Oman
AMIDEAST will soon establish a full-service office in the
Sultanate of Oman. We believe AMIDEAST can play a vital
role in strengthening mutual understanding and cooperation
between Americans and Omanis, and in promoting U.S. education.
AMIDEAST looks forward to building bridges of understanding
between Omanis and Americans, and to forming linkages with
Omani institutions in the development of the education sector.
Among the services AMIDEAST expects to offer in Oman are
educational exchange opportunities and testing. For information
on current exchange programs sponsored by the United States
Department of States Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs, please click
here.
This page will be updated frequently as additional information
becomes available about AMIDEAST Oman and training, testing,
and scholarship programs. For further information, please
contact us by email at oman@amideast.org.
AMIDEAST Launches EducationUSA Center in Oman
Muscat, Oman—April 1, 2008. Omanis will soon have a well-equipped resource center to turn to for information and guidance on options for study in the United States. AMIDEAST formally launched its EducationUSA advising and information center in Muscat on April 1, representing a significant step toward offering the full range of AMIDEAST education and training services in Oman.
 |
|
|
 |
|
| The EducationUSA Showcase was an opportunity for Omani students to obtain information about U.S. study. |
|
 |
|
| AMIDEAST Country Director Sarah M. Jackson (left) with American Ambassador Gary Grappo at one of the many displays of material about study in the U.S. |
| |
|
|
To mark the occasion, AMIDEAST joined forces with the U.S. Embassy in Oman to co-host the first EducationUSA Showcase, a half day of activities designed to provide material about dozens of U.S. colleges and universities as well as informative sessions explaining how to find the right program, navigate the application process, and obtain financial support. Omani, American, and international students supplied a glimpse of life on U.S. campuses.
Sarah M. Jackson, AMIDEAST’s Country Director in Oman, called the event significant, not only for launching AMIDEAST’s U.S. educational advising center in Oman, but also for representing the essence of AMIDEAST’s motto “Bridging Cultures, Building Understanding.”
“Indeed, promoting educational opportunities in the U.S. is critical to our mission of strengthening mutual understanding and cooperation between Americans and the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa,” she said.
She also quoted AMIDEAST President and CEO Theodore H. Kattouf as saying, “Guiding young Omanis through the process of identifying the right university and crafting a successful application to the university of his or her choice is central to AMIDEAST’s mission of expanding educational opportunities to give people the tools to change their lives and help their communities.”
With the opening of the Muscat center, AMIDEAST now operates EducationUSA centers, with funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Cultural and Educational Affairs, in nine countries: Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Tunisia, the West Bank and Gaza, and Yemen. The facilities contain libraries of university catalogs and other written resources about U.S. study and are open to the public; among other services, they offer presentations and outreach about studying in the U.S., support during the college search and application process, in-person and virtual meetings with university recruiters, and assistance for U.S. graduates returning home.
U.S. Ambassador to Oman Gary Grappo underscored the important role of the new EducationUSA center. “We strongly believe that any qualified Omani student can find the ideal academic program for his or her needs at one of the 3,000 accredited colleges and universities in the United States,” he said.
EducationUSA centers complement AMIDEAST’s other program areas, which include administering standardized tests such as the TOEFL, conducting test preparation and English language courses, supporting a variety of short-and long-term scholarship and exchange programs, and offering a wide range of professional development workshops. AMIDEAST/Oman will officially open its office in May and will then expand these and other activities.
|
