AAU Participates in the First Forum of Deans of Arts Faculties in Jordanian Public and Private Universities

Professor Hanan Ibrahim, Dean of the Faculty of Arts at our AAU, participated in the First Forum of Deans of Arts Faculties in Jordanian Public and Private Universities, held at the University of Jordan under the patronage of His Excellency Professor Natheer Obaidat, President of the University of Jordan. Professor Hanan Ibrahim, representing the Deans of Arts Faculties in private universities, delivered a speech in which she emphasized the need to seriously reconsider the current position of Arts Faculties in the academic priorities of both public and private universities, as well as the status of research published in social sciences and humanities. She added that there are several challenges faced by Faculties of Arts in private universities that are not encountered by their counterparts in public universities, and vice versa. She highlighted the multiple advantages of private universities when managed strategically, citing several examples. Notably, she discussed the funding issue, which private universities primarily rely on through tuition fees and some internal investments, giving them greater flexibility to introduce globally and locally required programs and invest in modern facilities and technologies to meet market demands. Professor Ibrahim continued her speech by outlining the differences between public and private universities, such as those related to academic quality, student diversity, flexibility, innovation, curricula, study plans, the introduction of modern specializations, employment opportunities, and others. She focused on the challenges faced by Arts Faculties in relation to scientific research, such as funding issues, weaknesses in research methodology among some researchers, and the limited number of Arabic journals that are internationally recognized, especially since research in Arabic is often published in journals that do not have a good global reputation. She emphasized the need to launch more Arabic journals classified under global rankings that specialize in the fields of humanities and social sciences. Professor Hanan called on relevant authorities to identify research priorities in the fields of arts and humanities that align with global developments.