Via @cornellsun, Cornell received over $3 billion in foreign funding, ranking second only to Harvard among all U.S. universities in foreign funding, according to recently released Department of Education data. Qatari gifts and contracts make up the vast majority at $2.3 billion. The University points to the operation of its medical campus in Doha as a primary driver for these transactions. However, the reported funding from Qatar exceeds the medical school’s stated operating budget. This discrepancy highlights the massive scale of the financial relationship between the administration and the Gulf state. According to the data, Qatar is the biggest foreign funder of American universities by far. Cornell is the largest recipient of Qatari funding by far. Administration officials maintain these global partnerships are essential for research and training. But the sheer scale of this capital inflow raises questions about the Gulf state’s influence on our campus and role in shaping the campus climate.