By Mohammad Ghazal
AMMAN - Scholars and researchers in the country will have the opportunity to carry out research on several essential topics, benefiting from expertise of global experts and academicians from Columbia University, thanks to a new centre launched in the capital yesterday.
Affiliated with Columbia University, the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York and the fifth oldest in the US, the centre is among the first of a network of centres around the world that seek to promote and facilitate international collaborations, new research projects, academic programming and study abroad.
The Columbia Global Centres-Amman, the university's second outside the US after one opened in Beijing earlier this week, aims to enhance cooperation between experts from Columbia University and local researchers and students in conducting research on several issues such as education reform, water issues, development of legal principles, architecture and sustainable development, Lee C. Bollinger, university president, said yesterday.
In her opening address at the launch yesterday, Her Majesty Queen Rania said the Amman centre will “build a new landmark on the academic landscape which will help transform Jordan into a hub of intellectual activity”.
Highlighting the significance of Columbia’s presence in the region, she noted that “it embodies the most sacred tenet of the academic world: That knowledge and ideas are for all humanity; that academia has no borders”.
“As we strive to learn more about the world, we will bring it closer together. And, as we grow more aware of what surrounds us, we will become more tolerant of each other,” the Queen added.
Columbia University is following a different approach in reaching out to scholars, academicians and researchers, Bollinger told reporters yesterday.
“We are trying a different model from the ‘branch campus’ strategy,” he said.
“Our goal is not to replicate the kind of instruction we can offer in New York; we are here to learn by focusing on research projects and partnerships with local universities, organisations and governments that can have an impact on both local needs and global challenges faced by many nations and regions," Bollinger added.
In his speech at the inauguration ceremony, Prime Minister Nader Dahabi said hosting the new Columbia initiative advances Jordan’s commitment to improving its education system, noting that the country's promising future lies in having an advanced educational system.
Dahabi said the centre is in line with the country's vision which focuses on enlightenment, education and creativity, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
He added that the government is keen on supporting academic institutions that motivate thinking and contribute to creating an advanced educational environment.
The director of the centre, Safwan Masri, also underscored the significance of the facility.
"We are at a juncture when the global economy is expected to contract for the first time in more than 60 years and nations are starting to retrench in protectionist mindsets," he said.
“We can’t afford that type of isolation because the challenges we face - political, economic, and environmental - require truly global solutions, and they require smart people to work together in entirely new ways. And that’s what we hope to do here in Amman. That’s the model of the Global Centres,” Masri added.
The Amman centre will leverage the university’s diverse intellectual capacities from across the liberal arts and professional schools, including independent Columbia affiliates Teachers College and Barnard College, according to a statement released by Columbia University yesterday.
The centre will share research findings and promote collaboration through conferences, publications, seminars, educational programmes, lecture series, discussion groups and will also host events that bring regional and global experts to pursue the centre's academic goals and enrich its communities, the statement indicated.
Her Majesty toured the centre’s facilities yesterday and met with trainees who attended courses, including Columbia University’s School of Social Work, which offers training programmes for frontline social service workers and managers in Jordan to share new methodologies and learn about local challenges.
Queen Rania also joined students and faculty from Columbia’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation to discuss a restoration initiative aimed at preserving a historic site in downtown Amman.
Also yesterday, Her Majesty chaired the inaugural advisory board meeting where members discussed the Columbia University Middle East Research Centre's strategy and programmes as well as innovative methodologies needed to tackle 21st century challenges such as sustainable development, climate change and education.
