0 auctoday new size - the american university in cairo · blending public diplomacy and...

On the cover: Mohamed Kazem on stagebefore a concert in Cairo, photographed byAhmad El-Nemr

ContentsThe youngest members of the AUC community at lunch inthe daycare center on the Greek Campus Page 30

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FEATURES8 BROADCASTING SCHLEIFER

A pioneer in TV journalism in the region and a teacher to generations of correspondents,Abdallah Schleifer, director of the Adham Center for Television Journalism, retires.

10 A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWNA look inside the freshman-year experience of four LEAD program students, each a top performer from a public school in one of Egypt’s governorates.

14 MAIN MADE BIOLOGYHaving seen every class of biology majors to graduate from AUC,Andrew Main is a face few biology alumni forget.

16 DIPLOMATIC RHYTHMSBlending public diplomacy and singing, Mohamed Kazem ’86, ’89 is finding new ways to advocate change.

20 COMMENCEMENT COUNTDOWNThe Class of 2005 counts the minutes to graduation and a new beginning.

23 CAIRO AFTER COLLEGEFour presidential interns get an insider’s view of AUC and Cairo.

26 VIVA ESPAÑAArt students take their class to Spain, exploring the likes of Picasso and Gaudi firsthand.

28 PROFESSORS IN PRINTFrom animal mummies to the media and 9/11,AUC professors publish leading work.

30 FROM DAY ONE TO DAYCAREFrom a humble start to new campus plans, the AUC daycare is grooming toddler alums.

DEPARTMENTS3 AUSCENES

Linda Vester is elected to Board ofTrustees, Fadel Assabghy steps down asdean, Condoleezza Rice on campus

37 ALUMNI PROFILESYasmine ’99 and Farida ’00 Khamis on life inside one of Egypt’s leading companies and their family business

32 ALUMNI NEWSAlumni meetings around the world,Distinguished Alumni Awards, agathering of IT alums

37 CLASS NOTESClass updates, weddings and deaths

40 AKHER KALAMMohamed Berray ’05, a graduate ofthe Forced Migration and RefugeeStudies program, has found his callinghelping refugees in his hometown ofSierra Leone

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32 AUCTODAY Summer 2005

The American University in Cairo is anonprofit private institution devoted toproviding English-language liberal artseducation to serve Egypt and theMiddle East.

Editor in ChiefDina Abulfotuh

Senior DesignerInas Tohamy

DesignerRehab Farouk

Staff WritersDalia Al Nimr, Lamya Tawfik,WaelElazab and Robtel Pailey

Advisory BoardAnn Boudinot-Amin, annual givingoffice; Gretchen McCullough, Englishand comparative literature department;Afaf William, alumni office

PhotographersAhmad El-Nemr, Omar Mohsen

AUCToday is published three timesa year by the American University in Cairo.

We welcome all letters. Submissionsmay be edited for space and clarity.Please send all correspondence to:AUCTodayThe American University in Cairo113 Kasr El Aini StreetPO Box 2511Cairo 11511EgyptorAUCTodayThe American University in Cairo420 Fifth Avenue,Third FloorNew York, NY 10018-2729USA

e-mail: [email protected]

AUCTODAYSummer 2005

Volume 13, No. 3

InBox

If you were to walkinto our offices in thecommunications andmarketing department,one of the first peopleyou would see is 23-year-old Liberian-nativeRobtel Pailey, our internfor the 2004-05 academicyear. If for any reason youdidn’t notice her, thealways boisterous “goodmorning” is sure to catch your attention.

In many ways Robtel is our own experiment in cross-cultural dialogue andunderstanding.With a continuous flow of scholars to campus, often discussingissues like understanding the other, misconceptions about the Arab world andthe need to build bridges, it is amazing how simple it can be to createexperiences that can be transforming. Initiatives like the dialoguing project,which has AUC students videoconferencing with their peers from U.S.universities, the study-abroad program and the presidential intern program allprovide the types of interactions that gradually shatter stereotypes.

Each year, between six and eight presidential interns, like Robtel, are assignedto various departments on campus, where they work alongside full-time staff,assuming regular work responsibilities.Their contributions to the work and thefresh perspectives they bring are naturally invaluable.Their even greatercontribution, however, is on a much more personal level.When you bring ayoung graduate of a U.S. university and throw him or her into a typical officeof predominantly Egyptian professionals of a much older age group, cultureshock has to hit in both directions.

At a dinner held for this year’s interns, I was struck by the impact of thisexperience on them.While several admitted not knowing what to expect whenthey first arrived, all of them left with a greater respect for a new culture andplans to one day return.Almost all of the interns reported being moved by thewarmth of the relationships and the support they received from the people theymet in Egypt.

On the flip side, just as the interns leave with a unique personal experiencein Egypt, each of them is a small window into their own culture.Throughregular office chit chat, working on the same team day-by-day, Robtel becamejust another one of us. It is remarkable how far a one-on-one conversation overa bowl of koshari can go in bringing about cross-cultural understanding.

Editor’s Notes

Dina Abulfotuh

Robtel and I about to devour a bowl of koshari

The Koshari ConnectionFlopped Flip

Thanks for anattractive [Spring 2005]issue with interestingarticles. I’m sure you'vealready noticed that thephoto on p28 is flipped— compare rings,cutting hand andwriting on sweateragainst p27.

I read the article onvideoconferencing justafter listening to a gueston a radio programwho has just had a book published on the killing of theEnglish language. One of his examples was the noun“dialogue” and how it seems to be used increasingly as averb. From that a new noun “dialoguing” has been created,and I see that in your article “dialoguing” is now also anadjective. I’m afraid that I’m in the same camp as the writerand prefer “talk to” rather than “dialogue” as a verb, and Iprefer “dialogue” as the noun rather than “dialoguing.”

Sandy DarlingOntario, Canada

Making ContactI was reading the AUCToday Spring 2005 issue and cameacross the article on Dina Sarhan. I am very interested inlearning how to cook and was very happy to read aboutDina.Therefore, I would like to get her e-mail or contactnumbers. Is there anyway you could help me with this?

Salima Barakat ’01Cairo, Egypt

Dina Sarhan Culinary Solutions103 Mirghany St., 1st floor, Suite #2, Heliopolis, Cairo Telephone: (02) 290-3343

Keep It ComingI must say that AUCToday has improved a lot, but I still

think it could be more interesting.The style of reporting isvery formal, and the stories covered are important to AUCbut not catchy.Why don’t you deal with controversialtopics that trigger debate, such as the issue of niqab (faceveil) at the university or whether or not the quality ofeducation at AUC is the same now as it was in the past?Why not tackle issues that affect AUCians, such as careeropportunities, rising unemployment and how AUC studentscompare to those from private universities? Even fun topicssuch as love relationships between AUCians and whether ornot they develop into marriage would be nice to read.

Also, it would be very useful to have a calendar of AUCevents in the magazine.As an alumna, I would like toattend lectures, plays and concerts that take place at theuniversity; I just don’t know when these events arehappening. Having such a calendar in AUCToday wouldhelp alumni keep in touch with AUC.

Nouran Sharshar ’01Cairo, Egypt

Thanks for the feedback.You can sign up to receive a monthlyalumni e-newsletter containing a full calendar of AUC events andupdates by visiting www.aucegypt.edu/alumni — Ed.

New Campus RealityI was very impressed withthe cover of the Spring2005 issue of AUCToday.My son was a year abroadat AUC more than 10years ago, and I have beenkeeping up with AUC’snews ever since throughthe magazine. I knew thatAUC was building a newcampus and was glad tosee that construction hadfinally started on the buildings. Good luck with this hugeand ambitious project.

Ferial AtiaVirginia, United States

We Would Like to Hear From YouAUCToday welcomes letters from readers. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Please send to [email protected] or Editor,AUCToday, Office of Communications and Marketing, 113 Kasr El Aini Street, P.O. Box 2511, Cairo 11511

Summer 05 final 4.qxd 10/23/05 1:09 PM

From graduate student to dean ofthe School of Sciences and

Engineering (SSE), Fadel Assabghy’sconnection to AUC goes back morethan 40 years.Assabghy said that hehas spent “his entire adult life at theuniversity,” passing through manyprofessional milestones.

This semester,Assabghy will stepdown from his six-year position asdean to go back to what he describesas his true passion: teaching.“Iconsider myself first and foremost ateacher. I was only on loan to theadministration,” he said.

But Assabghy will not be withoutadministrative responsibilities. He willalso be heading the newly establishedScience and Technology ResearchCenter, which he helped initiate.“Thiscenter is a big challenge; I feel a greatsense of satisfaction because it hasdeveloped from nothing,” saidAssabghy.“It has enormous potential,but at this stage, it is still in its infancyand has to be nurtured.”

Directly after receiving his doctoratefrom Keele University in the UnitedKingdom in 1970,Assabghy joined thephysics unit at AUC where he wasinstrumental in developing theelectronics option as an appliedprogram within the physics major.

“I remember my first teaching dayvividly. I was still green; I felt self-conscious and not confident of doingthe right thing,” he said. Over theyears,Assabghy did many things rightat AUC, most notably the accreditationof most of the SSE’s departments.

Assabghy joined the university in1963 as a graduate student.“Therewasn’t a Greek Campus or a sciencebuilding or even a physics major,” hesaid, adding that seeing the universitybuild a new campus is exciting.

Assabghy’s former posts at AUCinclude heading the physics unit,directing the Core Curriculumprogram and chairing the UniversitySenate from 1996 to 1998. In 1998,Assabghy was awarded the ParentsAssociation OutstandingTeaching Award.

His research interests andpublications are in the fields ofelectronic properties and Electron SpinResonance studies of glasses andcarbon fibers. He was actively involvedin the inception of the university’sDesert Development Center andhelped direct its solar energy activities.

Engineering Professor MedhatHaroun is Assabghy’s successor andwill take up his new post startingSeptember 1, 2005.


During the Board of Trusteesmeeting held in New York in

May, Kofi Annan, United Nationssecretary-general, spoke in memory ofNadia Younes.The Nadia YounesMemorial Fund was established atAUC last year in the name of the U.N.administrator who died in August 2003during the bombing of the U.N.headquarters in Iraq.

“The Nadia Younes Memorial Fundis a wonderful way to honor acolleague whose memory will remainwith us forever … And a beautifulmemory it is that lives on among all ofus in the United Nations family whohad the benefit of working with Nadia

… Nadia inspired a whole generationof young women –– and men –– bydemonstrating that there were no limitsto what a person with talent,commitment and courage couldachieve.And she inspired all of us,regardless of age, to keep things inproportion,”Annan said.

Contributions to the fund will beused to establish an annual lecture andan award for public and humanitarianservice, in addition to naming aconference and meeting room in theModel United Nations Center onAUC’s new campus.

For information, call (+202)797-5152 or e-mail [email protected]

Kofi Annan Speaks at Event Commemorating Nadia Younes

AuScenes

Fadel Assabghy Returns to True Passion

Broadcast Journalist Linda Vester Elected to AUC’s Board of Trustees

Linda Vester, prominent broadcastjournalist at Fox News channel

for the past seven years and a formerFulbright scholar at AUC, has beenrecently elected as a member of theuniversity’s Board of Trustees (BOT).

Specializing in Middle East affairs,Vester is host of Dayside with LindaVester, the only live newscast on U.S.television that features a studioaudience. Prior to her work at Fox,she spent 10 years as an anchor andcorrespondent for NBC News. Shehas traveled to more than 40countries, covering wars andpolitical strife.

Vester graduated from BostonUniversity with a bachelor’s injournalism and earned an honorsdiploma from the Sorbonne in France.She was a Fulbright scholar studyingMiddle East affairs at AUC, where shetook courses in Arabic, political

science, Islam and history. Shecurrently serves on the board of theInstitute of International Educationand is a member of the Council onForeign Relations.

AUC Board Chairman Boyd Hightnoted that Vester has extensive ties tothe Middle East, specifically to AUCand Egypt.“It is an honor for theuniversity to have such a distinguishedjournalist as a member of its boardand we look forward to working withMs.Vester as AUC continues to play aunique role in creating links betweenthe United States and Egypt,” he said.

AUC’s 38-member Board ofTrustees is composed primarily ofAmerican, Egyptian and Arabindividuals, distinguished for theirprofessional accomplishments in areasrelating to Egypt and the Middle East.Members of the board are volunteers,elected to renewable, three-year terms.

More than 100 companieswere vying for prospective

employees from AUC at theuniversity’s Spring 2005Employment Fair, held on theMain Campus in May.The half-dayfair provides a forum for cultivatingand developing productivepartnerships between AUCgraduates and the corporate world.

Initiated in 1986, theemployment fair was the first eventof its kind in the region and hascontinued to expand until reachingcapacity for the first time this year.Companies, including some ofEgypt’s top multinationals andindustry leaders, were assignedbooths that took over every inch ofthe campus.

AUC alumni and currentstudents came out in droves toflaunt their professional acumen.“As an idea, it sounds good.You getto see what vacancies are open,making it easier for you to apply. Iwas impressed by the amount ofcompanies represented,” said AbeerZiadeh, a graduating senior inpolitical economics.

Having attended the last fourconsecutive employment fairs,graduating senior in financeHussam El Tayeb said,“It’s an edgein the market and seems to getbetter every year.”

Employment FairReaches Capacity

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Bernard O’Kane,AUC professor ofIslamic art and architecture,

recently won the World Prize for theBook of the Year for his volume ofphotographs, Early Persian Painting:Kalila and Dimna Manuscripts of the LateFourteenth Century.

“It will introduce people to a picturebook, as well as interesting stories,” saidthe quarter-century veteran of AUCabout his masterpiece co-published byAUC Press and I.B.Tauris, London.After spending four years fundraisingfor the publication, O’Kane wasecstatic to see his hard work anddedication pay off.

Held in Tehran last February, theaward ceremony was presided over byPresident Mohammad Khatami whobestowed gold coins upon therecipients, an ancient Iranian customfor honoring prizewinners.“I was veryimpressed that he would involvehimself in such a ceremony; it speaksvolumes for the interest in culture inthe country at large and in governmentcircles,” said O’Kane in retrospect.

A linguist of the first degree, theIrish national speaks fluent Arabic,Persian, French and English.Addinganother honor to his list of credentials,he was awarded the special prize forbooks published on the Middle East bythe government of Kuwait at last year’sannual celebration of the BritishKuwaiti Friendship Society.

AuScenes

Arabic Studies ProfessorWins World Prize

The new campus developmentoffice will go down in AUC’s

history as the first to move to the newcampus.The step was taken in April asa means of enhancing day-to-daywork interaction.“We have three groups on site that

require continuous interaction at thisstage of the project: the contractor, theproject management team and AUC’snew campus development team,” saidAshraf Salloum, director of planningand design for the new campus. Henoted that as project tasks haveswitched from design to constructionactivities, the office’s presence at thesite is critical at this stage.To ensure direct coordination for

both the project management teamand the new campus developmentteam, a site office has been established

next to the contractor’s office.Preparations for the move includedcommunication systems and data linksto university networks.“We’re quite excited as we move

from the established vision in thedesign documents to actual realizationof the new campus,” Salloum said.Inas Mikhail, assistant to the

director of planning and design atthe new campus development office,liked being one of the first to moveto the new campus.“Although themove was incredibly hectic andrequired a tremendous amount ofwork, as an alumna, I feel veryexcited about being a part of AUC’shistory,” she said.The new campus project will be

completed by September 2007 at anestimated cost of $300 million.

First AUC Employees Move to New Campus

Working to foster collaborationbetween educational

institutions in the region,AUCwelcomed Sheikh Sultan BinMuhammad Al-Qassimi, ruler ofSharjah, for a meeting with PresidentDavid Arnold,AUC Trustee MoatazAl-Alfi,AUC Advisory TrusteeEsmat Abdel Meguid and topuniversity administrators.

An avid supporter of effectivepedagogy in higher education,Al-Qassimi founded the AmericanUniversity of Sharjah in 1997.Al-Qassimi visited AUC to exploreways in which the two institutionscan cooperate on joint projects.Future collaborations include linking

scientific research centers and facultyof similar interests in the humanitiesand social sciences, as well asestablishing exchange programs.

Al-Qassimi was briefed onAUC’s new campus constructiondevelopments and work progress.Anart patron and connoisseur, the sheikhalso added AUC’s Rare Books andSpecial Collections Library to his tourof the university.

After obtaining an undergraduatedegree in agriculture from CairoUniversity,Al-Qassimi went on toreceive a doctorate in history fromthe University of Exeter in theUnited Kingdom. He has made giantstrides as the ruler of Sharjah and is

credited with facilitating progress inseveral areas including the economic,agricultural, social and culturaldomains.

Ruler of Sharjah Discusses Joint Collaboration Projects with AUC

Condoleezza Rice Calls for the Government to Have Faith In Its People

Foundation works are underway for the new AUC library

President David Arnold (right) presenting Al-Qassimiwith a facade of AUC

Speaking to a packed audience in Ewart Hall, U.S.Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice addressed the

Egyptian government, the up-coming elections and theemergency law, within the context of democracy in theMiddle East.

Rice called for the Egyptian government to have faithin its people and stated that it “must fulfill the promise itmade to its people and the rest of the world, to be free tochoose … Egypt’s elections, including the parliamentaryelections, must meet objective standards that define everyfree election.”

Though in the past the United States has been seen tosupport dictatorial regimes, Rice made it clear that theBush administration had no intention of now imposingdemocracy, but that it did see autocratic countries as along-term threat.“For 60 years, my country, the UnitedStates, pursued stability at the expense of democracy inthis region, here in the Middle East, and we achievedneither,” she said.“Now we are taking a different course.We are supporting the democratic aspirations ofall people.”

During an open question session, Rice was asked aboutthe relationship between the United States and Europewith regard to Middle East policy.“I’ve been saying to ourEuropean allies let’s stop analyzing the state of the U.S.-European relationship and put that relationship to goodwork toward great strategic goals,” said Rice.“The UnitedStates and Europe share a history of having struggled andhaving sacrificed so that there could be democracyand unity.”

The speech was an indication that the United States willnot be satisfied with just the outward appearance ofdemocracy in the region and that they are looking for theMiddle East to fully embrace it.



Credited with establishing the Adham

Center for Television Journalism and

training countless aspiring journalists in

the region, Abdallah Schleifer has earned

the respect and admiration of his peers

and students

Schleifer

9

One week before AnwarAl-Sadat was assassinated,Abdallah Schleifer, NBC

News producer-reporter and Cairobureau chief, pulled up to the desolate,barricaded residence of the presidentand immediately felt the pricklingbrown hairs on his arms stand up.Aterrible sense of dread transformedinto empathy for the presidentbecause “I had this feeling of a manabandoned. It had all the elements ofa Roman tragedy.”

As the rolling camera dawdled about,Schleifer’s London-based network newsdirector advised him to throw in a lastminute, outrageously tangentialquestion.“So I told our correspondent,Paul Miller, to ask Sadat about his mosttriumphant moment as a Muslimleader.” On U.S. national television,Sadat admitted for the first time toworking closely with the CIA to fundand arm the Afghan mujahideen militiaagainst Soviet forces.The bombshell

news item sent ripples through theCold War press like fire crackling shots,further sealing Schleifer’s fate as a risingjournalistic star.

Nearly three decades later, Schleifer isnow slated to retire from AUC asdirector of the Adham Center forTelevision Journalism after launchingseveral enduring institutions in his 22years of service to the university.AUCTrustee Paul Hannon captured many ofthe sentiments inside AUC.“Abdallah islarger than life. He is a superb leaderand mentor. His legacy is in the scoresof his students and their continuingaccomplishments and contributions,”said Hannon.

Schleifer left NBC News to joinAUC’s faculty in 1983 and was asked toestablish a TV news-training center,which he opened within a few years.The Adham center has been describedin countless articles in the Egyptian,Arab and international press as theprime location for training journalists

in the region, competitive with anyequivalent center in the United States.Michael Hudson, director ofGeorgetown University’s Center forContemporary Arab Studies, praisedSchleifer for bolstering Adham’scapabilities.“As founder and director ofthe Adham center at AUC, hecontributed positively to theinformation revolution in the Arabworld.Abdallah also made outstandingcontributions to our understanding ofIslam and Islamic civilization,” he said.

Today, the center’s alumni areanchors, producers, correspondents andvideotape editors at every major Arabsatellite channel and mainstreamEgyptian TV channel. Its graduates alsowork for media giants such as BBC,CNN and Time Warner’s New York 1and hold prominent positions in theprint media as well.

In addition to launching the Adhamcenter, Schleifer founded TransnationalBroadcasting Studies (TBS), an electronic

journal published twice a year, now inits eighth year. Currently the nichepublication for reportage, research anddebate about Arab satellite television,TBS has an estimated global readershipof nearly 10,000 mass communicationscholars, broadcasters, journalists andgovernment officials trackingbroadcasting in the Arab and Muslimworld.“Due to his vision andfoundation of the electronic journalTBS, the international academic andjournalism communities now look firstto AUC when they have questionsconcerning the Arab media,” said AUCPresident David Arnold. Even on thebrink of retirement, Schleifer is stillmaking strides, recently overseeing thelaunch of a print edition of TBS.

While Schleifer’s stellaraccomplishments are impressive, thelasting impression he has made on hiscolleagues in the field and studentsonly exceeds his achievements. MiretteMabrouk ’89, ’90 an Adham center

graduate and publisher of The DailyStar Egypt, spoke of Schleifer’scommitment to ethics in a field wherethere is intense pressure to get the storyat any cost.“It has been a privilege forme to call him my teacher, and even alarger privilege to call him my friend,”said Mabrouk.

According to Les Crystal, formerpresident of NBC News, Schleifer wasthe epitome of journalistic integrity.“Abdallah Schleifer represented thevery best in journalism.With him asour bureau chief in Cairo, we nevermissed a story; and thanks to him, Ibelieve we always got it right,” said thecurrent executive producer ofNewsHour with Jim Lehrer.

Born in New York, Schleifer is agraduate of the University ofPennsylvania and received his master’sin Islamic political thought from theAmerican University in Beirut.A 69-year-old of Jewish origin whoconverted to Islam 40 years ago,

Schleifer (formerly Marc Schleifer) is afrequent contributor of articles on massmedia as well as Arab and Islamic affairsto scholarly and specialist journals.While he plans to “make time for morephysical and spiritual exercise” afterretirement, he will remain connected toAUC as professor emeritus.

A Renaissance man, Schleifer hasinterviewed notorious figures, scuttledthrough enemy territory, befriendedpresidents and achieved success in theprofessional and personal realms. NewYork Times op-ed columnist and AUCalumnus Thomas Friedmanencapsulated Schleifer when he said:“We Middle East correspondents aresomething of a fraternity and Abdallahhas always been a credit to our littleclub. He is intensely independent,honest and a wonderful explainerabout both Islam and the Arab world.He has been a great bridge-builderbetween cultures.” r

By Robtel Pailey

Far left: Schleifer with soldiers in Iraq during theGulf War; top left corner: at work inside the Adhamcenter; top right; Schleifer with the late formerEgyptian President Anwar Al-Sadat; bottom left:receiving the Presidential Award for DistinguishedService with Provost Tim Sullivan and AUCPresident David Arnold; bottom right: greetingHussein El Sharkawy, vice president for new campusdevelopment, during an event held to honor Schleifer’scontributions

Broadcasting



A League Own

of their

As Fatma Gamal walked through campus on her firstday at AUC, she had a stinging sense of insecurity.“I always had the impression that AUC is a place

where rich, fashion-driven people who are not too seriousmeet, and that made me very uncomfortable,” remembersGamal.“It was also the first time for me to be away from myfamily. I felt drastically homesick, and I didn’t want to talk toanyone or see anyone.”

Today, Gamal is a valuable member of many student-runclubs and conferences at AUC.“I love the campus; I love myfriends; I love the atmosphere,” she said with enthusiasm.

Gamal is one of 54 new scholarship recipients at theuniversity. She is part of the Leadership for Education andDevelopment (LEAD) program instituted this year, awardingtop-performing public school students in Egypt a full tuitionundergraduate scholarship. Funded by the United States

Agency for International Development and the Ministry ofInternational Cooperation, the program aims to build futureleaders for Egypt by instilling in its recipients the knowledge,attitude and skills to become active players in the country’sdevelopment. During their university years, LEAD studentsare required to take part in a community service club andattend a management development program.Top performerswill spend a semester abroad. In addition, they visit threegovernorates every semester to understand local challenges.

For three consecutive years, the program will select a maleand a female public school student from each governorate.This year’s recipients represent the first group of LEADstudents.Though still in their first year, many look back on itas a turning point, reflecting on how things have changed forthem personally, socially and academically. Below, four LEADstudents share their insights on their first year at AUC.

Four students reflect on their first year at AUC, thetransition from public schools and living in Cairo

Name: Fatma Gamal Age: 18Governorate: Marsa Matrouh Major: Intended construction engineering Activities: Arab Youth Development Congress, InternationalConference on Information Technology, EntrepreneursSociety and Phonathon

I simply love joining extracurricular activities and getting toknow people. My friends tell me that I’m overdoing it

because I come home late and that will eventually affect mystudies. But I don’t feel that these activities are wasting mytime; in fact, they help me organize my time. In my firstsemester, I joined only one activity and got bored veryquickly.When I joined several activities in my secondsemester, university life became a lot more interesting. Iworked as a delegate in conferences, an organizingcommittee member in clubs and a fundraiser for specialevents. It was all very exciting –– meeting new people, goingout there and doing things myself and then seeing it allcome together. Joining these activities makes me feel like anew person. I am more self-confident now; I know how todeal with people and difficult situations and, moreimportantly, I feel that I am doing something worthwhile.

To me, the best part of the LEAD program is our regularvisits to Egypt’s governorates. I’ve always wanted to see all ofEgypt, and these visits have made that dream come true forme. It’s awesome getting the chance to meet governors and

government officials and discuss with them problemspertaining to Egypt. It makes me feel important when I sitand have a face-to-face discussion with VIPs.

But I know that these discussions have to lead somewhere.That is why I am constantly thinking of Matrouh.Unemployment there is increasing, and there are no privatesector establishments. My dream is to set up an engineeringcompany there and help rectify the image of the place froma humble tourist area to a modern, civilized urban center.Asa first step toward achieving that goal, I plan to conductliteracy classes there in the summer. I always tell my parentsthat everything I do here at AUC is for beloved Matrouh.

Name: Mark Anis Age: 18 Governorate: Ismailia Major: Intended computer scienceActivities: Alashanek Ya Balady

When I first came here, everything seemed different.The educational system was different, people were

different and the atmosphere was very different. I felt Iwould never be able to adjust to my new environment.But as the days went by, I felt more and more acquaintedwith AUC and its activities.Actually, it became a secondhome to me.

One of the main things that helped me make a smoothtransition was my joining Alashanek Ya Balady student club,which helps the underprivileged residents of one of Cairo’spoorest areas,Ain El Sira. I go there weekly to givecomputer lessons.Although it does take up a big portion of

By Dalia Al NimrPhotos by Ahmad El-Nemr



Name: Mary Hisham Age: 17 Governorate: MinyaMajor: Business AdministrationActivities: AUC Music Group, Cultural Discovery Club

Friendship has taken on a new meaning for me. Back inMinya, conservatism dictated that I choose certain types

of people to talk with. I could not talk to a person whosmoked for fear that people would label me in a bad way. Icould not make friends with a girl who was not dressed

conservatively because she was seen as disrespectful.This pastyear, I learned to accept others and to make all kinds offriends. Just because some people think in a way differentfrom mine or have a different set of values doesn’t mean Ican pass judgment on them.That doesn’t mean giving upyour morals, but acknowledging that people are different.

But the best part of my stay here is the amount of freedomI enjoy –– the freedom to make my own decisions and takeresponsibility for them. Being away from my family meansthat I choose the way I live, handle issues independently andlearn how to deal with problematic situations that come myway. Even small things make me feel independent.At myschool in Minya, our teachers used to do everything; wecouldn’t handle lab equipment or log onto the Internetwithout permission. Now, I conduct my own labexperiments and use electronic resources freely without ateacher looking over my shoulder all the time.

I cherish LEAD because it has opened my eyes to mycountry’s problems. I can’t believe I’m Egyptian and wasn’taware of the dynamics of the situation in my own country.Because we travel to different governorates, I’ve come tolearn about the problems of each governorate and began tothink of how they could be solved. For instance, I got toknow that Fayoum is a great tourist place, but needs to bemarketed as such to attract tourists.Also, the fact that there isno university in Aswan makes it difficult for students fromthat governorate, especially females, to seek higher education.We also went to AUC’s Desert Development Center in

Name: Kareem Omara Age: 19 Governorate: GizaMajor: Economics Activities: Student Union, Entrepreneurs Society,AUCChoral Group

I always used to see things from my side –– the Egyptianand Arab side. Everything was either black or white. But

sitting in class and listening to what students from othercountries have to say made me realize that there is no rightor wrong answer; every person’s contribution adds value tothe discussion and expands your way of thinking. Seeingthings from an international perspective has made atremendous difference in my personality.

To be honest, when I first joined the university, I didn’tthink that my experience would be so positive. I alwayshad the impression that AUC students are a bunch ofsnobbish, spoiled people who don’t study hard and havenothing to do with their country. But, on the contrary, Ifound political awareness on campus, sit-ins to protestagainst the war in Iraq, dedicated community service clubsand student-run events made up of youth who are thinkinghard of ways to develop their country and don’t just talk

without taking action.After studying here for a year, I came to the important

realization that one doesn’t get educated just to receivegood grades.The real meaning of education is teaching youhow to think and getting you interested in new disciplines.That is where I think the liberal arts program isphenomenal. I know that many people think it’s a waste oftime to study subjects that you may not use in the future,but I don’t agree with that view. I like reading aboutphilosophy and scientific thinking even though I am aneconomics major.As you read more, you build upknowledge that would help you take meaningful part indiscussions and debates. I sincerely believe that studying acertain major doesn’t necessarily mean you have to work inyour field of study; the key is to be educated and learnhow to teach yourself.

It’s true that because the LEAD program is so intense, Idon’t go out with my friends or watch TV as much asbefore, but I think it’s really worth it. Every two weeks, wehave speakers from different fields discussing with us someof the challenges facing Egypt as a developing country.Through these seminars, I became more aware of myresponsibility toward my community and began to developa vision.

I always ask myself after these seminars:Will I really beable to help my country after I graduate? I think the answeris that I have to learn well, study hard and take up everyopportunity that comes my way.As a first step, I plan to runfor the Student Union leadership in my senior year to beable to implement a new vision for students and make themaware of Egypt’s needs through interesting events. I believethat entertainment always has to have a message. I also planto start a student club at AUC that would fill any neededgap in the students’ experience. By training myself in theleadership of my university community, I would be takingone step forward in helping my country.A journey of 1,000miles begins with a single step. r

my time, the immense satisfaction I get is unparalleled.Every time I return from a session, I feel happy that I wasable to help poor people and paint a smile on their faces.University life is not just about academic courses; theextracurricular activities help make you a better person,capable of helping others and able to deal with people ofdifferent ages and backgrounds. I distinctly remember thatmany times I had to give sessions on Saturdays and wouldhave exams and papers due the next day, but I always feltcommitted to go. People were waiting for me, and Icouldn’t let them down.

Besides the internal satisfaction I got, I also became moreconfident in my presentation skills. I never thought I wouldbe able to conduct training, but I did.And because I likewhat I’m doing, it has turned out to be successful. In fact,my colleagues and I have developed a manual to be used as

a reference for future training.That’s another thing I learned –– the concept of

teamwork.We regularly attend conferences, conduct paneldiscussions and make presentations on varying topics.Thishas definitely increased my knowledge in different fields, butmore importantly, it has taught me how to work efficientlyin a team: how to get my ideas across but acknowledgeothers’ input, how to plan and prepare things together andhow to consolidate everything into a single piece of workthat we all get credit for. It’s very rewarding.

Looking back at my first year at AUC, I think I’vechanged a lot. I have a vision to play a positive role in mycommunity, though I am unsure of what route to take. I feelthat in everything I do, there is something new to learneveryday.All in all, I’ve become more knowledgeable,creative and responsible.

South Tahrir and saw how a barren, desert land could beturned into a little, green village and farmland.

All this got my mind twirling about what how we, theeducated group, could take our country forward and hashelped develop my vision for the future. I never thought Iwould be able to make a change in my country, but afterLEAD, I have a feeling inside me that I could do something.

It’s not yet clear to me what exactly I want to do, but Iknow I want to be part of a development project for Egypt.Or better yet, I would like to be an AUC professor and teachstudents to develop their own ideas and thinking skills.Thebest thing I’ve learned is that it doesn’t matter what field youspecialize in or what major you choose as long as you areprovided with the means of success.



Main Made Biology

A founder of biology at AUC,Andrew Main’s is a face fewbiology alumni forget

He has traveled with hisstudents to Kenya andAustralia, surprised them in

their finals dressed as Santa Claus andhosted regular dinners at his home forbiology majors.Andrew Main, thebiology professor and department chairwho has served for many students as amentor and guide, is now leaving thedepartment after a decade at AUC.

In his soft-spoken voice, Mainreflects on his time at AUC and hisinstrumental role in establishing thebiology department with characteristicmodesty.When he first joined the

university in 1994, students could notmajor in biology. Four years later, thebiology major was established and thefirst class graduated in 2000.“I’veenjoyed every graduating class. Eachclass meant something different.Thefirst ones were the pioneers whostruggled with us as we tried to getthings right,” said Main.

Prior to joining AUC, Main was nonewcomer to Cairo. Since 1986, heworked as a researcher in the U.S.Naval Medical Research Unit in Cairostudying the West Nile virus andvector-borne disease problems in Egypt

and neighboring North African andMiddle Eastern countries.“By 1992,my contract ended but I had becomefond of Egypt and life outside thelaboratory, so I thought of other waysto remain here.The job at AUCseemed perfect,” he reflected.

Coming from Yale University’sschool of medicine, where he taughtpre-med students, at AUC Main wasappointed head of what was then thebiology unit and taught freshmanbiology and Scientific Thinking, amongother courses.“At first I wasapprehensive, but then I enjoyed

teaching Scientific Thinking. I think it’san excellent course with a lot of roomfor give and take on controversialtopics,” he said.

Enjoyable is the word that he uses todescribe many of his experiences atAUC. It is the enthusiasm and energythat he gives to his work that hasproven contagious among his students.“I enjoy working with the studentsvery much. I think we have a greatbunch in biology in particular. Biologyis not one of those high impact majorsthat people come in to because thereare a lot of jobs out there likeengineering, business or computer

science,” said Main.“Students choosebiology because they like it, and that’s astrong point in making students here inbiology what they are.”

Bearing a charming resemblance toSanta Claus, Main puts those aroundhim at ease.A colleague once told himthat a student admitted being stressedout about the Scientific Thinkingcourse until he met Main.The studentthen knew it was going to be a goodclass when he saw that his professorlooked just like Santa Claus, recountsMain. Main has become a regular at thefaculty and staff Christmas party, where

he dons his Santa costume to thedelight of those around him.“Last yearwhile I still had the costume, I wore itto the finals and surprised the students,”he said.“That’s not a permanent job,just on the side,” he said laughing.

In addition to his Santa-likedemeanor, Main is known for theindividual attention he gives hisstudents, often taking special interest intheir projects and research. In 2001,Main took a few students to Kenya ona camping trip to look at wildlife.Threeyears later, he went on another biologytrip to Australia also to study thewildlife.

Amira El Sherif, biology senior,describes Main as a father figure.“Idon’t think there are words thatdescribe Dr. Main. In addition to beinga good teacher who knows his stuff, hegenuinely and sincerely cares about hisstudents,” she said.

Long after they graduate, students stillkeep in touch with Main by sendingupdates to the weekly newsletter sentout by the department.“We keep closetrack of them.They are an enthusiasticfriendly group and it’s a pleasureworking with them and seeing themsucceed after graduation. Many go on

to graduate or medical schools,” Mainsaid like a proud father.

Beyond instilling a sense ofcommunity in the biology departmentand among his students, Main hashelped groom future generations ofbiologists.“I knew Dr. Main well beforetaking any classes with him. He taughtus how to think like biologists, how toacquire information and how to handleand analyze findings,” said Ahmad ElDroubi, biology senior.

When asked about his greatestachievements at AUC, Main still drawsattention to his students.“I am mostproud of the students,” he said.

After leaving AUC, Main will focuson the research he has been workingon for decades. He will continue tostudy the West Nile virus and the roleof animals in the epidemiology ofHepatitis E at a lab in Connecticut.

Summarizing the feelings of studentsand faculty, Provost Tim Sullivan said,“He was a great teacher, a mentor tomany junior faculty and students and asupportive colleague.We will miss hissense of humor and total dedication tohis students and colleagues.” r

By Lamya Tawfik

Main with students inside the lab; on a trip in Kenya; dissecting inside the biologylab; Main as Santa Claus


17

Fully clad in a suit, tie andsparklingly polished shoes,with the formal, refined

demeanor of a diplomat, MohamedKazem ’86, ’89 sets off to work in apublic diplomacy initiative with theEuro-Arab Foundation in Spain.Forgoing day-long meetings androunds of negotiations that are thehallmark of a diplomatic career,Kazem has carved out another path.Dressed in a shirt and pale black jeans,sounding off melodious tunes on hisguitar and singing songs amid acheering audience who sway theircandles in harmony with his music,Kazem has found a new breedof diplomacy.

Having graduated from AUC withan undergraduate degree ineconomics, a minor in politicalscience and a graduate degree inMiddle East studies, it was notunusual for Kazem to pursue adiplomatic life and join the EgyptianMinistry of Foreign Affairs.Whatmakes him different, however, is his

synergy of diplomacy and music,writing and composing more than150 songs in English,Arabic andSpanish and performing them liveunder the umbrella of publicdiplomacy –– a field in which hereceived his doctorate from Spainseven years ago.

“Public diplomacy is a way toachieve dialogue among peoples andmusic is a bridge,” he said.

Away from the typical theme ofromantic sagas, Kazem’s songs dealwith aspects of the “humandimension:” moments of hope,insecurity, disappointment, love andjoy. These include songs on how timepasses you by quickly, the difference

between dreams and reality, thehorrors of wars and killings, theuncertainties of life and the frustrationfrom unfulfilled goals and unansweredquestions. By focusing on themes thatall people can relate to, Kazem hopesto forge a common understandingamong people from different parts ofthe world.

“We all have things in common, butmay have different ways of expressingthem.That’s where public diplomacycomes in. It is a message to peoplefrom all nations and a key to makingour world a better place,” Kazem said.

Born to a father who worked withthe United Nations and in the field ofhigher education and a mother who isa psychologist, Kazem found himselftraveling extensively with his familyfrom the age of four.Traveling in theMiddle East, Europe, the UnitedStates, Mexico and the Far Eastdeveloped in Kazem a belief thatpeople from diverse backgrounds havemore similarities than differences.“This is when the seed of publicdiplomacy began to grow in me,but I didn’t know it at the time,”he said.

The feeling crystallized inside himas he grew older, reaching a turningpoint at the age of 12 when he spent

Mohamed Kazem ’86,

’89 heats up the stage

with a fusion of

diplomacy and music

Diplomatic

“Public diplomacy is away to achieve dialogueamong peoples, and musicis a bridge.”

Kazem on stage at his most recent concert in Cairo

Kazem reflects on life as a diplomat and musician in his Cairo apartment

By Dalia Al NimrPhotos by Ahmad El-Nemr

Rhythms



the summer at a U.S. camp inNevada.“I made a lot of friendsthere, but was shocked that the salientimage they had of Egypt was peopleliving in the desert and traveling bycamel. I was convinced then thatstereotypes lead to misunderstanding,and something had to be done toalleviate such distorted images.”

Kazem found his calling in music.With a sister who plays the piano and

a cousin who plays the guitar, Kazemalways had an affinity for melodies,developing gradually into a youngguitarist.When he was 15, he teamedwith a drummer friend andperformed concerts at clubs and othervenues.As college students, Kazemand his friends formed a music groupcalled the Harmonix, performing atAUC and other universities, as well asin public theaters. His first tape was

released a year after his graduation,and his latest CD, Stygmatism, wasreleased two years ago.

“I want my songs to express thetrue moments in life –– momentsthat we all share as humans. I want tounderline what is common among us,but also make us accept what is not.It’s not about a clash of civilizations,but more of an alliance or integrationof civilizations,” he said.

Following AUC, in 1991, Kazemwent for a one-year foreign servicetraining program at OxfordUniversity, receiving a certificate indiplomatic studies. Internationalpolitics, trade and law were, of course,part of the learning experience, butfor Kazem it was his interaction with30 junior diplomats from 26countries that made all the difference.“We mingled together in an informalatmosphere and I felt more and morethat many of the differences we focuson are shallow masks, while the real‘us’ lies in the moments of truth weall share as humans when and if wecan afford to let those masks falldown,” he said.

Kazem moved to Madrid, Spain in1993, where he has now served fortwo terms at the political section ofthe Egyptian Embassy. He receivedhis doctorate in international relationsfrom the Autonomous University ofMadrid, specializing in publicdiplomacy and in bilateral andmultilateral cooperation in theMediterranean region. Kazem’s thesisfocused on the image Egyptians haveof Spaniards and the one Spaniardshave of Egyptians as conveyedthrough the mass media.“My researchconfirmed to me that work had to bedone to rectify the impressionspeople of different nationalities haveof one another, and I felt deep downthat art and music were an excellentpath for that.”

Currently, Kazem is a first secretaryat the Egyptian foreign ministry. Heworks in collaboration with the Euro-Arab Foundation in Spain, anorganization focused on promotingdialogue and cooperation betweenthe Arab world and countries of theEuropean Union through research,scientific, educational and culturalexchange programs.

For three years, Kazem hasperformed concerts, delivered lecturesand conducted meetings touringSpain, the United States and Egyptunder the title “In Search ofUnderstanding.” In his concerts,Kazem plays the guitar and sings inthree different languages, focusing hissongs on the universal themes ofhope, fear, frustration and dreams ofpeace and love. His music is acombination of soft rock, pop, rumba,reggae and blues.

Occasionally, Kazem invitesdiplomats from other countries toperform with him. Revenues from hisconcerts are used for philanthropiccauses, which included helpinghomeless children in Brazil andhelping the poor through theactivities of Fat’het Kheir, anongovernmental organizationworking in Egypt.

“Money is not my objective,”Kazem pointed out.“I am a humanbeing affected by my surroundingsand their interaction withaccumulations within me. I want toshare my feelings and thoughtsthrough my songs. I sincerely believethat songs dealing with aspects of thehuman experience will touch people’shearts and souls if they are honestand pure.”

Persistent in the path he set forhimself, Kazem continues to writeand compose his own songs aboutwhat unites and breaks up humans, asthe following excerpt denotes:

To the dream of being at peace withyourself and harmony with others,To love and be loved, and to be happy

without hurting others.It is never easy as it partially lies in

what is said, but more in what is unsaid.

The Unsaid, 1999 r

“I want to underline whatis common among us, butalso make us accept what isnot. It’s not about a clash ofcivilizations, but more of analliance or integration ofcivilizations.”


21

Photos by Ahmad El-Nemr

Commencement Countdown

With 10 hours left to the final walk across the stage,graduates grapple with mixed feelings as they preparefor the grand event

7:15 a.m.A quick breakfast while Mennat-Allah El Dorry, Egyptology major,goes over the plan of the day with her father.“Believe me, you won’tmake it if you leave at six, especially if you have to pick up uncle onthe way,” she says. Fully relaxed, dad tells El Dorry not to worry andjust focus on her own schedule

8:00 a.m.The day begins as El Dorry makes herway onto the street.“We just need towait for a friend who’s going with me tothe rehearsal.” Moments later Wazziarrives and it’s off to Nasr City

10:00 a.m.Celebration is in the air and graduates are quick tocongratulate each other amid warm greetings.After severalcalls for order, El Dorry hears her name and makes her wayto the allocated seating.

4:00 p.m.El Dorry makes her final preparations for theceremony as she tries on her cap.“I just hopeeverything goes smoothly; it’s already been a longday,” she says with nervous anticipation

8:30 p.m.The moment El Dorry has been waiting for finallyarrives.“It’s been a long time coming but I’m gladI finally have it,” El Dorry says with a smile

For many of this year’s graduates, commencement marks a long-awaited milestone thatends one chapter of their lives and ushers a new beginning.To find how a typicalgraduate spends the day leading up to commencement, AUCToday followed Mennat-

Allah El Dorry, an Egyptology major, from the time she woke up for breakfast until the walkacross stage to receive her diploma.Working toward her degree for four years, El Dorry was excited to have finally arrived at her

graduation.Though she may have had to endure sociology, philosophy and Arabic classes, she saidthat it was her zeal for Egyptology that kept her going. She also managed to gain workexperience during her time as a student, working with both the former AUC public relationsdepartment and the enrollment office.Among El Dorry’s most memorable experiences at AUC ismummifying a fish that she can now treasure forever as a memento of her life at the university.



Top right: Zeyad Bahaa-Eldin, chairman of the GeneralAuthority for Investment andFree Zones, delivers thegraduate commencementaddress; center right Sixgraduates receive the President’sCup for scoring the highestgrade point averages; bottomright: Aliaa Rohaiem,representative of the master’sdegree candidates, addresses thegraduates

Cairoafter

Inside AUC’soffices, fourpresidential internsselected from topU.S. universitiesspend 10 monthsworking at theuniversity, learningabout Egypt andthemselves in the process

Most people rarely take timeoff to unearth their life’spassions. Familial

responsibilities, a demanding career andthe daily routine seem to eat up theyears, while the list of unexploredpossibilities continues to linger.

Each year, six presidential interns —fresh graduates of U.S. universities allunder the age of 25 — opt for adifferent track during a 10-month stintin Egypt.Taking a short detour fromthe expected job applications andgraduate school programs thatinvariably follow after college, theseyoung men and women set out toexplore new frontiers.

Established in 1981,AUC’spresidential internship programprovides graduates of some of the mostprestigious universities in the UnitedStates with the opportunity to work inAUC’s administrative offices. In twodecades, the program has broughtmore than 150 graduates to Egypt,many of whom have gone on tocareers in academia, journalism,international development, diplomacy,law and banking. Former AUCpresidential interns include aMacArthur Foundation awardrecipient, a CNN White Housecorrespondent, an aide to former U.S.Secretary of State Madeleine Albright

and numerous authors of acclaimedbooks on Middle East history.

This year,AUC’s presidential interns,who hailed from Connecticut College,Davidson College, Harvard, Howard,and Stanford universities, plunged intothe Cairo scene. Beyond experiencingtheir first full-time professional jobs atAUC, the interns developed theirArabic language skills, spearheadedoutreach projects, occupied themselveswith cultural exploration and engagedin personal development.

Reaching to RefugeesFloridian Sean Brooks established a

natural rapport with Omar Idris, oneof his students at St.Andrews Church,and was immediately enveloped intohis family.Amidst a booked schedule inthe president’s office drafting andediting correspondences, preparingspeeches and conducting research,Brooks squeezed in several hours eachweek instructing refugees in English.Idris was his top student.“In exchangefor teaching Omar’s sister on the side,his mom fed me,” said Brooks with acontented smile.

During dinners filled with heapingplates of enjera and berbery sauce fromIdris’s native Eritrea, Brooks gleanedinsight about the complexities ofrefugee life.“I’ve learned a lot about

By Robtel PaileyPhotos by Ahmad El-Nemr

College

Caroline Foster


how to wait for a hope that may nevercome,” he said referring to thetransitory nature of refugees in anyurban environment. Refugees oftenwait like lame ducks, and thebureaucratic system that keeps them ina state of flux haunted Brooks.“It’s astruggle for them to build their lives ina country that they want so desperatelyto leave,” he said. Coping with thedaily challenges of racism and povertyin Cairo, Brooks’s students came to St.Andrews for a break in the monotonyand to prepare themselves for possibleresettlement to Anglophone countries.Brooks taught at St.Andrews to findhope in the unseen.

For Brooks, Cairo also represented ahub from which to scrutinize recentdevelopments in the Middle East.Having focused on the region in hislast two years of study at DavidsonCollege, Brooks traveled to Cairo for ayear of immersion.“Being able to readopposition newspapers and watchtelevision in modern standard Arabichas given me the kind of knowledgethat generic textbooks lack,” he said.

Teaching the TeacherA class of 20 pupils at the Modern

English School sat transfixed in theirseats as Center for Adult andContinuing Education (CACE) internCaroline Foster discussed NiccoloMachiavelli’s The Prince. Several handspopped up following Foster’spresentation, and the students began avigorous debate about leadership styles.While some teachers would beunnerved by the cutthroat undertonesof Machiavelli’s seminal text, Fosterused it as a springboard from which todiscuss politics in Egypt.“This mutuallearning is what I enjoy most.There arestudents and teachers in the room andthe positions are not necessarily strictlydefined,” she said.

In addition to establishingpartnerships with CACE and the localcommunity, launching an oral historyproject chronicling the achievements ofthe center and creating a recordmanagement program with AUC’sRare Books and Special CollectionsLibrary, Foster exhilarated in the rushof adrenaline that goes hand-in-handwith teaching.“Teachers have theopportunity to help people feel excitedabout knowledge,” beamed the aspiringmuseum educator.

When she was not in the classroom,Islamic Cairo transformed into a sourceof wonder and awe for Foster. She wasspeechless while standing at the apex ofthe Blue Mosque minaret for the firsttime on a Friday afternoon.

“You can ‘feel it’ when you’re in aplace that contains the history you’vestudied,” said the Connecticut Collegegraduate in medieval studies.

A Portal to AfricaAt the height of a spectacular tribute

to Rastafarian Bob Marley in theEthiopian capital Addis Ababa,Webcommunications intern CourtneyMosby found herself on stage dancingnear the reggae icon’s progeny as theyperformed several of his classic hits.Asprofessional photographers clamoredfor a glimpse of the Marley clan,Mosby stood at arms length snappingaway with ease.

For Mosby, who spent her timecoordinating Web site developmentwith technical, administrative andacademic units at AUC, the true lureof spending a year in Egypt was itsproximity to top travel destinations.Eager to explore the Africancontinent, Mosby grabbed everyopportunity to travel both inside andoutside the country. The high point,however, came during the winterbreak when Mosby developed an

affinity for Ethiopia’s people andlandscape.“While in Shashamane, Iwas also able to understand thespiritual dynamics of Rastafari lifeand culture often misconstrued byoutsiders,” she said about her trip to aRastafarian commune.

As for domestic travel, Mosby foundthe real charm of Egypt encapsulatedin a voyage to Aswan.The HowardUniversity history graduate heard anexclamatory “my sister” from many ofAswan’s residents. It was at this criticalmoment that Mosby as an African-American felt a sense of parallel historywith Upper Egyptians.“I realized thatboth groups were uprooted from theirhomelands and are still struggling tocope with displacement andmarginalization,” she said.

Sports ConnectionIn a fast-paced, action-packed soccer

game at the AUC hostel in Zamalek, afearlessly aggressive Chris Raftery“juked” his first contender withprecision and flair.After a slight fake tothe left, Raftery shuffled to the right, incontrol of the spotted white ball.

When he wasn’t writing and editingpromotional pamphlets for the DesertDevelopment Center (DDC),preparing research project proposals oracting as a liaison between the DDCand the AUC community, former

Harvard University football starRaftery experimented with thenuances of soccer, a game he had neverplayed seriously before coming toCairo. Raftery warmed up to soccerbecause “it is a world communicatorthat transcends class, religion andnationality.” His newfound love of thegame enabled Raftery to make aconnection with people who may haveseemed inaccessible because of age,culture or language barriers.AmongRaftery’s most memorable matcheswere the ones played with members ofAUC’s hostel maintenance staff, whoshowed him their skills on the field andtalked about their lives as Egyptiannationals after the games.“Before Igreeted them with an impersonal nod;now the smiles are friendlier, warmer,more genuine,” he said.

Egypt’s topography left an indelibleimpression on the governmentgraduate. Escaping the pollution,crowds and uproar of the city, Rafterytrekked to the arid regions of Egypt tofind solace in personal reflection.“Itwas the one place where I could be atpeace with myself without the clutterof people and noise,” he admitted. r

The writer, Robtel Pailey, served as thecommunications and marketing intern, whereshe covered events, wrote stories and providedinvaluable input.

“Being able to read oppositionnewspapers and watchtelevision in modern standardArabic has given me the kind ofknowledge that generictextbooks lack.”

“I realized that both groupswere uprooted from theirhomelands and are still strugglingto cope with displacement andmarginalization.”

Chris Raftery Courtney Mosby

Sean Brooks


instructor Tarek El-Akkad, affiliateprofessor in the performing and visualarts department and a specialist inSpanish studies, proposed a wintercourse.“Because of the tight schedule Ithought that the best way to do acourse like this is to take the studentson a field trip to experience thecontent firsthand,” El-Akkad said.“Spain is rich in its art and architectureand Barcelona has influenced everyartist and architect who has lived there.I felt it would be an inspirationalexperience for our students.”

The aim of the course, El-Akkadadded, was for the students to interactdirectly with the subjects they arelearning about.“I could sit them inclass and show them many slides aboutSpain, but they would not know whatthe paintings or sculptures are aboutuntil they experience them themselves.In addition, slides mean that you areseeing the work of art throughsomebody else’s vision, but walkingaround the sculpture or painting,examining it from different angles anddrawing it using your own eyes is atotally different experience,” he said.

With museum visits in the morningand field sketches and library researchin the afternoon, the students had abusy schedule in Spain.Walkingthrough the cities and examining thebuildings, palaces, art galleries andmuseums, the students covered manykilometers on foot.

“How could you visually experiencea city in a taxi?” El-Akkad said,explaining the pedestrian part of thetrip.“The emphasis was on the visualexperience because one picture isworth a thousand words.”

The course began in Cairo, where for10 days, El-Akkad gave his students abackground on Spanish art andarchitecture and an overview of thecourse content.They then took off to

Barcelona, where they attended lecturesby Spanish professors at theInternational University of Catalonia.The rest of the week in Barcelona wasspent visiting museums and examiningthe works of famous artists like Picasso,Dali and the Spanish architect Gaudi.Of course, the students paid a visit to aflamenco dance performance.

“In Barcelona, I was exposed to someof the most inspiring artistic elements Ihad ever witnessed,” said Mai Rashdan,art senior.“I did not only react to whatI saw in galleries; it was the entireatmosphere. I felt the liveliness of thecity and its people and the variation inart schemes that was evident in thedesign of buildings and the intricateartwork on sidewalk tiles.”

For other students, Barcelonaexposed them to a new side of art theyhad not fully grasped before.“I wasnever a fan of Picasso, but after seeinghis artwork firsthand and understandingthe meanings behind it, I appreciateevery piece that belongs to Picasso. Ithink he is an art genius,” El-Sayed said.

In the rest of the cities they visited,the students also learned art from theIslamic period.“I’ve always beeninterested in Islamic art andarchitecture,” said Rashdan.“It was

amazing and inspiring for me to seeeverything in real life and to examinethe details you don’t see in slides. Itadded to my experience as an artist andpushed me to a higher level.”

Though the students were exhaustedby the end of the trip, they all felt thatwhat they gained in knowledge andexposure was worth the fatigue.

“The trip showed me a completelynew side of myself,” said MalakSowellem, a psychology senior.“I neverthought I would be interested in art,but I found out I was. I also realized Icould draw, which is something I neverthought about doing before taking thiscourse,” she said.

For Rashdan, the course helped herdevelop new ideas.“I needed this tripbecause I felt I was repeating myself inmy work and wanted to find newsources of inspiration,” she said, addingthat the Spanish culture with its“vibrant colors, loud music, flamencodances and the intricate designs you seein almost everything around you” is afertile ground for creativity.

“In Spain, many things can inspireyou as an artist,” she said.“I now wantto go back to my studio and work onsomething new and unique.” r

By Dalia Al Nimr

While their counterpartstoiled through thedensely-packed winter

session courses on campus, art studentstook their classroom to Spain. FromBarcelona in Catalonia to Granada andSeville in Andalusia, the studentsdiscovered that the land of flamencodancers, bullfights and nighttime fiestas

is a goldmine of ancient and modernart and architecture.

Through a four-week course,The Artand Architecture of Spain,AUC artstudents spent two weeks in Spain,traveling to different cities, studying theart museums, galleries and buildings byfamous architects while documentingeverything in their sketchbooks.

“Spain to me was nothing more thanflamenco dancers, famous beaches,lively night life and Barcelona’s well-known soccer team. Never before hadit crossed my mind that Spain couldhave [such a rich] art and architecturalworld of its own,” said Salma El-Sayed,an art senior.

The idea started when the course

Art students take theirclass to Spain, exploringthe likes of Picasso, Miroand Gaudi firsthand

V i v a E s p a ñ a


Sharing their expertise, AUC facultymembers contribute innovative publicationsto their fields

Professors in Print

The Illustrated Guide to Luxor:Tombs,Temples and Museums, AUC PressBy Kent Weeks

For the thousands of tourists who flock to one of Egypt’s prime destinations, thisillustrated guide tells visitors what they should expect to see in Luxor.World-renownedarchaeologist and AUC Professor Kent Weeks takes the reader through the hub ofPharaonic civilization from the eyes of an insider.

“The full color photos show the monuments to their best advantage and help in thegeneral understanding of the antiquities and the time period in which they were built,”said Weeks, adding that he hopes that the guide would give readers a chance tounderstand more clearly what they are seeing when they come to the Luxor area.

The book not only provides a comprehensive itinerary through the tombs andmonuments of ancient Thebes and the museums of modern Luxor, but also has extensivechapters devoted to the history of the city and Egyptian religion, as well as advice for themodern traveler on hotels and restaurants.“For all readers I hope to convey the very realfragility of the heritage we are trying to preserve,” said Weeks.

Before the Theban Mapping Project, which Weeks heads, no large-scale attempt wasmade to survey and publish information on the tombs found in the Valley of the Kings.

“I feel that this guide is an extension of the work the Theban Mapping Project isconducting in the valley today; providing information and increasing accessibility willfacilitate us in our attempts at preserving this precious legacy, ensuring that the purposeand use of the antiquities is remembered and respected,” he said.

Divine Creatures:Animal Mummies in Ancient Egypt, AUC PressEdited by Salima Ikram

In ancient Egypt, animals and not just humans were mummified to live, as wasbelieved, forever. Divine Creatures, made up of the work of 10 contributing scholars,looks at the mummified animals of the ancient Egyptians, of which there were fourtypes; food offerings, pets, sacred animals and votive offerings.

“Egyptologists tend to obfuscate, but to clarify is our job,” said Salima Ikram,associate Egyptology professor and the book’s editor.“In the lives of ancient Egyptians,animals played an important part in society.There’s a great similarity with life today asmany cared for their pets.”

In her book, Ikram sought to “blast some myths” like the notion that the ancientEgyptians worshiped all animals. “As far as I know, this is the first book exclusively onanimal cult mummies in ancient Egypt,” she said.

Ikram has done extensive work on animal mummies and is responsible for there-establishment of the animal mummy room in the Egyptian museum. Sheencouraged her students to work in the room and has also involved them intenselywhile she was putting her book together.

But the book is not targeted solely to the avid students of Egyptology.“It’s directedtoward the general reader. Practically anyone who likes animals and thinks they’re cutewill enjoy this book,” she said.

Global Media Go to War: Role of News and Entertainment Media in the 2003 IraqWar, Marquette Books Edited By Ralph Berenger

What started as a bet with a colleague ended up as an important scholarly work onthe behavior of international media during war.“I bet my colleague that therewouldn’t be a war in Iraq because Saddam Hussein would never risk being forced tostep down. I lost my bet, but became enthralled by how the media was behaving,” saidRalph Berenger, journalism and mass communication professor and the book’s editor.

The book is the first scholarly effort to examine the media’s role in covering thewar. It is comprised of the scholarly work of nearly 50 academics, including nine fromAUC and the Middle East, and journalism professionals who are all authorities intheir fields.

The book has received positive reviews by numerous journals and Web sitesincluding the Global Media Journal,Amazon.com and AUC’s own journal, TransnationalBroadcasting Studies. It has also been adopted as a textbook in many media and politicalscience classes in U.S. universities.

“As soon as the tanks moved across the borders, I wanted to be the first to get ascholarly book together about the war. I wanted it to be directed to a generalaudience, to cut through the fog of the war and to show that both the Arab andWestern media were stretching the truth, had incomplete information and inaccuraciesand used various propaganda techniques,” Berenger said.

The Internet in Egypt and the Arab World, Dar Afaq PublicationsBy Rasha Abdulla

In an Arabic book that traces the start and development of the Internet in the Arabworld, Rasha Abdulla, journalism and mass communication assistant professor at AUC,examines the freedom of electronic information flow in Egypt and the Arabworld and how governments have dealt with this new medium.“I think the Internet is abreakthrough in communication, like Guttenberg’s printing press. It gives Arabs a chance,and we either latch on to it or we don’t,” she said.“The introduction of the Internet toour countries provides us with great opportunities.These opportunities are currently notbeing utilized to their maximum potential.”Abdulla also discusses the uses of the Internet in the Arab world, stressing that the

Internet should be used to enhance the lives of citizens in the Arab world. It could also beused to improve the image of Arabs in the West, spread democracy and create a moreactive and empowered civic society. By Lamya Tawfik


30 AUCTODAY Summer 2005 31

with resounding approval, furtherlegitimizing El Ghazaly’s cause.

The center was embraced as anintriguing experiment by friends andsupporters, a blessing by parents and ahome away from home by children. Itwas supported by donated time andhelp, fees and contributions collectedfrom parents, raffles and bookkeepingservices.The space was facilitated andfurnished by the university afterpetitions from staff. Inaugurated in1984, the first center surfaced in the oldZamalek dormitories.As more andmore students enrolled, the modestfourth floor apartment reached capacityand became a potential fire hazard.Thus began an overhaul change,shifting the physical space of thedaycare as it moved from a villa onSheikh Rihan Street to the Old Falakibuilding within a span of eight years.

Currently tucked in the rear of theGreek Campus and overflowing withthe rambunctious laughter of little ones,the center has since developed into amultipurpose facility, providing acomfortable and stimulatingenvironment for children to exploreand discover the world around them.Establishing a daily rhythm conduciveto each child’s development, thesupervisors are skilled caregivers.“Thekids are so open here because that’s thekind of environment we promote ––one that advocates the right to express

their opinions,” said daycare teacherYaquta Mohyuddin, who was teary-eyed after bidding farewell to many ofher students graduating in June.

For AUC employees whose childrenare enrolled in the daycare center, life ismore manageable because of thecenter’s proximity to their offices.As aresearch fellow at the Institute forGender and Women’s Studies, LeslieLewis did not anticipate thebureaucratic rut she’d encounter inEgypt.The mother of two expected asmooth transition to AUC after packingup her husband and kids and shippingtons of boxes from their residentialhome in San Diego, California.ThoughLewis settled into a healthy routineonly recently, her schedule wasn'talways so predictable.

The University of San Diegograduate student was relieved todiscover AUC’s daycare center on theGreek Campus for daughter Sophie, a15-month-old learning both Spanishand English.The erratic move to Egyptupset the natural flow of Sophie’srhythm, and Lewis was hard pressed torestore her daughter’s patternedlifestyle. Unlike the other daycarecenters Lewis visited in Egypt,AUCwas not regimented or rigidlystructured.“Schedules are good withkids, but sometimes they need thevariety to be able to choose activities,”Lewis said, lauding the AUC daycare

for its engaging environment.The dailyschedule at the daycare begins and endswith free choice activities such aspainting, drawing, reading books andplaying with construction toys, puzzlesor play dough. During the day, thechildren engage in themed activities,story, music, computer sessions andgarden play.While conducting researchon the ideological underpinnings ofsecular and Islamic feminists in theMiddle East, Lewis is assured that herdaughter is well taken care of.

Having adopted the daycare as herlife’s work, El Ghazaly, who continuesto serve on the daycare's board, has putin countless hours trying to securerecognition for the center under theuniversity system. Because of thevigilant efforts of the board,AUC hasallotted an area for the daycare on thenew campus to further develop theskills of children and parents alike.“Thisis the first space that was allotted fromthe very beginning,” said El Ghazalywhose daughter is a graduate of boththe daycare and AUC.Administratorsare currently in the process ofcustomizing the new facility toaccommodate a record number of 80children.Though Kiko, Quinlan,Ahmad and Sherifa may not reap thebenefits of Alf Leila Wa Leila on theNew Cairo campus, their successorscertainly will. r

By Robtel Pailey

Protected from the swelteringCairo heat in the cocoon ofAUC’s Alf Leila Wa Leila

Daycare Center, little Kiko, Quinland,Ahmad and Sherifa sit in theirminiature cherry red chairs paintingwhat appears to be a figure representingthe Asiatic island of Japan.While thedimpled Kiko fidgets with the smallbristles of his brush, Quinland pushesaway a mass of auburn curls so as notto obstruct her view.Ahmad and

Sherifa are both riveted by the sheerpossibilities of their creation, attemptingto keep their hands and eyes in sync tostay in the lines.

Nearly two decades before this scenematerialized, the conceptual frameworkfor a daycare center at AUC was still inits infancy.Then a firebrandcampaigner for establishing a facilityon campus, Khadiga El Ghazaly andthree other young AUC employeesspearheaded the initial push.“In the

1970s, there was no such service inEgypt, especially on the private level.The need for the faculty and staffstarted to emerge much later andthe demand was there,” said ElGhazaly, associate director in AUC’sdevelopment office. In the early 1980s,El Ghazaly and colleagues circulated auniversity-wide survey asking membersof AUC’s faculty and staff about theneed for a daycare facility for theirchildren. Fifty-four respondents agreed

f rom

Tucked in the corner of theGreek Campus, one of AUC’sbest-kept secrets has come along way since it first openednearly two decades ago, and thefuture looks even brighter for thetoddler crowd on campus

Day One DaycaretoPhotos by Ahmad El-Nemr


33

Around the WorldUnited Arab Emirates

At La Marquise restaurant in Dubai, more than 100alumni living in the United Arab Emirates spent theevening remembering their days at AUC and catchingup on the latest events in their lives. Organized by thealumni committee in Dubai and coordinated by HebaShaaban ’92, the March gathering brought togethergraduates of all ages and was a day that many hopedwould be a recurring tradition.

President David Arnold and Mary Iskander ’76 with alumni in Dubai

President David Arnold presenting Yousef Jameel '68 with a rendering of the JameelManagement Center on the new campus

United States

Throughout the United States, the AUC spirit was alive, as alumni met inseveral cities across the country.

Alumni meeting in Chicago hosted by Marileez Doss Suter ’72 andWerner Suter at Le Meridien Hotel in May

For her continuous support anddedication to her alma mater and foropening her home to AUC and to itsalumni, administrators and faculty,Marileez Doss Suter ’72 (third fromright) was awarded the DistinguishedAlumni Volunteer Award, as MaryIskander ’76, Sherry Arnold, PresidentDavid Arnold,Tawhida El Askary ’96and Werner Suter look on

Alumni meeting in Houston in May at the Intercontinental Hotel

Alumni meeting in Dallas hosted by Shahira El-Kholi ’91 and Amr Koura at theirresidence in May

Alumni gathering in Dubai

“I definitely hope we can do this on aregular basis. It’s a beautiful feelingwhen you meet someone you know ina place full of strangers.”

Safynaz Rizk ’02

“As a newcomer to the Emirates, Ifeel that I have a community here.All of a sudden, I found myselfsinging:We of AUC forever, raiseour voices now together!”

Ayman Madkour ’89

Qatar

Members of the alumni chapter in Qatar with Lebanese TV star George Kurdahi at the alumnigathering held in May at the Four Seasons Hotel

Alumni and friends of AUC at Sheraton Biscayne Bay Hotel in Florida


“I was a very active student ...and doing any type of activitythat connects me and keepsother AUCians linked toAUC is a pleasure, particularlywhile living abroad. ”

Heba Shaaban ’92


34 AUCTODAY Summer 2005 35

Alumni Chapter Announcements

LebanonLaila Ziada ’57 and Hany Katma ’72 are establishing an alumnichapter in Lebanon and would like to hear from any alumni wholive there. Ziada can be contacted at [email protected]

SwitzerlandAn alumni dinner will be held in Geneva on September 18, 2005.More details to follow.

United Arab EmiratesThe next alumni gathering in the UAE will be a Ramadan iftar onThursday, October 20, 2005 in Dubai. It will be followed by a tripto Al-Ain during the Eid weekend. For alumni who are notregistered on the Dubai list, please contact Heba Shaaban ’92 [email protected]

Saudi Arabia

In April, two alumni meetings were held in Riyadh and Jeddah, in addition to severalluncheons, dinners and individual meetings with prominent figures in Saudi Arabia.

Ahmed Abdullatif ’57 received aplaque from President David Arnold inrecognition of his leadership andcommitment to higher education.After receiving his bachelor’s ineconomics from AUC,Abdullatif wastrained at the International MonetaryFund and in commercial banks in theUnited States and India.A prominent economist and banker,

Abdullatif contributed to theformulation of the Banking ControlLaw in Saudi Arabia and was the firstbank controller. He held several seniorposts throughout his career, includingchairman of the Arab BankingCorporation in Bahrain, managingdirector of Riyadh Bank and foundingmember of the Arab Bankers’Association in London.A believer in the value of education,

Abdullatif helped establish and run theSaudi Institute for Public Education,which aims to eradicate illiteracy, andhas been a big supporter of theAlumni Endowed Scholarship at AUC.“We must concentrate our efforts oneducating our young men andwomen. Economic and financialpower, especially if based on depletableresources, is no match for humanintelligence,” he said.

Seated:Amira Nazer, Sherry Arnold, Samira Bidewy; StandingAbla Leheta El Farouki ’69 and Nashwa Taher

Abla Leheta El Farouki ’69, Hiyam Dajani ’57 and Souhial El Farouki ’68

AUC Trustee Moataz Al Alfi, Kenneth Manotti, Mahmoud Al-Maeina,Nashwa Taher and Sherry Arnold

AUC Trustee Suad Juffali receiving the Distinguished Honorary Alumni Awardfrom President David Arnold and AUC Trustee Moataz Al Alfi in recognition ofher commitment to liberal arts education and her outstanding record of leadershipand service

Alumni meeting in Jeddah

United Kingdom

London-area alums enjoyed an Egyptian-themed day, featuring foodand crafts, as well as a briefing on ancient Egyptian art and magic.

Alumni at Egyptian day in London hosted by Nadia Tewfik ’80, ’99 at Rosslyn Hill Chapel

“I really enjoyed the koshari and the tea with mint.I haven’t spoken in Arabic for almost two yearsnow, so it was like a real homecoming to me.”

Moataz Atallah ’01, ’03

Alumni meeting in Riyadh



’64Joseph Gal currently serves asprofessor of medicine, pharmacologyand pathology, as well as director of theTherapeutic Drug Monitoring andToxicology Laboratory at theUniversity of Colorado’s medicalschool. He can be reached [email protected]

’80Nadia Tewfik (MA ’99) is a journalistwho has worked for leading mediaorganizations including BBC, CBSNews, The Chicago Tribune and theBoston Globe. She is currently pursuinga doctorate at the University ofLondon. Her thesis is titled,“TheConcept of the West in ContemporaryEgyptian Thought.”

’82Ashraf Aziz recently moved fromSydney to New York. He finished hisbooks, A Dictionary of Egyptian Idiomsand Ta’birat Min El Sharei El Massri:Expressions from an Egyptian Street,which will be on sale in July. Hissecond book is like a dictionary thattook him 12 years to write.

’83Ahmed Hassan currently lives inBuroa, a town north of Somalia. Heworks at a private corporation thatproduces wet, blue-tanned sheepskinexported to Asia. He can be reached [email protected]

’85Mohamed Ragheb will be teachingjournalism at AUC from September2005. He is the only Egyptian to havewon the coveted John S. Knightjournalism fellowship in 1991. Ragheb

“You are not givenrespect; you gain it,”

are the words of advice thatYasmine ’99 and Farida ’00Khamis were given by theirfather when they first startedto work at Oriental WeaversCarpet Company, one ofEgypt’s leading corporationsand their family-ownedbusiness.

Today, the two women havenot only earned the respect oftheir co-workers inside thecompany, they are also makingtheir mark on its future.

Yasmine, 27, director ofoperations, recalls her start,“Itwas difficult ... People thought,‘who’s this person –– a female,young and wants to tell uswhat to do and how to do it.’At first I wanted changes and Iwanted them now. I was veryaggressive but I learned that wasn’t theway. I had to show them that what Iwas doing was right, gain their trustand that way gain their respect.”

For Farida, 25, investor relations andinternational business director, thechallenge of proving herself wasequally difficult.“Initially, peopledidn’t understand why I wanted toknow costs, why they should give meour breakdown… There was a lot ofsensitivity and I wanted to createtransparency and awareness,”explained Farida.

Whatever expectations may havebeen placed upon them to join thefamily business, Farida is satisfied itwas the right thing.“I guess it wasassumed, but we weren’t forced.WhenI first graduated, I was more interestedin investment banking and wanted to

gain experience elsewhere so that Icould come back to the companywith more. So rather than justconform, I worked in a field I wasinterested in.”

Yasmine is also pleased about whatthey have achieved.“Initially I wasdoing marketing research and thenslowly started to work on productdevelopment, which was my father’spride and joy,” said Yasmine.“That wasalways the one thing that no one inthe company could do except for himand he wanted to get someoneinvolved to help him and to eventuallyfree his hands of it.”

Despite the struggles of being youngwomen in an Egyptian business,Yasmine and Farida have flourished,along with their company, which nowhas subsidiaries in the United Statesand the United Kingdom.

Class Notes

37

The Dynamic Duo Inside Oriental Weavers

At the event,Akil Beshir (MA ’79) received the Distinguished Alumni Award, which is presentedto loyal alumni who best exemplify the liberal arts ideas, ethics and academic standards of AUCand have demonstrated outstanding achievements in their respective careers and lives.“It is a great honor to be presented this award. I’ve gone through a lot of education

throughout my life, but there is no doubt that in my practical life, the one that had the greatestimpact was the education that I received at AUC,” said Beshir.Beginning his career at Cairo University, where he taught mathematics, Beshir moved on to a

corporate career in 1975 and has held positions in various companies including: managingdirector at Giza Systems Engineering, chairman of Al-Ahly Computer Equipment and vicepresident of the Egyptian Computer Systems. In January 2000, Beshir also took on the crucialposition of chairman of Telecom Egypt, which he continues to hold.

Ayman Ayad ’87, chief executive officer of EnCube, receivedthe Alumni Achievement Award.Ayad has led an impressivecareer with NCR-Corporation, holding many importantpositions with the company across the Arab world. In 1995, atthe age of 29, he was appointed branch manager of NCRQatar and in 1997 received the “The Best of the Best Award.”In June 2000,Ayad left NCR and founded EnCube, the

company for which he currently serves as managing director.In 2003,Ayad was named by Business Today as one of Egypt’sTop Ten Executives under 40.

Wael Amin ’93, co-founder of ITWorx, was also presented with the AlumniAchievement Award for his entrepreneurial spirit and outstandingachievements.Amin began his career in 1992 as co-founder and softwareteam leader at Microlabs. In 1994, he co-founded ITWorx and took on theposition of technical director. He later became managing director in 2001and president in 2003, a position he still holds. Under his leadership, thecompany has flourished into a regional software powerhouse.“I dedicate this award to AUC’s computer science graduates. ITWorx

would not be what it is today if it weren’t for the efforts of the alumniworking in the company,” said Amin, who joined the university at the ageof 14 and graduated top of his class.

Three AUC students, Mahmoud Abdel-Fattah,Ahmad Ezzat and FadiMounir, are recognized for winning first place at the Association forComputing and Machinery’s regional programming contest.

IT Alums Network on Campus

More than 200 alumni, including many of Egypt's leadingIT professionals, gathered in the Science Garden on theMain Campus in a special reception.With a guest listboasting leaders from almost every major IT enterprise inEgypt, the reception offered an opportunity for alumni tonetwork both professionally and personally.Tarek Kamel,Egypt’s minister of communications and informationtechnology, described the gathering as “a celebration of thepartnership between Egypt and the United States.AUC hasalways been a vehicle of strong dialogue and partnership.”

Farida (left) and Yasmine Khamis of the Oriental Weavers


is a musician, graphic artist andconference translator. He immigrated toCanada in 1993 and pursued a careerin advertising after earning a master’s infilm in 1997 from York University inToronto. In 2001, Ragheb won abronze Remi for Best DramaticScreenplay from the HoustonInternational Film Festival for his work,A Thriller in the Satirical Vein of the CoenBrothers.

Somaia Afifi (MA) is a professor ofRussian language at Ain ShamsUniversity. In 1995, she receivedEgypt’s Decoration of Arts and Sciencefrom President Hosni Mubarak. Shetranslated the Quran into Russian andgot the highest award from Ain ShamsUniversity in 2000.

’87Amal Hassan works as an executivesecretary at Agiba Petroleum Company.She also owns Maya Shop in Nasr City.

’89Ayman Madkour has relocated toDubai as human resources director atHilton Al-Ain. For more than threeyears, he was the regional trainingmanager for Hilton hotels in Egypt andSudan. Madkour received a professionalcertificate in human resources from theHuman Resources CertificationInstitute, Society for Human ResourcesManagement in the United States. Hecan be reached [email protected]

Khaled El Ashmawy has relocated toDubai for three years as humanresources manager at Shell Explorationand Production.

’90Ghassan Freiwat got engaged toSiham Kasabry. Freiwat is the regional

sales manager at Trane Air-Conditionersin Dubai and has recently beenpromoted to department manager ofthe Middle East-Africa-India region.His name appeared in Who’s Who forProfessionals in 2000. He published apolitical book, Scream, and a novel, TheCall and the Coffin.

’92Samar El-Labban was married toBassam Zahran in July 1998.They havethree children: Mohamed (6), Miral (5)and Minerva (1). Mohamed and Miralare students at the AmericanInternational School.

’96Khaled Hamada graduated fromAUC with a bachelor’s in physics andobtained a master’s in electricalengineering from the United States.After working as a professor, hechanged careers and worked at anational law firm then as a patent agentin the United States. He returned toEgypt and is currently the managingdirector of Hamada IntellectualProperty, a specialized law firm that setsup strategies for Egyptian companies toincrease their market share and becompetitive locally and internationally.

’99Mariam Farag received a master’s ininternational relations from London’sUniversity of Westminster in 2000. Herthesis was titled,“Rape as an EthnicTool in the Former Yugoslavia Conflict:A Comparative Study Between theInternational Humanitarian Law andthe Islamic Law of Wars.” Farag workedat the United Nations HighCommissioner for Refugees in Egyptand in Cyprus. She was married to herPortuguese husband in Cairo and iscurrently living in Paris, where she istaking full-time courses in French.

Tamim Khallaf (MA ’04)has been adiplomat in the Egyptian foreignministry for the past four years. He iscurrently posted in Egypt’s PermanentMission to the United Nations inGeneva working on disarmamentissues. He received his master’s ininternational relations from the LondonSchool of Economics and PoliticalScience.At AUC, Khallaf was arecipient of a Sasakawa fellowship,through which he earned his master’sin political science.

’00Marwa Shehata is an executivesecretary at the American ResearchCenter in Egypt. She is married toMoustafa Sherief, enterprise resourceplanning consultant at Raya Gulf.They were blessed with a baby boy,Khaled.

’01Mai El Dahan has been working inDubai for three years. She started as areporter at Al Arabiya Radio,ArabianRadio Network and Dubai MediaCity. Currently, she is head ofprogramming.

Aly El Garraya, mathematics major,was recently engaged to Dalia AliSalem, Cairo University politicalscience graduate.

’02Medhat Nabet will be moving fromthe United Arab Emirates to Egypt totake on a new position with Shell.

’03Sally Saleh was blessed with a babyboy, Hassan, born on October 13, 2004.

’04Ahmed El-Sherbiny (MSc) wasengaged to Hana Hesham Said ’05.


Dina Samhout ’03, account executive atPromoseven Weber Shandwick, was married to TamerEl Sadany, architect at Emaar Company, on August20, 2004 at the Semiramis Intercontinental Hotel.The couple honeymooned in the Far East and iscurrently living in Dubai

Dalia El Ghamrawi ’00,fragrance-marketing coordinator atMiddle East International Flavorsand Fragrances, was married toAhmed Mostafa Aly, who works inMostafa Aly Successors for SteelConstruction, on March 10, 2005at the Conrad Hotel

Noura Beniamin ’04, an employee at AUC’senrollment services office, was married to KarimElsabee ’99, business development manager atDYMK-Kassabgui Trading and Contracting, onOctober 5, 2004.They spent their honeymoon inThailand, Malaysia and Dubai

WeddingsAli Othman ’47 died in London onFebruary 25, 2005.After graduatingfrom Chicago University in 1954 witha doctorate in comparative philosophy,he became a diplomat with the ArabLeague office to the United Nationsin New York. In 1957, he was deputydirector of the United Nations/ArabWorld Center for CommunityDevelopment in Egypt. He was thefirst UNICEF representative to theGulf in the 1970s. He is author of anumber of books including TheConcept of Man in Islam.

Roger Minionis ’49 died in theUnited States on February 10, 2005.He was very fond of teaching andtaught his students how to think andexperience life. He taught at theAmerican University of Paris beforeearning a master’s in teaching fromthe University of Carolina. He workedas a teacher and chairman of the mathdepartment at Great Neck SouthHigh School for 35 years.An athleticand vibrant student, Minionis wasgiven the title of Mr.AUC. He issurvived by his wife, four children,eight grandchildren and two sisters.

Mahmoud Atallah ’63 died inSurrey, London on May 3, 2005. Hewas the deputy editor in chief ofELAF newspaper. He was themanaging editor of Al-Ahram beforerelocating to London, where he wasthe deputy editor in chief of AsharqAl-Awsat for 15 years. He is survivedby his wife Amira Alwakil, his sonKarim and his daughter Zainab.

Ahmed Seif El Nasr ’70 died inMonaco on December 12, 2004.

Amr Fouad ’88 died in Cairo inMarch 2005.

In Memoriam

Mai El Kinawi ’99, market research manager atMaster Foods, North Africa and East Mediterranean,was married to Haythem Soliman ’97 on January22, 2005 at Grand Hyatt Hotel

Ahmed Reda ’97, marineoperations manager at Exxon MobilEgypt, was married to HanaaMohamed, graduate of Al Alsun, onNovember 17, 2004 at Cairo ElSalam Concorde Hotel



In September 2002, I graduated from Fourah BayCollege at the University of Sierra Leone with aBachelor of Science with honors. I assumed my

intended life purpose at the start to be scientific, butscience was not what my society needed at the time. Itneeded peace, stability and a run-in with humanity.

Crippled and destabilized by a decade-long rebellion,tens of thousands of Sierra Leoneans had fled to asylumin neighboring countries.The vast resources of thecountry were wasted and destroyed, and humanity itselfbecame inhumane.The country needed professionalswho could identify the multifaceted problems facingrefugees, and in turn, help bring about sustainablesolutions for the nation’s development. I knew I had arole to play, so I immediately traveled to Cairo topursue a postgraduate degree in forced migration andrefugee studies at AUC.

I wasted no time upon my arrival. I enrolled inrefugee short courses while at the same timecompleting application procedures for the postgraduatediploma. By the time I was admitted to the program, Ihad already completed two summer-school shortcourses: International Refugee Law and IntegratingImmigrant and Refugee Newcomers, as well as arefugee community interpreter’s course. As a part of myexperience, I also picked up a six-month copyeditingjob in a Cairo publishing house. In Fall 2004, AUCawarded me the African Graduate Fellowship to pursuemy desired postgraduate diploma in forced migrationand refugee studies. I graduated in June 2005 and havebeen re-awarded the same fellowship to pursue amaster’s in professional development starting September.

With the knowledge I have gained, I can now activelyhelp the Sierra Leonean refugee community in the areasof integration, education and voluntary communityinterpreting in two Sierra Leonean languages with theAfrica and Middle East Refugee Assistance project forincoming asylum seekers. In addition, I help newasylum seekers prepare for subsequent status

determination interviews with the United NationsHigh Commissioner for Refugees.

I have never been as fulfilled as I am now. Helpingrefugees help themselves is my new life’s purpose. Itdiffers very much from the botany and chemistryexperiments I performed during my university days, yetit fills me with a euphoria that never goes away. On therich fertile soils of West Africa and bounded by theAtlantic Ocean, Sierra Leone is in dire need ofprofessional developers, and I have been destined toserve that end.

Mohamed Berray ’05 is a graduate of the Forced Migrationand Refugee Studies program and is currently pursuing amaster’s in professional development at AUC.

Akher Kalam

Akher Kalam is an open forum for members of the AUC community.We invite you to share your thoughts on any topic of your choice.Submissions should be sent to [email protected] and may be edited for length and clarity.

A Passion for Refugee Rights


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