Administrators: University Globalization Still a Possibility

But according to UNC officials, the Qatar negotiations did not mark the first -- or the last -- time a foreign nation would court the University to establish a campus abroad.

In 1996, the University considered opening a satellite branch in Jakarta, Indonesia, after a wealthy family offered to finance the venture. But UNC abandoned the proposal in early 1997 after officials determined that the country's political situation was too volatile.

Qatar negotiations began last year in June when the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development, a charitable organization established by the Qatari emir, approached UNC about creating an undergraduate business school in the capital city of Doha.

The negotiations were terminated for financial reasons after months of debate and discord among University factions.

While the recent Qatar negotiations attracted unprecedented attention to the University's international presence, the story of UNC's globalization efforts began long before last year. The influential Salim family, owners of Central Asia Bank and a variety of industrial corporations, approached UNC in the spring of 1996 about opening a satellite branch in Indonesia.

Like the Qatar Foundation, the Salim family members said they were willing to absorb all the costs of the program. But unlike the Qatar venture, which was initiated by Qatari government officials, the Salims were a private family with no official political connections.

Dick Richardson, UNC's provost at the time, said the Salim family wanted to establish an undergraduate liberal arts university on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia's capital city. The satellite campus would have been on a site of several hundred acres that would have included a golf course and residential housing.

Like the Qatar proposal, Richardson said UNC pursued the proposal because the Indonesian satellite school would have lent the University insight and influence in a unique part of the world.

"We were interested for many of the same reasons as Qatar," he said. "It also gave us the opportunity to perhaps have an impact on democratic concepts and education."

Just as a group of University representatives traveled to Qatar last November, a four-person UNC delegation flew to Indonesia in June 1996 on a fact-finding mission.

James Peacock, director of the University Center for International Studies, said the trip convinced him that the University should explore the possibility of establishing a campus in Jakarta. "When we got back, it seemed promising and worth pursuing a dialogue," he said.

But Richardson said he was extremely concerned by the trip and the country's unstable political situation. After returning to Chapel Hill, he recommended to the late Michael Hooker, chancellor at the time, that UNC abandon the proposal for security reasons.

"Most concerning to us was the situation in Indonesia was getting to be unstable," he said. "The government was under assault, and we heard rumors there would be significant political changes. It was our belief the situation was simply too unreliable."

Security also was an issue of concern during the Qatar negotiations, especially after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. University administrators, however, concluded that the Middle Eastern country's questionable stability would not be a deal-breaking factor.

Despite the political issues surrounding the Indonesian negotiations, the proposal garnered little publicity, Peacock said. "It was not anywhere near as well-known as Qatar," he said. "I think there was some coverage, but I don't believe students or faculty were too involved because it was mostly administrative."

Ultimately, negotiations were completely terminated in early 1997. Unlike with Qatar, Richardson said UNC never considered specific financial and logistical matters because negotiations ended in a more preliminary stage.

Provost Robert Shelton said that during the Qatar negotiations, most UNC administrators were unfamiliar with the Indonesia program because it happened before many of them took office.

But he said the two programs had enough significant differences that the administration could not have used the Indonesian proposal as a model for the Qatar negotiations.

"One distinction was that the Indonesia program was funded by a wealthy individual, as opposed to a government as in Qatar," Shelton said, adding that he was much more comfortable dealing with government officials.

Although the Qatar and Indonesia proposals were abandoned for different reasons, both past and current administrators said the future of UNC globalization appears promising.

Richardson said he was disappointed the University was not able to extend to Indonesia but that he is confident in UNC's ability to gain a greater international presence. "I would be very surprised if we don't have continuing opportunities and challenges to open up programs in other parts of the world," he said.

The administration has expressed similar enthusiasm for the future of UNC's globalization. Shelton said the Qatar experience will help the University in its efforts to pursue other international opportunities.

"I think Chapel Hill has to continue to grow in its global presence," he said. "We have the resources to do this, and the more contacts we have, the better off we will be."

Moeser also said the Qatar negotiation process was a positive experience for the University. Although he said UNC is not specifically pursuing any international proposals at this time, opportunities are arising all the time.

"We learned a lot from the (Qatar) group, and I think we gained a greater international perspective as a result of having done this," Moeser said.

Other members of the campus community agree that the Qatar endeavor has provided valuable lessons for UNC's top-ranking officials. Business Professor Dennis Rondinelli, a vocal opponent of the Qatar program throughout the negotiations, said he hopes the University will use the Qatar experience to make changes for the future.

"I hope that for any kind of venture that is as large as this, there would be more discussion between the administration and faculty and students," he said. "Hopefully, whatever international ventures the administration pursues in the future, we learn the advantages of consulting all constituents to make the right decisions."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.