July 1 , 2009

Exploring Niche Education and International Cooperation
Belgian Consul General and Flemish University Heads Visit Bethlehem University

“Academics work together in ways only God knows,” said Mr. Leo Peeters, Belgian Consul General in Jerusalem, describing the often haphazard collaboration between individual academics. So on 26 June 2009 Mr. Peeters and a group of Flemish university heads visited Bethlehem University for a more systematic approach to academic cooperation.

The approach is an extension of the Belgian government’s Local Scholarship Program, delivered through the Belgian Consulate and implemented through the Belgian Technical Cooperation. The program provides tuition coverage for deserving students at local universities as a capacity building effort. Bethlehem University students have been beneficiaries of the program since 2003, and Belgian partners have begun exploring new ways of partnering with the University.

Their visit was the brainchild of Professor Jan de Groof, Government Commissioner for the Flemish universities in Belgium, who first came to Palestine as a special educational envoy for UNESCO. That trip, like much of BU’s work, was an exploration of the ways education and research might provide a stabilizing influence in areas of conflict.

The group, which also included Professor Paul Van Cauwenberge (President, Gent University), Professor Paul de Knop (President, University of Brussels), Professor Alain Verschoren (President, University of Antwerp), Professor Rosette S’Jegers (Director General, Flemish University Board) and Professor Luc de Schepper (President, University of Hasselt), met with BU faculty to discuss areas of potential cooperation. They were accompanied by Ms. Nabiha Orfali, Executive Assistant at the consulate and 1982 BU graduate.

A tradition of cooperation

Explaining BU’s history of cooperative educational models, Dr. Fadi Kattan, Dean of Business Administration, noted that BU’s innovative master’s program in international cooperation and development (MICAD) is offered in collaboration with several European universities. In fact, the very idea behind the program was to combine different universities’ areas of expertise into a single program offering.

This collaboration extends as far as faculty exchanges, with Europeans making up approximately fifty percent of MICAD teaching faculty and with some BU faculty teaching in Europe. There are also ongoing joint research efforts. “We see this as a successful experience that we’re trying to build on,” Dr. Fadi explained, with efforts currently underway to develop public finance and government degree programs as well a banking and finance programs in cooperation with Dutch and American universities, respectively.

The nursing faculty has also pursued cooperative training arrangements. Mrs. Amal Abu Nijmeh, Dean of Nursing and Health Sciences, noted that BU’s neonatal nursing program is provided in cooperation with Holy Family Hospital. In addition, the Belgian government has generously provided funding to support the program’s delivery. Such support is critical, since the BU neonatal diploma is the only such program offered in Palestine.

Further program development is continuing with an assessment visit to Beligum in the interest of developing student and faculty exchanges. The visit will build on the BU nursing faculty’s previous experience arranging internship placements for Belgian nursing students.

Dr. Moin Kanaan, Dean of Science, suggested that such efforts might go further by pursuing twinning agreements with Belgian universities. Building on trends toward the internationalization of universities, he believes that BU can contribute to the evolution of twinning models.

Growing our own faculty

Yet such collaborations cannot succeed without qualified faculty on both sides, a prerequisite that is becoming increasingly difficult for BU. Israeli occupation, Dr. Moin explained, discourages people from seeking careers in Bethlehem. Other towns with university job opportunities, like Ramallah, are less closed than Bethlehem and therefore more appealing to job seekers.

The University is “not a large faculty,” explained Brother Neil Kieffe, Director of Instructional Technology and moderator of the discussion. “And we’re depending more and more on people from Bethlehem” as the city becomes increasingly isolated.

Thus development partnerships, Dr. Moin suggested, should also support a “renovated recruitment policy”. This “growing our own” approach would focus on training young academics as eventual replacements for aging faculty members. Approximately forty-five percent of BU’s teaching staff hold doctoral degrees, a number that international donors could increase by funding further education for promising students outside of Palestine.

Mr. Peeters explained that many Western governments have become reluctant to fund doctoral work abroad, concerned that many scholarship recipients do not return to their home countries. “Instead of building capacity,” he said, such programs may create more “brain-draining”.

That has not, however, been the BU experience. Out of eighteen BU alumni who received scholarships to study at a Chicago-area university, Brother Neil explained, all but 3 returned. BU has worked to address even that low rate of attrition by requiring scholarship recipients to repay their scholarship funding if they do not return for at least the agreed-upon period.

Dr. Muna Matar, Chairperson of Computer Information Systems, spent seven years continuing her education in Belgium. Now one of her CIS colleagues is pursuing advanced computer science studies in Brussels with Belgian government support. These exchanges not only provide qualified teaching faculty – they also lend exposure to innovative teaching approaches. In fact, BU’s initial e-learning program software was linked to Gent University, where Dr. Muna earned her doctoral degree.

Niche-driven programs

Though further master’s program development might contribute to University prestige, BU is proceeding with caution. Dr. Fadi noted that there has been some work in progress toward the development of an MBA program, but Brother Neil explained that the limited size of BU’s physical facilities is a major constraint.

Yet the University’s growth strategy, Brother Neil explained, is about avoiding a leap into too much expansion. “Our goal is not to become a large university,” he said. “Our goal is to be a good university.” Thus the focus is on improving University offerings by finding niche areas for high-quality programs.

Indeed, the nursing faculty have chosen to prioritize their Higher Diploma programs rather than developing a master’s degree track. Doing so, they believe, will better address human resources needs in the Palestinian health care system.

Ultimately, noted  Mr. Peeters, the discussion was “a real opportunity to get to know Bethlehem University”.

The discussion session was followed by a half-hour campus tour, hosted by Development and Public Relations Officer Ms. Dina Awwad (BU '05), Brother Neil, three BU students and Ms. Fernande Delaby, Al Waha coordinator and a native of Belgium.

One of the student guides was Ms. Katrin Kokaly, a 2009 graduate in Computer Information Systems who studied on a scholarship from the Belgian government. “For me,” she said, the scholarship “was a push to study harder.” In the end, she graduated on the dean’s list.