7th GJU Alumni Ambassador Meeting at THWS: Building strong cultural, social and economic ties between Jordan and Germany

The annual network meeting for graduates of the German Jordanian University (GJU) living and working in Germany took place this year at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt (THWS) in Würzburg. Organized by the THWS Campus GATE team in collaboration with the GJU Project Office at the University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal, the event underlined the strong partnership between THWS and GJU, which has thrived through various collaborative projects in teaching and research, including the recent Campus GATE initiative.

The weekend of 27th to 28th of September brought together about 70 GJU alumni from across Germany for a range of workshops, lectures, and social activities, with an emphasis on networking, experience-sharing, and knowledge exchange. The event opened with remarks by GJU alumni Razan Al Masannat and Omar Anabtawi, as well as Prof. Dr. Manuela Schwartz (Rector of UAS Magdeburg-Stendal and director of the GJU Project) and Prof. Dr. Achim Förster (THWS Vice President). “We are very glad to serve as a host for this meeting. GJU is a prestigious partner of THWS and we have just been able to welcome our second hydrogen cohort in the hosted programme, which is a strong pillar of our Internationalisation strategy. We are looking forward to fostering our partnership in the future with new projects”, emphasized Förster.

A key focus of the Alumni Ambassador meeting was the GJU Alumni Association, newly established in Hamburg, with discussions on its organizational structure and funding plans to support GJU graduates in Germany. The meeting highlighted networking initiatives led by the association’s five regional groups across Germany (North, East, Central, West, and South), each of which organizes local events, seminars, and workshops to foster professional growth and knowledge exchange. This gathering also offered a prime opportunity to introduce the THWS Alumni Program. In this context, Tina Müller presented the THWS ProPere project, which aims to implement sustainable recruitment and development initiatives for professorial staff and to reconnect THWS alumni with their university and its network (alumni.thws).

GJU President Prof. Ala'aldeen Al-Halhouli participated online in the final discussion panel of the alumni meeting and emphasised the important role of GJU alumni as ambassadors dedicated to building strong cultural, social and economic ties between Jordan and Germany.