Irbid: Yarmouk University Vice President Ruba Batayneh met Thursday with a delegation from Dartmouth College, United States, to discuss expanding academic cooperation between the two institutions.
According to Jordan News Agency, the delegation included Jonathan Smolin, Head of the Middle Eastern Studies Department, Tarek Ariss, and researcher Joshua Cuscaden. Batayneh highlighted existing collaborations, particularly the provision of practical training opportunities for Dartmouth medical students, and reaffirmed Yarmouk University's commitment to advancing scientific and research partnerships with international universities. She underscored the role of the university's Center for Refugee, Displaced Persons, and Forced Migration Studies in conducting joint research and implementing international projects addressing issues affecting refugees and displaced populations.
She underlined the university's readiness to host Dartmouth students in fieldwork and service programs at refugee camps in Jordan and to organize joint workshops on areas of shared academic interest.
Smolin praised Yarmouk University's academic environment and its potential as a hub for collaborative initiatives. He emphasized Dartmouth Initiative for Middle East Exchange (DIMEX) commitment to fostering research and training opportunities on asylum, displacement, and forced migration. He noted that Dartmouth, ranked 247th globally by the QS World University Rankings, actively seeks partnerships that promote research exchange and enrich educational programs.
The Dartmouth delegation also visited the Zaatari refugee camp to observe Jordan's refugee services and explore collaborative educational and research opportunities.