November 12, 2015 · 2 min read

Delegation examines cooperative efforts with Oman

UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman (second from right) and Senior Adviser Tom Farrell (right) are pictured with Omani education officials.

A UNL delegation is in Oman exploring ways to expand cooperative efforts with the sultanate. The visit included a meeting with the Oman Ministry of Higher Education between (from left) Al Balushi, director general of scholarship for the ministry; Al Lamki, adviser for academic affairs on the University of Oman project; Al Sarmi, under secretary of ministry of higher education for the Sultanate of Oman; UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman; and Tom Farrell, senior adviser on international affairs.

UNL leaders are in Oman to discuss expanding cooperation between the sultanate and the university.

Chancellor Harvey Perlman and Tom Farrell, senior adviser to the chancellor on international affairs, are leading the effort.

The UNL delegation will participate in the Congress of Middle East and North Africa Network of Water Centers of Excellence, which is being held in Muscat, Oman’s capital. Perlman, who is a governor of the MENA Network, and Haishun Yang, professor of agronomy and horticulture and a leader from UNL’s Global Yield Gap and Water Productivity initiative, are participating in the congress.

During the visit, the chancellor will hold meetings with the Oman minister of higher education and the undersecretary of the ministry to discuss closer cooperation. He will meet with the vice chancellor of Sultan Qaboos University, Ali Bemani, to discuss potential research collaborations in special education, alternate energy and water sciences. He also will meet with the Oman College of Tourism to explore ways UNL could advance cooperation that has been initiated by faculty in the College of Education and Human Sciences.

Oman is one of UNL’s most significant partners in the Middle East. UNL faculty from Earth and Atmospheric Sciences have been collaborating with grants from USAID on water issues, and the Oman Ministry of Higher Education sponsors more than 150 Omani undergraduate students with government scholarships to study in UNL programs in Lincoln and Omaha. Most of the Omani students are enrolled in engineering and business programs but others are studying in various disciplines including education.