It is a distinct honour for me to present as well as implement the internationalisation strategy of Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT) which has built an impressive track record of achievements over the past decade, one that rendered it a university of distinction that has the potential for leadership and excellence. In fact, international activities have become the jewel in the crown of PSUT in recent years, a virtue that makes it well-positioned today to become a model not only in Jordan, where it is considered among the most proficient in the country, but also regionally. PSUT’s faculty have over the years acquired a wide ranging pedagogical expertise, developed an array of exciting and relevant academic programmes, and have contributed to PSUT developing its own distinctive and attractive ’personality,’ with the capacity to be a leading university capable of integrating research, education, and service missions, a knowledge hub where knowledge is generated and disseminated for the betterment of society.
HRH Sumaya bint El Hassan, speaking before the First Arab-Euro Conference on Higher Education which was held at Barcelona University on 31 May 2013, succinctly described the trauma of university education in the Arab world when she said; “Perhaps the biggest failure of the Arab university sector today, is its appalling absence of true and empowering research and development initiatives. So often, we fetishize shallow ranking systems while ignoring the deep and diverse need for homegrown research-the true mark of a worthy and vibrant university sector”. Equally succinct were the words of Albert Einstein, who said; “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand”.
The success of PSUT thus greatly depends on its ability to continue cooperation with all international stakeholders. With imagination, vision and hard work, the university aspires to become an internationalisation hub for higher education in Jordan, and to continue leading efforts to expand international cooperation that result in educational, research, enterprise and development initiatives, projects, joint and exchange programmes, scientific events, as well as identify promising areas of development in international relations and partnerships. We will also maintain and improve the excellent and healthy relations PSUT enjoys with Arab universities through the Association of Arab Universities as well as with European universities and programmes, and beyond with the world at large.
We will focus on the maturation of the campus as a highly competitive research milieu and gradually transform PSUT into a research university by increasing the number of postgraduate programmes and hence research students, and consequently coordinate and cooperate with our international network of partners to fulfil this mission. Furthermore, we will devise a plan to attract the best professors and students, create a scholarship programme to delegate scholars to world class universities, establish links with renowned research centres worldwide, mainly through sabbatical leaves, and launch a campaign for fundraising and partnerships.
Through the planned international activities, we will create a programme of building the capacity of our faculty members as a major corner-stone in maintaining excellence and ensuring that our students, the true source of our pride, are empowered to pursue their dreams, develop their talents, and open up their minds to possibilities that are unseen otherwise.
Abdallah Al-Zoubi
Vice President for Internationalisation
25 May 2016