Within the policy of the Yarmouk University presidency to communicate with the various faculties of the University, Prof. Dr. Islam Massad, the University president, visited on Monday 03/10/2022 the Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, during which he met with members of the academic and administrative staff. The meeting was attended by Dr. Bashar Al-Maayeh, Head of the Travel and Tourism Department, Dr. Hakam Al-Shatnawi, Head of the Hotels Department, Dr. Salem Harahsheh, Assistant Dean for Quality Affairs, and Dr. Muhammad Abuhjeeleh, Assistant Dean for Convention Affairs, and a number of faculty and administrative staff at the faculty of Tourism and Hotels.
At the beginning of the meeting, Prof. Dr. Atef Al-Shayab, Dean of the faculty of tourism and hotel management, welcomed the President of the University and all faculty members. The dean reviewed the faculty’s achievements since its establishment in general and its achievements for the past year in particularas the faculty obtained international accreditation for the bachelor’s program in tourism management (TEDQUAL) from the World Tourism Organization (WTO). The dean mentioned that the faculty is the first in the University to obtain international accreditation and the award of the best faculty in the University in Scientific Research. The dean added that the faculty also obtained membership in the World Tour Guides Association, in addition to the faculty's continuation to hold its annual conference for seven consecutive years, the last of which was the Seventh International Conference entitled "Tourism and Hospitality in a Changing World".
Dr. Al-Sheyab also spoke about the strategic plan and future vision of the faculty and the work plan for the coming years. These plans are related to the establishment of a master’s degree in hospitality and diplomas in the field of medical tourism and tourism guidance, and the development of plans and curricula, in line with the needs of the labor market emphasizing on providing students with the skills that qualify them to enter the labor market competently.
The University president stressed the need to focus on the process of networking with international institutions concerned with the field of tourism and hospitality, and to conclude more local and international agreements to raise the efficiency of faculty members and students. He also emphasized that the students should acquire language and communication skills. Therefore, in the context of the University’s strategic plan, the University’s Deans Council has recently decided to offer packages for academic courses for a group of international foreign languages for some disciplines, including the Faculty of Tourism. This package includes French, Spanish, and German languages, with 12 credit hours as optional University requirements, starting from the beginning of the academic year 2022/2023.
The University president pointed out the need to focus on scientific research in tourism and hospitality through the formation of specialized research groups and research networking with Jordanian and foreign Universities that offer similar programs in tourism and hospitality. He stressed also on working to improve the University’s ranking globally combining that with the efforts of the University’s academic, administrative and technical staff. Moreover, the president pointed out the need to amend the study plans in the faculty of Tourism and Hotels to contain at least 50% of its curricula practical courses.
At the end of the meeting, a fruitful discussion took place between the President of the University and the academic and administrative staff, which focused on developing the faculty to cope with scientific and technical progress and competition at the local, national and global levels. Emphasis was also placed on qualifying students and providing them with the necessary skills, especially in the field of languages and computer skills, to enter the labor market proficiently. The discussion focused on the necessity of paying attention to practical training for academic programs in the faculty.