USD Magazine, Summer 2004

ban on the public practice of any religion other than that of Islam was lifted, and Christians in Qatar could publicly congre– gate and worship without fear. Word quickly reached Rome, an invitation from Pope John Paul II was extended, and Ghougassian was subsequently knighted by the Pope in the Order of St. Gregory the Great. It's an honor that - decades later - has the power to move Ghougassian to the core. "Today, if you go to Qatar, you'll see Christians worshipping in public," he says. 'Tm grateful and humble to have been used as an instrument of peace and religious freedom. " MAIONGTHE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE His career is filled with jaw-dropping chal– lenges, stunning successes and richly deserved kudos, bur Ghougassian sees each step of his path as an opportunity for even more service to che greater good. As he works to rebuild higher education in the Middle Ease, his latest coup - restoring che Fulbright Program to Iraq - is just one more achievement chat ochers thought impossible. When L. Paul Bremer, administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority, announced the reestablishment of the Fulbright program in Iraq, some would have simply gone through the motions, given the

''All (the other international schools) have a colonial spirit," he says with regret. "I wrote into che curriculum chat non-American students had to be given an education in che Arabic language, grammar, hisrory, religion and literature, in addition ro rigorously fo l– lowing the American curriculum." T hat's something he knows about first– hand, since he himself attended a French international school as a child in Egypt, and che impact of French colonialism on his own education still resonates for him. All of that hard work has paid off for Qatar. "Lots of American corporations are willing today to do business in Qatar," he says, "because they know there is an American school there where they can send their fami lies, fully accredited by Eastern schools and colleges of the United States of America." While he's justifiably proud of his work in Qatar's educational system, there is a greater legacy that Ghougassian can take credit for: bringing about the end of Christian persecu– tion in the country. "A young British priest came to me and wanted me to intervene, since up until then, anyone not Muslim who was caught worship– ping would be arrested," he explains. "He asked me to intervene with religious leaders, so I brought him together with the Iman, the highest religious authority in the country." Ac che end of that meeting, a 14-cencury

relations and a law degree from USD, attending school at night. Upon passing che bar exam, Ghougassian was recruited by che White House and became a senior adviser to President Ronald Reagan in the Department of Domestic Policy. Besides working to develop che admin– istration's immigration and refugee policy, he consulred with che Department of Justice to propose reforms in the Immigration and Naturalization Service, developed policy papers on the peace process for the Department of State's work on che Camp David Accords, and became director of che Peace Corps in che Yemen Arab Republic. After a three-year stint in Yemen - where his duties centered on reversing the negative trend in U.S.-Yemen relations - Ghougassian was named U.S. Ambassador to che State of Qatar, a tiny country in che Persian Gulf that shares a border with Saudi Arabia. He was the first naturalized U.S. Ambassador from the Middle East, and in che job he honed his skills in bringing disparate, antagonistic peo– ples together, realizing such skills could change che world. Given his background and his lifelong love of academia, it's not surprising that one of Ghougassian's first efforts in the country, in che mid- l 980s, was to found che first accred– ited American international school. The school - which still exists today - provides education to more than 1,600 students. He wrote the bylaws, negotiated with che govern– ment, identified che members of che board of trustees and wrote che curriculum. It's che latter effort Ghougassian takes che most pleasure in, given his own antipathy toward che typical standards at such schools. Because many non-American students attend, he took pains to design a curriculum chat would serve all students, not just Americans. le Po

tight deadlines set down by the State Department. Nor so Ghougassian.