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Freshman Program Mission, Vision and Values

  1. Academics
  2. The Core Curriculum
  3. Freshman Program
  4. Mission and Vision

Mission

The Freshman Program at The American University in Cairo (AUC) exposes students, through liberal education, to a broad range of ideas across disciplines, enhances their critical thinking and communication skills, and introduces them to the core values of intellectual and personal integrity, civic responsibility and respect for diversity. This is accomplished by engaging student curiosity through active and discovery-based approaches, meaningful and stimulating intellectual encounters, and a multicultural learning environment that expands beyond the walls of the classroom. Students also gain an awareness of their abilities and interests, which allows them to make academic and lifelong choices. The Freshman Program instills a passion for learning and a sense of identity as a citizen of AUC, the region and the global community.

Vision

The Freshman Program vision is to foster, through collaborative institutional effort, a broad, intellectually-engaging learning experience in the freshman year and beyond, in which students develop lifelong commitments to learning, research and service, and competencies in effective communication, critical thinking and ethical discernment in diverse, multicultural environments.

Core Values

The following core values underpin all academic and co-curricular programs and activities that support students in their freshman semesters at AUC:

  • Self-expression means having the self-awareness, confidence and ability to articulate clearly and respectfully one's own thoughts, ideas and opinions both orally and in writing. Self-expression also includes listening to others openly and respectfully.
  • Independence means taking responsibility for one’s decisions, learning, actions, obligations and successes. AUCians should display independence as they make academic and extracurricular choices, complete assignments, and acquire self-management and interpersonal skills.
  • Integrity means consistently being trustworthy, honest and fair. Each AUCian should exhibit integrity in academic work, extracurricular activities and in their engagement with the wider community.
  • Intellectual curiosity means the desire to know, the courage to question, and the willingness to invest time and energy into learning more about the world and ideas. It is the driving force behind creativity, innovation, problem solving and scholarly research.
  • Civic Engagement means having an understanding of social complexities, the ability to critically reflect on civic identity and realities, and a commitment to serve others at AUC, in the Egyptian community and throughout the world. AUCians should exhibit empathy and concern for peers, faculty and the community, and engage them in an atmosphere of collaboration, respect for diversity and awareness of ethical concerns.