president's report 2012 13

44 Pages·2014·21.43 MB·English

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PRESIDENT’S
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REPORT
1 2 5Back to Basics: The 17
President’s Letter Chairman’s Letter Highlights
Undergrad Experience
21 25 37 39
Financials Sponsors and Donors Board of Trustees Facts and Figures
PRESIDENT’S LETTER
Lisa Anderson
Since AUC’s move to the New Cairo campus in 2008, the University has grown These recent initiatives have
in many ways, meeting the standards of the new state-of-the-art campus. Over served to fortify and enhance
the past several years, the University introduced its first doctoral programs, the liberal arts tradition at AUC.
added research capabilities in disciplines as diverse as nanotechnology, business Research is fundamentally a way
history and Egyptology, expanded academic degree offerings, and increased its of learning; it is the discovery and
international profile. At the center of these advances — both in our unrivaled application of new knowledge,
facilities and in our new academic programs — remains the liberal arts tradition, whether in the arts or sciences, to better understand and more effectively improve
the heart and hallmark of an AUC education. the world around us. For our undergraduate students, opportunities to conduct
research alongside their faculty members on topics as broad as the psychological
In the 2013 fiscal year, we re-examined and rebuilt the core of the AUC experience. impact of the revolution or the DNA of bacteria are part and parcel of their liberal
The result was the establishment of the Academy of Liberal Arts and a complete arts experience at AUC.
overhaul of the freshman-year program. In this report, we showcase what has
always been AUC’s unique edge in developing graduates who are both technically I would like to express my gratitude to the donors listed in this report for their
competent and globally skilled to succeed in a world that increasingly favors those generous support of AUC and resounding vote of confidence in the power of
who are creative, innovative and flexible problem solvers. education, especially at this critical moment in Egypt.
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AUC continued to make excellent progress on many administrative and academic emphasis on economy and efficiency, which includes an energy conservation plan
fronts this year, despite the very challenging operating conditions it faced. I am that has contributed more than $2 million in savings over the past two years,
especially delighted to report that for the first time since the move to the New not to mention numerous environmental benefits. Those measures have allowed
Cairo campus in 2008, AUC delivered a balanced budget in the 2013 fiscal year. the University to incorporate permanent gains in productivity that should carry
When that performance is considered against the backdrop of economic and forward into future years.
political uncertainty, including currency devaluation and revenue losses from
depressed international student enrollments and periodic Tahrir Square campus The Class of 2012 is the first class of undergraduates to have studied entirely on
closures, it is a testament to the New Cairo campus. Although the Tahrir Square property remains vital for
the University’s resolve to educational, cultural and outreach activities, it is gratifying to see the New Cairo
progress in the face of external campus develop roots. For many trustees, the new campus is the realization of a
challenges. To address our past dream as old as the founding of AUC. Seeing that campus become the hub of a
deficits, the University has preeminent teaching and research University is truly remarkable, foreshadowing a
pursued an across-the-board future that holds much promise for AUC.
Richard A. Bartlett
CHAIRMAN’S LETTER
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BACK
to
BASICS:
The Undergrad Experience
The heart of an AUC experience remains the liberal arts, which serves as
the essential building block of all academic programs. From engineering and
business to political science and arts majors, every AUC student shares in a
singular experience. Through common courses required for all students, AUC
equips its graduates with a unique skill set that distinguishes them in their
ability to think critically, problem solve and succeed in a globalized world that
demands highly competent specialists, who are at the same time able to fully
engage in a complicated and interconnected environment that requires constant
adaptation and change.
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Reinventing the Academy
In 2013, AUC launched the Academy of
Liberal Arts, the outcome of nearly two years of
re-examining one of the oldest traditions at AUC
— the liberal arts curriculum. Based on the results
of a task force that combined faculty and students,
the Academy of Liberal Arts brings together
several key departments with the shared purpose of
Color Palette Chemistry
providing a more integrated first-year curriculum
designed to introduce the tenets of the liberal arts
As part of her undergraduate thesis, Mayan
to all incoming students early in their educational Sabry ’13, chemistry major, scientifically
analyzed and chemically recorded the palette
careers at AUC. The academy, composed of the
and pigments used by a modern Egyptian
Department of Rhetoric and Composition, the painter, Taha El Korany. Sabry’s goal to
produce a first-of-its-kind database on the
Department of Arabic Language Instruction and
palettes of famous Egyptian artists would
the Department of English Language Instruction, allow the ability to distinguished between
authentic and forged paintings. “This
oversees and implements the newly redesigned
experience has been intriguing because it
freshman program. In addition, the academy will blends scientific research with the captivating
oversee new bridge programs designed to provide a world of art. Never before has a database
been established in the Arab world
connection for students between high school and
to serve a similar purpose,” said Sabry.
the start of their freshman year. Slated to begin “The need to document and preserve the
authenticity of Arab artists is paramount.”
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Fall 2014, the bridge programs offer intensive English-foundation
courses and will integrate seamlessly with the freshman-year program.
Through the Arabic language instruction department, the academy
will also offer a wide range of Arabic language programs, tailored to
both Egyptian and international students.
“The Academy of Liberal Arts gives the departments most associated
with the first-year courses a clearly defined mission and the ability to
work in collaboration,” said Carol Clark, senior instructor and chair of
the English language instruction department and co-chair of the Task
Force on the Freshman Year, Bridge Program and the Core Curriculum.
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