BZU welcomes its new cohort of students with the start of the academic year 2017-2018
More than two thousand new students participated in the welcome days planned at Birzeit University campus on September 6-7, 2017. The event aims to introduce new students to the university life and community through a packed program offering orientation presentations, and interactive sessions as well as showcasing university clubs, services and activities. This year was marked by the active participation of some of the university’s key partner organizations in the fields of arts, science, and technology and community development to introduce students to opportunities beyond its campus.
Students had the chance to tour the campus guided by current students’ volunteers who escorted the new students, facilitated their visit, and responded to the queries.
This year welcome days coincided with the launch of the new “Leadership and Civic Engagement program” coined under the Arabic word “مساري”, meaning "my career path and trajectory". The program, implemented as a co-curricular learning journey, aims to develop university students as responsible and active citizens and forward-looking leaders who are globally connected and locally engaged in the sustainable development of their communities. The program will engage the full new cohort of students and will be rolled out incrementally over the coming 3 years to reach all students in their first 3 years of university education.
Vice President for Planning and Development, Dr. Mirvat Bulbul welcomed the new students, saying, “We welcome you at Birzeit university, your higher educational institution of choice.”
“Today marks the beginning of a new journey that requires your passion for new ideas and experiences and your capacity to assimilate both your successes and failures. The journey will be most enjoyable and will make you stronger academically and personally.”
“Birzeit University is a place where excellence in education is mainstream. The university is making innovation and entrepreneurship at its core practices and is initiating the changes needed to create an enabling environment. We are gaining increasing international recognition, and is continuously developing new and relevant academic programs with emphasis on community engagement”, Bulbul concluded.
The Marketing and Services Development Director at the Cairo Amman Bank, Ms.Thaera Karajah, in her turn, commended the university’s commitment to support and encourage the development of responsible youth and active citizens.
Karajah elaborated on the new cooperation between CAB and BZU through the sponsorship of the “Student Leadership and Active Citizenship Program” which aims to create a flagship co-curricular program that empowers current students and future graduates to take charge of their own future and draw their career paths and trajectories.
“The new program on leadership and good citizenship tackles an important issue, creating a generation of leaders and entrepreneurs who are change makers in their communities and beyond.”
University Alumnus, Mr. Ibrahim Barham (class 1991) founder and Chairman of SAFAD Engineering & Electronics, and journalist Buthaina Hamdan (class 2004), shared their experiences and reflections with the new students and highlighted the benefits of the strong rounded education they obtained at BZU in shaping their careers.