Faculty Council Chairwoman Sue Estroff said most of the concerns about the school in Qatar relate to civil liberties, academic rights and faculty safety.
The proposal for a business school in Qatar's capital, Doha, came about when a wife of the ruling emir offered UNC an undisclosed amount of money to launch a satellite campus. Qatar is a small Middle Eastern nation located near Saudi Arabia.
Estroff and Chancellor James Moeser answered questions focused on the academic freedom of faculty members and on the campus's objective.
Estroff said UNC has been "assured in the strongest terms" that professors in Qatar will have free expression. "As long as you don't make very negative remarks on their religious beliefs, intellectual freedom will be respected," she said.
In reference to questions about the school's purpose, Moeser said Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Misnad, the wife of Qatar's leader, who offered money to start the campus, wants to "build a society that educates its own people."
"(Al-Misnad) wants Doha to become the educational center of the Gulf, and this (business school) will jump start and build quality," Moeser said.
The University administration plans to conduct an electronic poll during the next month to determine the opinions of faculty members on the school in Qatar. Council members will discuss the results of the poll at the council's next meeting.
The council also voted to approve the proposal for a new bachelor of science degree in information science. Only a minor and a graduate degree are offered now by the School of Information and Library Science.
Joanne Marshall, dean of the School of Information and Library Science, said the idea for the major stemmed from a high demand for the information science minor and the evolving technological needs of the Triangle area.
