To the Editor:

Re: “Open Letter to the Trustees — An Immoral Alliance at Hand,” Opinion, Feb. 16

I write this letter in response to Neal Sher’s ’68 Guest Room in yesterday’s paper. I am a member of the Board of Trustees of Cornell University and I am Jewish. I have visited Saudi Arabia as an American Jew. And I have met with then Crown Prince (now King) Abdullah and many members of the royal family in that capacity. I, among many of my fellow trustees voted to approve acceptance of a $25 million research grant for a joint study in nano-technology between Cornell and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). I should also note that one of the principal architects of this gift was my friend and fellow Trustee Lubna Olayan — a Saudi WOMAN.

I did so because I believe in dialog as a way to achieve greater understanding. I believe that isolation as a tool of foreign policy or any other policy for that matter leads to the closing out of many more reasonable options. We have seen the consequences of the absence of dialog in the many wars that have been fought in the region. For the same reason of encouraging dialog and understanding, I approve of David Skorton's recent trip to Iran which was intended to establish better lines of communications between academics in the US and Iran. Dialog among reasonable people builds understanding and trust, something sorely lacking in that part of the world.

The terms of the gift allow for open dialogue and academic freedom including no restrictions on who at Cornell may be part of the research team. Part of the research is to be conducted at the KAUST Campus in Saudi Arabia which is designed to be open to anyone and everyone. President Emeritus Frank Rhodes wrote the University’s charter and sits on its International Advisory Council.

The Saudi regime has many flaws and its political excesses have been well chronicled. More recently, a framework for regional peace enunciated by King Abdullah is being given consideration by all parties in the region including Israel. In a region where progress is measured in baby steps, it was interesting to note that, several months ago when Israeli President Shimon Peres was addressing the World Religion Conference at the United Nations, King Abdullah did not walk out on his speech. Earthshattering news, not quite. But a baby step toward dialog.

I am pleased that Cornell is part of that dialog.

Andrew H. Tisch ’71

Cornell Trustee