Bryn Mawr mulls a campus in Abu Dhabi.(NEWSWATCH)

Courted by officials in the oil-rich Middle East, leaders at Bryn Mawr College PA are considering becoming the first U.S. women's college to set up a campus there, but some faculty and students are leery.

President Jane McAuliffe, an Islamic-studies scholar who took office in July stressed that discussions are preliminary, but a group of faculty has already visited Abu Dhabi. "The notion of being able to educate future women leaders in a part of the world that very much needs leadership is very exciting,'' she said.

Abu Dhabi is one of the seven members of the United Arab Emirates, which a 2007 State Department report described as having curbs on civil liberties, allowing domestic abuse of women and trafficking in women and children and restricting homosexuals and Israelis.

Faculty ...