Attend the Digital Education Campus Conversation on October 9 in Moataz Al Alfi Hall, AUC New Cairo to learn more about the innovative initiative. 

According to Forbes, the worldwide e-learning market is projected to be worth $325 Billion in 2025. In its second century, AUC will be more focusing on its potential to innovate via empowering learners through digital education as the first university to have a robust information technology infrastructure and a Center for Learning and Teaching infrastructure. The News@AUC team spoke with Hoda Mostafa, director of AUC's Center for Learning and Teaching about digitizing education at AUC.

Can you tell us more about the Digital Education at AUC?

Digital education, in the broad sense, is not new to AUC. We have always strived to lead the transformation of higher education through digital education and innovative pedagogies for many years. It started in the early 2000s, before we moved to AUC New Cairo, with the adoption of a learning management system across the University and the adoption of multiple instructional technologies across the board, whether it is web 2.0 or specific instructional technologies in the classroom, platforms that students use across the disciplines. We offer strong support through the Center for Learning and Teaching (CLT) around the active integration of technology into the classroom in what we call  “pedagogically sound” ways. In other words, we do not encourage the integration of technology for its own sake, but because it improves the educational and the learning experience for our students, and it is also a learning opportunity for our faculty.

What is the more recent Digital Education Initiative all about?

It is a University-wide initiative around digital education to include online, blended learning as part of our innovation pillar at AUC. Online and blended programs are being introduced to provide greater access to our extended education offerings within our programs and diplomas. This modality allows learners from anywhere around the globe to take our courses. For example, by offering courses fully online in Arabic, we are expanding our reach and appealing to the Middle East and North Africa region and other audiences. For undergraduates, we have started offering Arabic courses in a blended format this semester.

In 2013, President Anderson established a Task Force on Blended learning with the mandate, "To develop guidelines and best practices for an institutional implementation of blended learning at AUC and to assess AUC’s readiness for such an initiative”

In 2014, the AUC provost established a standing committee on Blended and Online instruction that was made to set or recommend policy and strategy at the University level for blended and online instruction.

It is only in the latest strategic plan of the University that blended and online learning became a specific strategic goal.

What are your biggest challenges?

Faculty require support to design and teach in an online or blended learning modality. We already have experience with faculty who have taught courses in a blended format, which means that part of the class time is replaced with an online experience so they are doing some things online and some things face-to-face, and the course is designed so that it flows naturally. Teaching online is not the same as teaching face to face. This is a challenge when introducing these new mindsets to the learning landscape at AUC. Students also need support to succeed as online learners.

How are you working to overcome those challenges?

We are working on training faculty on how to design blended-learning courses, whether they're degree or non-degree programs, so we are building up capacity for our faculty to become more familiar with designing courses. We are also training instructors to teach online because it is very different than teaching in the classroom.

It is important to understand that in any initiative like this, there is always slow incremental gradual change, changing the culture, and establishing strong roots and capacity building. Expecting faculty to teach online or even to teach with technology requires capacity building and professional development and that’s why we are very lucky that we have a CLT at the University that can support faculty to explore new ways of teaching with the support of an infrastructure that allows this; whether it is a technological infrastructure like a robust institutional learning management system or the support system of skilled instructional designers and instructional technologists at CLT, which is unique in the region.                

Who will benefit from this initiative?

The digital education would benefit the entire community of educators and learners and learners beyond AUC students.

In the few courses that have recently been launched, we have had over 900 students who took non-degree courses in the area of extended education.

How is it different from blended learning? And from what AUC currently offers online?  

Blended learning is part of the initiative, but the scope of the initiative now is to go fully online with a focus on the professional non-degree area, not just AUC students. Through the School of Continuing Education, we have just launched one diploma, “Foundations of Business Administration” as a pilot.    

The establishment of the digital education unit at the Center for Learning and Teaching is what makes it different. Now we have a unit and a whole team; an instructional technology team, instructional development, and video production and multimedia team. The teams are composed of nine exclusively dedicated members to support faculty in everything related to digital education, whether it is the traditional or not so traditional integration of technology into the classroom, video conferencing, the production of videos in our state-of-the-art studio or the design of blended and online courses with the full support of the instructional design and technology team.

Why is this an important initiative for AUC? 

We are the first university to have a robust information technology infrastructure and a Center for Learning and Teaching infrastructure.

I think it is important to think of a common purpose for higher education, and that is the transformative nature of higher education including the experiences that the students are exposed to, types of skills they learn, self-learning, interacting with people online and digital literacies. All of these things are implicit to learning in a blended or online environment. Additionally, online courses contribute to increasing AUC’s reach to people who can benefit from quality AUC courses.

But it is a slow process. That’s why we have a one, two and three-year plans, but the overarching of why it is important to AUC is because it affects everyone, technology is part of our lives, every single person should be able to teach himself new things even if learning how to cook or play the guitar through a YouTube video. We should embrace that we can offer high-quality online experiences that are equal to our face-to-face quality of education.

What are your short and long-term plans?

Our hope is to introduce some elements of a blended or online learning experience for our students and expand our reach. If you look at some of the statistics in the U.S, you'll find that over 30 percent of the students will have taken at least one online course in their undergraduate education by the time they graduate and this is increasing every year. There are multiple public and private universities that offer the same course in both versions; online and face-to-face and the students can choose.

The strategic mission of the University in the next two years is to focus on the non-degree professional certificates, diplomas and tracks through its different schools so any kind of professional offerings in extended education is a strategic kind of area for growth. This doesn’t mean we won’t be looking at opportunities in the post-graduate offerings at AUC as well.

How can people apply or learn more about it? 

Through CLT as mediators of the process. The schools and their programs are identifying the programs that have the potential to go online, they are doing market research and addressing their audience, building on their knowledge of their learners and program placement. It is a school-driven initiative according to the needs of their community of learners.  CLT serves as a service and support center and not necessarily a decision-making entity. We serve the schools with the purpose of bringing together all stakeholders; chairs, program directors, deans, faculty to the same kind of space.

How will the stakeholders benefit from the Digital Education Campus Conversation taking place on October 9?

On October 9, we are holding a communication event followed by an opportunity-seeking activity,  bringing together the stakeholders, asking common questions like where do you see the potential of online learning within your community of learners. The community of the School of Continuing Education is very different than the executive business community and the Kamal Adham Center for Television and Digital Journalism learners and we should respect the differences so that our products align with the market needs.

In this community campus conversation, stakeholders will hopefully meet to explore opportunities at CLT and leave with a better understanding of their needs and the transformative power of integrating digital education, whether online, blended or web-enhanced learning into their programs.

Last week, AUC hosted Women as Engines of Economic Growth in collaboration with the Arab International Women’s Forum (AIWF). Bringing together key representatives from different sectors, the full-day conference paved the road for in-depth discussions on the glass ceilings facing women and delivered recommendations on how to break such ceilings, empower women and challenge the status quo.

“This conference comes at a pivotal time for women on leadership roles and in public offices," said Haifa Fahoum Al Kaylani, AIWF founder and chair, in her keynote address. "women are increasingly taking on high-level leadership positions in business, public service, the judiciary and the legislature, advancing rapidly in professions previously dominated by men."

Throughout the day, four panels were held to examine critical development challenges and opportunities for Egyptian and Arab female leaders in business, entrepreneurship, academia and public service in Egypt and the broader Middle East and Africa region toward the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda on women and youth and their social and economic prosperity. Specifically, the conference ultimately conveyed actionable noteworthy recommendations for empowering women as engines of economic growth.

“To some degree or other, women everywhere face barriers to achieve their potential," asserted Minister of Planning, Monitoring and Administrative Reform Hala Elsaid. "Gender gaps and labor force participation range everywhere around the world. Striving for gender equality is a worthy cause in itself, but it is also the most sensible economic policy of the time."

 

The panel discussions drew key representatives from the Arab public and private sectors, international organizations and institutes, academia, civil society, women and young leaders together for timely discussions drawing on the panelists’ varied experiences and backgrounds. Themes covered included gender diversity on corporate boards and in family businesses, women in public office, women in academia, the role and contributions of women in the rural and informal sectors — concluding with reflections on the future of work for women and youth in the MENA region.

In addition, attendees felt the relevance of the topics wholeheartedly. "Women as engines of economic growth is really a powerful theme," said Mohamed Shelbaya '90, CEO of PepsiCo Egypt. "If some of you would notice, this is actually personal for me more than business-driven. My sister and I were raised by a single mother after my father passed away. She had to change and find a way to raise her children. She never let circumstances stop her. As far as I know, she challenged the status quo [and] was the first women to graduate from mechanical engineering in Cairo and get her master's and PhD from the United Kingdom. She broke the stigma about this male-dominant sector."

"In most Arab countries, women are also successfully assuming positions of leadership in public service and international relations, and are increasingly being elected and appointed to political, diplomatic and development roles, giving women a greater voice in legislative reform throughout the region," said Al Kaylani.

“It’s really inspiring when you come to attend such events,” expressed Sarah Raouf, senior legal manager of PepsiCo Egypt. “I’m a working mother, and seeing such female leaders makes me feel that it’s worth what I’m doing and worth the stress. It’s all very inspiring and heartfelt.”

By the same token, Wafa Abed, head of group internal audit, Bank of Beirut and the Arab Countries, reflected: “The event is extremely timely as far as the subjects examined; they are the topics of the hour. The panels addressed new issues, and this is very important on the ground because it’s not only about the [number] of women; it’s about their impact and what the general public enables them to do.”

"A lot of time we don’t evaluate men in our mindset, we evaluate women in leadership positions. Men and women have different values and they should be evaluated differently. They should be equally respected for their choices," affirmed Maya Morsy, president of the National Council for Women. "If family comes first, that does not by any means mean that work comes second, they come together. Mothers should be respected, so we want the private sector not to ask women whether they are engaged or single."

Dean of AUC's School of Business Sherif Kamel remarked: “If you want to focus on men, you’re only going to develop half of the society. You have to develop both men and women. I still think there’s more to be done in terms of wellness and in terms of opportunities.”

Al Kaylani concluded the conference by expressing her gratitude for AIWF's partnership with AUC: "We are delighted to be in Cairo, Egypt at one of the region’s best universities, The American University in Cairo ... celebrating a century of AUC’s leadership as Egypt’s global University and ... partnering with AUC on this important initiative."

Thirteen of AUC’s master’s programs have topped the 2019 Eduniversal Rankings, with six being ranked the first in Africa and all among the top 200 worldwide.

No. 1 in Africa

• Executive Master of Business Administration
• Master of Arts in Economics
• Master of Business Administration (Operations Management)
• Master of Global Affairs
• Master of Science in Finance
• Master of Science in Sustainable Development (Green Technologies)

No. 2  in Africa

• Master of Business Administration
• Master of Public Administration
• Master of Laws (LLM) in International and Comparative Law 
• Master of Science in Computer Science
• Master of Science in Electronics and Communications Engineering 

No. 3 in Africa 

• Master of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication 
• Master of Engineering in Electronics and Communications Engineering (Management of Technology) 

Each year, Eduniversal helps more than 4.2 million students all over the world in their search for the right graduate program.

Founded in 1994, Eduniversal uses three main criteria in its master’s rankings methodology: reputation of the program, salary of first employment post-graduation and a student satisfaction survey. Read here a full list and description of AUC's master's programs in the 2019 Eduniversal rankings. 

“I am very excited about this year’s results of rankings for a number of graduate programs at AUC, particularly about the number of AUC graduate programs ranked among the top three in Africa — increasing to 13 programs from 10 programs in the 2018 ranking. ,” said Adham Ramadan, dean of graduate studies at AUC. "These rankings reflect the quality of graduate studies at AUC and the success of our graduate programs in maintaining quality." #MakingAUCProud

AUC students Nour El Tahawy, Nour Beshir, Yousef Nassar, Mai El-Ghamry and Nadine Riad won the Omnicom Group MENA Inter-University Challenge with a $10,000 prize, competing with students from other international universities to solve a real data analytics science problem. They were the only team made up completely of undergraduates.

The contest was hosted by Omnicom Media Group, the media services division of Omnicom Group Inc., a global advertising and marketing communications company.

"They learned everything very fast, worked really hard and produced great results in very little time,' said Nouri Sakr, student adviser and assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. "I am one extremely proud mentor and wish them all the best in their future endeavors as they continue to represent AUC with such high proficiency and intellect."

The challenge involved students solving a real data science problem statement and building a model using sample datasets provided. During the first phase of the competition, teams from each university competed against each other, and in the second phase, the winning team from each university competed against each other in Dubai.

What the Students Have to Say

"When they announced that we were first-place winners, the happiness I felt was indescribable. It was truly the perfect ending to a story of hard work, dedication and perseverance."

— Nadine Riad, business administration 

"Winning this competition made me feel that this hard work for two months finally paid off, especially after realizing that we were competing with graduate students."

— Nour El Tahawy, actuarial science 

“It felt great to win the first prize; our hard work paid off. Yet, the greatest reward was what I became to be. The journey, indeed, developed my skills and personality."

— Mai El-Ghamry, actuarial science 

"Getting the chance to challenge myself and represent AUC in an international data science competition has been a pleasure and an honor on its own. Topping that with actually winning the competition against graduate students from other top universities is one of the main highlights of my undergraduate journey here at AUC, which I will forever cherish and remember."

— Nour Beshir, business administration and economics

Sherif Kamel '88, '90, '13, founding dean of AUC School of Business won by acclamation the position of President of the Board of Governors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt (AmCham Egypt) for the 2019-2021 term, starting June first.  

Kamel will succeed Tarek Tawfik, whose term expires at the end of May. Kamel has been an AmCham member for many years and has previously served as executive vice president, board member and chaired several of the Chamber’s core committees including ICT, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Education. 

Kamel started his career working for the government before moving to academia. Over the last 30-plus years, he has contributed to several government and private sector projects and initiatives addressing issues such as organizational transformation and restructuring, human capital, information technology, entrepreneurship, and change management.  

Kamel serves as a non-executive board member of a number of local and international organizations including the Egypt-US Business Council and has served on the board of the Egyptian American Enterprise Fund.  

Kamel holds a PhD in information systems from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Arts in Islamic art and architecture from AUC.

Earlier this month, 15 AUC theatre students traveled to Berlin to participate in the 19th Festival International New Drama (FIND) at the Schaubühne Theatre. Other participating universities included New York University, The New School and the Paris Conservatory, as well as universities in Germany and Belgium. 

During the trip, students got the opportunity to work with internationally renowned theatre-makers from Brussels, Beijing, Santiago, New York, London and Montreal and saw the world-premiere of theatre productions from around the world, including the Wooster Group's new production, Town Hall Affair, directed by Elizabeth LeCompte.

The festival seeks to create a global dialogue about the art form with the leading theatre-makers of tomorrow. The AUC Theatre program received a special invitation to this festival and was offered grants to cover most of the costs. 

Before the Trip

The students were excited about the opportunity to meet and work with other students and theatre majors from around the world. "We're collaborating with other students from different universities, so we'll get to see people from different backgrounds and different cultures, but at the same time we have an interest in the same thing," explained Reem Amer, theatre major. 

"Its a very interesting concept and a very exciting opportunity!" expressed Laila Ghoneim, a double major in theatre and English and comparative literature major. "We'll have the opportunity to work with people from other universities."

"It's really good for AUC students to get exposed to this and to try different methods of acting," said Hisham AbdelRazek, mechanical engineering major and theater minor. "Just to be around so many different cultures and people interested in the same thing — it's brilliant!"

A Holistic Experience

During the 10-day festival, AUC students took part in guided workshops on performance, cultivating their acting skills during the trip. The workshops included contemporary dance, the Meisner technique and the Grotowski technique.

"The whole thing was a learning experience, from the workshops to the plays," said Yasmine Hagagg, political science and history major, and theatre minor. "But my favorite part was getting to watch productions every night because it really showed me what contemporary and experimental drama is starting to develop into. Also, I got to meet Elizabeth LeCompte, which was pretty cool!"

Every day, students got the opportunity to see a play in a different language."The plays touched on a lot of controversial topics, and it was very interesting to see and to watch," expressed AbdelRazek. "We'd have a discussion afterward because there would be a talk after each play."

The students also got the opportunity to meet and hang out with their theatre peers from around the world. "We would always eat lunch together — us and the other schools," explained Amer. "And at night, we got the opportunity to watch plays and hang out with other people there at the theatre."

Overall, the students were grateful for the experience. "I think the festival was incredible and I think everyone who went grew," reflected AbdelRazek. "It's really inspiring for us that we're not alone, that there is more of us here. It makes you feel comfortable as a person that you're on the right track with what you've studied."

Check out these pictures of their adventures abroad.

An AUC team made up of four students from the School of Business and the School of Sciences and Engineering won first place in the Engineering and Commerce Case Competition (EngComm) in Montreal, Canada.

"EngComm provided me with the greatest opportunity to network with leaders from various industries such as General Electric, Bombardier, and Revision Military. Presenting in front of members from these great firms was truly an opportunity of a lifetime," said Noor Sorour, a business and finance major.

Neveen Ahmed, assistant professor of finance, has been the faculty coach for the EngComm competition for the last four years. The team won first place for displaying the highest standard in all matters of business and engineering, the Dr. Thomas McLaughlin Award for the Best International Team, Best Business Solution and Best Team Spirit. 

"Spending twelve hours straight in a closed room to come up with a winning multidisciplinary solution was definitely a one of a kind test," said Ayah Hani, a mechanical engineering major. "One that makes your proud of your teammates as much as your self. All in all, it was definitely an eye-opener and a life-changing experience."  

The competition was held in Montreal from February 19 to 23, 2019 and was comprised of teams from 16 internationally recognized academic institutions, consisting of engineering and commerce students. Since 2013, EngComm has been championing a worldwide effort to foster interdisciplinary communication and collaboration before students start their professional careers. The competition focuses on combining the technical field of engineering with the interactive field of commerce. 

"Our reaction towards getting the first place was priceless, feeling like each and every minute of effort we put as a team paid off," said Walid Abou El Nour, a business and finance major.

"By the end of EngComm we had grown so much both individually and as a collective; we have seen each other under a lot of different conditions, and in new situations," said Zeina Hesham Abdeldayem, an architectural engineering major. "I can confidentially say that the EngComm experience is irreplaceable and that everyone who participated in it is a winner." 

While Egypt’s entrepreneurship ecosystem still ranks low compared to global averages, there is a positive improvement trend, albeit slow. This was clear in the sixth country Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) National report for 2017 and 2018 produced by the AUC’s School of Business for the third year.

The report presents a detailed analysis of the behaviors, motivations and attitudes towards entrepreneurship in Egypt as well as different aspects of the entrepreneurship ecosystem, making it a valuable resource for informing policies and programs. Most measures have shown noticeable improvements between 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Egypt participated in GEM cycles along with many other countries to monitor its entrepreneurial performance. This year’s report marks the sixth country report for Egypt and it was developed by AUC team, led by Ayman Ismail, Abdul Latif Jameel endowed chair of entrepreneurship and assistant professor; Ahmed Tolba, associate provost for strategic enrollment management; Shima Barakat, entrepreneurship education advisor, University of Cambridge; Hakim Meshreki, visiting associate professor of marketing and Seham Ghalwash, researcher, GEM Egypt. 

Overall, the report affirms a positive trend for entrepreneurship in Egypt that started off in 2016, where early-stage entrepreneurship remains high; entrepreneurial intentions are also high; and overall societal perceptions of entrepreneurship continues to be highly favorable.

“We need to expand entrepreneurial education among youth and strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem through programs and policies, in order to position Egypt as a regional hub for entrepreneurship and innovation,” said Ismail.

Societal perceptions of entrepreneurship showed that 75.9 percent of Egyptians perceive entrepreneurship as a good career choice, ranking seventh among GEM countries. Opportunity-recognition is at the heart of the entrepreneurial process; playing an important role in shaping individuals’ decisions to start new businesses. The report also found that 43.5 percent of the non-entrepreneurs perceived an opportunity to start a new venture, ranking twenty-ninth. Entrepreneurial intention remains high, with 55.5 percent of Egyptian non-entrepreneurs surveyed indicating interest or intentions to start a business within the next three years.

“Over the past 3 years, we were able to track the key entrepreneurship trends in Egypt, benchmark our results against other countries,” said Tolba. “A key observation is that entrepreneurial activity has significantly increased since 2016.”

Total early-stage entrepreneurial activity (TEA) is the primary metric used by GEM to measure and compare entrepreneurial activities among countries, indicating the percentage of the 18 to 64-year-old population that is involved in starting a business. In 2017, the TEA rate in Egypt was 13.3 percent, ranking nineteenth, slightly higher than the global average of 12.3 percent. However, the rate of business discontinuation in Egypt has alarmingly increased over the past years, from 2.7 percent in 2010 to 10.2 percent in 2017, ranking first.

 “While the entrepreneurial ecosystem has improved in supporting start-ups; yet the business environment, particularly entrepreneurial education, is still behind most countries,” added Tolba. “I am hopeful that tracking GEM data and sharing the findings with relevant stakeholders will have a significant impact on growing entrepreneurial activity and optimizing the impact of the ecosystem."

For the full list of Egypt GEM reports, follow the link:  

https://www.gemconsortium.org/country-profile/58

The AUC Venture Lab at the School of Business celebrated the graduation of the 11th cycle of the Startup Acceleration Program and the fifth cycle of the FinTech Acceleration Program.

"This Demo Day, we graduate a new cycle of innovative and impactful startups that contribute to different industries in our ecosystem, including energy, education, e-commerce, health care and fintech," said Ayman Ismail, Abdul Latif Jameel Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship and AUC Venture Lab director. "As AUC V-Lab moves past its five-year marker, we continue to celebrate dedicated work and creative business ideas to support the growing impact of entrepreneurial mindsets.”

As Egypt’s first University-based accelerator, AUC Venture Lab provides acceleration services to startups, leveraging AUC’s intellectual capital, world-class facilities and research capacities. It connects entrepreneurs with a wide network of alumni, faculty, mentors and investors. Over five years, AUC V-Lab has graduated more than 120 startups.

Through its Startup Accelerator, AUC V-Lab offers a 16-week program providing business support for innovative startups to grow their business and boost the Egyptian economy.

AUC V-Lab also houses the FinTech Accelerator, which offers a 16-week customized program for FinTech startups providing entrepreneurs with specialized business finance and technology support, where startups gain valuable insights from some of the smartest minds in the startup and fintech worlds.

Startup Acceleration Program

Health Care

The Startup Accelerator cycle incubated startups across a myriad of sectors. Focusing on health care, CDOC is a medical consultation app for patients to connect, chat and consult with physicians. The service is provided by specialized doctors who are legally registered at the Egyptian Medical Syndicate in different specialties.

There is also MoDo, a local healthcare directory with more than 44,000 service providers, which enables users to locate the best nearest service provider. It gives them the option to filter providers using insurance network, as well as rate the service and share their experiences in just a few clicks.

Also incubated in this cycle is Instadiet, a web and mobile app that connects users with certified dietitians to address diet challenges. It allows dietitians to maximize their patient capacity while offering patients a hassle-free journey as they can select their dietician, receive tailored meal plans and track their progress, all online. 

“AUC V-Lab added value to my startup in two key areas," said Ahmed Tawfik, founder of Instadiet. "First, they introduced me to their network of partners and mentors who helped me close B2B deals that I hadn’t considered before. Second, they introduced me to a network of high-caliber fellow founders with a complementary set of skills that helped push my startup even further."

Sustainability 

The cycle also hosts Bio Life, provider of an affordable alternative source of energy for sustainable rural development, as it offers a biogas digester that is easily installed at homes and is both cost- and energy-efficient.

Fintech Acceleration Program

Facilitating Procedures

As for the FinTech Acceleration Program, it incubated Gigaaa, an intelligent personal assistant platform that provides users access to all range of products and services through voice command and automatically processes user payments through the Gigaaa wallet while continuously gathering data through machine learning for a more personalized experience.

To ease the routine and red tape, Egr2atk offers a platform to connect individuals with licensed offices to issue governmental documents, to minimize time and effort for users while increasing the capacity of licensed governmental offices. “Being part of the AUC Venture Lab for such a small time helped me build a stronger network as well as discover new opportunities I did not know were available," said Ayman Mostafa, founder of Egr2atk. "Also, I am now equipped with strong tools that will enable me to move forward with my business."

Other startups are FINSOFT SWITCH, a middleware between banks' host and offline delivery channels (POS, E-Commerce and MPOS) supporting banks' payment gateway system and XPay, a digital platform facilitating cashless payments within communities. Through its secure portal and app, XPay works to swiftly manage payments and financial transactions ruling out weak financial controls and time consuming cash-based operations.

Mohamed Abdelmottaleb, co-founder of X Pay, said: “One clear value we gained from the Venture Lab is that we’ve learnt how to challenge our business model and our impact model. We have also been introduced to a good selection of mentors.” 

“To quote Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet,’ I shall not look upon his like again,” said Soreya Altorki, professor of anthropology, in the Department of Sociology, Egyptology and Anthropology at the memorial service for Professor Emeritus Galal Amin.

The memorial service for the visionary educator was a chance for those who knew him to reflect on his life and accomplishments, and to share some words about his impact on their lives.

Nabil Elaraby, chairman of the Board of Trustees for Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration and former secretary-general of the League of Arab States, talked about how Amin went above and beyond as a teacher and as an economist. “Galal was a visionary professor of economics,” Elaraby said. “My three children were at one point his students, and they benefited greatly -- not only from his teaching, but from the way he looked at life.”

Besides teaching in AUC’s Department of Economics for 44 years, Amin was also an award-winning economist, prominent writer and commentator, and AUC Press author. However, to those who got the opportunity to meet him, he was more than just a distinguished academic and encyclopedic thinker. He was a mentor, an advocate for Egypt and, most importantly, an inspiration. The speakers painted a picture of a rare type of man –– someone who could captivate a room simply with his words and laughter.

“He could make even perennially dry subjects like microeconomics exciting,” laughed Mona Said ’89, ’91, associate professor and chair of AUC’s Department of Economics.

“He gave sufficient weight to qualitative areas, including the impact of economics on ordinary people, the impact of economics on quality of life and the impact of economics on communities at large,” said Walid Abdelnasser, director of the Regional Bureau for Arab countries, World Intellectual Property Organization, describing how Amin stood out within his field.

And just about everyone talked about how funny he was. Sherif Kamel ’88, ’90, ’13, dean of AUC’s School of Business, recounted how Amin –– author of Whatever Happened to the Egyptians –– once joked about writing a book titled, What More Can Happen to the Egyptians? 

During the ceremony, speakers shared their cherished memories with the professor -- attending one of his lectures, reading one of his books or simply sitting down with him for a talk and some Turkish coffee. All speakers emphasized how lucky they were to know Amin and how universally beloved he was. 

Amin was well known at the University for being incredibly popular with students and offering a unique class experience. “There was no PowerPoint, no screen and no computer. It was just Dr. Galal, a board, a marker and us,” described Yasmine Kamar '11, business director at KAPO Group and one of Amin’s former students. She related her decision to register for his 8 am microeconomics class. Despite the early hour, her mother, also an AUC alumna, encouraged Kamar to sign up for a class with Amin, and she was not disappointed by her decision. “I’m very blessed to have gotten to take part in that class. I was encouraged to minor in economics, and I took three or four classes of the whole minor with him.”

Kamar was not the only student whose major and future trajectory was strongly influenced by Amin. Both Kamel and Said also affirmed that their interactions with Amin changed their career paths. “It was microeconomics and the stylized way he portrayed it that ultimately convinced me to change to economics,” noted Said.

Kamal recounted how he went to Amin as a senior, unsure of whether he wanted to continue as an economics major. He confessed to Amin that he wanted to switch his major to business. “He said go to business, and we’ll see what happens,” Kamal remembered. “And I think that five minutes in his office actually changed my career.”

According to Danya Amin, Galal Amin’s daughter, this sort of support and encouragement was nothing out of the ordinary. “He never made me feel bad about myself,” said reflected. “He never told me what to do, and he never said I told you so.”

Indeed, one of the topics the speakers touched on most was how Amin was a source of kindness and support. Kamar described how when she asked him to write her a recommendation letter, that he took the time to write it by hand and in pencil. “And that’s just professor Amin,” she smiled. “It’s something no one else would do, to be honest. I kept that letter, and it’s something I want to hang in my house one day.”

Like Kamar, other speakers emphasized Amin’s dedication and generosity. “He was a gentleman and a brilliant scholar, but in addition he was generous, kind and devoted to freedom of thought,” related Altorki.

At times heartwarming, at times heartbreaking, the memorial service was a testament to how Amin was an inspiration to his students, friends and Egypt at large. “Some people count themselves lucky or honored to have been in one of his classes or to have been one of his colleagues. How honored am I to have had him by my side for half a century?” said Danya Amin tearfully.

As dedicated as he was to AUC, Said believes that Amin embodied the vision of AUC’s Department of Economics –– to be a hub of inspirational teaching and creative research with regional expertise and global impact. “Given who he was and what he meant to all of us, we could have simply stated that our vision was carried on by the legacy of Galal Amin,” shared Said.