A delegation from the SEAS Department recently concluded an official visit to several universities in Jordan. The delegation was composed of Prof. Angelo Mineo, member of the Academic Senate and former Director of SEAS; Prof. Stefano De Cantis, Rector’s Delegate and leader of Work Package 7 on Sustainable Tourism within the “MARE” project, as well as Deputy Coordinator of the Master’s Degree Program in Tourism Systems and Hospitality Management (LM-49); and Prof. Enzo Scannella, Coordinator of the Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration (L-18) and the Master’s Degree in Business and Economic Sciences (LM-77).

During their visit to Al-Balqa Applied University (BAU), at the main campus in As-Salt and the satellite campuses in Ma'an and Aqaba, the delegation met with Dana K. Mahadin, Head of the International Relations Office; Prof. Zaid Ahmed Al-Anber, Vice President for Academic Affairs; the Coordinators of the Bachelor’s Programs in Economics and Finance and Tourism Economics; several faculty members from the Business School; administrative staff from the university’s international office; and a group of students.

The delegation also visited the University of Petra in Amman, where they met with Prof. Faisal Aburub, Vice President for Research, as well as several other faculty members.

The main purpose of the mission was to initiate and strengthen international partnerships in teaching and research in areas such as sustainable tourism, business administration, economics and finance, and statistics. The delegation also aimed to promote the academic offerings of the Bachelor's and Master's programs at the University of Palermo, foster mobility agreements for students, faculty, and administrative staff, and share information about current initiatives and projects carried out by the University of Palermo. In particular, both Al-Balqa Applied University and the University of Petra are part of a group of Jordanian universities — including the University of Jordan and Yarmouk University — participating in WP7 on sustainable tourism within the “MARE” project, funded under Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), Mission 4, Component 1, Investment 3.4, Sub-Investment T4 – TNE, D.D. No. 167 of 03/10/2023.

The goal of WP7 is to support and enhance the academic curriculum on sustainable tourism in Jordanian universities, leveraging the experience of the University of Palermo and other Italian partners (Universities of Bologna, Macerata, and Cagliari).

According to Prof. De Cantis, the visit achieved several important goals: the successful implementation of the Erasmus+ KA171 project — which will conclude in July 2025 with a return visit to Palermo by a large delegation of faculty and administrative staff from Al-Balqa Applied University — and the planning of the next steps for organizing an international workshop on sustainable tourism to be held in Palermo from November 3–7, 2025, with the participation of delegations from Mediterranean universities, including the Jordanian partners.

Dana K. Mahadin, Head of the International Relations Office at BAU, expressed strong interest in developing a new course on sustainable tourism. Pending approval from the Jordanian Ministry of Higher Education, the course could become part of the university's future academic offerings — making BAU’s participation in the “MARE” project particularly timely and welcome.

Prof. Scannella also noted that the meeting with Prof. Faisal in Amman followed up on an earlier visit he made to Palermo in February. During these meetings, several opportunities for academic collaboration were explored, and the University of Petra expressed willingness to co-fund new joint research projects with the University of Palermo.

Finally, Prof. Mineo emphasized the strategic role of Jordanian universities in the framework of international relations between the University of Palermo and institutions in the Middle East, and highlighted their openness to initiating and expanding academic cooperation with the SEAS Department and, more broadly, with the University of Palermo.