Under the auspices of His Excellency Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian National Authority, the 32^nd graduation ceremony was launched in a grand celebration that was held at Prince Turki Bin Abdul Aziz Theater-New Campus. Attendees to the ceremony included Dr. Hussein Al-A’raj, Chief of Staff at the Office of the President in Ramallah, Dr. Ali Al-Jarbawi, Minister of Higher Education, Dr. Farouq Zuiater, Vice-chair of An-Najah’s Board of Trustees, members of the Board of Trustees, Prof. Rami Hamdallah, President of An-Najah University, Vice Presidents, Deputy Presidents, Faculties’ Deans, members of the Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, members of the Legislative Council, a number of governors, mayors, representatives of the different religious groups, representatives of the official and public institutions, as well as the top students and their families.

The ceremony was opened through a welcome speech by Dr. Zuiater on behalf of Mr. Sabih Al-Masri, Chair of the Board of Trustees, in which he expressed his pleasure to join the students and their families the happy moments of graduation. He added that the University is continuing to make new achievements every year and produces qualified graduates who contribute to the development of their country. Those graduates fulfill the mission of An-Najah University which is centered on providing the local society with the services it needs and equip the local institutions with experts and specialists in the different fields.

And despite the difficult situations on the ground, the Board of Trustees has been in continuous contact with the Administration Board of An-Najah, represented by its President, Prof. Hamdallah, whose contributions have led the University to occupy unique positions locally, regionally and internationally.

He then thanked the University’s administration for its efforts in serving the society and accomplishing the objective of promoting knowledge, supporting education and developing human resources in Palestine. At the end of his speech, Dr. Zuiater congratulated the students and their families on this achievement and wished them a prosperous and successful life.

In his speech, Dr. Al-Jarbawi congratulated the students on their success and excellence. He then said these graduation ceremonies mark the beginning of a new stage of the students’ life where they would be involved in the real life and interact with the people around them in the various areas of life. They have now moved from being students and learners to being effective members in the society, providing it with whatever services it needs.

Prof. Hamdallah delivered a speech in which he welcomed the students and their families, as well as the key figures in Nablus and Palestine who came to join the University in this exceptional and unforgettable moment. He also thanked President Abbas for supporting the ceremony.

Moreover, he said the University seeks to provide the students with the chance to be creative along with emphasis on Palestine’s cultural and intellectual heritage through workshops and events that aim to preserve the Palestinian culture and reinforce the students’ attachment to their country.

Additionally, the President said that An-Najah works on producing a new image of higher education in Palestine that can cope with the changes in this field and the many developments it witnesses in the various parts of the world. Therefore, the University has focused on scientific research and the expansion of knowledge, as well as reviewing plans and education programs, paying attention to the requirements of quality and identifying the inputs and outputs of education in order to produce highly qualified graduates who can confidently engage in the local, regional and international work markets.

As examples of the quality of graduates from An-Najah, Prof. Hamdallah mentioned some of the students who were able to make impressive achievements in many contests and occasions. For example, two students from An-Najah won an award in Microsoft Contest lately, in addition to the other two students who were selected for Fu’ad Jubran Chair Scholarship which is only given to eight individuals in the Arab world.

Moreover, the University has won the awards of Tom Kay Competition for Architectural Drawing 2012, won the Best Research in Malaysia, the Best PhD Thesis in Clinical Pharmacy, as well as the top student rank in the UK which was granted to one of An-Najah’s Master students.

Prof. Hamdallah also pointed out that the University is concerned with supporting its top students through sending them overseas to pursue their higher studies at some of the world’s top universities. The number of students sent to continue their study abroad has reached over 157, 42 of whom came back to Palestine and joined the staff at An-Najah.

Regarding the new facilities and achievements that the University has made over the last years, Prof. Hamdallah spoke about some of the key achievements that have been made recently including the new Teaching Hospital, Zayed College for Nursing and Optics and the new building for the scientific centers. He explained that the first phase of the Teaching Hospital is close to launch and shall include major sections and departments that specialize in certain areas such as Kidney, external clinics, Ophthalmology, bone surgery, Otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat), Neurology, Blood vessels, urinary tract, cancer, specialized surgeries, Laparoscopic surgery, and general surgery.

In addition to this, new academic programs have also been adopted and integrated in the University’s system such as the new PhD program in physics, the Master program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bachelor program in Power Management, Bachelor Program in Radio and TV, and a Bachelor Program in Public Relations.  

Dr. Al-A’raj delivered a speech on behalf of President Mahmoud Abbas in which he congratulated the students and praised the efforts of An-Najah’s administration and staff in serving higher education in Palestine and supporting the Palestinian society.

He also called upon the graduates to work hard to achieve success in their new life and to represent their university and country in the best way possible on the regional and international levels.

Moreover, he spoke about the significant importance of education and the position of the educated in life, saying that through education and knowledge, the Palestinians were able to prove themselves to the world as having the right to exist and live in peace just like others. He also said University provides the Palestinian society with highly qualified staff that play a major role in developing the country and its institutions.

On behalf of her colleagues, the top student, Iman Muhammad Al-Rabi one of the students at the Faculty of Higher Studies who obtained a GPA of 95.3% delivered a speech in which she expressed her honor to be honored as the top student. Iman said that when she finished high school she chose An-Najah University where she learned and received education by the hands of expert teachers. However, she attributed her success to the motivation and encouragement she got from her family, friends and teachers who supported her all the way through her undergraduate and postgraduate study.

She presented particular thanks to Dr. Muhammad Abu Ja’far who was her first supervisor on her Master thesis and Dr. Abdel Rahman Abu Libdeh, her second supervisor for the thesis.

In addition to honoring the top students, the University also presented special awards to its top researchers. Those were: Professor Ya’qoub Batta and Dr. Munqeth Shtayyeh from the Faculty of Agriculture-Department of Plant Production, Dr. Abdel Naser Zaid, Professor Waleed Swaileh, Dr. Adham Abu Taha, Manal Hbaisheh, Dr. Ansam Sawalha and Abeer Abu Ghoush from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences-Department of Pharmacy, Dr. Ayman Hussein from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences-Human Medicine, Professor Amer Al-Hamouz from the Faculty of Engineering-Department of Chemical Engineering, as well as Dr. Ra’ed Al-Koni and Dr. Hani Al-Ahmed from the Faculty of Science-Department of Biology.

After the opening graduation ceremony, the participants inaugurated the new building for the scientific centers and Sheikh Zayed College for Nursing and Optics.