Wed, July 28^th

On Wednesday we visited Alexandria University. We were welcomed by Mrs. Magada Hafez who is the Director of Student Activities. She invited in student leaders Mahamed Mostafa and Ahmed Maher Abdelaziz who participated in some Q&A and then escorted us on a tour of the campus. During our tour we were lucky to be invited to observe a summer “scout” activity and to share a meal in a residence dining hall.  One of the most interesting aspects of our campus visit, the lunch was served on tin plates with individual sections for the different foods.  We were treated to olives, lamb, vegetables, rice, and ubiquitous pita bread.  The meal was great although several of the students (and Kathy) passed up the fresh watermelon out of an abundance of caution about safety of local foods.

Alexandria University is the 2^nd largest university in Egypt. It has an undergraduate enrollment of 175,000 and a graduate enrollment of 20,000. Only 8,000 students live on campus. Only 1,200 international students are enrolled. As you might expect from an institution this large, they have a very broad array of programs. They are organized into “Faculties” analogous to our colleges:

Faculty of Arts

Faculty of Law

Faculty of Commerce

Faculty of Medicine

Faculty of Engineering

Faculty of Agriculture

Faculty of Dentistry

Faculty of Pharmacy

Faculty of Nursing

Faculty of Physical Education for Girls

Faculty of Fine Arts

Faculty of Agriculture (Saba Basha)

Faculty of Education

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Faculty of Tourism and Hotels

Faculty of Specific Education

Faculty of Kindergarten

Faculty of Sport Education for Men

High Institute of Public Health

Medical Research Institute

The University is run by a council, which is headed by the University President. The current president is Professor Hind Mamdouh Hanafy. Prior to assuming the presidency she served as Professor of Pediatrics, Vice Dean for Postgraduate Affairs and Research, Director Medical Education Center, in the Medical Faculty.

According to the CIA World Factbook, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/eg.html  about 30% of Egyptians are illiterate. Egyptian spending on education ranks 92 of 182 countries measured (USA is 57).  In GDP per capita, Egypt at $6000 ranks 134 of 227. (USA is 11 at $46,000).

Alexandria University is spread across several physical campuses in the city, and across several satellite campuses. One large campus housing many faculties is right next to the new Alexandria Library. Students can readily utilize all the physical and information resources of the library.

Thank you Mrs. Magada Hafez, Mahamed Mostafa, Ahmed Maher Abdelaziz  and all the others who made us so welcome!