H. E. The Vice Chancellor of SQU LTMMEC 07 SQU March 31-April

LTMMEC 2007 Welcome Address Dr. Saud Bin Nasser Al-Riyami Vice Chancellor, Sultan Qaboos University

H. E. The Vice Chancellor of SQU LTMMEC 07 SQU March 31-April Your Excellency Dr. Abdallah Bin Ali Al-Katabi President of Majlis Al-Shurah Your Excellencies Our Honorable Audience

H. E. The Vice Chancellor of SQU LTMMEC 07 SQU March 31-April It is our pleasure to welcome you all at Sultan Qaboos University, for this honorary session of the Learning Technologies and Mathematics Middle East Conference 2007

H. E. The Vice Chancellor of SQU LTMMEC 07 SQU March 31-April This conference is being organized by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, College of Science at SQU in collaboration with the Institute for Mathematics and Education at The University of Arizona, U.S.A.

H. E. The Vice Chancellor of SQU LTMMEC 07 SQU March 31-April Honorable Audience The world is currently witnessing rapid developments of learning technologies that changed the faces of classrooms across the world.

H. E. The Vice Chancellor of SQU LTMMEC 07 SQU March 31-April Traditional teaching methods are being replaced with new ones involving the use of computers, the internet and distance learning.

H. E. The Vice Chancellor of SQU LTMMEC 07 SQU March 31-April Sultan Qaboos University strives to keep abreast with new developments by continuously reviewing and updating its educational programs in all fields.

H. E. The Vice Chancellor of SQU LTMMEC 07 SQU March 31-April For example, just this year the Department of Mathematics and Statistics of SQU received two new computer labs with a capacity of 65 each. We hope that this will help both the staff and the students achieve a better learning environment.

H. E. The Vice Chancellor of SQU LTMMEC 07 SQU March 31-April We at SQU have been very enthusiastic about supporting this event especially that it does go along the strategic goal of the university in using the latest and most efficient teaching technologies available.

H. E. The Vice Chancellor of SQU LTMMEC 07 SQU March 31-April It is with an equal enthusiasm that we welcomed the cooperation between the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at SQU and the Institute for Mathematics and Education at the University of Arizona.

H. E. The Vice Chancellor of SQU LTMMEC 07 SQU March 31-April Dear Participants As we reiterate our welcome to you at Sultan Qaboos University, we ask you to explore means of strengthening cooperation between the University and your respective institutions in all fields of research to benefit the society and the University.

H. E. The Vice Chancellor of SQU LTMMEC 07 SQU March 31-April We also hope that this conference will lead to strengthening the scientific and educational ties between Sultan Qaboos University and other universities in Oman and overseas.

H. E. The Vice Chancellor of SQU LTMMEC 07 SQU March 31-April Honorable Audience It is my pleasure to extend our sincere thanks to His Excellency Sheikh Abdallah Bin Ali Al-Katabi, President of Majlis Al- Shurah for considering this conference under his patronage.

H. E. The Vice Chancellor of SQU LTMMEC 07 SQU March 31-April We also extend our thanks to all our guests for attending and participating in the activities of this conference.

H. E. The Vice Chancellor of SQU LTMMEC 07 SQU March 31-April In the end, I hope that this conference will achieve the objectives set out by His Majesty, Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, to enrich knowledge, achieve the spirit of understanding, cooperation and friendship among nations.

H. E. The Vice Chancellor of SQU LTMMEC 07 SQU March 31-April Finally, I wish to the conference every success. wa salam alaikum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh