University staff, faculty members engage with international peers in Erasmus-Plus events

Four Birzeit University staff and faculty members discussed international student- and staff-exchange programs and joint research projects in two International Staff Week events, held at the University of Siena, Italy, from June 10 to 14 and at the University of Granada, Spain, from July 1 to 5, 2019. 

Iman Al Afghani and Nisreen Khatib, two administrative assistants at the Department of Registration and Admissions, participated in the University of Granada’s international staff week that included international representatives of Erasmus-Plus-partner universities. 

In their meetings with the international representatives, Al Afghani and Khatib discussed harmonizing the selection, admission, and post-exchange review procedures and called for standardizing the course- and grade-conversion methods between partner universities. They also raised the possibility of increasing the number of postgraduate students engaged in exchange programs. 

Seri Ghanem, an instructor at Birzeit University’s Department of Finance and Banking, and Abdullah Rabba, chair of the university’s Department of Pharmacy, took part in the University of Siena’s international staff week that hosted 18 academics from nine countries. 

In the five-day event, Ghanem and Rabba reviewed student- and staff-exchange programs under the Erasmus-Plus scheme and consulted with their international peers on creating and establishing interdisciplinary programs that bridge gaps between academic outputs and job-market needs. They focused on internationalizing research efforts among the partner universities and examined the feasibility of organizing joint research projects between Birzeit University and the University of Siena.