Kuwait City: Islam Massad, President of Yarmouk University, emphasized the importance of aligning universities in the Middle East with global research agendas during a panel session titled “Attracting Talent in a New Era,” held Monday as part of the QS Middle East Higher Education Summit in Kuwait.
According to Jordan News Agency, Massad highlighted the need to establish centers of excellence in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, climate science, and digital health. He also underscored the significance of developing interdisciplinary academic programs taught in English to bolster universities’ global competitiveness and ability to attract top talent.
Massad stressed the importance of forging strategic partnerships with international universities and companies and leveraging the region’s unique geographic position as a bridge between East and West to facilitate research collaboration and knowledge exchange.
He also called for the creation of advisory councils with industry representatives, the adoption of flexible educational models based on micro-credentials, and the use of real-time labor market data to continually update curricula.
To assess the effectiveness of such strategies, Massad proposed mechanisms including long-term tracking of student learning outcomes, engagement in community and innovation-driven initiatives, analysis of graduate career paths and employer satisfaction, and the evaluation of non-cognitive skills during admissions.