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AUC Press Faculty Review Board Launched

The American University in Cairo (AUC) Press recently established a Faculty Review Board to examine new projects and external peer reviews, ensuring that the highest standards of quality and rigorous critique are reflected in forthcoming books carrying the AUC imprimatur to readers around the world. “Members of the board serve as AUC Press ambassadors to the broader AUC community and within their scholarly disciplines and professional networks ­­­­–– bringing new ideas and publications to AUC Press and promoting better awareness of its strengths and initiatives,” said Michael Duckworth, AUC Press director.

The fundamental purpose of the board is to cultivate scholarly excellence by advising AUC Press on the merit of individual scholarly and general book projects in light of confidential external peer reviews. “A review board plays a crucial role in a press, as it is the starting point in providing a fair and transparent process in which books can be judged in terms of quality and intellectual worth, and whose publication will reflect well on AUC Press and the University,” said Salima Ikram (YAB ’86), distinguished University professor of Egyptology.

Board members will help shape the editorial strengths and future direction of the overall publishing program and advocate for AUC Press to the University and throughout the global academic community. “AUC Press has an established reputation as a publisher of quality books and manuscripts on all aspects of Middle East studies. It receives many book proposals and drafts every year, and the Faculty Review Board plays an important role in identifying the best for eventual publication in terms of contribution to knowledge and our understanding of the Middle East,” said Syed Maswood, professor of political science. “The Faculty Review Board pinpoints an expert panel of reviewers to report on each proposal that then becomes the basis for a final publishing decision. In doing so, we hope to bring the best research and findings available to a wider audience in the region and beyond.”

The first chair of the board, James Ketterer, dean of the School of Continuing Education, said: “It is an honor to serve as chair of the AUC Press Faculty Review Board and to work with such impressive and inspiring colleagues. He added that AUC Press plays a central role in the University’s mission to disseminate knowledge, and the Faculty Review Board is there to ensure that members of the AUC community have a substantive advisory voice in the intellectual output of AUC Press and to offer guidance as it looks to the future and aligns with the University’s strategic direction.

The board will meet approximately six times during the academic year to review new project proposals.

AUC Press is the leading English-language publisher in the Middle East. At present, it publishes roughly 30 new titles each year, with particular strengths in Egyptology, Arabic language learning, Middle East studies, architecture and the arts, and Arabic fiction in translation.

Meet all current members of the AUC Press Faculty Review Board.

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Founded in 1919, The American University in Cairo (AUC) is a leading English-language, American-accredited institution of higher education and center of the intellectual, social, and cultural life of the Arab world. It is a vital bridge between East and West, linking Egypt and the region to the world through scholarly research, partnerships with academic and research institutions and study abroad programs. 

The University offers 39 undergraduate, 52 master’s and two PhD programs rooted in a liberal arts education that encourages students to think critically and find creative solutions to conflicts and challenges facing both the region and the world. 

An independent, nonprofit, politically non-partisan, non-sectarian and equal opportunity institution, AUC is fully accredited in Egypt and the United States.