Georgetown University, America’s oldest Jesuit institution at higher learning, has accepted another Si million endowment from an Arab government for its Center for Contemporary Arab Studies. The university announced Oct. 9 that it had received the funds from the Sultanate of Oman to endow a professional chair in Arabic and Islamic literature.
A check for that amount was presented by Oman Ambassador Sadak Sulaimon Jo.Georgetown’s president, the Rev. Timothy Healy, who said “the Oman chair will enhance Georgetown’s mission to provide a liberal education by strengthening our competence in one of the great classical civilizations — a civilization about which unfortunately even educated Americans know for too little.”
Just one month previously. Georgetown accepted a SI million endowment from the government of Kuwait for the Center, the largest given to it up to that time. Libya and the United Arab Emirates each have given $750,000. Other Arab states that have contributed are Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Prior to its SI million grant, Oman gave the Center $100,000 when it was established five years ago and later gave an additional $20,000, besides scholarship contributions to Georgetown’s “intensive summer Arabic programs,” the university said.
With the latest endowment Oman gave, Georgetown has received $4,305,000 from the eight Arab governments for the Center since its founding. Twenty-four American corporations also have contributed to it. The Center has a faculty of 22 members and its student body consists of only 38 undergraduate students.
BALANCED STUDY PROGRAM CITED
When the Kuwait gift was announced, the university’s public relations director, Wesley Christenson, said it is “very objective and as balanced as any studies program.” However, the American Jewish Committee’s director of special programs, Ira Silverman, said the Center has “a clearly marked pro-Arab, anti-Israel bios in its selection of curriculum material, its faculty appointments, and speakers.”
The Center is directed by Michael Hudsen who has often defended Arab perceptions regarding Israel. Georgetown also has six undergraduate courses in Judaic studies. Christenson said that of the university’s 12,000 students about 15 percent are Jewish.
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