AUC Welcomes Class of 2021
Today, AUC welcomes the Class of 2021, embracing their goals, ambitions and bright futures.
This fall, more than 1,000 undergraduates and 243 graduate students are entering their new campus with confidence and familiarity. The undergraduate class is composed of 564 female students and 448 male students.
Once again, AUC is set to experience a wave of integration, diversity and multiculturalism, as the undergraduate Class of 2021 includes Egyptian students from 23 governorates and international students from countries such as Syria, Nigeria, Germany, the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Denmark, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Moreover, about 100 incoming undergraduates have received scholarships and financial aid. AUC also expects to provide need-based financial aid to more than 2,000 undergraduate students for Fall 2017.
As for the graduate class, 41 students come from 18 countries around the globe, which include the United States, Canada, Ghana, Nigeria, Japan, Sudan, the Netherlands, Madagascar, Yemen, China, Bahrain, Eritrea and Syria.
In addition to incoming students, 62 full-time faculty members have joined AUC this fall, hailing from countries such as Canada, Australia, Britain, the United States, Estonia, Ghana, Lebanon, Turkey, Switzerland, Ireland, Poland, Pakistan and Germany, in addition to Egypt.
Welcoming Students
Last week’s orientation ended with inspirational and welcoming remarks from President Francis Ricciardone, Provost Ehab Abdel-Rahman and Dean of Students George Marquis.
Ricciardone’s message enlightened students on the mission and vision of AUC, where he spoke about the University being "a student-centered, faculty-led and staff-enabled enterprise," with an adamant goal of aligning its curriculum, pedagogy and research with developments taking place around the world, and to "have absolutely the best in all our academic pursuits." He also highlighted the role of parents, alumni, trustees and donors in helping AUC strive and maintain its position as one of the top universities locally, regionally and globally.
He concluded with an invitation for an experience defined by excellence. “Always strive for excellence by any measure in any of our pursuits," he said. "Welcome to AUC. ... I look forward to seeing you all on campus.”
Abdel-Rahman excitedly spoke about the diversity found in this year’s incoming class, stating that it will be a rich experience for students from all disciplines and years, and inviting them to interact and learn from the cross-cultural environment nurtured at AUC. “We are a diverse community, and both our incoming students and faculty demonstrate this defining characteristic, unique to AUC," he asserted. "One of the distinguishing features AUC offers is the opportunity to meet, make friends with and learn from people of similar and dissimilar backgrounds.”
After an overview of incoming international students and faculty members, Abdel-Rahman emphasized, “These opportunities remind us that at the end of the day, despite our similarities or differences, we are here for the same purpose: to learn so we can make the world a little better.”
Abdel-Rahman reminded attendees of AUC’s unique heritage that can only be maintained and uplifted through their future efforts. “We have achieved great things in our near 100-year history, and we can always grow and improve," he said. "Let us not be content with what we have before us. Let us work together to make AUC an even better, even stronger institution than it is now.”
Marquis emphasized the University’s commitment to provide students with resources and encouraged them to pursue cocurricular activities. “Some of you may be thinking that you won’t have the time to balance both academics and cocurriculars, but we know that students who are actively engaged in campus life find their experience at AUC to be more enriching and satisfying,” he said. “I encourage you to join a student club, be an entrepreneur, build a robot, represent AUC in a national or international competition, join a branch of our student government or teach in the local community.”
First Impressions
Students from all walks of life are embarking on their new journeys at AUC. “Orientation was fun and I easily found my way around campus," said freshman Yasmine el Seweidy.
"We found the banners and the website to be really helpful. Overall, we’re having fun and looking forward to making new friends,” said freshman Mariam Mosleh.
Ziad El Hares, Egypt
Undergraduate, Intended Major: Construction Engineering
“I’m a really social person, so socializing has been amazing and so has searching for clubs. I already joined two clubs on campus.”
Leone Close, Germany
Undergraduate Study Abroad, Islamic Studies and Political Science
“For me, it’s very different. In Germany, we don’t have a welcome week like this! It’s just something new to me: the American system and Egyptian students. People have been very friendly here. I want to invite students from AUC to Germany, and likewise, I believe students in Germany would love to study at AUC.”
Jack Hostager, United States
Undergraduate Study Abroad, University of Pennsylvania, Arabic Language and International Relations
“It’s beautiful, and the campus is gorgeous! We got to see the actual city, and they’re organizing a lot of trips for us this year. I am very excited to be here, meet new people and learn about Egypt. I can’t wait to meet and get to know other students here.”
Gabriel El-Hassan, Ghana
Graduate, Master of Science in Sustainable Development
“I am enjoying my time. It’s my second time in Cairo and my first time on campus. The experience has been fascinating, to say the least.”
Farah Hegazy '17, Egypt
Graduate, Master of Arts in Political Science and International Relations
“I graduated last February from AUC, and now I’m back. It feels really good to be back. AUC is my home!”
