AUC President to ‘SEE’: Anything good for Egypt, will be good for us

 We are ready to provide any help for the Egyptian government

By: Wafaa Fayez

Cairo - September 18 (SEE): President of AUC Dr. Francis Ricciardone announced that a celebration will be held next year to celebrate the centenary of the university.The celebration will be attended by several foreign officials, education experts and presidents of prominent universities.

Speaking to ‘SEE’, he added that the biggest challenge for the American University is to maintain its outstanding educational service and being different. He asserted the importance of providing affordable services for the middle class in Egypt. “We want to have the best students in Egypt, disregarding their financial capabilities, especially as we are non-profit university, so we need to have money to invest in our excellence,” he explained.

He commented on the opening of new branches for foreign universities in Egypt. He regarded it as a ‘good step’, noting anything that is good for Egypt “will be good for us too”.

He noted that the AUC already serves the education process in Egypt. Dr. Ricciardone explained that the AUC cooperates with the ministry of High Education in different manners. “We brought many experts from the US and the Gulf states and other countries to listen to their experiences in the education field and how Egypt could benefit from that”.

Dr. Ricciardone talked with the editor of "SEE"

He said his institution is ready to provide any help for the Egyptian government in its efforts to reform the high education.He added that he met with a number of foreign investors and assured them that Egypt is a stable and secured; has wonderful aspiring youth, and that it is a very good venue for foreign universities.

Dr. Ricciardone talked about the long history the AUC had along a century, stressing that it has an Egyptian - American identity. He said that he always strive to attract foreign students to come to Egypt through scholarships offered by the university, or opening the doors of admission for them.

He mentioned that the number of foreign students currently enrolled at the university reached 341 in 2017. He explained that 90 of them came from the US, 23 from Syria, 21 from Yemen, 17 from Libya, 16 from Germany, 13 from India, 13 from Palestine, 13 from Saudi Arabia and 49 from other different countries.

He acknowledged that the university is ready for the next academic year and has prepared many cultural and music events in cooperation with other Egyptian universities. It has developed its cultural center as well.

President of AUC Dr. Francis  Ricciardone

He said that AUC received 1110 new students in the new semester, the fall of 2018. The University also includes students from various countries in the United States, Canada, Greece, Jordan, Palestine, Algeria, Sudan, Yemen, Somalia and Saudi Arabia.

In addition, AUC maintains its multicultural nature, welcoming one-third of its Egyptian students from 23 governorates across Egypt. Some 150 new students also receive full and partial scholarships. In addition, the University is opening its doors to more than 260 students to begin their studies.

Students spent last week learning about the university before starting lectures. The new students were welcomed as they participated in many activities, learned about the disciplines, also toured the campus and participated in many competitions.