SYRIAN PROFESSOR TO GIVE LECTURE ON AMERICAN RELATIONS AND PEACE PROCESS TODAY

Elias Samo, professor of international relations and director of international programs at Aleppo University in Syria, will present a lecture titled "Syrian American Relations and the Middle East Peace Process" from 12:20 p.m. to 1:25 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12, in Room 100 of Old Dominion University's Oceanography and Physics Building.

The lecture, the first in a series inaugurating the College of Arts and Letters' new Middle Eastern studies minor, is free and open to the public.

Born in Syrian Mesopotamia, Samo received his bachelor's degree in political science from Washington State University and his doctorate in international relations from American University.

After teaching in the United States for 20 years, Samo returned to Syria as a professor at Aleppo University. A recognized proponent of the Syrian position, Samo has published works on Middle East affairs and is a noted speaker and adviser on Middle East matters. He recently participated in a Middle East refugees symposium sponsored by the Royal Institute in Cambridge, England.

Samo has coordinated faculty exchange programs between Aleppo University and Old Dominion for several years. Plans are currently underway to expand the programs between the two universities.