Held at the New Cairo Campus, the 86th undergraduate commencement marks a new start for an old tradition

Photos by Ahmad El-Nemr

   The first at AUC’s New Cairo Campus, the 86th undergraduate commencement saw the graduation of 446 bachelor’s degree candidates. Delivering the keynote address, Farkhonda Hassan (MA ’67), secretary-general of the National Council for Women, a scientist, prominent politician and former AUC faculty member, urged the graduating class to enhance their skills through knowledge. “You cannot download vision, imagination or creativity. That stuff, you have to upload it yourself the traditional way: reading, writing and learning,” she said.

    Hassan carried a special message to the female graduates. “In your experience here at AUC, you have seen women in leadership and decision-making roles,” she noted. “Don’t be surprised that some in this world do not share our collective belief about the potential capacity of women. Don’t allow those beliefs to set you off course, but to make you stronger and more resilient.”

    At the ceremony, Ahmed Kamal Aboulmagd, professor of public law at Cairo University, a judge and former president of the World Bank Administrative Tribunal, received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from AUC.

    Addressing 117 master’s degree candidates at the graduate commencement, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former United Nations secretary-general and recipient of an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from AUC, highlighted five major global problems, including the crisis of international organization, state transformation, the impact of globalization on the average citizen, discrimination in military conflicts, and the global economic and financial crisis. “These global problems cannot be resolved through the present United Nations,” he explained. “States, not state actors, [and] civil society must take on new responsibilities. It is still not too late to create a new United Nations for this era.”

By Dalia Al Nimr

Mikel Messiha, business administration major, recipient of the President’s Cup	Salma Soliman, business administration major, was awarded the Parents Association Cup and the Ahmed Zewail Prize for Excellence in the Sciences and Humanities

Farkhonda Hassan addressing bachelor’s degree candidates		Boutros Boutros-Ghali, keynote speaker at the graduate commencement		Vice Provost Ali Hadi, director of graduate studies and research, and Provost Lisa Anderson

Ahmed Kamal Aboulmagd, recipient of an honorary doctorate from AUC		Salah El Haggar, professor of mechanical engineering, received the Excellence in Research and Creative Endeavors Award		Hassanein Amer, associate professor and chair of the electronics engineering department, received the Excellence in Academic Service Award
Ehab Abdel Rahman, visiting assistant professor of physics, received the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award		Nathaniel Bowditch, assistant professor of philosophy, received the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award		Carol Clark, English language teacher, received the Excellence in Core Curriculum Teaching Award