Leadership and Innovation Center, participated in a workshop entitled "Water Scarcity and Possible Technological Solutions" that was hosted by the German Chemnitz University of Technology supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in terms of the SAXEED Eco project.
The director of the Center, Dr. “Muhammad Ashraf” Otoom, during his lecture at the workshop, said that the SAXEED Eco project focuses this year on the problem of water scarcity in Jordan and Algeria and possible solutions through the use of modern technology. He indicated that artificial intelligence and data science help in managing water resources, detecting water leakage, and increasing the efficiency of the networks, which contributes to reducing the percentage of the misses in the networks and the optimal utilization of available water resources. Dr. Ahmed Al-Quraan and Dr. Ashraf Al-Radaida from Al-Hijjawi Faculty for Engineering Technology also presented, during their lectures in the workshop, ways to exploit solar photovoltaic energy to provide clean energy for use in water pumps in wells and homes. Different methods were also presented to rationalize the water consumption and the energy sources for water.
Moreover, Dr. “Mohammed Ashraf” Otoom and Dr. Imad Al-Sukhni from the Faculty of Information Technology and Computer Science participated in the twelfth international conference in the field of information technology ISCSET 2023, which was held in the German city of Labach, organized by the German Chemnitz University of Technology, where Otoom presented a paper explaining the development of a new algorithm for detecting and identifying brain cancer using artificial intelligence, and Al-Sukhni presented a paper on detecting hate speech in social media using deep learning.
The Vice President of Yarmouk University for Academic Affairs, Professor Muwaffaq Alomoush, sponsored the closing ceremony of the project: “Developing the Skills of Fresh Graduates for Employment Purposes”, which was supported by the American Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and organized by Dr. Saja Al-Nahar from the Faculty of Pharmacy, the Director of the Computer and Information Center, Dr. Muhammad Al-Zamil, and Dr. Amna Al-Rawashdeh from the Faculty of Education, and Dr. Tamara Al Yacoub from the Faculty of Business.
Alomoush said that this project comes in line with the University's strategic plan and its commitment to develop mechanisms and means of vocational and technical education and training, stressing that it emphasizes developing the skills of recent graduates to keep pace with the requirements of the labor market. He then indicated that investing in the capabilities of recent graduates would accelerate the Jordanian economic growth and improve the quality of life. He also praised the efforts of the project team, acknowledging the Universities’ legacy and the quality of its educational system.
The project manager, Dr. Saja Al-Nahar, presented a summary of the project, its objectives, stages, results and outputs. Al-Nahar indicated that the project is concerned with enhancing the possibility of employing new graduates between the ages of 21 and 30 in the fields of science, information technology, engineering, and medical specialties - pharmacy, in the northern region of Jordan. She added that the project is implemented to develop the capabilities of 200 graduates over a period of 18 months by conducting training programs on personal skills and discipline.
In her turn, Dr. Amna Al-Rawashdeh presented the results of the project represented by the training of 200 graduates of different disciplines, the signing of six agreements with private and public sector institutions to provide training or job opportunities, and the completion of 20 graduates of a three-month paid training. She then overviewed the stages of the project, which included analyzing the needs of the labor market, designing, developing, and implementing training programs, building partnerships with potential employers, and designing and implementing a practical training program for 20 trainees.
At the end of the ceremony, Alomoush handed the certificates of participation to the beneficiaries of the project including a group of trainers and supporting companies that provided the opportunity to train the participants, and a group of students who received practical training over a period of 3 months was honored as well.
In comparison to its status last year, the Faculty of Education at Yarmouk University has made progress in the seven-criterion evaluation included in the institutional capacity assessment tool for higher education institution. The evaluation process targeting the four Jordanian universities involved in the Higher Diploma Program for Teacher Training in Jordan is supervised by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is implemented by the Council for International Research and Exchanges (IREX). The standards of the evaluation include governance, academic standards, program management, quality assurance and improvement, practical training, partnerships, mentoring, financial management, marketing, enrollment, registration, staff management, professional development, and student affairs and support services.
During the session of the evaluation process, which was attended by a delegation from the (IREX) that included the Director of the University Partnerships in the Pre-Service Teacher Training Program in Jordan, Lana Al-Momani and Dr. Safwan Shatnawi, the Dean of the Faculty of Education, Professor Ahmed Al-Sharifin, presented an overview of the efforts of the Faculty in the governance of the higher diploma program for teacher preparation and management, ensuring its quality and continuous improvement. Al-Sharifin also gave a presentation of the Faculty’s plans and procedures to attract more students to the program stressing the value of the evaluation as a means of consolidating quality in all the services provided by the Faculty, which contributes to achieving the accreditation standards for the educational programs accredited by CAEP.
The session also discussed the notable improvement achieved by the Faculty at the level of partnerships and practical training as well as the preparation of learning resources and facilities that would provide safe and supportive learning environment.
It is noteworthy that during the current academic year, the Faculty of Education received 368 students in its Higher Diploma program for preparing teachers while its first cohort of graduates last year included 100 students.
Discussing possible ways of academic and scientific cooperation between Yarmouk and various Belgian higher education institutions, the President of Yarmouk University, Professor Islam Massad, met the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium, His Excellency Mr. Serge Dickschen, at the University. During the meeting, Massad stressed that Yarmou is keen to strengthen cooperation with universities and educational institutions in various countries of the world, which contributes to the exchange of experiences and the development of the educational and research process, provides students with opportunities to complete their studies in international universities, and enables faculty members to learn some modern teaching and research methods in various fields. He then highlighted the vision of Yarmouk and its relentless pursuit to improve the educational process and raise the University's position in international rankings in the next five years.
Moreover, Massad pointed to the possibility of cooperation with the Belgian embassy in the academic, scientific, and research field through networking Yarmouk with Belgian universities in areas of common interest, especially in the field of archeology and anthropology, engineering disciplines, and information technology. He also reviewed the University’s establishment and its faculties and the pioneering majors it offers, such as teaching Arabic language for non-native speakers. In addition, Massad emphasized that Yarmouk is always striving to prepare a generation of qualified and trained youth that are able to engage in the labor market efficiently and competently by providing them with the necessary skills such as language and communication skills.
In return, His Excellency Mr. Serge Dickschen praised the distinguished reputation of the Jordanian higher education sector, acknowledging Yarmouk’s notable and unique academic level and stressing the embassy's readiness to enhance cooperation between Yarmouk and Belgian universities in the field of student exchange and the exchange of scientific visits among faculty members. He then expressed the embassy's happiness to be part of the various events and cultural exchange programs organized by the University, acknowledging that Jordan is one of the most Arab countries capable of teaching Arabic language to international students.
After the meeting, which was attended by the Vice Presidents of the University, Professor Mowaffaq Al-Amoush and Professor Samer Samarah, the Dean of Al-Hijjawi Faculty for Engineering Technology, Professor Mowaffaq Otoom, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Director of the Language Center, Professor Musa Al-Rababa’a, and the Head of the Modern Languages Department, Professor Hussein Al-Rahil, the ambassador toured the Jordanian Heritage Museum in the Faculty of Archeology and Anthropology.
Yarmouk University has made a remarkable progress in the Times World Ranking at the level of Asian universities for the year 2023, thus getting into the category (351-400) after being in the category (401-500) for 2022. Interestingly, this classification is based on the same indicators adopted by the global ranking of universities, which include five main axes: teaching (25%), scientific research (30%), citations (30%), international outlook (7.5%), and the income generated from industry related to knowledge transfer (7.5 %). According to this classification, the Yarmouk’s score has improved in all aspects at varying rates, especially in the citation of published research, which has increased by 70% compared to last year, as well as the quality of teaching aspects, which has increased by 16% compared to last year as well.
The President of the University, Professor Islam Massad, acknowledged this achievement stressing that it is a sharp piece of evidence concerning the academic distinction of Yarmouk University and its rapid and stable movement towards globalization and excellence. He then indicated that this achievement is a true reflection of the accumulated efforts of the successive University administrations and their strategic plan that gave the quality and accreditation file the utmost importance. Thus, Massad noted the role of the faculty and administrative staff and students in advancing the University and its prosperity through scientific publication in peer-reviewed journals, openness and communication with prestigious international universities, implementation of discreet research projects, and marketing the University and enhancing its presence in international forums. He also stressed Yarmouk’s keenness to continue working hard to enhance the standards of quality and excellence in all aspects of academic work and to develop research cooperation and international partnerships.
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.
