Co-education in Saudi Arabia

Things are changing for (some) women in Saudi Arabia, in hopes of combating extremism in the region:

Saudi Arabia opened its first co-educational university on Wednesday, a high-tech campus with massive funds which reformers hope will spearhead change in the Islamic state.

Western diplomats hope the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), which has attracted more than 70 professors and 800 students from abroad, will stimulate reform after recent setbacks such as shelving municipal elections and cancelling cultural events opposed by clerics.

via Saudi Arabia opens first mixed-gender university | Lifestyle | Reuters .

It’s also been reported that women students will be allowed to drive on campus, something generally prohibited in Saudi Arabia. You can take a virtual tour of the new university below: