The Rice Thresher, Vol. 96, No. 14, Ed. 1 Friday, December 5, 2008 Page: 4 of 20
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4 NEWS
the Rice Thresher
Friday, December 5,2008
President Leebron visits Iran with educational delegation
by Cindy Dinh
Thresher Editorial Staff
In times of international turmoil
and political hostilities, connections
between countries can still be forged
through neutral institutions like uni-
versities. Last month President David
Leebron and five other American uni-
versity presidents traveled to Iran to
visit the Iranian minister of science
and research technology as well as
four universities highly regarded for
their science programs.
"The basic idea was to start a con-
versation about where science is go-
ing in the 21st century and lay some
groundwork for increased interac-
tions between Iranian and American
universities and faculty and institu-
tions," Leebron said.
Leebron visited Iran through
the Association of American Uni-
versities, joining five other Ameri-
can public and private university
presidents. The other universities
represented were Carnegie Mellon
University, University of Florida,
University of Maryland-College
Park, Cornell University and Uni-
versity of California-Davis.
This delegation visited four uni-
versities in Isfahan and the capital
city of Tehran, including Sharif Uni-
versity of Technology — which is re-
garded as the MIT of Iran, Leebron
said. They met with university presi-
dents and top administrators, toured
facilities and nanotechnology labora-
tories, and had a discussion with stu-
dents at the University of Tehran.
Leebron said the trip left him op-
timistic, despite ongoing tensions be-
tween the United States and Iran.
"There have not been a lot of
prominent delegations of Americans
visiting Iran in recent years," Leebron
said. "Although we remain cognizant
that there are serious issues dealing
with the Iranian government, we are
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President David Leebron, third from right, took part in a trip sponsored by the Association of American Univer-
sities. His travelling companions were the presidents of five other American research universities.
also encouraged by the warm recep-
tion we received and the very strong
interest in fostering understanding
and relationships."
Due to previous engagements
with the James A. Baker III Institute
for Public Policy's 15th anniversary,
Leebron attended four of the six days
of the trip, which accomplished the
preliminary goals of understanding
the state of Iranian research and con-
sideration of possible exchange and
collaboration, he said. Though there
are current political contentions be-
tween the American and Iranian gov-
ernments, Leebron said the delega-
tions did not serve as emissaries of
the government. However, Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice and the De-
partment of State knew about the trip
and were supportive of its goals.
Leebron said this trip operated in-
dependently of a political agenda.
"Even when governments are hos-
tile to each other and they have im-
portant contentious issues between
them, universities can play a valu-
able role in educational exchange
and cultural interaction, dialogue
and understanding," he said. "Any
decision to engage in this kind of trip
or deeper relationships with Iranian
universities is not an endorsement of
policies of the Iranian government."
However, he noted that the status
between governments does matter
when it comes to obstacles between
student and faculty exchange. Since
the United States currently does not
have diplomatic relations with Iran,
certain challenges arise when it
comes to travel. For example, there
are no outbound flights from Iran to
the United States, which means Ira-
nians board U.S. flights from other
countries. Conversely, Americans
traveling to Iran might feel uneasy
since there is no U.S. embassy in
the country. In addition, the United
States cannot export technology to
Iran and students in Iran are pro-
hibited from using certain types of
equipment, he said.
"Those are obstacles our country
has to evaluate and see the trade-offs
between a policy of isolation and a
policy of engagement," he said.
Other considerations include
what opportunities are available
for students and faculty, particu-
larly females. While restriction of
dress might be an issue due to the
country's majority Muslim popu-
lation, Leebron also wanted to be
assured that the area would be a
positive, safe place for faculty and
students to visit.
"We saw nothing in our visits that
would undercut that," he said. "I
think the Iranians are very proud that
the majority of university students
are women, but on the other hand the
success rate for women in graduate
studies is significantly less."
There are already a number of Ira-
nian students and faculty members
at Rice, and Leebron cited the Iranian
community in Houston as a potential
source of strength for the university.
"The more [the students] can un-
derstand the issues around a country
like Iran, the more they can be pre-
pared for whatever that is that lies in
the future," Leebron said.
He plans to visit faculty to iron out
the next steps and hopes to possibly
arrange a visit from the presidents of
Iranian peer institutions.
"I'm hoping that there might be
a reciprocal visit from some of these
university presidents to the United
States and [that they will] make a
point of visiting Rice," Leebron said.
Besides traveling to Iran, Leebron
has also traveled to India, China,
Mexico, Argentina and Chile on busi-
ness trips this academic year. These
business trips help identify university
partners and establish relationships
and to improve Rice's international
visibility, he said.
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Chun, Lily & Farmer, Dylan. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 96, No. 14, Ed. 1 Friday, December 5, 2008, newspaper, December 5, 2008; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth443148/m1/4/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.