Photos by Ahmad El-Nemr

As engaged members of the Egyptian community, AUC faculty, staff, alumni and students are working to help build Egypt's future. Under the
theme of After Tahrir: Building the New Egypt, AUC has launched a number of initiatives on campus to integrate the revolution into the academic and cultural life of the University, as well as to address critical issues facing the
country as it transitions to democracy. From panel discussions, public lectures and new courses to oral history documentation and student exhibitions, these postrevolution initiatives –– born out of the 18 days in Tahrir–– show no sign of dwindling.

Of these initiatives, the exhibition titled Tahrir: 18 Days that Changed the World is one of the most apparent. The culmination of a student-led initiative and semester-long independent study, the exhibition features more than 20 mosaic murals at the Conference and Visitor Center, near
Bassily Auditorium, ranging in size from 3 by 4 meters to more than 7 by 14 meters. "The murals largely emphasize the emotions of the revolution, starting with joy," explained David London, who served as assistant professor of journalism and mass communication last spring and
supervised the student project. "As viewers enter the Conference and Visitor Center, they see murals that portray emotions such as frustration, anger, pride and sorrow."

The distinctive appearance of the murals comes from the fact that they are made up of thousands of smaller pictures of varied color, contrast and tone. "Over the course of the semester, students collected more than 12,000 pictures of the revolution. We then used a freeware program to format the images and arrange them to create the larger ones,"
said London, adding that the murals are an attempt to keep the spirit of the revolution alive, as well as emphasize the role of women and youth in the uprising. "We hope to channel the energy and enthusiasm of the
revolution into the work needed to build a new Egypt," he noted.

Mosaic murals on campus portraying emotions of the January 25th revolution are part of a number of post-revolution initiatives at AUC

In addition to art, the past semester has also provided an opportunity for well-known figures and leading activists to speak at AUC through various lecture series on campus. These include Tahrir Dialogue, a series of debates, organized by the School of Global
Affairs and Public Policy, on the key issues facing Egyptian citizens as they define a way forward; Transforming Egypt, panel discussions held by the School of Business to explore the business and economic ramifications of the revolution; as well as Egypt in
Transition: Know Your Role, a public seminar series organized by the John D. Gerhart Center for Philanthropy and
Civic Engagement to raise awareness among Egyptians of their civic rights and obligations. In addition, new courses have been introduced and old ones adjusted to reflect the changing political, social and economic conditions in Egypt. In response to the
changing work environment, AUC's continuing and executive education institutions also developed a portfolio of training programs for business, government and civil society.

Another post-revolution project launched by AUC is University on the Square, through which the experiences of AUCians in the revolution are documented through photographs, videos, testimonies and other digital material online, in addition to oral history recordings and designated collection centers for the donation of physical items.

Students have also taken the lead, with the hosting of the seventh annual Leadership for Education and Development conference titled Masr Tela'et Omy [Egypt Turned Out to Be My Mother], which focused on the empowerment of Egyptian youth and brought leading figures to campus including presidential candidates Mohamed ElBaradei, Amre Moussa and Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh.
The conference also served as a valuable opportunity for students to network with professionals, politicians and academics.

By Madeline Welsh