VZCZCXRO7231
PP RUEHDE RUEHDIR
DE RUEHDO #0841/01 3381044
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 031044Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY DOHA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8493
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF EDUCATION WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 000841 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
H PLEASE PASS TO OFFICE OF CONGRESSMAN HINJOSA 
PLEASE ALSO PASS TO EDUCATION AND LABOR COMMITTEE PERMANENT 
STAFF MEMBER (MAJORITY) RICARDO MARTINEZ 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KPAO OEXC OREP QA
SUBJECT: CODEL HINOJOSA DISCUSSES BRINGING MORE U.S. 
SCHOOLS TO QATAR 
 
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KEY POINTS 
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--  Codel Hinojosa's members consulted with deans, 
administrators and students of the six U.S. university branch 
campuses at Education City, noting that the U.S. university 
presence in Qatar was "much larger" than they had originally 
thought. 
 
--  Codel members urged Qatar Foundation's president to 
explore adding not only an American law school, but also high 
schools and community colleges to the mix of educational 
options available at Education City. 
 
--  University deans noted that greater flexibility in visa 
processing for students, and allowing faculty to continue 
National Science Foundation grants while posted to Qatar, 
would help smooth out obstacles to greater exchanges between 
their home campuses and the branch campuses in Doha. 
 
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COMMENTS 
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-- (SBU) This Codel represented important USG engagement with 
Qatar in the education sector, something we need more of.  As 
Qatar seeks to transform itself into a knowledge-based 
economy, opportunities for U.S. educational and research 
institutions in Qatar will only grow. 
 
-- (SBU) As next steps in helping U.S. institutions take 
advantage of these opportunities, Embassy is prepared to 
assist Congressman Ed Pastor's office in organizing a 
video-conference between Qatar Foundation and Mariposa 
Community College, and with Congresswoman Grace Napolitano's 
office on a web seminar for interested schools in 
California's 38th district. 
 
-- (SBU) Congressman Hinojosa also expressed interest in 
organizing field hearings and/or a larger CODEL visit to 
Education City to help other members of the Committee on 
Education and Labor understand the magnitude of the 
multi-billion dollar, long-term investment that Qatar is 
making in U.S. educational institutions.  Embassy supports 
this idea. 
 
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EDUCATION CITY: IT'S BIG 
------------------------ 
 
¶1. A Codel led by Congressman Ruben Hinojosa, Chairman of the 
House Subcommittee on Higher Education, and comprising 
Representatives Henry Brown, Mazie Hirono, Grace Napolitano 
and Ed Pastor, visited Doha November 12 - 14, spending a day 
focused on U.S. universities at Education City. 
 
¶2. The Codel began their visit by touring the massive 2,500 
acre Education City complex, which includes not only the six 
U.S. university branch campuses, but also the Al Jazeera 
Children's Television Channel.  The Codel also viewed 
construction sites across the highway of the Qatar 
Foundation's convention center, the Qatar Science and 
Technology Park, and the Sidra hospital. 
 
¶3. Texas A & M University at Qatar (TAMU-Q) hosted the Codel 
for discussions with U.S. university deans, administrators 
and senior administrators from Qatar Foundation, the 
organization that governs Education City, including its 
president, Dr. Fathy Saoud.  The deans briefed the Codel on 
their experiences in setting up and operating their schools 
in Qatar, with Georgetown School of Foreign Service-Qatar 
Dean James Reardon-Anderson noting that, "Universities have 
been around for more than a thousand years, but this is the 
first time in history that they are attempting to operate an 
identical curriculum with the same requirements and standards 
far from their shores." 
 
-------------------------- 
A REAL AMERICAN EXPERIENCE 
-------------------------- 
 
¶4. The deans stated that, in accordance with their agreements 
with the Qatar Foundation, standards for student admission, 
curricula, grading, and faculty hiring were exactly the same 
as for their home campuses.  Most faculty members are from 
 
DOHA 00000841  002 OF 002 
 
 
the home campuses, and those who have been newly hired have 
gone through the same hiring process at the main campus as 
any other faculty member would do. 
 
¶5. These faculty exchanges are important, they said, in 
"maintaining our sense of connection with the home campus." 
In that regard, according to Carnegie Mellon University - 
Qatar Dean Chuck Thorpe, it would be easier to entice 
professors to move from Pittsburgh to Doha for a year if they 
were allowed to continue their National Science Foundation 
grants in Qatar.  According to current USG policy, he said, 
grants must be terminated when faculty leave the United 
States. 
 
¶6. Echoing that sentiment, Dean Reardon-Anderson said that he 
understood the imperatives of securing U.S. borders, but 
asked for greater USG flexibility in considering visa 
applications from students at U.S. universities in Doha. 
"Student exchanges are vital for our institutions," he said. 
Congresswoman Mazie Hirono said that she understood the 
schools' predicament, and noted that Congress Members would 
"do the best we can" to accommodate student travel when 
reviewing relevant immigration laws.  Congresswoman 
Napolitano encouraged schools to reach out to their Congress 
Member when a visa application is stalled so that the 
congressional office can intervene when appropriate. 
 
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LOOKING TO THE FUTURE 
--------------------- 
 
¶7. Congressman Hinojosa congratulated Qatar Foundation 
President Dr. Fathy Saoud on the progress that has been made 
in bringing American educational opportunities to Qatar and, 
through the many international students at Education City, to 
the broader Middle East.  He encouraged Dr. Saoud to consider 
expanding the range of institutions to include not only a 
U.S. law school, which Qatar Foundation is actively seeking, 
but also high schools and community colleges. 
 
¶8. In order to help educate students who may not be ready or 
suited to Education City's elite schools, Rep. Hinojosa said, 
"Congressman Ed Pastor has one of the most highly-rated 
community colleges in the United States in his district, and 
you should talk with them about setting up in Doha."  As a 
starter, he said, Qatar Foundation could promote student and 
teacher exchanges at the high school level, with the goal of 
bringing in more U.S. high schools that could prepare 
students to feed into Education City schools.  (NOTE:  The 
Michael DeBakey School of Houston opened its doors in Doha in 
September, and is currently teaching 44 students. END NOTE) 
 
¶9. CODEL Hinojosa did not have the opportunity to clear this 
cable. 
LeBaron