“LC, I bid you adieu!

Panorama

an Sickle Cell Disease be Prevented?

Mind Over Matter

Design Forum Throws Light on Infographics

News Update

Teaching Entrepreneurship in Oman Department of Public Relations and Information Sultan Qaboos University

ISSUE 345

View Point

Reasons to Learn The College of Arts & Social Sciences at SQU added Chinese as the sixth foreign language course for the university’s students, after German, French, Persian, Italian and Japanese. The SQU administration realises that providing the students with the opportunity to learn Chinese language would help them understand more about the Chinese civilization and cultural values.

Mohamed Salem Al Ghailani Editorial Supervision

Santhosh Muthalath Senior Editor

Sara Al Gheilani Nasebah Al Muharrami Translation

Ahlam Al Wahaibi Design & Layout

Photography Dept., CET Photography

Salim Al Sudairi Circulation

SQU-info

Why study Chinese? One fifth of the planet speaks Chinese. Mandarin Chinese is the mother tongue of over 960 million people, making it the most widely spoken first language in the world. China is the most populous nation in the world, with 1.38 billion people. China is one of the world’s oldest and richest continuous cultures, over 5000 years old. In addition to the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan, Mandarin Chinese is also spoken in the important Chinese communities of Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines, and Mongolia. China’s economy is growing and it is the second largest economy in the world. People’s Republic of China is a major trading partner of the Sultanate. The study of the Chinese language opens the way to different important fields such as Chinese politics, economy, history or archaeology. However, to study Chinese finally means to study a culture, a people. For a number of reasons, Chinese has developed a misconceived reputation for difficulty. Among the most common reasons is the alien nature of its writing system. Unlike most languages, which use phonetic writing, Chinese is composed of pictograms and semi-phonetic ideograms. The good news is this is probably the hardest thing about Chinese, and it is obvious. People often assume all other elements of the language are equally difficult, when this is not at all the case. The study of Chinese language, literature and culture will help SQU students to bridge the cultural gap, better understand their Chinese counterparts, and create a platform of knowledge and understanding with them that is crucial for effective communication. International businesses prefer to hire people who speak more than one language. China has become a huge market, and business leaders are looking for people who can speak Chinese and operate successfully in a Chinese cultural context. Hence, to those students who choose to learn Chinese language at SQU, we can say that learning Chinese is one of the smartest moves you will make in your lives!

@SQU-info

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Horizon invites contributions from SQU members of staff and faculty. Contributions in the form of articles, news, travelogues, stories of unique and interesting experiences, encounters, etc., are welcome. Contributions may be edited for the sake of clarity and length. Please send your contributions to [email protected] preferably, as MSWord attachments. Authors will be suitably credited. The views and opinions expressed in the articles published in this newsletter are those of the authors and are not to be construed as the official views of the publication. Horizon is published three times a month by the Department of Public Relations and Information, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 50, P.C. 123, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. Phone: +968 24141045 E-mail: [email protected]

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Fax: +968 24413 391 Website: www.squ.edu.om

Straight Talk Move towards Low Carbon Green Energy Prof. Der-Ray Huang Prof. Der-Ray Huang is the Director of the Energy Technology Centre of the National Dong Hwa University in Taiwan. The Energy Technology Centre integrates the research and development resources of new energy technologies and energy education, and provides a platform for interaction between the scholars and exports engaged in new and renewable energy. The Centre fosters technological innovations on energy researches, qualitative improvement on energy education, and cooperation among industry, government and academia. Prof. Huang Der Ray gave a keynote address on “Sustainable Development of Green Energy in Taiwan” during the opening ceremony of the second Solar Energy Workshop organized by the Independent Learning Centre at SQU. The workshop was led by researchers from the Energy Technology Centre. Horizon: Could you outline the activities of the Energy Technology Centre of the National Dong Hwa University in Taiwan? Prof. Der-Ray Huang: Our centre integrates the operation of internal and external resources for future research projects. Related research projects such as national energy program, industry-university cooperation program, and research projects in cooperation with Industrial and international cooperation program. We hope that the National Dong Hwa University can have a major breakthrough in new energy research.

Horizon: Could you shed light on Taiwan’s programs and plans to generate power from renewable energy sources? Prof. Der-Ray Huang: Renewable energy that includes wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, biomass and hydrogen energy, provides substantial benefits for our climate, our health, and our economy. It helps reduce greenhouse gas reduction. Generating electricity from renewable energy rather than fossil fuels offers significant public health benefits. The air and water pollution emitted by coal and natural gas plants is linked to several health hazards. Replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy has been found to reduce premature mortality and lost workdays, and it reduces overall healthcare costs. Taiwan has plans to generate 20% of domestic power from renewable sources by 2025. This include wind power, solar photovoltaic (PV) as well as biomass fuelled power plants and even geothermal energy. Wind, solar, and hydroelectric systems generate electricity with no associated air pollution emissions. While geothermal and biomass energy systems emit some air pollutants, total air emissions are generally much lower than those of coal- and natural gas-fired power plants. Horizon: Does Taiwan have any government policies that facilitate renewable energy applications? Prof. Der-Ray Huang: The energy policy of Taiwan seeks to steadily reduce nuclear dependency and gradually move towards a “nuclear free homeland” to create a low carbon green energy environment. The installed capacity of renewable energy was 4,153 MW at the end of July 2015. However, the targeted renewable power generation capacity is 30 GW by 2025. The target is to have in place 4,200 megawatts (MW) of installed wind power and 20,000 MW of installed solar photovoltaic (PV), as well as biomass-fuelled power plants and even geothermal, for 30 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy installed capacity. Horizon: Could you elaborate on Taiwan’s advancements in renewable energy technology? Prof. Der-Ray Huang: Taiwan solar-cell manufacturing industry is very strong in the worldwide with market share about 20%. It is second only to China’s, with 2014 revenue of NT$184 billion, and the nation holds a substantial share of the solar wafer and module manufacturing industries as well. Taiwan is also a leader in LED lighting, also considered “green tech” due to its low energy consumption. Combing solar energy, wind power and hydrogen energy will be the excellent green energy resources in the future in Taiwan. Biomass energy is widely used in Taiwan, including biogas (methane) from animal waste and fuel energy from the burial, gasification, breaking-down, and fermentation of household, industrial and agricultural garbage. Since biomass energy makes a dual contribution to energy supply and environmental protection, it is generally one of the most popular renewable energies in the world, comprising approximately two-thirds of total renewable energy use. Taiwan lies on a major geological fault-line along the Pacific Rim, and has abundant geothermal resources. A comprehensive exploration estimates that Taiwan has total geothermal potential of up to 5,000MW. However, most of the geothermal resources in Taiwan are located in remote areas, making their exploitation difficult. However, unlike solar energy and wind power, the application of geothermal energy is not influenced by weather conditions and its stable output can provide a base load for power generation. With new innovative technologies, we hope to make great strides in tapping geothermal energy,

10 October 2016

News Update Design Forum Throws Light on Infographics

Four papers were presented at the Design Forum 2016, an event organized by the Department of Public Relations & Information at Sultan Qaboos University on 4 October. The program dealt with topics related to advertising designs, logo designs and the use of latest technologies and techniques in designing. The opening ceremony of the Design Forum 2016 was held under the patronage of H.E. Ali Khalfan Al Jabri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information. The activities of the event focussed on the theme infographics. In the opening ceremony, Osama Al Jawish, Senior Graphic Designer at Muscat Media Group gave a talk on infographics, the graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge intended to present information quickly and clearly. The Lectures of the Forum was chaired by Tahani Al Hosni, Reseachers at Omani Studies Centre, SQU. Sara Fida Al Abdullah, Founder of SF.DSGN and an Omani Creative Director gave a lecture on typography. Muneer Al Sulaimi, Head of Art Production and Design Section at SQU, spoke about character design. This was followed by cartoon character designer Sara Hilal Al Mukhani’s talk on use of Arabic letters in designing. In the afternoon, two practical workshops on designing were delivered by experts. Aissam Hamoud, Art Director, Alamah Marketing, Muscat, led the workshop on the use of Arabic calligraphy in designing logos. Osama Al Jawish from Al Shabiba newspaper demonstrated the practical steps in implementing infographics.

Muscat Securities Market Forum Held

The 11th Muscat Securities Market (MSM) Forum jointly organized by MSM and the College of Economics & Political Science at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) was held with an exhibition on stock investing and workshops on related topics. The activities of the forum was opened at the College of Economics & Political Science under the patronage of H.E. Abdullah Salim Al Salmi, Executive President of the Capital Market Authority. An educational exhibition on stock investing was the highlight of the two-day forum. The students displayed what they have learned about investment in stock markets thorough various corners. Muscat Securities Market, Omani Securities Association and Muscat Clearing & Depository Company also participated in the exhibition to introduce their role in facilitating and promoting stock investments in Oman. The MSM is organizing a competition for students under the title “Financial Analysis Challenge”. Through various corners, the students highlighted various topics associated with stock investing, and answered to the queries of the visitors. The topics covered includes efficiency of financial markets, reasons for failure in stock trading, investment tips for beginners, and money laundering and anti-money laundering laws in the Sultanate. The students also presented their research on international asset allocation and other related topics. Workshops on financial analysis and method of preparing financial reports were also held on the sidelines of the event.

SQU Seeks Ties with Thai Universities A delegation from Sultan Qaboos University, headed by Her Highness Sayyida Dr. Mona Fahad Al Said, Assistant Vice Chancellor for International Cooperation, is recently visited a number of universities in Thailand to explore academic and research ties in tourism and hospitality studies and medical education. The visit was based on an invitation from the Thai government to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman inviting specialists from Sultan Qaboos University to visit some of the Thai universities along with officials from the Thai Embassy in Muscat.  The delegation consisted of H.E. Mr. Jesda Katavetin, Ambassador of Thailand to Oman, Dr. Masooma Al Balushi, Assistant Professor at the Tourism Department, College of Arts and Social Sciences, SQU, Mr. Mahmood Al Kindi, Head of International Cooperation Division, and Ms. Nattasuda Mettaprasert from the Thai Embassy.                               During the visit program from 24 to 30 September, the delegation visited the Prince of Songkla University (PSU), Rangsit University, Kasem Bundit University, and Songklanagarind Hospital . The visit was aimed at taking advantage of the experiences of Thai universities in the field of tourism and hospitality and to explore training opportunities for SQU students in Thai tourist institutions, and for medical and nursing stu-

dents in the Thai hospitals. The visit was also aimed at exploring research collaboration in fields of mutual interest.    Prince Songkla University (PSU) is one of the most prestigious public universities in Thailand, which offers 80% of its academic programs in English and it has five branches in different cities in Thailand. During the SQU delegation’s visit to the PSU, based on a prior agreement, the two sides signed a letter of cooperation, to promote student and academic exchange programs, research cooperation, prepare joint programs and exchange of academics visits to present lectures in the disciplines of tourism, Arabic, Islamic sciences, medicine, nursing and agricultural and marine sciences. P3

10 October 2016

Insight Teaching Entrepreneurship in Oman: Successful Approaches By: Dr. Hesham A.E. Magd President / Vice Chancellor University of Buraimi

Dr. Eric V. Bindah Assistant Professor College of Business University of Buraimi

Preparing today’s students for success and leadership in the global market place is the most important responsibility in education. Many nations have started inculcating entrepreneurial spirit into their citizens through entrepreneurial education to help the would-be graduates manage and handle business activities. However, the implementation of entrepreneurial education in higher education systems is not without challenges since starting one’s own business involves several risks. Entrepreneurship education becomes essential in preparing would-be entrepreneurs to venture into new businesses. Educators, researchers and policy makers all agree that entrepreneurship education among graduates lays solid foundation for the emergence of a generation of innovators willing to apply necessary capital into the production process for new products, open and expand new markets, explore new sources of materials and ensure the organization of new industries. Because education is a key in shaping young people’s attitudes, skills and culture, it is vital that entrepreneurship education be addressed. Following the 1970s, investment in infrastructure developments across all sectors, positioned Oman as one of the most progressive countries in the Middle East. The government looks at entrepreneurship and self-employment, especially among the young, as key components in diversifying the economy. Researchers have identified the macro-economic environment in which entrepreneurship education takes place, and the challenges faced by entrepreneurs. Views emerged that it is by inculcating entrepreneurship culture into educational system and instilling entrepreneurship spirit in graduates that a strong foundation for reducing general unemployment and ensuring a private-sector driven economy, increasing productivity and enlarging the market-base of the economy can be achieved. Several consistent initiatives are undertaken by the Ministry of Higher Education to strengthen the education system in Oman. It includes for instance, defining clear strategy for encouraging creative methods of teaching; availability and access to quality training programmes; curriculum which are developed and adapted to Oman context, just to name a few. All these critical elements are fundamental and are required in dispensing quality entrepreneurship education. In light of the challenges faced by policy makers and educators in providing entrepreneurship education, there are other factors which could be detrimental in ensuring a successful implementation of en10 October 2016

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trepreneurship education. First, by minimizing institutional barriers and ‘adopting a cross-disciplinary approach’ Higher Education Institutions (HEI) can provide a more creative and innovation learning process. Many HEI across the world have also realized that effective entrepreneurship education should not be book-based but instead it should be more interactive and real-world based. Thus, the ‘utilization of interactive pedagogy’ in which students are encouraged to experiment and experience entrepreneurship through working on case studies, games, projects, simulations, real-life actions, internships with start-ups and other hands-on activities which involve interaction with entrepreneurs would be rewarding. Moreover, ‘developing a pool of effective educators’ is also essential. Not only the pool of entrepreneurship instructors could be increase but it could also involve national entrepreneurs, alumni, business professionals and even students could be involved in training future entrepreneurs. With the increase interest worldwide on entrepreneurship education, many institutions have developed entrepreneurship programmes. Although these are positive signs it is important to ensure that ‘entrepreneurship curriculum’ which includes courses, materials and research are of high quality. When students interact and find people like themselves successful in building up companies, it motivates them more to engage into entrepreneurial activity. A link between entrepreneurship education and how well it is being practiced is essential. Instructors and trainers alike should be able to ‘outreach’ and integrate the learning process within the business community. For instance, outside speakers could act as role models and provide inspirations for would-be entrepreneurs. More local case studies from Oman, in which entrepreneurs are featured, need to be developed and shared broadly with students. It is important for universities to encourage their alumni to engaged themselves in the culture of ‘giving back’ and for it to be successful universities should be able to track and maintain a database of their students upon their graduation and invite them to join the alumni and share their experiences with students. As entrepreneurship is multifaceted in nature, educational programmes should also be ‘multi-faced’. It may not be possible to import models from other parts of the world without modification. In order to create a stronghold of entrepreneurship in a particular region or country, entrepreneurial learning models, knowledge and good practice across sectors and national borders need to be better shared. Hence, within the education system in Oman, collaboration, exchanges and research across borders needs constant attention. Collaboration and research should be stronger between universities within Oman. One of the major aims of providing entrepreneurship education at tertiary level is to produce graduates who can be self-employed and create wealth. Hence, the solution to this lies in the introduction and teaching of entrepreneurship education to students of all disciplines in tertiary institutions in Oman. Entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial skills are core components to building socially inclusive and highly participatory economies in an increasingly global and competitive world. In this article, the elaboration made on good practices in entrepreneurship education could be considered for implementation among tertiary institutions. Indeed, it’s a step closer to creating an entrepreneurial environment that is conducive for high-potential new venturing.

Mind Over Matter

Can Sickle Cell Disease be Prevented? Demystifying Premarital Screening and Genetic Counseling

Dr.Porkodi Arjunan Assistant Professor Department of Fundamentals and Administration College of Nursing Sultan Qaboos University

Introduction Inherited red blood cell disorders are a major threat to human health, health care system as well as economic growth of countries. Sickle cell disease (SCD) mainly affects the people of the Middle Eastern, Eastern Mediterranean and Asian origin. Non-communicable diseases, especially genetic diseases such as sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia are the major public health problems and causes physical, emotional, and financial burden for the patients, families as well as society. Prevalence of Genetic disorders The World Health Organization, 2006 estimated that around 5% of the world’s population are genetic carriers for hemoglobinopathies (2.9% for thalassemia and 2.3% for sickle cell disease). Five to seven per cent of newborn babies in Oman are affected with genetic disorder, compared to the global average of four per cent. (Times of Oman-March 29, 2016). Available Treatment for SCD The goals of treatment are symptom control and management of disease complications. The common associated problems like pain, anemia, swelling of the joints and infection requires lifelong treatment. Neonatal screening, penicillin prophylaxis, parental teaching, and immunization against streptococcus pneumonia have minimized infection related morbidity and mortality. How can a sickle cell disease be prevented? Prevention of the disease can reduce the impact of the disease both for the patients as well as society. Premarital screening and genetic counseling (PMS&GC) can reduce the prevalence of both sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia. Premarital screening program was initiated in 1983 and was introduced in countries that do not permit abortion, e.g. screening for thalassemia in the Middle East countries. Pre-marital screening program is simple, accurate, easy to perform, and cost-effective. A simple blood test will determine the type of hemoglobin genes. The main aim of pre-marital screening is to prevent the at risk marriages by counselling. The purpose of premarital health screening is to ensure couples receive effective health counseling and appropriate advice before marriage. Premarital screening for genetic diseases is a primary prevention whereas neonatal screening is the secondary or tertiary prevention of single gene disease. Premarital testing can prevent nearly 100 per cent of commonly inherited blood disorders like Thalassemia and Sickle cell Anemia and 60 per cent of birth defects. The premarital screening test result is interpreted as follows: If one parent has sickle cell anemia and other is normal all of the children

will have sickle cell trait. If one parent has sickle cell anemia and the other has sickle cell trait, there is a 50 % of chance of having a baby with either sickle cell disease or sickle cell trait with each pregnancy. When both parents have sickle cell trait, they have a 25% chance of having a baby with sickle cell disease with each pregnancy. If both the individuals are carriers, it is advisable to avoid marriage, as there would be 25% chance of having a child with severe disease. If one individual is a carrier or both of them are not a carrier they can go ahead with the marriage. The success of this screening and counseling program depends on knowledge and attitude of the couple towards the screening program in the prevention of Sickle cell disease and β- Thalassemia major. If at risk couple decides to marry and have children, preimplantation genetic diagnosis will help to prevent the birth of children with SCD. Available resources All the regional hospitals and primary health care centers in the regions of Oman runs premarital genetic test and counselling clinics for hemoglobin disorders. Hematology–immunology genetic research facilities are available at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) in Muscat. The results of the screening will be kept confidential to prevent stigmatization and the social, cultural, and religious issues. Future directions Cowan, 2009 recommended that the health education about genetic diseases to be given to the public especially before individuals plan to marry. He also suggested that premarital screening to be conducted well in advance of the wedding, in order to avoid social embarrassment by withdrawing from the marriage commitment at a later stage. It has been proposed that screening students on admission to university prior to any commitment may be preferable than screening immediately before the marriage certificate is issued.Health care providers are advised to refer the at risk couples to genetic counseling clinic. The counselor will explain the carrier testing results. At present, the Oman policy for prevention of genetic disorders includes early identification and prevention of genetic risk including the avoidance of marriages between carriers of the same genetic disorder. The current strategies are compatible with the cultural and social make up and religious beliefs of the population, and the legal system of the country. Conclusion It is recommended to all the individuals planning to get married, to avail the services of premarital screening test in order to protect new generation against getting these genetic diseases and reduce the genetic disease burden in Oman over the coming decades. Premarital health screening helps to protect the community and the unborn children from the financial, physical, and psychological burden associated with genetic diseases.

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10 October 2016

News Round Up SQU Hosts Talk on Integrated Medicine

IoT study by SQU Researcher Earns International Acclaim A research paper titled “Exploring the Obstacles Facing the Adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT): A Case Study in Oman” has been published in the proceedings of the 10th European Conference in Information Systems Management held at The University of Evora, Portugal from 8-9 September 2016. The research paper was led by Rana Jose, Researcher and Post-Graduate Student at the Department of Information Systems, College of Economics and Political Science (CEPS), Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) under the able supervision and guidance of Associate Professor Dr. Ali H. Al-Badi, who is an active researcher in the field of Information Systems.

Dr. Ali Musref, proponent of integrated medicine, founder of Integrated Medical Center in the United Kingdom, and specialist in rehabilitation and physiotherapy, visited Sultan Qaboos University recently. He was received by HH Sayyidah Dr. Mona bint Fahad Al Said, SQU Assistant Vice Chancellor for International Cooperation. They discussed on the relevance of integrated medicine that focuses on individual patient care and combining the best of conventional western medicine and evidence-based complementary medicine and therapies within current mainstream medical practice. Later, Dr. Ali Musref gave a lecture on “Integrated Medicine, the future of Healthcare” at the College of Medicine & Health Sciences at SQU. In his lecture, Dr Ali touched on ancient methods of diagnosis and treatment and explained how relevant they can be in today’s medicine. “There is a rise in chronic ailments; diseases are not being cured so easily in the acute stage or at their onset. The modalities of treatment used to treat at the acute stage are proving useless in chronic stage. There is an urgent need for medicine to look for alternatives in traditional and complementary methods of treatment. It’s time to train doctors in those old and time-tested methods. The blend of allopathy with traditional medicine is called “Integrated Healthcare” which embraces the best of both”, Dr. Ali explained.  

The paper was also co-authored by Dr. Oualid Ali of the German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech). The study was well received at the conference with positive feedback. The paper has also sparked interest from scientists abroad to collaborate on further research. The paper will shortly be indexed in Thomson Reuters’ Web of Science and Elsevier Scopus, among other scholarly databases. This research was aimed at studying the challenges facing the adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) in Oman with the aim of providing a set of recommendations to overcome these issues that limit its integration with the mainstream infrastructure. Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the internetworking of everyday objects by equipping “things” with a “smart” dimension where appliances can sense their surroundings, make decisions and communicate with each other to create a digital ecosystem. The world of interconnected devices has been said to be contributing greatly to the economy over the recent years and have been speculated to have tremendous growth in the future. There have also been several concerns about the platform that the Industry has tried to address over the years. The paper was an effort in consolidating the concerns in a comprehensive manner and localizing them to Oman.

SQU Participates in EAIE Conference Liverpool, UK Dr. Shahid Al Balushi, Assistant Dean for postgraduate studies and research at the College of Economics& Political Science at SQU, together with Fatma Al Khuzairi, from the International Cooperation Office, represented SQU in the European Association for International Education (EAIE) Conference from 13-16 September 2016. The EAIE is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1989 to promote and help academic and non-academic institutions in their internationalization efforts through various activities such as workshops, training programs, conferences, and blogs for knowledge sharing. The EAIE is the Europe’s largest platform for strategic exchange and networking opportunities with experts in higher education field. Their major aim is to escalate the international higher education in Europe and internationally. This conference attracted professionals from more than 90 countries. This international conference is an opportunity to market SQU programs globally through meeting different delegations from well-respected Universities around the world. Fostering new partnership through these meeting and exploring new opportunities and different collaborations is the aim of the delegation. It was a platform to meet professionals working in student services, marketing and recruitment, alumni relations, credential evaluation and mangers of international education programs to share experience and discuss latest trends in international education. 10 October 2016

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The delegation attended different workshops and sessions related to management, international strategy, leadership, Marketing, Ranking and Branding. These sessions were full of recent thoughts on internationalization where people from different parts of the world discussing their policies and solving different current issues. For examples, the session entitled “making sense of 18 international rankings: uses, abuses and strategies” has discussed how we should be using rankings information in the marketing of our institutions.

Panorama “LC, I bid you adieu! By: Ms. Bilquis Alkhabori Language Centre. “This is your baby; now you take care of it.” This is an invitation – or perhaps a command – which I received from the second Vice-Chancellor of this university,sometime in 1993. He was trying to persuade me to take on the pivotal role of leading the Language Centre, as the first Omani director. I must say I was completely taken aback by this invitation. I was not mentally prepared for the heavy responsibilities, particularly at a time when I was registered for MPhil.studies at the University of London. Taking care of the Language Centre was a feat I accomplished with the help of the dedicated staff members. The Language Centre never stopped evolving and developing ever since its birth in 1986. My two British predecessors and my successors put immense efforts into keeping abreast of the state of the Art in English language teaching. I admire and appreciate the efforts of our younger Omanis like Dr. Saleh Albusaidi, Dr Rahma Al Mahrouqi and others in developing the center to its current turning point.

lot of new vocabulary. After this initial induction and ‘training’ I started to teach. It was slightly difficult at the beginning to teach students at almost the same age as me but luckily the students were well disciplined. Their English level was not that great and this encouraged me to try to make English learning more fun for them. I also felt a bit awkward teaching with colleagues who were my teachers a couple of years ago. After about a year and a half of teaching, I was granted a scholarship to do my MA studies. I traveled to the UK. When I came back to SQU the LC had already started to expand. A few new teachers had joined and could not recognize them. I taught for about two years before I was sent overseas again to do my PhD. This time I chose to head to the USA for a change. I stayed there for about five years. I truly spent a great time there. This time my family was with me and that helped with adjustment homesickness. When I returned to LC, there were so many changes. So many new faces and totally different programs. I slowly immersed myself in the ‘new’ place. It was not very long after my return when I was asked to take up administrative duties. I started as a unit head, then acting director and soon after that director in 2010. Honestly, I could not believe myself that I was in charge of this huge place. By that time, the LC had grown hugely. There were more than 240 staff members. The foundation program had already just started at SQU and that changed things significantly. We had to adjust our courses, timetables, and systems to suit the new program structure. I completed one term of three years and then got renewed for another three years.

My LC, FAREWELL I have known you since your establishment, your birth, in1986, and your name was outstanding in the University. You had an immensely important role to play in the lives of the students. You grew and developed with needs of the time.

During my two terms as the LC director, I have met so many people and learned a lot about managing programs and individuals. There were so rough times but I think have managed quite well. I have tried to adopt a management style whereby there was a clear way of running programs, a good level of transparency, people were respected and given opportunities to grow, and a system of accountability.

Now you are expected to merge into a deeper and greater ocean of the institute. Your name will not be visible on any signs anymore. Yet your legacy will live on for years to come. I bid you Farewell and success in your new place.

I have learned a lot during my time at the LC. I am grateful to all those who gave me the opportunity to grow into who I am now. I am certainly proud and honored to be the last Omani Language Center Director. I truly wish the Center for Preparatory Studies all the best.

(Ms. Bilquis Alkhabori is the first Omani Director of the erstwhile Language Centre of SQU)

(Hon. Saleh Al-Busaidi is the last Omani Director of the erstwhile Language Centre at SQU)

“I’m honored to be the last Omani LC Director” By: Hon. Saleh Al-Busaidi I joined the LC as a demonstrator back in 1995. I had just finished my BA studies at the College of Education at SQU. I was inducted into my new and first ever job very slowly. I was asked to observe classes and take notes of what I saw. I was then given the task of collecting newspaper clippings. I didn’t realize the significance of this task at that time but I have to admit that it got me into the habit of reading and browsing through newspapers and also getting to know the different sections. I have surely learned a P7

10 October 2016