Major American universities were amazed when the Emir of Qatar asked them to participate in a risky venture called Education City in Doha, its capital. Their skepticism stayed until they were offered financing so abundant it pretty much cut the risk. Although no numbers are available for the entire project, we do know that 750 million convinced Cornell to train medical doctors there. The first M.D's have just graduated.

Carnegie-Mellon's Qatar campus has just graduated 32 men and women with business degrees. The public broadcasting NOW program recently asked students, teachers, administrators, and foundation backers just why this seemed important to them.

"An American education is important to me because it's a way of advancing my career," says Assma Al Adawi, a junior studying international relations at Georgetown University in Qatar. Al Adawi, who was raised in Doha, Qatar's capital, says studying at an American university offers her a different perspective.

"I don't agree with American policies all the time. I just definitely don't see how American policy managed to culminate into the war in Iraq. But ... I think there are other aspects of American society that are good," she says.

Al Adawi is one of more than 900 students currently studying at an American university in Education City, a 2,500 acre campus where nearly 50 nationalities are represented. Five American universities are currently taking part in this multi-billion dollar experiment, with their operations financed entirely by the Qatari government. Half the students are from Qatar.

For women like Al Adawi, the initiative is opening a door that was previously closed. Local customs in Qatar dictate that women not mix casually with men who are not their relatives. As such, most schools, including the main university, don't offer co-ed classes. But Education City is changing all that: for the first time in Qatar, women can compete with men in higher education.

James Reardon-Anderson, present of the Georgetown University campus in Qatar, says: "It's a risk-free effort for Georgetown University." He believes it builds a positive bridge to the Muslim world. Mohammed Fathy Saaud heads the foundation that runs Education City, and that's a government position. He won't say how much is funding Georgetown University or Carnegie-Mellon or Education City as a whole. He will say Qatar wants the best in education.

In Dubai, it's the same. The government has funded local campuses for Michigan State University and for the Rochester Institute of Technology.

In Saudi Arabia, the government has wooed and won California Polytechnic Institute, to the tune of 5.9 million dollars. The San Luis Obispo Tribune reported that details of the deal are still being worked out. Some students have expressed concern about possible discrimination against women, Jews, and gays. Susan Opava, Cal Poly's dean of research and graduate programs, said that it would be explicitly stated in the contract that the Saudi Arabians could not reject a faculty member hired by Cal Poly unless the person doesn't meet professional qualifications standards. The university's Dean of Graduate Programs and Research, Ed Sullivan, envisions future student exchanges and joint conferences.