Former AUC Provost Lisa Anderson Named President

Photographed by Dana Smillie

Lisa Anderson (CASA '76), who has served as the University's provost since 2008, has assumed the position of AUC president since January 2011. Prior to joining AUC as its chief academic officer, Anderson served as the James T. Shotwell Professor of International Relations at Columbia University, as well as the former dean of the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia. Prior to that, she served as chair of Columbia's political science department and director of the Middle East Institute there. Before joining Columbia, she was assistant professor of government and social studies at Harvard University.

Richard A. Bartlett, chair of the University's Board of Trustees, noted that Anderson is uniquely suited for this position. "Dr. Anderson is a renowned scholar, recognized internationally for her research and scholarship on politics in the Middle East and North Africa," Bartlett said. "In addition, she is a highly skilled administrator and leader who has made significant contributions to the University since being appointed provost, including the creation of the University's first PhD program, the establishment of three new schools and building the size and quality of the faculty."

Bartlett pointed out that Anderson has become the University's 11th president at a critical time in its history. "The University," he said, "has completed its move to the new campus and is now turning its attention to ensuring that it utilizes both of its campuses –– AUC New Cairo and AUC Tahrir Square –– to provide our students with the highest quality education from leading international faculty."

Anderson noted, "I am honored by the confidence the Board of Trustees has extended to me in making this appointment, and I look forward to working with them closely as we make AUC the center of excellence in higher education in the Middle East." She also thanked her predecessor for the contributions he has made to the University. "As we all look to AUC's future, it is with deep appreciation for the contributions President Arnold has made to this University."

Anderson is the author of Pursuing Truth, Exercising Power: Social Science and Public Policy in the Twenty-first Century (Columbia University Press, 2003) and The State and Social Transformation in Tunisia and Libya, 1830 - 1980 (Princeton University Press, 1986); editor ofTransitions to Democracy (Columbia University Press, 1999); and coeditor of The Origins of Arab Nationalism (Columbia 1991). She is the past president of the Middle East Studies Association, chair of the board of directors of the Social Science Research Council, as well as former member of the Council of the American Political Science Association and AUC's Board of Trustees. In addition, Anderson serves on the board of the Carnegie Council on Ethics in International Affairs; is a member emerita of the board of Human Rights Watch, where she served as co-chair of Human Rights Watch/Middle East; and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Anderson holds a BA from Sarah Lawrence College, an MA in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and a PhD in political science from Columbia University, 1981, where she also received a certificate from the Middle East Institute. Anderson, a graduate of AUC's Center for Arabic Study Abroad, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from Monmouth University in 2002.

Board of Trustees Elects Richard Bartlett as New Chair

Photographed by Ahmad El-Nemr

AUC's Board of Trustees has elected Richard A. Bar tlett as its chair man. Bartlett, who succeeds B. Boyd Hight, is managing director of Resource Holdings, Ltd., a private equity fir m in New York City.

In making the announcement, Hight noted that Bartlett has been active and involved with AUC since his childhood, when his father Thomas A. Bartlett served as the president of AUC from 1963 to 1969. The senior Bar tlett has ser ved as inter im president dur ing the 2002 - 2003 academic year. "The University has long been fortunate to have the Bartlett family engaged in its development," said Hight. "The board is pleased that Richard has ag reed to take responsibility for the chair manship, and we are confident that together with the University's new president, Lisa Anderson, AUC will continue to serve as a center of excellence in the Middle East."

Bartlett was appointed to the board in 2003, and has been chair of the investment committee since 2006. He received his JD from Yale Law School and his BA from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Aff air s at Princeton University. Pr ior to joining Resource Holdings, he served as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun, and prior to that, as a law clerk on the U.S. Circuit Cour t for the Distr ict of Columbia. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and ser ves on the board of several private companies.

Bartlett is assuming the chairmanship as the Univer sity also welcomes its new president, Lisa Anderson. "I am honored by the board's tr ust in me, and I look forward to working with Dr. Anderson as we continue the work of President David Ar nold and Boyd Hight," Bartlett said. "I have tremendous admiration and respect for the leadership that David and Boyd have provided over the past seven years to the University, and it is on their successes that Lisa and I will continue to enhance the University and its global stature."

Cairo Review Tackles Global Policy Issues

The newly launched quarterly journal, The Cairo Review of Global Affairs, is the latest ambitious endeavor by the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy (GAPP). Ambassador Nabil Fahmy '74, '77, GAPP dean and chair of the editorial board of The Cairo Review, said that the journal is intended to bring the insights of global policymakers, academics, public officials, journalists and others into the Middle East. "We also want it to be an interactive platform that gives perspectives from the region a greater voice in international policy conversations and debates," said Fahmy.

The journal features essays by prominent international commentators, interviews with world leaders and a section called Midan that discusses global affairs topics related to AUC. There is also a section where policy experts review recently published books.

The printed journal is supplemented by a Web site (www.thecairoreview.com) that includes specific online articles, op-ed pieces, bloggers and video content to be produced by students in AUC's journalism and mass communication department. The journal and Web site will place an emphasis on featuring Middle Eastern writers. "Other parts of the world should have their way of presenting the debates," explained Scott Macleod, the journal's managing editor, professor of practice at AUC's journalism and mass communication department, and former Middle East correspondent for TIME Magazine. "Given AUC's unique position at the crossroads, we want to use this position to be a platform to present and write about global issues with a Middle Eastern accent."

Medhat Haroun Serves as AUC Provost

Photographed by Ahmad El-Nemr

Former dean of the School of Sciences and Engineering (SSE), Medhat Haroun has recently been named AUC provost. An accomplished engineer, Haroun is clear about the goals he has established for his position: increased collaboration between AUC's six schools, optimizing the academic experience at the University and extending AUC's reach as a global partner in higher education and research. "First," he noted, "I want to improve collaboration between the schools and identify means of streamlining and simplifying University bureaucracy in schools, departments and programs. Second, I want to build upon the excellent education offered at AUC by emphasizing research to further engage the faculty and secure greater funding for their research endeavors. Finally, I want to increase collaboration with our sister Universities in Egypt, the region and internationally."

Having served as SSE dean since 2005, Haroun succeeded in generating significant external funding for the school, including multi-million dollar grants from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology to fund scholarships and research. He is also responsible for establishing new degree programs at SSE, including undergraduate majors in architectural, computer and petroleum engineering, and master's degrees in biotechnology, nanotechnology and food chemistry. In addition, Haroun is credited with launching AUC's first PhD program in applied sciences and engineering, and has acquired corresponding funding for fellowships and research. An advocate of interdisciplinary study, he has also established academic collaborations within AUC and beyond, particularly with the School of Business and School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. Haroun is the recipient of the Walter Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize and the Martin Duke Award for his research in earthquake engineering. Most recently, he accepted the 2010 Excellence in Academic Achievement Award from AUC.

Ezzat Fahmy Appointed Dean of Sciences and Engineering

For Ezzat Fahmy, new dean of the School of Sciences and Engineering, laying out a vision for his tenure is easy. "As dean, my main focus will be to continue the success that SSE has enjoyed and to assess the new programs, in particular the PhD programs," said Fahmy, who brings considerable administrative experience to the position. Fahmy previously served as associate dean for undergraduate studies at the School of Sciences and Engineering, where he is professor of structural engineering.

Since joining AUC in 1989, Fahmy played a key role in the establishment and accreditation of the construction engineering program. He served as the construction engineering unit head and chair of the Department of Engineering in the 1990s before becoming director of interdisciplinary engineering programs in 2001. Before joining AUC, he taught at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada and at the University of Qatar. He has published widely and has consulted on projects as varied as restoration of Islamic monuments and new residential developments in Egypt and abroad.

Fahmy's proudest moments at AUC have been in helping to guide the successful integration of the science and engineering departments. "To convince the Board of Trustees to approve the PhD programs means we have successfully proven that we have the facilities, faculty and interested students necessary to make this program into the focal point that it should be," he said, adding that he anticipates the creation of other new degree programs and hopes to increase research funding.

AUC Offers New Master's Degrees in Different Specializations

As part of its commitment to enhancing educational opportunities, AUC has launched new master's degrees in international and comparative education, nanotechnology and Egyptology/Coptology.

After a successful inaugural year, AUC's Graduate School of Education is offering a new master's degree program in international and comparative education, drawing more than 26 students in its first semester. "The new MA represents a milestone for the University, since it is the first graduate education degree at AUC," said Samiha Peterson, distinguished professor and interim dean of the school. "This is a very significant contribution to Egypt's educational reform priorities."

AUC has also launched this fall a Master of Science in nanotechnology, which prepares its graduates with the skills necessary to compete and excel in the ever-expanding world of nanotechnology. The program is distinguished by top-notch faculty with extensive expertise in nanosciences and nanotechnology; state-of-the-art facilities, including equipment and software packages necessary for synthesis of nanomaterials, design and modeling of nanostructured bulk products processing technologies; as well as fabrication and characterization of micro and nanosensors and devices, which are housed in the Yousef Jameel Science and Technology Research Center and various AUC departments.

"The program, being one of the first nanotechnology programs offered locally and in the Middle East, will act as an incubator for highly qualified scientists, engineers and researchers serving locally and regionally in the various institutes, research centers and industries in the 21st-century fields of nanosciences and nanotechnology," said Hanadi Salem '83, '87, professor of mechanical engineering and director of the nanotechnology program.

The University is also launching in September 2011 a new master's program in Egyptology/Coptology, which will follow international guidelines for similar degrees at accredited institutions in the United States. Candidates for the program may pursue one of three tracks: Egyptology with a concentration in art, archeology and history; Egyptology with a concentration in language study and written documentation relating to religion, sciences, literature or economics; and Coptology, the study of ancient Egypt's native Christian society, particularly during the early history of Christianity and its interaction with, and legacy to, the world in Late Antiquity and Early Medieval ages.

"Although Universities based in the Western world offer very good programs and many fieldwork opportunities, none match what AUC offers in terms of sustained exposure to the legacy of ancient Egyptian civilizations," explained Salima Ikram, professor of Egyptology at AUC. "Studying daily against the backdrop of the pyramids and other monuments makes for a learning experience that cannot be replicated outside of Egypt."

AUC Earns National and International Accreditation

Aspiring to the highest standards of education both nationally and internationally, AUC has received accreditation from Egypt's National Authority for Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Education (NAQAAE). In doing so, AUC has become the first University in Egypt to acquire such accreditation from NAQAAE, a body created by the government in 2007 to establish quality standards for its educational institutions.

In addition, the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) has awarded AUC's School of Continuing Education full accreditation, making it the first accredited school in Egypt. IACET is the only standardsetting organization approved by the American National Standards Institute for continuing education and training to offer IACET Continuing Education Units.