Amman- 7 February 2021

 

A thank you letter by Dr. Dorothea Rüland, Secretary-General at DAAD, to the President of the German Jordanian University (GJU), Prof. Manar Fayyad as a response to GJU's wishes on her retirement.

 

Dear Professor Fayyad,

Before my time at DAAD comes to an end and a new chapter in my life begins, I would like to thank you most sincerely for your guidance and support, your advice and your criticism. I have learned a lot from you and we have achieved a lot together. Without this support, the past ten years would have been less productive and not as fulfilling for me personally.

Difficult months lie behind us all. There is a light at the end of the tunnel thanks to the vaccinations, but our lives will be different after Covid-19. This time has taught us a lot: on the one hand, what is really important to us, such as contacts, encounters and friendships, and on the other hand, where we should set priorities in the future.

We have made great leaps forward in digitalization, and yet we are only at the beginning. But we have also been impressively shown how important an internationally networked science is. This has always been clear to us, but the fact that this insight has also prevailed in our societies - and not least thanks to good scientific communication - opens up a completely new dimension.

It is important to use this impetus, because the need for global networking is not a Covid-specific phenomenon, but applies to all the major challenges we face. And that brings me back to the DAAD and its tasks.

This is where the foundations are laid to make precisely this possible, to bring young people from different countries together, to promote their educational biographies and to give them the chance to build their own academic networks.

Through a wide range of projects, from centres to transnational universities, joint structures have been created between German universities and higher education institutions all over the world. You have supported this in a very significant way with your commitment.

I would like to express my sincere thanks for this and thank you for your continued support of the DAAD! Change through exchange and cooperation will continue to apply!

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Dorothea Rüland

Secretary General

 

Read the original letter in German Language, here.