CAIRO: The American University in Cairo (AUC) is expanding into new academic territory, despite global troubles in that field that have made expansion anywhere difficult. The university announced yesterday the establishment of the AUC School of Business and named the new school's first Dean, AUC professor Sherif Kamel. The new institution, which will be located on the new campus in New Cairo, is the product of restructuring and expansion of the university's business program, culminating in a business school that organizers say is the first of its kind in Egypt and the Middle East. "AUC has been the regional leader in business education and research, Moataz Al-Alfi, vice chairman of AUC's Board of Trustees, wrote in the press release. "With its new School of Business it will now be in a position to provide the knowledge, expertise and skills required to meet the challenges of today's globalized business world. Al-Alfi also spoke at the press conference yesterday at the AUC Downtown campus where Founding Dean Kamel was introduced. The restructuring of the business program coincides with the university's establishment of the first School of Public Affairs in the region, chaired by former ambassador to the United States, Nabil Fahmy. In the past, the business program and several departments of the new School of Public Affairs were incorporated into the School of Business, Economics and Communication within the Department of Management. "You couldn't really see the emphasis on business, Kamel told Daily News Egypt. But the new school will provide a new opportunity and "a very clear message, he said. "That we are here, serving the business community. The new business school will consist of departments in accounting, economics and management. Kamel said they expect to reform the undergraduate degrees and expand the business graduate program beyond the MBA program currently offered. Several of the university's top research centers will also be incorporated under the umbrella of the business school. Kamel, who received his PhD from London School of Economics after studying at AUC, said the business school curriculum will align with the demands of a field witnessing vast changes internationally and in Egypt. "It will bring in the international flavor and adapt it to the local market, he said. Plans for the restructuring of the business program have been discussed for several years, but the decision to work it with similar changes to the public policy program was approved in May. The School of Business is now one of only 85 business schools outside of the United States accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. And with the addition of 11 new faculty members, the institution has made growth a priority despite the troubles accompanied with the global economic crisis. "Irrespective of what's happening in the world, we are still going ahead with the plans, Kamel said. In fact, the university views the current financial situation as an opportunity, even as other universities around the world have been forced to limit hiring and growth. Professionals who might otherwise have taken jobs are finding a return to education to be the most viable option. "AUC is the place to be, said Assistant Dean of the School of Business Stephen Everhart. "We can look past the bumps in the road. Right now is when we want to grow. Everhart said that the school's move to a new campus outside of Cairo has provided modern facilities for the new business school that include a trading room, complete with a screen reporting the latest updates Kamel was confident in the future of an institution that has already taken shape as the first of its kind. "We have the vision, we have the plan.
