In 1995, Dr. Mar wan Abou-Rass, chair manof the Department of Endodontics at the University of Southern California, ,vas sitting on the balcony of the Kapalua Beach Hotel in Maui, dreaming. USC’s innovativepresident, Dr. Stephen Sample, had challenged the faculty to come up with bold ideas to give the university agreater global role. Dr. Abou-Rass ,vrote out a lengthy plan that day that he hoped” ‘ould bring the bestof Los Angeles dentistry to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He kne,v it was a countr y that had shown itself capable of making revolutionary changes, quantum-jumping from a nomadic deser t culture to the ,vorld’s greatest petroleu,n po,ver within a few decades.