Jordan Times
Monday, November 29, 2004
American university to be set
up in Aqaba
By Dalya Dajani
AMMAN — The Kingdom is gearing up for the development of a new private,
non-profit American university on Aqaba's southern shores, with a sister campus
in Amman.
The Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC) and the Aqaba Special Economic Zone (ASEZ)
signed an agreement this week for the university's construction on 250 dunums of
land on the Red Sea coastal shore.
The agreement was signed between ASEZA Deputy Chief Commissioner and Chairman of
the Board of ADC Imad Fakhoury and Safwan Masri, professor and vice dean at
Columbia University's Business School on behalf of the university's fund.
Modelled on the American system of higher education, the university is expected
to attract students from here and across the region, with programmes tailored to
meet the needs of Jordanian society.
It is expected to cater for up to 6,000 students over the next 10 to 12 years
with over 40 majors in schools for liberal arts and sciences, management,
engineering, education and law. Around 2,500 of the total student capacity are
expected to be studying in Aqaba.
Through its consortium of affiliations by academic programmes, the university
will also expose students to a rich platform of educational and cultural
exchanges with top tier US colleges.
“This project represents a model public-private partnership, and we are
delighted to provide significant support for the creation of this important new
American university,” said Fakhoury.
According to Fakhoury, the university, which is scheduled for completion in
2009, is also expected to play a significant role in the development of Aqaba,
particularly in meeting ASEZ's long-term development plans.
“The establishment of this campus represents a key building-bloc in the ASEZ
master plan and a strategic enabler within the comprehensive long-term plan of
ASEZA and its development arm, ADC, to transform Aqaba into a leading business
and leisure destination on the Red Sea,” said Fakhoury.
“The population of faculty, staff and students will both contribute to and
benefit from the diverse and vital community we plan to foster in the Aqaba
Special Economic Zone,” he added.
Home to some 60,000 Jordanians, Aqaba, Jordan's sole port city, was transformed
into a special economic zone in 2001. It has since witnessed a rapid increase in
infrastructure and commercial development that has transformed the area into a
breeding ground for investment.
Such investment in the southern region falls in line with the vision of His
Majesty King Abdullah for the creation of a knowledge-based economy for the
future of Jordan and the region.
During a visit with the Economic Club of Chicago and the Chicago Council on
Foreign Relations in June, King Abdullah described the university as one that
would “adopt the standards of world-class scholarship, open inquiry, freedom of
thought and expression.”
Taking advantage of the unique, cultural, geographic, environmental and economic
features of Aqaba, the university will provide students with coursework on a
range of studies such as in marine sciences, trade and tourism, logistics,
political and international studies and archaeology.
An intensive residential English language programme is also planned along with
short-term residential executive education programmes.
Masri expressed his appreciation to ADC and ASEZA for their commitment in seeing
through the creation of the university, describing such a partnership as “an
important new model for higher education in Jordan.”
The ADC is a private-public sector entity whose primary objective is to develop
and enhance the Aqaba Special Economic Zone.