UC Berkeley may finalize a controversial deal today to shape a new Saudi Arabian university with the participation of the campus' mechanical engineering faculty, campus officials said yesterday.

The deal, which could be sealed today or early this week, would call for a panel of UC Berkeley professors to assist in developing the mechanical engineering curriculum at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, currently under construction.

The panel members, who have yet to be finalized, would also help recruit the new university's faculty and collaborate on joint research projects exploring alternative energy and other fields, said Albert Pisano, chair of the mechanical engineering department. Some UC Berkeley faculty members would travel to the Middle East, while others would contribute from campus.

The Saudi Arabian university invited up to a dozen other American institutions, along with UC Berkeley, to contribute efforts to different engineering fields, Pisano said.

Mechanical engineering professor Masayoshi Tomizuka said memos regarding the potential arrangement have been circulating within the faculty since last fall.

Several other engineering professors declined to comment on the deal.

Pisano said the campus has not disclosed the information about the negotiations until now due to their sensitive nature.

"When you're working on an agreement and you have draft agreements that are changing due to revisions, then it would seem premature to announce details of a deal that may be changing," he said.

Karl Olson, outside attorney for the Contra Costa Times, said he had asked UC Berkeley officials to reveal the deal's details, but the campus denied his requests.

"When it comes to open government, I would have to give the UC administration a grade of 'F,'" Olson said in an e-mail. "The university is trying to keep everyone in the dark."

The Saudi Arabian institution is slated to open in September 2009 near the Red Sea, according to its Web site. The energy-efficient campus will span more than 16 million square meters and house about 20,000 students, faculty, staff and their families.

Some said they worry about the possibility of discrimination or restrictions within the developing university that could negatively impact UC Berkeley.

"I'm uneasy about building a partnership with a university that bans collaboration or participation by scientists on the basis of their nationality," said Ronald Hendel, a Near Eastern studies professor, in an e-mail. "The possibility of theological and gender restrictions is also worrisome."

Yet mechanical engineering professor David Dornfeld said he does not fear discrimination occurring within the new university.

"I assume (it will work in) the same way the campus works to prevent discrimination," Dornfeld said. "It's being held to the same standards we would apply here on campus. If it's not fulfilled, faculty will walk away from it."

Ashley Trott of The Daily Californian contributed to this report.

Tags: KING ABDULLAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY