According to reporters Billy Gunn and Karina Vailes of The Town Talk, Louisiana College, the small Southern Baptist institution in Pineville, Louisiana, apparently considered asking the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Kuwait for $70 million, $35 million per country, in order to help fund the creation of the George H.W. Bush School of Medicine.
Quoting:
A draft proposal for the Louisiana College medical school indicates that the private Baptist college was looking at funding from two Middle East countries and naming it after a former president, but officials said Friday that proposal never was pursued.
The document, which was posted on the Save Our LC Internet message board, says the medical school would be “A Public/Private International Model of (the) Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, State of Kuwait, State of Louisiana & Louisiana College.”
Funding from the two Arab countries, the document said, would amount to $70 million.
The document, which LC officials said was stolen by someone and put on the website, states that the school would be named after former President George Herbert Walker Bush, who in 2006 spoke at the school. Bush was paid $100,000 through private donations to speak at LC’s 100-year anniversary celebration, where he was presented with an honorary doctorate.
To be sure, although the leaked document states that LC officials had “reserved” the right to name the school after the former President, LC officials claimed President Bush was never informed about their intentions.
Weird. The whole thing is just weird. Continuing from The Town Talk:
Umbach (LC’s consultant) explained that the origins of the Saudi Arabia/Kuwait draft proposal began after Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana and the Gulf Coast in August 2005. Then, the Kuwait government made a contribution to the state of Louisiana for relief efforts.
When LC school officials became aware that there may be some additional unspent funds, “it all began with the quest to see if some of those funds might be available for a medical school, because a percentage of the relief was suppose to go to Central and Northern Louisiana hurricane safe zones,” Umbach said.
“I honestly think that became a dead end,” said Umbach, whose firm specializes in economic research and analysis. “Apparently those funds were no longer available. We don’t know even how to apply, and that’s where the process kind of started, and where it ended was the ability for us to find other funding a lot closer, and that’s what we are pursuing to get the medical school off the ground.”
Don’t get me wrong here: It’d be awesome if Central Louisiana landed a medical school. No one’s against that. But really? I mean, really? We’re supposed to believe the entire pursuit was because Kuwait pledged $500 million to assist in Katrina relief? It seems a little far-fetched. Plus, it doesn’t account for the proposed $35 million ask to Saudi Arabia. Or the presence of the former President in this whole thing.
CenLamar 
To Greg Aymond:
When did I ever say or suggest that I disliked President George H. W. Bush?
Anyone who knows me also knows how absurd your accusations are.
I can say this unequivocally: Greg Aymond is a liar.
I’m trying to wrap my mind around why this is news (because, it isn’t really). Why would the Town Talk deem it newsworthy what LC is NOT going to do?
One the one hand I can see the left pushing it to paint LC as an extremist school with some overtly non-traditional (read “crazy”) ideas, while on the other I can see the right pushing the Arab funding angle (and not in a favorable light). LC might have pushed the story to show Baptists and Arab Muslims can cooperate and find common ground. I hope that’s the case – it wouldn’t hurt my head as much, anyway.
In any event, the more I think about it, Lamar, the more I agree with your one word assessment of the entire situation, story, details, etc.:
Weird
“Greg Aymond is a liar.”
What did I write that was a lie Freddy?
You yourself wrote that you were very liberal on Facebook.
That you dislike George H.W. Bush is my own personal opinion so that is not a lie because I still hold that opinion. I base that opinion upon you own posting on this blog. You seem preoccupied with negativity toward Republicans but favor most things Democratic.
So while you may disagree with me, I did not lie.
For the record, I do not and have never disliked former President George H. W. Bush. As a matter of fact, I’ve always admired him. When I was a kid, he sent me a personal letter and a signed photo, which I still keep on display in my home office.
You don’t know me, Mr. Aymond. You’ve never met me.
Yet you believe you can divine my beliefs and opinions.
But this is not a matter of opinion. It’s unambiguous. You are wrong. And it’s not the first or the second or even the third time; it’s becoming a matter of routine. And frankly, it’s WEIRD.
This is but one of dozens of funding schemes, dreams, plans and fantasies for the Med and Law schools. LC never lets reality slow them down. If the good Lord wants ’em to have it, He’ll find a way to fund it.
No big deal. They wanted some cash from the oil sheecks. It didn’t work out and they missed the boat on the other funds the state recieved. Next!
“A thousand points of light”
Bush the senior was and is a patriot and hero. I am proud of him and his son GW. Go conservatism go!
I’m with you on Bush-41 (aka “Bush the senior), but I worry about your faith in Bush-43 (aka “W”)! 8 years and he was still saying “nucular”, I mean, REALLY…? By the way, I believe the word is spelled “Sheiks”, not sheeks. Go Jesus go…God doesn’t give a flip about labels like “Conservative, Liberal, Moderate, etc. Have a blessed day…
God bless them. If they can get the money more power to them. Go Med schools everywhere!