Southfield, Mich. – A delegation led by His Highness Shaikh Hussam bin Isa Al Khalifa from the island kingdom of Bahrain visited Lawrence Technological University on Thursday to prepare for a planned visit in June by His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, prime minister of the Arabian Peninsula country.

Bahrain has played a key role in the history and commerce of the gulf region due to its strategic location. A bridge has linked it to Saudi Arabia since 1986. Now under construction is a 28-mile bridge between Bahrain and Qutar, which will be the longest in the world when it is completed.

Bahrain is noted for its free market economy and is a banking, insurance and communications center for the Middle East.

Lawrence Tech President Lewis N. Walker and Provost Maria Vaz traveled to Bahrain in January to meet with the prime minister and other officials. They discussed the possibility of offering Lawrence Tech degree programs in Bahrain in engineering, computer science, architecture and management.

Walker invited the prime minister to visit Lawrence Tech to explore other ways that the university could cooperate with Bahrain. The delegation came to discuss Prime Minister Al Khalifa’s visit, which will be coordinated with an address he will make to the United Nations in New York City.

“We look forward to a long-term partnership with the Kingdom of Bahrain,” Walker said. “We anticipate showing the prime minister the variety of educational opportunities and research facilities at Lawrence Tech during his visit.”

Lawrence Tech currently has academic agreements with universities in Egypt, Jordan and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.

Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, offers more than 60 undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degree programs in Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Management. Founded in 1932, the 4,500-student, private university pioneered evening classes 75 years ago, and today has a growing number of weekend and online programs. Lawrence Tech’s 102-acre campus is in Southfield, with education centers in Lansing, Livonia, Clinton Township, Traverse City and Petoskey. Lawrence Tech also offers programs with partner universities in Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.