University of Jordan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

University of Jordan
الجامعة الأردنية
Motto	Forty Three Years of Excellence
Established	1962
Type	Public
Rector	Abdelrahim A. Hunaiti
Faculty	18
Staff	1,100
Students	34,000
Location	Amman, Jordan
Website	www.ju.edu.jo

The University of Jordan (Arabic الجامعة الأردنية), founded in 1962, is the first university established in Jordan. It is located in the capital of Jordan, specifically in Jubeiha Area, District of University, Amman. The University of Jordan is currently organized in 18 faculties.

1 History
2 Profile
3 See also
4 External link

[edit] History

School education expanded remarkably following Jordan's independence in 1946. In the late forties and fifties there was a great demand for programs at the bachelor's level to enable Jordanian students to pursue their higher education at home. Several Jordanian institutions and personalities submitted proposals to this effect.

Towards the end of 1961, a British Committee undertook a visit to the headquarters of the Jordanian Armed Forces to discuss its needs of arms. The response they received, then, was that “Jordan is not in need of traditional arms and equipment, it is in need of equipping its youth with modern education.”

Subsequently, a British delegation was invited to the Kingdom from October 23 - November 5, 1961 to assess the potential of setting up a university in Jordan. The delegation comprised the following members:

- Sir Douglas Veale, Late Registrar, University of Oxford (Leader),

- Dr. W. W. Grave, Master of FitzWilliam House, University of Cambridge, and

- Professor R. L. Wain, Wye College, University of London.

At the end of their exploratory visit, the delegation came up with a 22-page report about the overall status of education in Jordan and the urgent need to establish the first university in Jordan. In the report, they said: “After weighing the various factors, some in favor and some against, we have reached the conclusion that the time has come for a university to be set up. We feel strongly, however, that in the initial stages, the economic and social needs of the country should be the principal factor in determining the subjects to be available for study. This short-term development which we recommend must be so planned as to lead on without disturbance to further developments as and when opportunity offers.

We, therefore, recommend that immediate steps be taken towards the establishment of a university, on a well-chosen site, which should allow for the provision of residential accommodation at some future date, even if it is not provided at once.

About the future aspirations of the university, the report read as follows: “We should regret any assumption that the establishment of a university should be for the sole purpose of turning out graduates, for in two most important respects it should be more than this. Any university institution, if it is to win the respect of the academic world, must apply itself to the advancement of knowledge no less than to its dissemination. On its staff, there must be men and women dedicated to the investigation of intellectual problems on their own account, and capable of creating a thirst for knowledge among their pupils. It has been proven over and over again that the best teachers are those who are at the same time advancing the frontiers of knowledge in their own field. Further - and here we revert to our declared concern with the practical problems of Jordan - it is by such activity that the university would become a main center of enquiry into the physical and social problems of the country. Within its precincts, there could grow up succeeding generations of students with an understanding of the sociological and technical problems of their country, and, as practical experience was added to their theoretical knowledge, these scholars would be in a position to make an outstanding contribution towards their solution.”

The report was submitted to His Majesty King Hussein who immediately gave his directives to the then Prime Minister, in a letter he dispatched to him on February 12, 1962, to set up a Royal Commission for Educational Affairs (RCEA) and to entrust it with the task of investigating the potential, prospects, and difficulties towards the establishment of the first university in Jordan.

Driven with a sense of duty, RCEA accomplished its mission diligently and promptly, and on August 18, 1962, came up with a recommendation calling for the immediate need for establishing a university in Jordan with a view to meeting the ever-increasing demands for higher education in Jordan.

Subsequently, His Majesty King Hussein issued a Royal Decree on September 2, 1962, ordaining the establishment of the first ever 4-year institution of higher education in Jordan.

[edit] Profile

The University of Jordan is both a modern as well as old institution of Higher Education in Jordan. Established in 1962, the University has, since then, applied itself to the advancement of knowledge no less than to its dissemination.

In its capacity as a comprehensive teaching, research and community-service institution, the University of Jordan enables its students to choose from a wide range of programs- more than 3500 different courses are offered by some 18 faculties.

Many current and former staff members head important academic, administrative, and political establishments in the Kingdom; many have served as ministers in a number of government cabinets, top advisers to the Jordanian leadership, members of Parliament, and presidents of Jordanian public and private universities. Among its more than 1086 faculty members are freelance writers in the national newspapers and magazines as well as consultants for the radio and TV. stations, poets, novelists, short-story writers, and literary critics. Many have also offered their services to some neighboring Arab and Muslim countries, and many teach or have taught at a number of prestigious universities all over the world. Most faculty members are active participants in conferences, workshops, and symposia abroad; and most take advantage of the various research and exchange awards. Given the global outlook, the progressive thinking and diverse background, these faculty members shoulder the responsibility of delivering a quality education to the 32,322 students who are pursuing a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate programs.

At the undergraduate level, students have the choice to select from among 63 different programs in the Arts, Business Administration, Science, Shari'a (Islamic Studies), Medicine, Nursing, Agriculture, Educational Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Law, Physical Education, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Humanities and Social Sciences, Rehabilitation Sciences, Information Technology and, most recently, Arts and Design.

For those interested in graduate education, the University offers 26 doctoral programs, 68 Master's programs, 16 programs in Higher Specialization in Medicine, one program in Higher Specialization in Dentistry, 13 Professional Diploma Programs, and 6 interdisciplinary Master's programs across the wide spectrum of academic disciplines.

From an international perspective, the University offers 63 international programs at the undergraduate level, and 130 international programs at the graduate level and in all fields of specializations.

The University has opened up two further opportunities of admission to individuals who wish to continue their university education without having to quit their jobs. The Evening Studies Program, which started in the fall semester 2001/2002,and Distance Education, dimensions of which have already started, are two new channels of education which the University is keen on making succeed.

All programs offered by the University combine traditional academic lecturing with the more liberal methodologies of instruction which are based on dialogue, research and creative thinking. Theoretical instruction is further assisted with interactive multimedia teaching techniques and computer-based instructional materials to support, and eventually discard, traditional teaching methodologies. Field work, practical training, and applied research are essential components of most of the programs offered by the University. For sometime, UJ has been introducing and implementing the principles of Total Quality Management (TQM). With respect to Information Technologies, UJ is very well-positioned.

These are the 18 faculties in which the university is divided into: