You might have read that starting in the fall of 2008, Northwestern will offer journalism and communication courses in a new campus in Education City, Qatar. The city is like a strip mall of universities, including Cornell and Texas A&M.

But before signing that release form and taking a trip to the new NU campus, here are a few things you should know:
1. The word "Qatar" derives from the word "to exude."
2. September 3rd is Qatar's July 4th.
3. The country is looking into building an Entertainment City.
4. Most of Qatar is covered in sand.
5. No, Qatar is not that made-up planet on Star Trek... that's Klingon.

It's great that the school is going global, but if resources are diverted from the main campus resulting in the NU slipping down Rice University on the US News college rankings...