Kick off Meeting
The Vice President of Jordan University of Science & Technology, Prof. Khaled Al-Salem, has patronized the launching of JUST-CRS project at the Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences on January 14 2017. Prof. Al-Salem has welcomed the attendees and debriefed them on JUST's mission and vision, academic programs, achievements and goals to become a distinguished university, regionally and internationally. The meeting was attended by representatives of the participating countries, Britain, Turkey and Portugal, in addition to a number of national institutions; The University of Jordan and the Hashemite University. During the meeting, Prof. Al-Salem stated that Jordan University of Science and Technology looks forward to strengthening research partnership through the Erasmus Plus projects in order to support and encourage the development of global programs that are interdisciplinary in nature, as is the case in this project (physical and occupational therapy). Such projects are encouraged especially as the university enjoys a rich environment and infrastructure required for scientific research through a number of scientific centers, the presence of a distinguished university hospital, active partners within the local community, and the presence of faculty members and staff with qualified expertise, and confirmed the importance of this project as one step closer for JUST towards becoming an internationally recognized institution.
Project Officer at the National Erasmus Plus office (NEO), Dr. Reem Alkhader, on behalf of NEO Director; Prof. Ahmad Abu-El-Haija, shed light on the activities of the office, the quality of the projects it supports, the scholarships and projects the office sets forth, and the opportunities and academic exchange programs available to the faculty and students within the Erasmus+ program. Dr. Alkhader praised the quality and outcomes of the projects the Jordan University of Science and Technology has won since the beginning of the Tempus program up to the Erasmus Plus program, she said: "Jordan University of Science and Technology has been participating in Tempus projects since 2002 and continued its success through the years to reach a total of 14 projects in 2013. In 2015 alone JUST has won 10 projects under Erasmus + program, with one project as an applicant. In 2016, JUST has won 4 new projects with two projects as an applicant. This is a living evidence on the developing capacity of JUST in projects' management and the remarkable efforts of JUST in contributing to the development of higher education in Jordan through its collaboration with EU institutions."
The Dean of the Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Dr. Mohammad Al-Jarrah has confirmed the importance of success in this project due to its benefit towards the university and students both and working to build international partnerships for all the programs of the college with their international counterparts. Dr. Al-Jarrah also confirmed that providing the necessary support and facility for this project to succeed will help achieve the university's goal of becoming a global university.
The coordinator of the project, Dr. Mohammad Nazzal, gave an introductory presentation on the project concerning its aims, work packages, and outcomes. The project aims to build an interdisciplinary clinical masters program in rehabilitation sciences which would ensure a great leap in the quality of offered rehabilitation services and the development of the physical and occupational therapy professions in Jordan and the Arab World.
The next two days were conducted at the Movenpick Hotel in the Dead Sea, where working groups started discussing the practical issue of how to build the curriculum and address Jordan's Rehabilitation needs.
