Sunday 29 / September / 2024
Muscat: More than 200 Omanis now study at the University of Nebraska's Lincoln Campus, forming one of the largest student representations of the more than 130 nationalities that choose to study at the world-class institution.
Speaking exclusively to the Times of Oman, Maegan Stevens-Liska, Director of the Office of Global Strategies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said: “Our largest student groups include individuals from China, Malaysia, India, Oman, and Vietnam.”
“Many students choose to study at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln because of the high quality of education they receive here, the relatively low cost of living, and the safety of where we are located. Lincoln, Nebraska, is a city of 280,000 people, and is considered ‘in the middle of everywhere’. We are located in the heartland of the United States and are known for our exceedingly friendly people, low crime rates, and high quality of life for our residents,” said Stevens-Liska.
Many of the students are sponsored by the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE), with new batches joining every spring, Stevens-Liska confirmed.
“Over the last few years, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has been lucky enough to welcome a new cohort of MoHE-sponsored Omani students each spring, which is typically a group of approximately 25 new students. We often also receive additional new students during the fall and winter semesters.”
She added, “We are fortunate that through our relationship with the Embassy of Oman, Cultural Division, in Washington D.C. and our dedicated recruitment trips to EduTrac Oman in Muscat each fall, we have continued to see an increased interest in both sponsored and privately-funded Omani students pursuing an education at the University.
“We currently have 10 Omani alumni who are either in Oman starting their careers or pursuing their graduate education. We expect that an additional 20 to 30 students will join the Nebraska alumni family in the coming year and are taking steps to establish an active alumni community in Oman.” Known for its warm hospitality, it’s no wonder the Cornhusker State remains a major destination for students from around the world.
The university has been ranked as being among the safest college communities in the US by the National Council for Home Safety and Security with Lincoln itself consistently ranked among the best cities in the US in terms of quality of life.
But more important than its location is the wealth of world-class facilities and opportunities the University of Nebraska-Lincoln offers every student.
Nobel Prize
Established in 1869, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is the oldest and largest university in Nebraska. Graduates join an illustrious group of alumni that includes three Nobel Prize winners, 12 Pulitzer Prize winners, and Warren Buffet.
The university, fully understanding the difficulties many foreign students face, has earned special acclaim for ITS efforts to ensure students from abroad find a home-away-from-home awaiting them in the Great Plains region of the USA.
“We know that students from Oman and their families are placing a great deal of trust in us to not only provide them with a top-ranked US education, but to also ensure that the students are safe, happy, and healthy while studying in Nebraska,” Stevens-Liska said, adding, “To that end, we provide an extensive welcome and orientation to every student who arrives in Lincoln. Even before Omani students depart for the US, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln staff member travels to Muscat in October to deliver a pre-departure orientation, and to meet in-person with students and their families to answer any questions they may have, and to formally welcome them to the Nebraska family.”
“Once students arrive in Lincoln, we offer a wide array of student support services and activities to help students adjust and integrate both academically and socially. This includes more than 500 student groups (including a very active Omani Student Association), sponsored student support and advising, academic success workshops, and career coaching,” she stated.
Academic environment
The extensive support provided to new students is integral in helping navigate their transition into a very different culture, setting, language and academic environment than what they are used to.
Students who arrive at Lincoln airport are greeted, assisted, and transported to campus by members of the university’s multi-lingual International Welcome Team. At orientation, students learn about their academic program, interact extensively with new fellow students, tour the campus, obtain essential campus items, and learn about requirements and resources on campus.
A large cohort of the Omani student body is enrolled in the University of Nebraska’s College of Engineering.
J.S. Engebretson, Communications and Marketing Manager at the College of Engineering, said: “The College of Engineering’s mission is to educate students and create research and innovations to save lives. We focus on developing what we call ‘the complete engineer’.
A unique initiative that develops the necessary technical skills and the essential non-technical skills that will help our future engineers be successful. These competencies are honed both in and outside the classroom and include the areas of intercultural appreciation, leadership, teamwork, engineering ethics, self-management, and service and civic responsibility.”
Currently, its engineering students come from 52 countries and 25 US states, with a total of 114 coming from Oman.
“At the College of Engineering, we value a diverse community, and having students from Oman and many other countries worldwide tremendously enhances the teaching and learning community at Nebraska,” Engebretson added.
The strong ties between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Oman are yet another example of the US and the Sultanate’s fruitful partnership. It is a two-way friendship, one that is helping bring about a new generation of educated students, promoting a more diverse and understanding world within the confines of its multi-national campus.
“The increased presence of international students, and in particular, Omani students, has been hugely beneficial for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,” said Stevens-Liska. “As a result of the growing interest in Oman, the university now offers multiple study abroad opportunities for American students to travel to Oman in the summer, and to learn about its people, culture, and some of its main industries.”
“Many students from Nebraska won’t ever have the opportunity to travel to Oman or even outside of the US. However, with the increasing number of Omani students on our campus and in our classrooms, Nebraska students now have the unique opportunity to learn alongside, and from, Middle Eastern young people, their culture, and religion. These student-to-student interactions have led to a number of cross-cultural exchange activities, including international football tournaments, country-specific cultural celebrations, and international-domestic student partner programs,” she added.
