Monday April 22
Opening Remarks - 9:00am-9:20am
Hadi Salehi Esfahani, CSAMES Director, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Jerry Dávila, Executive Director, Illinois Global Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Panel 1: Oman’s Historical Heritage - 9:20am-10:40am
Chair: Michael H Dann, Department of Religion, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
J.E. Peterson, Historian and Political Analyst Specializing in Oman
“Tribes and States in the Arabian Peninsula and Oman”
Valerie Hoffman, Department of Religion, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
“The Role of Ibāḍī Islam in Omani History”
Break: 10:40am-11:00am
Panel 2: Economic and Financial Development - 11:00am-12:20am
Chair: Hadi Salehi Esfahani, CSAMES Director, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Asma Al-Zaidi, Department of Operations Management, Sultan Qaboos University
“Oman’s Macroeconomic Performance since 1970”
Reza Aghdam, Department of Economics, Sultan Qaboos University
“Financial Development in Oman”
Lunch: 12:20pm-1:40pm
Panel 3: Institutional Development and Foreign Policy - 1:40pm-3:40pm
Chair: Clifford E. Singer, ACDIS, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Calvin Allen, Dean Emeritus of the College of Arts and Sciences, Shenandoah University
“Governance and Institutional Development in Oman”
Marc J. O'Reilly, Department of Political Science and Chair of the International Studies Committee, Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio
“Omani Foreign Policy”
Janice Jayes, Historian and Political Risk Analyst, Illinois State University
“Oman’s Soft Diplomacy in a Contentious Region”
Break: 3:40pm-4:00pm
Panel 4: Women's Roles and Participation in Oman’s Development - 4:00pm-5:20pm
Chair: Kenneth M. Cuno, Department of History, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Amy Erica Smith, Department of Political Science, Iowa State University
“Electing Women to New Arab Assemblies: The Roles of Gender Ideology, Islam, and Tribalism in Oman”
Linda Pappas Funsch, Department of Middle East Studies at Frederick (MD) Community College
“The Role of Women in Oman’s National Development”
Conference Dinner: 6:30pm
Tuesday April 23
Panel 5: Human Resources and Education in Oman - 9:00am-10:30am
Chair: Marc J. O'Reilly, Department of Political Science and Chair of the International Studies Committee, Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio
Usamah Al Farhan, Department of Economics, Sultan Qaboos University
“Labor Markets and Employment Trends in Oman”
Michael K. Thomas, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago
“Technology and Education in Oman”
Break: 10:30am-10:45am
Panel 6: Natural Resources Management in Oman - 10:45am-12:15am
Chair: Calvin Allen, Dean Emeritus of the College of Arts and Sciences, Shenandoah University
Reza Aghdam, Department of Economics, Sultan Qaboos University
“Agriculture, Water, and Sustainable Development”
Abdullah Al-Badi, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University
“Renewable and Sustainable Energies in Oman”
Closing Session: Panel Discussion - 12:15pm-1:00pm
Chair: Hadi Salehi Esfahani, CSAMES Director, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Asma Al-Zaidi, Department of Operations Management, Sultan Qaboos University
Usamah Al Farhan, Department of Economics, Sultan Qaboos University
Valerie Hoffman, Department of Religion, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
J.E. Peterson, Historian and Political Analyst Specializing in Oman