Bank of Palestine and the Arab American University signed a memorandum of understanding in support of the doctorate program in business, as part of the bank’s contribution to support higher education. The signing ceremony was held at Bank of Palestine’s main headquarters in Ramallah in the presence of Mr. Rushdi Ghalayini, the General Director of Bank of Palestine, Mr. Faleh Abu Orrah, the Vice President of Financial and Administrative Affairs at the Arab American University, and several heads of departments and officials from both sides.
Based on the agreement, the bank will provide financial support in the form of grants for students interested in pursuing a doctorate in the field of business. This program is designed in a manner that assists students to accomplish several learning outcomes, including the ability to apply qualitative and quantitative research methods pertaining to the various business fields, the ability to acquire in-depth knowledge and understanding of research and applications in key business areas, with special focus on each student’s area of specialization, the ability to integrate and synthesize knowledge from various business areas with the assistance of relevant research tools, and the ability to establish and disseminate scholarly work in academia and a business setting.
Once students graduate with a PhD in Business, they will be able to apply the aforementioned outcomes in the academic or business fields. In addition, the program’s applied nature assists ambitious faculty members in developing the building relevant curricula for the next generation of business leaders. Graduates will become scholarly practitioners who are able to execute the theories they have learned and apply their research in the real world.
Mr. Rushdi Ghalayini, the General Director of Bank of Palestine, revealed his enthusiasm about signing the memorandum of understanding with the Arab American University and expressed pride in this partnership that was established with the university years ago. He referred to several developmental projects that have been implemented and that achieved distinguished outcomes that serve the community and the people, and education had a large share of the cake. Ghalayini also pointed out that the support provided to the university and its students stems from the bank’s initiatives in the field of corporate social responsibility, for which 5% of its annual profits are allocated.
Mr. Abu Orrah, the Vice President of Financial and Administrative Affairs at the Arab American University, expressed his enthusiasm about the support granted to his university, and thanked Bank of Palestine and its Board of Directors for their continuous support for the university and for the PhD program in Business, which is considered among the prestigious programs offered at the university. Abu Orrah gave a brief background on the Arab American University, pointing out that it is the first private university in Palestine that was established in 2000 with a Palestinian capital, in cooperation with the California State University in the city of Stanislaus and the Utah State University in the city of Logan. Abu Orrah added that the Arab American University offers education to over 11,300 students, among which 40% are from Palestine, 55% are Israeli Arabs and 5% from foreign countries, and provides an innovative teaching and learning environment that encourages and inspires both students and staff to indulge in creativity and effective community participation.