The University of Jordan ::Amman :: Jordan

The University of Jordan's educational mission is based on the following pillars

The provision of quality education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. To this end, the University is in a constant process of assessing the standing of its academic programs. Only those programs that are in demand are being retained and updated while those that have outlived their purposes are being phased out and substituted by new programs that better serve newly defined goals and objectives.

The adoption of the principle of democracy in the education and decision-making processes. Every staff member is an active participant in the council of his department. The chairman of the department who presides over the Department Council is a member of the Faculty Council which discusses and deliberates administrative and academic issues of major concern to the departments and the faculty in an open manner. The Dean of the Faculty who presides over the Faculty Council is member of the Deans' Council which is the executive body of the University. It looks into matters pertaining to the recruitment/promotion of faculty members, evaluating study plans and approving new ones, the admission of new students, the award of academic degrees, the institution of new academic departments or academic degrees, etc. The President of the University who presides over the Deans' Council is also chairman of the University Council which serves as the legislative body of the University. It groups members from outside the University in addition to vice-presidents, deans of the various faculties, and elected faculty members. The Council supervises the University general policies, both academic and financial, and examines drafts of laws submitted to it for discussion/ratification. The President of the University is also a member of the Council of Higher Education which governs the overall higher educational policy in Jordan.  Decisions and recommendations are then collectively taken on the Department, Faculty, Deans, University, and Council of Higher Education levels. At the student level, students practice a democratic life by electing their 80-member Student Council, representing them from across the University. The objective is to enhance the democratization process, at this early stage in the students' life, and to get them more actively involved in different forms of democratic participation in the future. On the other hand, students are now forming their special clubs, which aim at promoting in them the spirit of cooperation, teamwork, and respect for each other's views and ideas.

Interaction among students, with the local community, and at the international level. The University is dedicated to the concept of a one-campus University where all its community members share the same service facilities: one main library, several restaurants, one central registration unit, etc. This provides opportunities for developing relationships and interaction among students. The only faculty located off-campus is the Faculty of Physical Education. It was built next to the biggest sports complex in the country, Al-Hussein Sports City. The credit hour system is another example of such interaction amongst students on campus. Under this system, students are free to select the courses they would like to read and the professors they opt for. So, instead of taking the same courses with the same group of students throughout the years of study they spend on campus, students have the opportunity to get to know more and more professors and fellow students and to interact with them. The University interaction with the local community is manifested in the services it is rendering to Jordan and the region and its response to their social, educational, cultural, economic, industrial, and market needs. These services constitute a meaningful contribution to the implementation of the development plans in Jordan, as well as in the Arab World. Through the Center for Consultations, Technical Services, and Studies, for example, the University offers a wide range of technical and consultative services to the public and private sectors alike. The Water, Environment, Research and Study Center, on the other hand, take a leading role in current national plans to develop and preserve water resources in Jordan. The University Hospital is offering high-caliber medical services to patients from inside and outside Jordan. Furthermore, and throughout the years, the University has been hosting conferences and symposia that tackle issues of national, regional, and global concern. Through its community service centers, student volunteers launch various projects, plant trees, offer child care and guidance, and give vocational training to women in the local community. The University also encourages its students to actively participate in charity fund-raising, community guidance, and health-related campaigns.

At the international level, the University has reached agreements and working programs with academic institutions and research centers in the world at large with a view to exchanging know-how and expertise, and to keeping itself abreast with breakthroughs in the various fields of science and education.

Support of goal-oriented research, particularly research activities which are in line with the national development plans. The University aspires to be a center for research and excellence in Jordan and the region. Its programs are emphasizing the need for applied scientific research in Agriculture, Economics, Administration and Industry. In this vein, the University has equipped its laboratories with needed equipment to provide an atmosphere conducive to research that is immediately linked with societal needs and developmental goals. Personal computers are now used at all necessary locations at the University of Jordan. Computers are an integral part of the student registration process, and other administrative, research, and instructional procedures. The University has been linked to the Internet to facilitate the acquisition/transfer of information.