On Sunday, George Washington University had a royal visitor.
His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, The Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office of Brunei Darussalam, and top university officials met in Duquès Hall to discuss potential partnerships with George Washington for faculty research and student exchanges.
“We were deeply honored that His Royal Highness selected George Washington as the university he wished to visit during his trip to Washington, and we look forward to future discussions of educational opportunities for Bruneian students,” said George Washington President Steven Knapp, who led the delegation on a tour of the campus after the meeting.
A Southeast Asian nation on the island of Borneo, Brunei Darussalam traces its origins and rich history back many centuries. The current constitutional sultanate has its roots in the 14th century. The geography of Brunei includes dense forests and mangrove swamps, and the nation’s government is committed to preserving the biodiversity of its land.
The meeting also included His Royal Highness Pengiran Muda Abdul Qawi; The Honorable Pehin Dato Lim Jock Seng, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade II; His Excellency Dato Paduka Haji Yusoff Haji Abd Hami, the Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam to the United States of America, and Muhammad Lutfi bin Abdullah, Permanent Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office.
George Washington officials included Provost Steven Lerman, Elliott School of International Affairs Dean Michael E. Brown, School of Engineering and Applied Science Dean David Dolling, Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Planning Forrest Maltzman, Associate Provost for International Programs Donna Scarboro and Columbian College Associate Dean for Special Projects Randall Packer.
“I was pleased to have the opportunity to speak to the delegation about the importance of studying international affairs in our growing, globalizing world,” said Dean Brown. “The Elliott School is in a unique and powerful position to make a difference in the study of international affairs—and in the world itself. My hope is that this very constructive meeting will lead to even more engagement between George Washington and Brunei.”
Topics of discussion included the sciences, technology, environment and sustainability, energy and Southeast Asian studies.
“It was wonderful to meet with His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, The Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, and other distinguished representatives from Brunei and brief them on what an exciting time it is to be in engineering and the sciences here at George Washington, especially with the new state-of-the-art Science and Engineering Hall coming online soon,” said Dean Dolling.
“I am very hopeful that one of the outcomes of our meeting will be student exchanges with Brunei in engineering and sciences,” he said.