The Columbia University Middle East Research Center serves as both a hub and catalyst for Columbia activities taking place in the region. With its foundation in Amman, Jordan and relationships throughout the region, CUMERC helps engage Columbia programs with regional partners, such as academic institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and corporations. These partnerships facilitate scholarly and student exchanges and provide a base for research publications and case studies. Below is an overview of current and planned initiatives.
Education
For more than a year, Teachers College has been engaged with Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah and Jordan's Ministry of Education to promote excellence in teacher training and education policy deliberation. The partnership prompted an initial research assessment focusing on the country's education system, teacher hiring policies, models for K-12 instruction, and higher education institutions. Based on the findings of this research, more than a dozen Teachers College researchers joined experts from Jordanian universities and roughly 75 Jordanian teachers to create a program of instruction for newly hired educators, to strengthen in-service teacher training, and to provide data for education-policy reform. This year, 1,000 teachers are expected to participate in education programs that Teachers College helped create and administer. Over the next five years, these programs will be significantly expanded.
One of the first of these teaching initiatives focuses on methodology and best practices in English language instruction. In 2007, Teachers College faculty joined regional education experts to tour Jordanian public schools, interview teachers, and refine a pilot program that brought a select group of Jordanian teachers to Teachers College's New York campus for seven weeks of instruction in Teachers College's Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages program. This data allowed curriculum development experts to create a certification program customized to the academic, pedagogical, and scheduling needs of Jordanian English teachers. Teachers College faculty now offer this TESOL program in Amman in conjunction with local partners, and this program establishes a precedent for future trainings in disciplines such as mathematics and the sciences.
As this collaboration develops, Teachers College faculty and researchers will continue to work with experts and practitioners throughout the region to refine a curriculum for new teacher certification, conduct policy research seminars, and produce scholarly work related to this applied research.
Arabic Language
In collaboration with Columbia's Office of Global Programs, this summer the Center will host a course on Intensive Arabic. The nine-week program will help students strengthen their skills in Modern Standard Arabic and Colloquial Jordanian/Levantine Arabic through intensive classroom training and tutorials. Group excursions in and around Amman, opportunities to volunteer and intern with local organizations, and a week-long travel break will give students various perspectives of Jordanian society and different venues in which to practice their Arabic. For more information and to register, visit the Global Programs Summer in Amman website.
Social Work
The Jordan Social Work Education for Excellence Program (JSWEEP) was established 
at the invitation of Her Majesty Queen Rania and in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Development, the Jordan River Foundation, the Coordination Commission of Social Solidarity, and the National Council for Family Affairs. In collaboration with its partners, JSWEEP is introducing a 21st century model for social work education in Jordan and the Middle East. JSWEEP will produce a cadre of academically trained social work professionals who can effectively lead, manage, and staff governmental and non-governmental social welfare organizations and develop essential social policies and programs.
JSWEEP initiatives developed and led by Columbia University School of Social Work will address both immediate needs and the long term vision for social work in Jordan. Initiatives include non-credit foundation and specialized courses in such areas as mental health, juvenile justice, interpersonal and family violence and supervision. JSWEEP also encompasses research by Columbia University faculty and the MSW, PhD and Faculty Fellows programs. As of September 2009, almost 200 participants from 18 governmental and nongovernmental agencies have completed the Foundations for Social Work Practice course delivered at the Columbia University Middle East Research Center.
Sustainability
Columbia University's Earth Institute has pioneered research in sustainability and poverty alleviation in its Millennium Villages Project, which helps communities in extreme poverty gain access to basic tools and technologies, such as high-yield seeds, fertilizers, and medicines. Professor Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute has partnered with initiatives launched under Her Majesty Queen Rania's leadership to build on and adapt this model to areas of extreme poverty in Jordan. The Earth Institute offers technical assistance and expertise to help villages lift residents out of poverty. By generating entrepreneurship opportunities, improving health services, boosting commercial competitiveness, these efforts can improve lives in poverty-ridden Jordan Valley farming communities, and they also show the potential of adapting the success of the Millennium Villages Project to broader poverty alleviation efforts.
Business
The Columbia University Middle East Research Center acts as a conduit for the conception and execution of a number of programs between the University's Graduate School of Business and existing and potential partners in the region. In one such initiative, the School will offer a portfolio of educational programs to regional business leaders in alliance with the Young Presidents' Organization, an international network of executives. As the region’s economies become an increasingly core part of any international business perspective, CUMERC's footing in Amman offers new opportunities to expand continuing learning programs, offer students direct experience in the region, and launch research projects with businesses and government entities to further understanding of global markets.
Arts & Architecture
Through CUMERC, both the School of the Arts and the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation are pursuing initiatives and partnerships in the region. Film scholars are engaged with regional experts to participate in film festivals, facilitate graduate student exchanges, and share resources to develop new productions. Likewise, preservation researchers are exploring initiatives to restore areas in downtown Amman to benefit architectural and arts education and revitalize historic sites in the community. These preliminary ventures provide a footing for more sustained research and arts undertakings that join regional experts and practitioners with scholars and students.
Institute for Scholars
The Institute for Scholars is a Columbia University Middle East Research Center-based initiative to generate research, spark collaboration, and build a community around scholarship. The Institute will provide opportunities for individual thinkers to pursue academic projects in the region. The Institute will host scholars onsite, facilitate collaboration with academic institutions and entities in Jordan and throughout the region, and offer a platform for sharing their research. Scholars will be chosen by a Columbia University selection committee and will include doctoral and post-doctoral candidates from any nation. The Institute will welcome all research areas with a connection to the region including, but not limited to, Middle Eastern languages and cultures, environmental studies, archeology, sustainable development, political theory, social work, agricultural studies, computer science, geology, management, journalism, and religion.
The Institute will attract international expertise, host scholars, and share research on a local and global scale. Interested scholars will be able to apply for the full academic year, or for fall, spring, or summer terms, and Columbia University faculty members may serve as visiting scholars. Information on the process for applying for the year 2010 will be announced and posted online in the coming months.