AUC Today

1912
Charles Watson completes report outlining vision for AUC

1919
AUC officially incorporated in Washington, D.C.

1920
First 142 students begin classes equivalent to the final two years of high school Student Union formed

1921
School of Oriental Studies established

1923
First commencement

1924
Degrees recognized by the New York State Board of Regents as equivalent to junior college degrees

Division of Extension (forerunner to the School of Continuing Education) established

First campus newspaper, AUC Review, issued

1925
First university-level courses offered

Ruth Litt donated $100,000 for an auditorium to be named after her grandfather,William Dana Ewart

1926
Old Boys Club created for alumni

1927
AUC offers four years of secondary school and four of college

1928
First university-level bachelor's degrees awarded to three students

AUC welcomes first female student Eva Habib el Masri

1929
Hill family started AUC's first endowment fund with $450,000

1931
Old Boys Club developed into Alumni Association

Gillespie family donated $65,000 to build Oriental Hall

1937
Om Kalthum performed in Ewart Hall
Late

1930's
Campus Caravan replaced AUC Review

1940
King Abdullah of Jordan visited AUC

1941
AUC hosted special concerts in Ewart Hall for allied soldiers in Egypt

1942
AUC students petitioned Ministry of War to allow an instructor to teach them military formations, which soon replaced acrobatics and team sports

1950
First graduate degree awarded

1951
Last preparatory class graduated, making AUC strictly a university-level institution

1952
Helen Keller visited AUC

1953
Hill House formally dedicated as first
student dormitory on campus
Social Research Center created

1954
Late Egyptian presidents Gamal Abdul
Nasser and Mohammed Naguib attended AUC’s Arabic Language Day Convocation

1956
English Language Institute opened
School of Oriental Studies became the
Center for Arabic Studies AUC obtained Creswell Collection

1959
Hill House rededicated as a library

1960
AUC Press established

1961
AUC’s name was changed from “at” Cairo to “in” Cairo

1964
Buildings purchased from the Greek
community. Falaki building built for use as a student dormitory

1966
Science Building construction completed

1967
Center for Arabic Study Abroad opened
Government sequestered AUC

1972
AUC Press obtained exclusive Englishlanguage
rights to the works of
Naguib Mahfouz

1974
Ministry of Higher Education recognized all but three AUC degrees as equivalent to those offered by Egyptian universities

Sports program won representation in the National Universities Sports Union

1975
Egyptian government relinquished control of AUC Protocol issued between AUC’s Board of Trustees and the Egyptian government

1978
AUC Press published the first Naguib
Mahfouz novel in English

1979
Desert Development Center approved

1982
New library on the Greek Campus
completed

AUC received largest single donation ($5,500,000) from Yousef Jameel ’68

Middle States Commission on Higher Education granted AUC full accreditation

1985
Opening of Egypt’s first university bookstore

1988
Mahfouz won Nobel Prize.AUC Press
was already his English-language publisher (with nine of his novels in print) and worldwide agent

1989
Abdul Latif Jameel Building for Middle
East Management Studies inaugurated

Core Curriculum introduced

Model United Nations started

1990
Model Arab League started

1991
AUC opened Zamalek building

1992
Rare books library inaugurated

1993
Noam Chomsky spoke at AUC

University Senate established

1994
AUC celebrated 75th anniversary

1995
Grand Mufti Sheikh Muhammed Tantawi
and Pope Shenouda III spoke at AUC

AUC Professor Kent Weeks rediscovered
KV5 in Valley of the Kings

1996
Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature
established

1997
AUC purchased land in New Cairo

1999
U.S. First Lady Hillary Clinton spoke in
Ewart Hall

2000
Queen Rania Al Abdullah ’91 visited
AUC. Distinguished guests in first years
of the century included Jimmy Carter, Kofi
Annan, Condoleezza Rice, and Nobel
laureates Ahmed Zewail and
Mohamed ElBaradei

2003
New Cairo Campus design completed and
cornerstone laid by Egypt’s First Lady
Suzanne Mubarak ’77, ’82

2004
AUC established Leadership for Education
and Development program

AUC signed construction contract for New Cairo Campus

2007
AUC Press published its 1,000th book

2008
First day of class held on the New Cairo
Campus

2009
Egypt’s First Lady Suzanne Mubarak
’77, ’82 inaugurated New Cairo Campus

AUC celebrated 90th anniversary

DID YOU KNOW?

The AUC Pyramid

In the early 1920s,AUC was an allmale school. Each student, dressed in short pants and an undershirt, took two hours of athletics each week, mainly calisthenics and gymnastics. Back then, people did not associate sports activities with a college or university. In fact, some connected physical activity with low social status, while others were embarrassed to be seen in short pants in public. Crowds often gathered outside the AUC fence to watch. As the boys became more proficient, they were able to form a pyramid by standing on each other’s shoulders.This became an AUC landmark.

  Food Trivia

   Cost of tuition in the 1920s was around LE 16 a year;    compulsory
   noon lunches cost LE 13.5 a year.The noon meal aimed to    provide a healthy time of companionship, allowing students to    become accustomed to Western food and giving teachers the    opportunity to introduce American table manners.

How Theater Began at AUC

C.Worth Howard, head of the English department in the 1920s, emphasized dramatics as a means of self- expression and a way of improving English. Boys living in the hostel performed the first play in 1926, after which all students joined in presenting subsequent performances, with boys playing female roles when necessary.The theater program expanded, and plays were presented at assemblies, commencement ceremonies and for the general public. Students handled all aspects of production, from constructing the scenery and designing the costumes to distributing tickets. Howard was very popular among students, and his success led to the establishment of the College Players student club, which was later named the Masker's Club.

  Speak English on Campus

   In AUC’s early years, there were “Speak English on Campus”    campaigns. Desserts were awarded to those who used English
   during the lunch hour, and a spelling bee encouraged    competition among the best students.



  AUC's War Efforts

   During World War    II,AUC students    petitioned the    Ministry ofWar to    allow an instructor    to teach them    military formations,    which soon    replaced acrobatics    and team sports.    The university also    established a canteen for allied troops and offered special    courses to them in Arabic and Egyptian culture.The Red Cross    also used part of the athletic field, and the Allied Middle East    Supply Center conducted experiments and tests in AUC's    science laboratories. During the 1956 Suez War, AUC organized    a blood donor's program to which Raymond McLain,AUC    president at the time, made the first contribution, followed by    members of the AUC community and the general public.

  A Tradition of Firsts

   AUC was the first in the region to:

   . Establish a university career center
   . Launch an academic integrity initiative
   . Hold the Model United Nations conference
   . Offer a master's in international human rights law
   . Establish a financial training and consulting center

The Story Behind the Caravan

   After several weeks
   of posting articles    and pictures on a    bulletin board, a    journalism class    issued the first    newspaper, AUC Review, in April 1924. The four-page paper    included articles on AUC personalities, campus news, official    announcements and editorials on university issues. Gradually,    outside advertising was secured, more students purchased    subscriptions and the school contributed additional funds. As a    result, bigger issues appeared each week. At the end of the    year, a special issue focused on past activities and profiled    graduating seniors.Within a year, an Arabic section was added.    In the late 1930s, Campus Caravan replaced AUC Review,    reporting on student activities and providing a workshop for    journalism students.

  Grades on Personality

   In the 1920s, students were graded on character traits such    as obedience, diligence,
   punctuality, cheerfulness,
   personal appearance,
   honesty, initiative,    generosity and    companionship.The    rating was made twice
   a year.The purpose was    to help students    improve their    personalities in    preparation for success    in life.