Thank You Luncheon for Faculty and Staff Donors

AUC faculty and staff members gathered on Thursday, June 4, to celebrate the impact that their philanthropy is having on the University. 

As the academic year is winding down, AUC recognized faculty and staff donors whose generosity is making a difference in the lives of students and the AUC community as a whole, and contributing to a great extent to the University’s success and its positioning as Egypt’s global University. 

This year, more than 50 faculty and staff members provided financial support to AUC totaling $28,000, allowing the University to exceed its fundraising goals. This year was especially successful for the AUC Annual Fund, which has exceeded its goal and raised more than $560,000. The majority of Annual Fund gifts are directed toward where they are most needed and scholarship support, which has allowed the University to provide approximately 60 percent of students with financial aid and scholarships.

“It is especially meaningful to receive gifts from members of the faculty and staff because you also devote your valuable time and effort to our University,” said President Lisa Anderson in her opening remarks. “I hope today can serve as a celebration of the community we have created here at AUC and a reminder of the successes of our students and programs made possible by the University’s donors.” Anderson saluted the faculty and staff donors who have been giving to AUC for five and 10 years consecutively.  

Rasha Radwan ’94, ’13, director of institutional research at the Office of Data Analytics and Institutional Research, spoke at the event about her loyalty toward her alma mater and how giving back to AUC is more like a family tradition. “I am proud of being an AUCian and feel I have to pay back in any way I can,” she said. “It has been a family tradition since my father was an AUC alumnus and has always contributed in many ways to the different fundraising campaigns.”

Radwan has been an Annual Fund donor for almost 20 years. “I really believe that alumni have to stay connected to their University. Our generation had a good education at AUC and supporting the Annual Fund is important to sustain the quality of education AUC offers and to maintain its operations,” she added. “The liberal arts education opens the horizon and gives students a broad perspective toward life in general. Also, the extracurricular activities, student clubs, community-service organizations and on-campus events allow students to interact with their communities and prepare them to be active members in society.”

Mervat Abou Oaf ’88, ’02, professor of practice in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, spoke about the importance of philanthropy, and especially toward education, for societal progress. “I have watched over the years how AUC has effectively prepared generations to make a difference in the lives of others as well as their own. Particularly during the volatile times in today’s Egypt, we are in dire need of those who understand the vitality of education for development of societies. There is no question that philanthropic effort toward a world-class University like AUC is increasingly essential to a thriving nation.”

Abou Oaf has been a steadfast supporter of the AUC Annual Fund, directing her contributions toward scholarships. “AUC is not only about education, it is an experience of a lifetime, and with my contributions, I hope to grant students who are financially needy this AUC experience,” she added. 

Abou Oaf stressed the importance of giving back to AUC regardless of the amount of money you can afford to give. “You should trust that you can make a difference, no matter how minimal; consistency is what matters.” Supporting students is Abou Oaf’s passion, but she has asked all attendees to find their passion and make an impact.

Mai Rashdan ’05, productions associate in the Department of the Arts of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, seconded Radwan and Abou Oaf’s sentiments toward AUC. “AUC, as an institution, has been serving the community for many decades, and to be a part of that institution that serves others is an honor,” she said. “I feel loyal to AUC because it is where I was given the chance to discover who I am, focus on studying what I love, and be who I am today. If there is an opportunity to help the community through AUC, I will gladly take it.” 

Rashdan provides support to the Public School Scholarship Fund, the School of Continuing Education Career Certificate and has named a tree on the AUC New Cairo campus. “Providing scholarship opportunities to outstanding and needy students is, in my opinion, the most important form of help I can provide as a person," she said. "I do believe that to teach people how to fish is better than giving them a fish for the day. With education, people can make better careers for themselves, and better their lives and the lives of those around them.”

“AUC is not only an institution where you get a degree, it is also a fully operating community in which individuals learn social interaction and learn about life," added Rashdan, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in art from AUC and returned to work in the department from which she graduated 10 years ago. "I came back to be a staff member in the same department I graduated from because I wanted to help younger generations learn from what I have learned, on and off-campus.”

Mona Abdullah ’88, director of international purchasing in the Office of Supply Chain Management and Business Support, has been a supporter of the AUC Annual Fund since 1999. She believes in the importance of supporting AUC to maintain its world-class standards with regard to teaching and research. “AUC is very unique for its liberal arts education, which prepares students to be competitive and ambitious leaders,” she said. “Any kind of individual support to any institution, irrespective of how many or how much, will definitely have a great impact on spreading such support amongst nations and societies, which will over time lead to developmental progress.” 

Aziza Ellozy ’64, ’67, professor of practice, associate dean for learning technologies and founding director of the Center for Learning and Teaching, believes that she owes AUC not only her education, but the cause of the transformation in her life. Ellozy came to AUC during her sophomore year as a transfer student from Cairo University. The first class she attended at AUC was English literature taught by Professor Beck. “The fact that I still remember his name is a testimony to his impression on a chemistry major who was not too happy to have to take non-science courses,” Ellozy said humorously. “That is when my true education started and my deep belief that a liberal arts education is truly ‘liberating.’ In a nutshell, I wish to sustain this great institution in whatever small way I can.”

Ellozy has supported a variety of different funds at AUC that are essential for a world-class University. She contributed to the AUC Annual Fund (scholarships, library and where most needed), the Dr. Fadel Assabghy Endowed Memorial Award, the Nadia Younes Annual Lecture and the Nadia Younes Endowed Award for Public and Humanitarian Service, and the Sullivan Lounge, among others. She believes that philanthropic efforts should be directed toward education in any form. “By giving to institutions like AUC, by funding scholarships to study abroad, by building museums with strong educational and interactive wings for children and adults, by building libraries in areas where urban libraries are not accessible, by developing free online educational resources in Arabic — all this needs to be accompanied by an overhaul of a medieval educational system and training of school teachers — an ambitious but necessary condition,” she explained.

In addition to the different qualities AUC instills in its students, Ellozy hopes it continues to graduate civically engaged students who understand the importance of giving back to their community. “We need to build a culture of philanthropic giving that is lacking in Egypt,” she noted.

Fiscal Year 2015 Faculty and Staff Donors

Mrs. Raymonda Raif Abdel Nour '91
Mrs. Mona Mohamed Tewfik Abdullah '88
Prof. Mervat Shafic Abou Ouf '88, '02
Ms. Dina Abulfotuh SP, '02
Mrs. Farida M. Baha El Din Ahmed '88
Mrs. Safaa Selim Al Beitawi '90
President Lisa Anderson SP and Mr. Marc Rauch
Mrs. Cynthia McDonald Anthony SP and Dr. John Duke Anthony
Mrs. Manar El Sayed Ayoub '91
Dr. Hassan Azzazy
Dr. Adel Amin Beshai '63
Dr. Deena Aly Boraie '78, '82, '88
Mrs. Ranya Aly Boraie '84
Dr. Nathaniel Bowditch
Mr. Walter (Philip) McDonough Croom
Mrs. Sherine Hassanein El Attawi '89, '98
Ms. Enas El Fallal
Mrs. Hala Hassan El Ganayni '92, '02
Mrs. Aliaa Nader El Kourashy
Mrs. Shahira Abbas El Sawy '65, '91
Mrs. Sherine Nabil El Sharkawy '88
Dr. Aziza Ragai Ellozy '64, '67 and Dr. Hamed Ellozy
Mrs. Afaf William Fahmy
Mr. Kamal Kamal Fahmy
Mrs. Doaa Alaa El Din Farag '05, '11
Mr. Michel Gergis
Dr. Pandeli Glavanis
Mrs. Nagwa N. Guirguis '82, '91, '14
Mr. Amir Habib
Dr. Naila Nabil Hamdy '96
Dr. Nelly Boulos Hanna '62, '81
Mr. Ihab Nabil Ahmed Hassan
Mrs. Maha Ali Hegazi '86
Dr. Ibrahim Abdel Aziz Hegazy '84, '87
Dr. Mohamed Abdel Aziz Hegazy
Mr. Ayman Ismail
Dr. Bahgat Korany
Mrs. Noha Mahmoud Korayem '90
Ms. Rasha Farouk Mabrouk '94, '97
Mr. Brian MacDougall
Mrs. Sandy Said Mikhail
Dr. Hoda Grant Nashed '83
Ms. Hanan Hossam Omary '98
Ms. Suzan Hamdy Osman
Mrs. Rasha Sadek Radwan '94, '13
Ms. Mai Hassan Rashdan '05
Dr. Michael John Reimer
Dr. Helen Rizzo
Mrs. Amal Gamal Said
Mrs. Amal Mostafa Salah '90
Dr. Tarek Hassan Selim '92, '95
Mr. Mokhtar Shalaby
Ms. Sarah Ali Shalash SP
Dr. John T. Swanson
Dr. Robert Switzer
Dr. Kent Weeks
Mrs. Huguette Nicholas Yaghmour '76, '82
Dr. Galal Ibrahim Zaki '68
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Photo caption: President Lisa Anderson with faculty and staff donors who gave during the 2015 fiscal year.