Creating Pathways to U.S. and Jordanian University Partnerships

In February 2017, Eurasia Foundation led a workshop on facilitating partnerships among universities in Jordan and the U.S. Convening the U.S. Ambassador to Jordan, the Honorable Alice G. Wells; the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, His Excellency Professor Adel Tweissi; and seven university presidents, this two-day event was an important milestone in our Creating Pathways to University Partnerships program and laid out a road map to improve higher education in Jordan by strategically partnering with U.S. universities.

University partnerships enhance the quality of education and opportunities for knowledge and technical exchange. Moreover, they enable universities to increase their international visibility and consequently improve their reputation. Academic ties and exchange promote diversity, encourage mobility of staff and students, and support broader internationalization and other higher education strategic objectives. In Jordan, higher education outcomes are aligned with the country’s national priorities, including building a knowledge economy and enhancing connections between higher education and employment.

In fall 2016, EF’s Julie Garuccio and Afaf Khoshman and higher education consultants Dr. Mark Johnson of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Dr. Wafa Al-Khadra of the American University of Madaba conducted site visits to seven Jordanian public universities, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and other organizations to examine higher education needs and vision for internationalization, and the policy and regulatory environment of the Jordanian higher education system. The assessment team also met with the Fulbright Commission and engaged with more than twenty U.S.-based higher education institutions with ties to Jordan.

The workshop provided a platform for government officials, university leadership, and heads of international departments to discuss a new framework for strengthening bilateral ties and for creating new mechanisms for inter-university cooperation in Jordan. Some agreed upon priorities included ways to enhance mobility and improve student preparation for post graduate studies in the US, support for institutional matchmaking among potential partner universities and linked professional development in the areas of teaching and learning, quality assurance and research management.

Following the workshop, the participating Jordanian universities agreed to form their own working group to collaborate on action items to move this discussion forward.

The Creating Pathways to University Partnerships assessment and workshop were made possible with generous funding from the U.S. Department of State and cooperation with the U.S. Embassy in Jordan.