West Virginia University students, faculty and staff have a unique opportunity to learn about Saudi Arabian culture when Muhammed Aleissa visits the WVU campus Friday (Feb. 1).

Aleissa, the Saudi Arabian cultural attaché to the U.S., will speak at 10 a.m. in the Mountainlair Gold Ballroom. His talk is open to the public.

Before serving as a cultural attaché, Aleissa was a consultant at the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission to the USA . He has been a visiting professor at George Washington University and the director of the educational TV center at Um Alquraa University in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

Aleissa has masters and doctoral degrees in educational technology from Indiana State University and a bachelors degree in educational technology from King Abdulaziz University. He has written and reviewed a number of books on the use of computers in educational settings, and he is a member of several professional organizations.

WVU s Office of International Students and Scholars and the Saudi Students Association are hosting Aleissa. More than 80 students from Saudi Arabia attend WVU , many supported by the Cultural Mission.

For such a high-ranking official to visit West Virginia University is a testament to the Saudi Arabian Cultural Missions commitment to the University,said Michael Wilhelm, director of the Office of International Students and Scholars.We want to do all that we can to support this relationship. As the Saudi presence becomes more evident on campus, faculty, staff and students could benefit from learning more about their culture.