AUC Hosts International Experiential Learning Summit

March 16, 2015, Cairo – The School of Business at The American University in Cairo, The Global Business School Network (GBSN), and Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth held a summit today on  AUC  New Cairo Campus to explore opportunities for applying experiential learning approaches to management education in the MENA region. Over 40 leaders in business education and industry gathered to participate in  “Learning by Doing: The Power of Experiential Learning in Management Education” summit. Delegates explored different approaches for applying experiential learning to management education and opportunities to increase multi-sector engagement in management education in the MENA region, particularly with the private sector.The summit featured panel discussions with leading innovators in business education and corporate sector from Africa, North America, Europe and Asia. Featured speakers included Bryan Andriano, executive director, global and experiential education, George Washington University, School of Business, USA;  Francis Barel, business development manager, Middle East and North Africa, PayPal, France;  Kerry Laufer, director, OnSite Global Consulting, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, USA; Steve Khal, associate professor of business administration, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, USA; Marc Johnson, executive director, Center for Global Initiatives, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, USA;  Sofiane Ben Tounes, president and CEO, General Electric in Northeast Africa, Egypt; Mohamed Sultan, general manager, Proctor and Gamble Near East, Egypt; Thami Ghorfi, president, ESCA Ecole de Management, Morocco; Charlotte Karam, assistant professor of organizational behavior and organizational psychology, Olayan School of Business, American University of Beirut, Lebanon; Karim Seghir, dean of School of Business, AUC, Egypt; Maha ElShinawy, professor of leadership and ethics, School of Business, AUC; Maha Mourad, associate professor of marketing, School of Business and director of El Khazindar Business Research and Case Center, AUC, Egypt and Aliaa Bassiouny, assistant professor of finance and associate chair, and director of Citadel Capital Financial centre, School of Business, AUC, Egypt. “Generation Y do not get inspired by conventional teaching methods; they want to be active participants in the learning experience. Millennials want to immediately see how they can apply what they have studied. They expect immediate feedback. The American University in Cairo supports, promotes and implements participant-centered experiential learning and cutting-edge teaching methods to prepare students to become innovative leaders in the global market,” said Karim Seghir, dean of School of Business, AUC. Guy Pfeffermann, founder and CEO of GBSN believes that one of the biggest challenges facing developing world management schools is to meet the expectations of talent-seeking companies. “I can’t think of a better way to hone problem-solving, teamwork, communications and other critical skills than taking part in a well-run experiential learning project,” Pfeffermann said. According to Phillip Stocken, associate dean for the MBA program at the Tuck School of Business, Tuck has long recognized the important role experiential learning plays in the leadership development of their students. “These are the kind of relevant, on-the-ground experiences that students today seek, and we are excited to help advance the study and practice of this critical aspect of management education through our participation at this international Experiential Learning Summit.”