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Renewal of Ghada Elshimi’s Term as Dean of the Academy of Liberal Arts

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  3. Renewal of Ghada Elshimi’s Term as Dean of the Academy of Liberal Arts

September 1, 2025

Dear Members of the AUC Community,

I am pleased to announce the renewal of Ghada Elshimi’s term as dean of the Academy of Liberal Arts (ALA), effective July 1, 2026. This decision follows a comprehensive review of her performance, which affirmed her outstanding leadership, strategic vision and unwavering commitment to academic excellence and student success.

Since assuming the deanship, Elshimi has led ALA with clarity, integrity and a deep sense of purpose. Her vision for ALA as a hub of educational excellence—where students are empowered to thrive and faculty are supported to innovate—has been consistently evident in her work. She has successfully unified ALA’s diverse departments and programs under a shared mission that prioritizes student-centered learning, interdisciplinary engagement and global relevance.

Under her leadership, ALA has made significant strides in strengthening the core curriculum, introducing globally connected classrooms and embedding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into course design. She has championed high-impact teaching practices and expanded undergraduate research opportunities, including the EURECA conference and the Undergraduate Research Journal. Her efforts have also led to the launch of the Writing Enriched Curriculum program and the revision of the rhetoric and composition curriculum to deepen student learning.

Elshimi has been instrumental in advancing AUC’s civic engagement mission through initiatives such as the AUC Road to College program, which has reached over 800,000 learners from 90 countries. She has also overseen the development of the Bridge Year Program for USAID scholars and expanded Arabic language offerings to attract international students, including the establishment of CASA@AUC.

Elshimi has demonstrated exceptional resourcefulness in managing ALA’s operations. She has restructured staff roles, optimized course offerings and launched revenue-generating programs such as Summer@AUC. Her leadership has been marked by transparency, collaboration and a commitment to continuous improvement.

In the next phase of her leadership, dean Elshimi will continue to focus on areas to further improve the ALA’s performance, including further integrating AI and data literacy into the core curriculum, strengthening international faculty recruitment, supporting student career readiness and experiential learning, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and spreading the word about liberal arts.

Elshimi’s tenure has been defined by her ability to lead with empathy, vision and a deep belief in the transformative power of liberal arts education. Her contributions have elevated ALA’s standing within AUC and beyond, and we are confident that she will continue to guide the Academy with distinction.

Please join me in congratulating Ghada Elshimi on the renewal of her term and in supporting her as she continues to lead ALA into its next chapter of excellence.

Sincerely,
Ehab Abdel-Rahman, Provost