Pack of Cards

¤ The past few weeks have been so full of exciting events, my dears, I really don't know where to start. Still, I suppose the American University in Cairo is quite a good spot, since that is where most of the achievements took place.

(from top to bottom)Mrs Mubarak with Queen Rania; Queen Rania at undergraduate commencement; Mrs Mubarak presents award to Gamal Mubarak at chairman's dinner; Dina Qadri receiving President's Cup; AUC's public relations director, Nagwa Shoeib, with US Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer at graduate commencement; Minister of Housing Ibrahim Soliman being briefed on new campus plans; Minister of Higher Education Moufid Shehab with senior university officials; honourary doctorate recipient Kelly Simpson; Ahmed Zewail presents his award to Maha Bali; Queen Rania

I will forsake chronological order (time is so tedious anyhow, don't you think?) and reveal the most momentous occurrence first: Mrs Suzanne Mubarak was guest of honour at AUC's annual dinner, hosted by Paul Hannon, the university's chairman of the board. A distinguished alumna of the AUC, Mrs Mubarak received three degrees from the university -- a bachelor's, a master's and an honourary doctorate. Hannon said Mrs Mubarak has worked for this last degree the hardest. AUC President John Gerhart described Mrs Mubarak as a world-renowned humanitarian who has used her influence and knowledge through formal academic training to serve the people of Egypt. Proclaiming that Mrs Mubarak has always been a faithful and active supporter of AUC, he then announced that she has agreed to serve as patron for the university's fundraising committee in Egypt.

"Education is empowerment, and the right kind of education in today's global village requires the approach and skills that distinguish an AUC education," Mrs Mubarak said in her short address to the dinner guests assembled at the Semiramis Intercontinental. She praised the plans for the new campus, of which she saw a model before the dinner -- but more about that in a while, dears. "I must say I am envious of future generations, who will enjoy such wonderful, spacious facilities, featuring the most up-to-date information technology, built to the highest standards, ecologically sound, with green areas and ample parking," she said, before calling on friends and alumni of AUC, as well as all those who value the university's contributions to Egypt and the region, to help it translate its dream of a new campus into reality by offering their donations.
I sat next to the Weekly's Dahlia Hammouda and we applauded heartily as Nadia Makram Ebeid, minister of state for environmental affairs, and Gamal Mubarak, chairman of the Future Foundation and member of the National Democratic Party's general secretariat, were honoured among eight AUC alumni for their volunteer work and career achievements.

At the undergraduate commencement, held at the Cairo International Conference Centre, I spotted another of my ever-active colleagues -- Soha Abdel-Ati of the Weekly. This mid-year commencement marked the return of another distinguished alumna to her alma mater: Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan. The Queen of Hearts, as many of those attending called her, delivered the keynote address to 318 bachelor degree recipients and shared with her audience the lessons she has learned since her graduation 10 years ago. "You are made by the Arab world for the Arab world," she told the graduating students, assuring them that the region needed people with their unique skills and training.
Recipients of three awards traditionally presented during the comenceent, were announced at the ceremony. Dina Qadri, business administration ajor, received the President's Cup, presented to the student achieving the highest grade point average. Both the Parents' Association Cup, given to the student who has contributed the most to students activities and whose recipient is chosen by ballot, and the Ahmed Zewail prize were given to Maha Bali, a computer science major. The Ahmed Al-Mahallawi Family Award, recognising the student who has demonstrated strong academic achievements with significant contributions to community service, went to Salwa Fawzy.

As if that wasn't sufficiently sparkling, I was lucky enough to be present when AUC President John Gerhart and senior university officials presented the final master plan of AUC's new campus in the city of New Cairo to Minister of Housing and New Urban Communities Ibrahim Soliman. Then the delegation called on Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Mufid Shehab, to give him a peek at the blueprint. Happily, he commended the university for its vision and its important contributions to education in Egypt and the Middle East.
The new campus, which cost just a little more than my spring wardrobe -- around $285 million, to be precise -- will permit the university to expand the size of its student body by 20 per cent to about 5,500 students, upgrade laboratories and classrooms, introduce the most advanced information technology available and expand fields of study. The members of AUC's board of trustees have pledged some $20 million towards that goal, but a third of the total cost is expected to be raised through private contributions. Well, I can still remember the days when the student body numbered about 500 students, and I am sure that sitting in front of Hill House was a crucial part of my education, but the new generation of AUCians will no doubt have ample opportunity to forge fond memories of their own.

Then last week, more fun was afoot when the graduate commencement was held at AUC's Ewart Hall. Renowned Egyptologist and Yale professor Kelly Simpson delivered the keynote address to the 77 graduates and their families, who were unanimously bursting with pride. A veteran AUC board of trustees member, Simpson, who has established four annual scholarships allowing international students to study Egyptology in situ, urged the preservation of this country's wonderful monuments.

Yet that was far from all: AUC was the venue for yet more momentous events in the following days. Nobel Laureate and member of the board of trustees Ahmed Zewail held a press conference to announce the establishment of the Ahmed H Zewail Prize for Excellence in Sciences and Humanities. There I spotted my energetic colleague Tarek Atia, as well as a host of other dear friends. The prize is meant to recognise AUC honours graduates whose academic accomplishments demonstrate extraordinary commitment to the pursuit of scientific inquiry. The LE2,000 prize, awarded for the first time last week at the undergraduate commencement to Maha Bali, is to be given bi-annually to the best essay in any branch of science and social science.
Zewail's decision to establish the prize at AUC opened up a Pandora's box of questions as to why the university was chosen over its Egyptian counterparts. Renowned for his straightforwardness, he did not disappoint: "I have confidence in the way AUC handles things," he told inquisitive reporters at the press conference. "They have a system with by-laws and I will not have to worry about someone interfering by saying, for instance, that we have to give the prize to so-and-so." In addition, AUC pursued the idea in a studied and precise way, Zewail said. The university merely asked him to provide broad outlines for the conceptualisation of the prize, then filled in the details. Zewail may be more at ease in his lab than at such crowded and tumultuous venues -- at least, that is what I surmised when he whispered to me that, ever since he received the Nobel, everyone believes he has the solutions to all Egypt's problems in his pocket.

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