The President of the University Professor Mahmoud AbuMwais discussed with the minister of Local Government Dr. Naif Abu Khalaf the mechanisms that they could use to develop the university’s area.
This discussion was during a meeting at the ministry of Local Government, as a delegation of the Arab American University containing the vice president for the international relations Dr. Mufid Qassom, the assistant to the President to the Financial and Administrational affairs Mr. Faleh AbuArrah and the representative of the board of directors Mr. Raéd Dalbah. And they were received by Dr. Naif Abu Khalaf along with Dr. Tawfiq AlBudairy the Assistant Undersecretary in the Ministry for the engineering affairs, Mr. Muhye AlDeen AlArda the projects’ general manager, the manager of the local government in Jenin Mr. Raed Meqbel and Mr Jihad Rabayaá the director of the survey and mapping department.
Dr. Naif Abu Khalaf welcomed the delegation at the beginning of the meeting; he also mentioned that the ministry is ready to provide their services to develop the university area with its full understanding to the privacy of the area and its needs. Those coming developing will also work with the great distinguish development that the university is facing during the last few years, and that was noticed by everyone around it.
Professor AbuMwais Thanked and appreciated Dr. Abu Khalaf and the ministry for their good reception and for their caring to develop the surrounding of the university in order to reach the concept “the city university” that is the goal for each citizen. He said that the university today has become a target to all students, researchers, academics and investors from all over the world and that has happened because of the distinguish academic programs, faculties, the good infrastructure and the increasing number of students in it (one third of those students are from the Palestinian lands of 1948).
Professor AbuMwais mentioned three important subjects that are urgent and need to be discussed and develop as soon as possible. The first is the rebuilding of the street that connects between the university and Jenin city, from paving to expanding to lightening as it is considered the main road from and to the university. The second is to organize and order the surrounding area of the university in a modern way, through an organized structured plan that the university supervises. This place could be turned into a residential commercial area. The third aspect is the Bachelor degree program in the Geographical Information System (GIS) that the university gives and that is close to the ministry’s work and the local governments in all areas, as this program works in developing the work and the efficiency of the services that are provided.
The minister was interested in those three opinions and said that through the ministry’s work, they had already started in studying the needs of the area and they put the bold lines and plans to start the developing process. This was in order to serve the citizens of that area and the university and also for the national benefit.
Both parties have ended up agreeing on forming an urgent combined committee from the ministry and the university to start working on the put developing plans, and so to show the results to the minister and the university president to make the plans official duly with all the interested parties.