Strategy of The University of Jordan

Our Strategy

The University of Jordan

Knowledge is the Cornerstone for progress and development taking place in human societies. The University of Jordan (UJ), which was founded in 1962, has therefore grown to become Jordan’s largest and leading university, always aspiring to be global, smart, productive, progressive, financially stable, and a catalyst for cultural enlightenment. It offer a wide choice of academic programs for students who can choose from more than 250 Programs from 24 schools in various disciplines. The University of Jordan has achieved advanced positions in various international rankings: UJ is one of the best 650 Universities worldwide, one of the best 10 Arab universities, and it has recently achieved 5 stars according to QS. In addition, UJ has obtained international accreditation in many of its programs, such as medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, engineering, rehabilitation, nursing, information technology and other disciplines.

about
Strategic Plan (2017-2022)
From the President


President of the University of Jordan, Professor Nathir Obeidat
 
The University of Jordan, the name, the history, the achievement and the conscience; it is also the university of the future and the hopes of the people. The university will continue to carry the eternal Hashemite message of a prosperous and developed Jordan, to remain an inexhaustible source of knowledge and competence, and a high and unbreakable Jordanian and Hashemite banner.
 
This requires the university to establish a real partnership with the institutions of the community it serves. Through this partnership, the university senses people's changing needs. That is through consultation and cooperation with the various institutions of society so that the university provides the nation with a generation capable of advancing its institutions and bringing our country to a better status among nations. We stress that this intertwining with the nation's institutions should not affect the university's independence, privacy, and preservation of its glorious legacy.
 
The time has come for the University of Jordan to employ its capabilities to achieve new visions through further partnership with the university's students and faculty members, and to create a cross-disciplinary interaction with the university's schools and centers. We hope that the university can also provide a suitable and mature environment for dialogue among the students themselves, individuals and groups, which would lead to the consolidation and development of the values ​​of love, justice and equality and to avoid animosity and discord.
The university's distinguished academic reputation, and its distinct regional and global status, necessitates that the University should reconsider its educational programs and find programs that are more diversified, effective and influential. These programs should meet the needs of society and keep pace with the development that the world is witnessing. This will be reflected positively not only on the educational process and its outcomes, but will also go beyond that to bring scientific research to a level at which the University of Jordan contributes by writing new chapters containing scientific answers to various issues that humanity is still searching for answers to.
 
The objectives of the University of Jordan must reflect its name; and its vision, goals and mission must be clear. These goals are achieved when our university is strong with our unity, strong with the confidence of the university’s partners, and strong with the university's ability to achieve a better relationship with the various institutions of the country. This, in turn, makes the university able to provide our society with what it aspires to, in an era of rapid and unprecedented geopolitical and technological changes.
In order to achieve these goals, the University of Jordan has the ambition to expand to achieve the development mentioned above. In addition, the university has the ambition to respond to the requirements of the current stage and the questions of society, especially as we are still experiencing the repercussions of the Corona virus pandemic. Thus, it has become evident to us that we need to face the current and future repercussions of this epidemic by enhancing academic and research interest in public health, which can be achieved through the establishment of educational programs concerned with population, the elderly, climate change, water and mental health of the community; and programs dealing with epidemics in particular. Therefore, it is necessary that these programs be localized at a school with professors and experts from the various schools of the university.
 
In addition, societal changes and developments have shown that there is a need for the University of Jordan Hospital to play the role expected of it, to perform tasks and functions that focus on specializations concerned with the effective treatment of emergency cases that require rapid intervention, such as fractures and acute heart, lung and cerebral clots; and to take more care of its infrastructure to achieve its mission by providing an outstanding health service.
The university is required, immediately and without delay, to achieve great and tangible results for all, based on thoughtful plans, away from those scattered results, which do not take into account the needs of people and the needs of students. When the university succeeds in achieving the foregoing, students from Jordan and abroad will find the University of Jordan the right place to gain the knowledge and skills they need for their future scientific and practical development, in light of the changes anticipated, to eventually lead a better life for themselves and their communities.
 
We have to bring faculty members at the University of Jordan to a degree of satisfaction through which they see their university as a place that enables them to create opportunities for cooperation and discovery, and the ability to influence within and outside their communities; and to find the time, opportunity, and appropriate environment to create solutions that reflect their spirit, aspirations and the aspirations of their societies.
 
I would also like to emphasize that achieving our ambitions can only be accomplished by empowering our educational and administrative staffs, developing them and involving them in achieving the University’s visions and goals. It is also necessary to bridge all the gaps in the educational environment and infrastructure of the university in order to be compatible with the aspirations, goals and noble mission adopted by the university.
 
It must be noted here that the University of Jordan must focus on the system of values ​​and principles that the teaching and administrative staff must possess, and that this should be reflected in the learning outcomes and program outcomes of the various programs, including the professional and applied ones. The university stresses that it is concerned with consolidating the principles of integrity, transparency, justice, equality and acceptance of the other; the university even emphasizes that diversity is the main factor in achieving a stronger and more prosperous society.
 
One of the major challenges facing the university is the financial funding necessary to achieve the ambitions I mentioned earlier. This requires working to enhance investment in the university's capabilities, as well as working to enhance partnership with national institutions; and to encourage a culture of donation for specific projects that the donor believes in their necessity and their positive impact on us as a university and society. We also have to strengthen our relations with the international community’s institutions concerned with providing support and expertise to our researchers and academic programs, with our continuous emphasis on the independence of the university’s decisions and their `consistency with the great message of Islam, the society’s values, and our great cultural heritage.
 
At a time when our university is preparing for a safe return to teaching in all its forms: face-to-face, blended, and distant, at the beginning of the next academic year, I would like to ask our dear faculty members and students for more cooperation and commitment, and that we remain united to achieve the supreme goal that we all strive towards: that the university would achieve a safe return to teaching, and achieve safety for all. I would also ask that we do everything in our power to protect ourselves, our families and our community by following the instructions for this safe return. The university will do everything in its power to secure the requirements for this return in all its forms, including face-to-face and hybrid education, and the appropriate educational and technical environment that it requires to serve the interest of the university and its partners in the local and global community.
 
Finally, I would like to thank the family of the University of Jordan for what they have done and what they will do for the university, wishing them and their families safety, happiness and well-being. I wish our students success and joy; and our beloved Jordan progress, strength and rectitude under the Hashemite rule, led by His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al-Hussein; may God bless and protect him. May God protect Jordan, its people, its leader, and its faithful Crown Prince, His Highness Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II. I wish you all love; with respect and appreciation!
 
Plan Development
The Strategic Plan has been modified in the summer of 2019 after two years of implementation in light of developments and relevant feedback, for the purpose of making the university:
 
1.     Global.
2.     Smart.
3.     Attractive.
4.     Productive.
5.     Progressing.
6.     Financially stable.
7.     A catalyst for cultural enlightenment.
Vision
A University that is global, smart, and excelling in research, in innovation and in cultural enlightenment. 
Mission
Providing students with fulfilling learning experiences, conducting knowledge-generating research, and building firm societal ties, within an environment that is attractive and financially stable, and conducive to creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Values

Integrity, Transparency, Fairness, Tolerance & Openness, Loyalty, Civic Engagement, Good Governance.

Strategic Priorities
1.World-class academic staff and students
Strategic Objectives
Academic staff:
1.     To invest in academic staff's capacity-building and to increase their efficiency and effectiveness.
2.     To support academic staff and enable them to achieve global recognition.
3.     To enhance the interaction between academic staff and students.
4.     To provide academic staff with opportunities for continuous professional development and enhance their creativity and pioneering spirit.
5.     To promote and attract excelling academics in the various academic fields.
 
 
Students:
1.     To support students’ creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship spirit.
2.     To offer students excellent counseling, guidance, and career services.
3.     To promote students’ pursuit of distinction at the local, regional and global levels.
4.     To diversify student intake and enhance the proportion of non-Jordanian students.
5.     To develop mechanisms that would facilitate students’ interaction with the local community.
Details
Academic staff
Objective
Performance KPI
Result KPI
To invest in academic staff's capacity-building and to increase their efficiency and effectiveness
Number of activities held for faculty members
Number of faculty members attending those activities
To support academic staff and enable them to achieve global recognition
Number of distinguished UJ academics recognized globally and regionally
Number of awards received by the academic staff and prominent positions held
To enhance the interaction between academic staff and students
Number of academic staff meetings with students
Level of student satisfaction over their meetings with academic staff
To provide academic staff with opportunities for continuous professional development and enhance their creativity and pioneering spirit
Number of academics participating in professional development programs
Number of academics joining professional associations
Number of creative proposals submitted by academics
Number of patents, intellectual property, certificates of attendance, and noticeable accomplishments
To promote and attract excelling academics in the various academic fields
Establishing a mechanism for selecting distinguished faculty members
Number of distinguished faculty members annually appointed
  
Students
Objective
Performance KPI
Result KPI
To support students’ creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship spirit
Number of programs that develop student creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship spirit
Number of creative proposals and projects submitted by students
To offer students excellent creativity, guidance, and career services
Number of activities and services pertaining to student academic advising and counselling
Degree of student satisfaction with these services
To promote students’ pursuit of distinction at the local, regional and global levels
Number of programs / activities aimed at preparing students for international competitions
Number of students awarded local / regional / international awards and recognition
To diversify student intake and enhance the proportion of non-Jordanian students
· Ratio of non-Jordanian to overall students
· Efficiency of programs that attract foreign students
Satisfaction level of non-Jordanian students
To develop mechanisms that would facilitate students’ interaction with the local community
Number of student activities in community service programs
Level of community satisfaction with students’ interaction
Strategic Initiatives
·   Program for faculty member contribution /smart objectives model.
·   A system of incentives based on performance /competitiveness in research, teaching, and community service.
·   Attracting distinguished professors.
·   Performance enhancement projects.
·   Academic programs targeting civic engagement.
·   Programs for excellence, creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation.
·   Program for university dialogues.
·   A promotion plan to attract international students.
·   Scheme for academic advising, counseling, and professional services.
·   Expansion of scientific and professional student clubs.
·   Annual Scientific Program.
·   To incorporate more practical and applied courses to enhance life skills.
·   Courses on cross-cultural interaction.
2.Attractive programs and advanced learning and teaching 
Strategic Objectives
1.     To promote cognitive, professional and life-long learning skills.
2.     To improve the quality of learning outcomes.
3.     To develop interactive and innovative blended learning based on clear learning outcomes and specific assessment criteria.
4.     To employ modern teaching and learning methods.
5.     To review study plans periodically in accordance with the best global practices
6.     To expand the role and contribution of online learning and teaching.
7.     To strengthen the link between academic disciplines and market needs.
8.     To advance university standing in global ranking.
9.     To incorporate national and global accreditation and quality standard in all academic programs.
10.  To strive to achieve global standards pertaining to the faculty student ratio.
11.  To upgrade facilities and tools pertaining to teaching-learning at the university.
Details
Objective
Performance KPI
Result KPI
To promote cognitive, professional and life-long learning skills
Percentage of learning outcomes that enhance students' cognitive, professional and problem- solving skills
Students’ passing rates in university requirements and basic-skills  courses
To improve the quality of learning outcomes
Percentage of programs whose learning outcomes are subject to periodic review and development
Degree of satisfaction with the learning outcomes by students and faculty members
To develop interactive and innovative blended learning based on clear learning outcomes and specific assessment criteria
Percentage of courses that utilize blended learning methods
Degree of satisfaction with blended learning methods by students and faculty members
To employ modern teaching and learning methods
Percentage of courses employing best global practices and research-based teaching methods
Degree of satisfaction with the quality of learning and teaching that students and teachers exhibit
To review study plans periodically in accordance with the best global practices
Average of study-plan-revision cycle for each program
Degree of student satisfaction with the quality of academic programs
To expand the role and contribution of online learning and teaching
Percentage of online courses
Degree of student satisfaction  with online learning methods
To strengthen the link between academic disciplines and market needs
Number of academic programs that have been developed or frozen in response to labor market needs
Employers degree of satisfaction with the performance and quality of university graduates
To advance university standing in global ranking.
Percentage of resources allocated for obtaining higher ranking.
Level of university standing in various rankings.
To incorporate national and global accreditation and quality standard in all academic programs.
Amount of resources allocated for obtaining international accreditation.
Number of programs internationally accredited.
To strive to achieve global standards pertaining to the faculty student ratio.
Adhering to enrollment capacity in academic programs.
Ratio of academic programs adhering to enrollment capacity.
To upgrade facilities and tools pertaining to teaching-learning at the university.
Number of facilities and tools which have been upgraded.
Degree of student and faculty satisfaction with facilities and tools.
Strategic Initiatives
·       Blended learning and teaching Initiative.
·       Open Educational Resources Initiative.
·       Thorough revision of programs and specializations in light of fourth industrial revolution skills.
·       Comprehensive review of UJ’s compulsory and elective university requirements.
·       Ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the educational and learning processes.
·       A policy of learning and assessment.
·       Establishment of a measurement, assessment, and examinations center.
·       An initiative on employing social media for the purpose of learning and teaching.
·       Establishment of an advisory board for each program.
·       Assessment Map.
·       Quality Assurance Certificate / International Accreditation / Global Classification for each academic program.
·       Initiative of Pioneers of Learning.
·       Expanding the use of videos in the learning process and enhancing the use of electronic discussion forums.
·       Incorporating the preparatory year in all faculties.
3.Robust knowledge-generating research
Strategic Objectives
1.     To generate knowledge and scientific research of world-class quality.
2.     To focus research efforts on current problems, issues, and challenges that concern the national, regional, and global community.
3.     To give attention to applied research that leads to patents.
4.     To allocate sufficient resources for the development of research infrastructure.
5.     To make available sufficient information resources for the purpose of research.
6.     To encourage publication in high-index journals and to promote research citations.
Details
Objective
Performance KPI
Result KPI
To generate knowledge and scientific research of world-class quality
Number of interdisciplinary research teams
Percentage of publication per faculty member each year
To focus research efforts on current problems, issues, and challenges that concern the national, regional, and global community 
Number of scientific research agreements with local, regional and international community institutions
Degree of satisfaction by local, regional, and international community institutions with the university’s research programs/studies and with the solutions to  problems pertaining to Arab and international community
To give attention to theoretical and applied research that leads to patents
Number of research projects leading to patents
Percentage of patents and intellectual property rights recorded
To allocate sufficient resources for the development of research infrastructure
Proportion of expenditure on scientific research and infrastructure development to university budget
Degree of academic staff's satisfaction with allocation of resources for research and development of research infrastructure
To make available sufficient information resources for the purpose of research 
Number of subscriptions to global databases
Degree of satisfaction by students and academic staff with amount and quality of information resources
To encourage publication in world-class high-index journals and to promote research citations 
Number of scientific papers accepted for publication in international journals, conferences, and publishing houses
Number of annual citations and the global classification of researchers
Strategic Initiatives
·       Scientific Research Strategy.
·       Intellectual Property Program.
·       Program for marketing scientific and academic production.
·       Research Teams Program.
·       Project for support of Excelling Scientific Research.
·       Joint research programs in partnership with international universities and research centers.
·       Annual Research Agenda.
·       Effective scientific research to accelerate transition to a world-class university.
·       Unified database for scientific research.
·       E-Library Services.
·       Stimulation Program for publishing research in international journals and periodicals.
·       Program for classification of researchers.
·       Rewarding excelling researchers.
·       Revising promotion requirements for the purpose of producing higher-input research.
4.Smart, progressive and financially stable campus environment & high institutional efficiency
Strategic Objectives
1.     To ensure sustainability of financial resources.
2.     To enhance the university’s financial standing through endowments and donation campaigns.
3.     To expand investment and to develop investment venues.
4.     To provide a safe, healthy and environment-friendly campus.
5.     To transition into a Smart University (automatization of processes and procedures and upgrading the technical and informational infrastructure).
6.     To meet quality assurance requirements in all administrative and academic university facilities.
7.     To spread the culture of quality among all university employees.
8.     To promote institutional competitiveness in accordance with best management and governance practices.
Details
Objective
Performance KPI
Result KPI
To ensure sustainability of financial resources
Ratio of actual revenues to estimated revenues
Ratio of actual revenue to actual expenditure
To enhance the university’s financial standing through endowments and donation campaigns
Number of initiatives pertaining to endowment and donations campaigns
Financial and material revenue generated
To expand investment and to develop investment venues
Number of investment programs / projects in collaboration with external partners
Return on investment per investment unit/project
To provide a safe, healthy and environment-friendly campus
Number of environmental conservation programs
University standing in international environment-based rankings
To transition into a Smart University
Automation of procedures
Completion percentage of the Smart University Project
To meet quality assurance requirements in all administrative and academic university facilities
Number of procedures developed in accordance with quality assurance requirements
Degree of employee satisfaction with the quality of performance and procedures at various university units
To spread the culture of quality among all university employees
Number of activities for the dissemination and enhancement of quality culture
The degree of improvement in institutional performance
To promote institutional competitiveness in accordance with best management and governance practices
Number of internal, administrative, academic, and financial audit programs
Level of administrative productivity
Strategic Initiatives
·       Smart University Initiative.
·       Initiative for Enhancement of Institutional Culture.
·       Constructing new buildings and modernizing facilities.
·       Integrated Information Management System.
·       University Performance Management System.
·       Strategic Risk Management Plan.
·       A University of Jordan Communication Network.
·       Best Performance Award for Department/ School/ Employee.
·       Business / technology incubators.
·       Maintenance and Infrastructure Rehabilitation Program.
·       Review of university legislations.
·       Review of failed projects.
·       Establishing a Student Union Complex.
·       Development of parking lots and internal transportation.
·       Paperless administrative procedures.
·       Ongoing training and rehabilitation of employees.
·       Endowment and donation initiatives.
5.A catalyst for cultural enlightenment and effective social development
Strategic Objectives
1.     To provide value-added community services.
2.     To assist the local community in matters pertaining to development.
3.     To enhance University’s awareness spreading, cultural enlightenment and communication with the community.
4.     To invest in the relationship with the alumni.
5.     To support participation of academics in national / international committees in all fields.
6.     To increase the efficiency of the university’s cultural and community service apparatus.
Details
Objective
Performance KPI
Result KPI
To provide value-added community services
Number of contributions by faculty members to community services
Community’s degree of satisfaction with the university's contribution to societal services
To assist the local community in matters pertaining to development
Number of projects, studies and dissertations contributing to community development
Number of implemented projects
To enhance University’s awareness spreading, cultural enlightenment and communication with the community.
Number of media and cultural programs targeting the community
The community’s degree of satisfaction with the university's cultural awareness and communication campaigns
To invest in the relationship with the alumni
Alumni’s contributions to the university
Number of programs supported by the alumni and endowments given
To support participation of academics in national / international committees in all fields
Amount of participation in national / international committees
Level of university academic reputation
To increase the efficiency of the university’s community service apparatus
Number of cultural and community service activities
Degree of satisfaction by recipients of such services
Strategic Initiatives
·       Support for "Professor for Every Factory" program.
·       System for managing alumni relations.
·       Initiative to link research and master's and doctoral dissertations with community issues.
·       Community-service student associations and clubs.
·       Initiative for effective social work.
·       Cultural radio programs for dissemination of knowledge.
·       Open days for community service.
·       New Community Service Initiative.
·       Initiative for effective, efficient, and creative community service centers.
·       National project for community issues.
·       Effective communication with the UJ Alumni Club.
·       Alumni Conference.
·       Annual cultural program.
·       Hosting thinkers in the various fields of knowledge.
6.National, regional, and international strategic partnerships
Strategic Objectives
1.     To develop effective local, Arab and international strategic partnerships.
2.     To forge relations with external bodies that support scientific research and capacity building.
3.     To offer joint graduate programs in partnership with international universities and international institutions.
4.     To exchange experiences and knowledge globally.
5.     To establish a global information system for the documentation and classification of Arabic publications.
6.     To maximize benefit from international grant programs.
Details
Objective
Performance KPI
Result KPI
To develop effective local, Arab and international strategic partnerships
Number of signed cooperation agreements
Financial and non-financial return from partnerships
To forge relations with external bodies that support scientific research and capacity building
· Degree of diversity in partnerships
· Number of partnerships per department / school
Number of published research resulting from such partnerships.
Number of recipients of capacity building programs.
To offer joint graduate programs in partnership with international universities and international institutions
Number of academics / administrators benefiting from partnerships
Number of joint graduate programs with international universities and international institutions
To exchange experiences and knowledge globally
Number of joint activities with partners (e.g., meetings, seminars, conferences, etc.)
Number of students benefiting from such partnerships (as in job opportunities, training opportunities, etc.)
To establish a global information system for the documentation and classification of Arabic publications
Number of partnerships in the system
System completion rate
To maximize benefit from international grant programs
Number of activities for awareness of international grant programs
Return on each external program / grant
Strategic Initiatives
·       Initiative to establish an advanced Arab research center or institution.
·       Participation in Arab / regional / international research networks.
·       Program for exchange of academics and students with international universities.
·       Joint programs in postgraduate studies.
·       An international partnership project for each department.
·       Project for partnership with Arab universities.