Last week the leaders of four American universities in the Middle East visited Washington and New York to present a simple message: Don't forget about us. "The American public is seeing nothing but bad-news stories coming out of the Middle East," said David D. Arnold, president of the American University in Cairo, who met with editors of The Chronicle along with Winfred L. Thompson, chancellor of the American University of Sharjah; John Waterbury, president of the American University of Beirut; and Joseph G. Jabbra, president of Lebanese American University. "But there are some good-news stories out there," Mr. Arnold continued. "There are some success stories, and these four institutions represent the best aspects of American education, society, and culture. And in many ways, they are the best possible face this country could be putting forward in the region." To get the word out, the four met with State Department officials, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, higher-education associations, think tanks, universities, foundations, and various news-media outlets. The quartet said that people are often surprised to learn there are universities in the Middle East that are coeducational, teach in English, and have, or are in the process of getting, U.S. accreditation. This article presents further excerpts from the conversation.