AUC received the single largest philanthropic gift in the institution’s history to support excellence in business education, interdisciplinary research and exchange programs with leading American universities. In appreciation and recognition of this transformative gift from the Sawiris family, the University will name its business school the Onsi Sawiris School of Business in perpetuity. 

The name honors the exceptional personal and professional legacy of the late Onsi Sawiris, a titan of business in the Middle East, founder of the Orascom Group and patriarch of the family.  “With this visionary gift, AUC’s business school will continue to be at the forefront of global business education in the Middle East,” said AUC President Ahmad Dallal. “The Onsi Sawiris School of Business is another legacy of Sawiris family philanthropy that has done so much to promote education and development in Egypt for decades. Thanks to their generous support, our students will have an unparalleled, globally relevant educational experience.”

 This gift is made possible through the generosity of the NNS Foundation, the Naguib Sawiris Charitable Fund, Naguib Samih Sawiris, the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development and Orascom Construction. It will provide funding for scholarships, research and a professorship in artificial intelligence/data science, combined with visiting faculty and student exchange programs with leading U.S. universities, including the University of Chicago. The gift has an estimated value of more than $30 million.

“The Onsi Sawiris School of Business is another legacy of Sawiris family philanthropy that has done so much to promote education and development in Egypt for decades. Thanks to their generous support, our students will have an unparalleled, globally relevant educational experience.”

 “By supporting AUC and exchange programs with top universities in the United States, we are bringing exceptional students together to benefit from intellectually rigorous and truly global programs,” said Nassef Sawiris, executive chair of OCI Global. “Preparing future business leaders at AUC with the skills to adapt and innovate is the best way to honor our father’s work ethic, values and commitment to advancing Egypt.”

 “Our parents instilled in us the value of education and opening doors that create opportunities for youth to excel,” said Naguib Sawiris, executive chairman of Orascom Investment Holding. “Graduates of AUC play a key role in our companies, and many of them are in leadership positions. This school will build the capacity of future generations for our businesses, our communities and our country.”

 “Preparing future business leaders at AUC with the skills to adapt and innovate is the best way to honor our father’s work ethic, values and commitment to advancing Egypt.”

“Onsi Sawiris’s legacy will remain a lasting inspiration for us to continue to invest in Egypt’s most valuable resource: its human capital,” said Naguib Samih Sawiris, chairman of Orascom Development Holding AG.

In 1947, AUC began offering its first economics courses. Today, the School of Business is the only triple-crown-accredited in the region, placing it in the top 1% of business schools in the world. 

“This gift is one of the many examples of impactful philanthropy from the Sawiris family. It reinforces AUC’s position as an institution that produces global-ready graduates with the career and life skills to make a positive difference in their communities and around the world.” 

“This is a landmark development in the school’s history, and we look forward to a new chapter where we continue to raise the bar as a destination for business education,” said Sherif Kamel '88, '90, '13, dean of the School of Business. “I am confident that this gift, the academic exchanges and collaboration with faculty of leading American universities will ensure the Onsi Sawiris School of Business is at the forefront of global business education and on par with the best in the world.”

“Graduates of AUC play a key role in our companies, and many of them are in leadership positions. This school will build the capacity of future generations for our businesses, our communities and our country.” 

 Chairman of the AUC’s Board of Trustees Mark Turnage (ALU '82) said, “This gift is one of the many examples of impactful philanthropy from the Sawiris family. It reinforces AUC’s position as an institution that produces global-ready graduates with the career and life skills to make a positive difference in their communities and around the world.” 

“This is a landmark development in the school’s history, and we look forward to a new chapter where we continue to raise the bar as a destination for business education,” 

 The Sawiris family is a long-time friend of AUC. The wife of Onsi Sawiris, Yousriya Loza Sawiris, is an honorary doctor of AUC and an alumna (MBA ’82), former member of the Egyptian Parliament, businesswoman and philanthropist. Over the years, the family has supported scholarships for students from Upper Egypt, students with disabilities, women’s empowerment and the renovation of AUC’s historic Tahrir Square campus.

At the forefront of the global conversation on the future of AI in higher ed, AUC engaged in discussions with a Microsoft leadership team on campus about “Shaping the Future with Responsibility.” News@AUC spoke with Amr ElMasry, education lead at Microsoft North Africa, to learn about advancing the future of higher ed with AI.

How can universities and students adopt AI responsibly?

• Instilling a strong understanding of ethical AI principles in their curricula
• Implementing guidelines that ensure fairness, privacy and accountability around AI usage
• Providing access to the right tools, platforms and resources. 
• Staying updated on the latest AI advancements and ethical implications

Universities can partner with technology leaders like Microsoft to help foster a responsible AI ecosystem that encourages innovation while also maintaining the highest standards of safety and security. 

What trends do you see shaping the future of AI in the next five years?

• Generative AI will revolutionize industries by enabling personalized learning experiences, creative problem-solving tools and advanced content generation. 
• AI-powered automation will streamline tasks, allowing educators and students to focus on higher-level thinking and creativity. 
• The integration of AI with real-time data analytics will enhance decision making across sectors, supporting adaptive learning systems in education.
• A growing emphasis on responsible AI practices, with regulatory frameworks and standards becoming more robust to ensure ethical and equitable AI adoption globally.
• The rise of Edge AI, where AI systems operate directly on devices such as smartphones and IoT devices, enabling offline applications and reducing latency. 
• AI democratization will continue to expand, as providers work with public and private institutions to lower barriers to entry, empowering students, startups and educators to create impactful AI solutions without needing extensive technical expertise.

How do you envision the role of AI evolving in the higher education sector?

• It will enhance personalized learning by offering tools that adapt to individual students’ learning paces and styles, providing tailored resources and feedback. AI-driven platforms will foster collaborative learning and the sharing of knowledge  by connecting students and researchers worldwide, breaking down geographical barriers. 
• AI will advance academic research by expediting data analysis, leading to breakthroughs in disciplines such as medicine, engineering, social sciences and more. 
• As AI becomes more integrated into curricula, universities will play a pivotal role in upskilling students with the technical and ethical expertise required to thrive in AI-driven industries. 

We will see [personalized learning] in the form of AI tutors that will encourage learning both inside and outside the classroom. Administrative tasks, such as grading, course scheduling and other workflows, will become increasingly streamlined through automation, enabling educators to dedicate more time to teaching, guidance and mentorship. 

It will enhance personalized learning by offering tools that adapt to individual students’ learning paces and styles, providing tailored resources and feedback. What advice would you give to students interested in pursuing a career in AI?

• Focus on building a strong foundation, staying curious and embracing practical experience.
• Take the time to develop proficiency in both mathematics and computer science, and start familiarizing yourselves with programming languages like Python and Java. 
• Staying informed about advancements in areas such as generative AI, ethical AI and emerging trends by engaging with research papers, conferences and online courses. 
• Gaining hands-on experience through internships and traineeships.
• Interdisciplinary learning, as combining AI knowledge with domains such as business, healthcare or environmental science can unlock innovative applications.
• Cultivating skills in communication, teamwork and critical thinking to collaborate effectively with diverse teams. 

With the right skills, mindset and opportunities, students can play a pivotal role in shaping AI’s future responsibly. Platforms like Microsoft Learn offer resources to help students build essential AI and machine learning skills. Another great resource is the Microsoft AI Skills Navigator, a comprehensive platform designed to provide learners with personalized AI education, offering an AI-powered assistant to guide users to the most suitable learning paths based on their goals, roles and skill levels. 

Have you ever ended up lost in an AUC building on the first day of classes? Were you proud the first time you remembered the path to your favorite campus coffee spot, taking shortcuts only an insider would know?

Tamir El-Khouly, associate professor in the Department of Architecture, and research assistants Yomna Elghazouly and Asmaa Eldiasty addressed important questions about  navigation and wayfinding with the help of AUC’s virtual reality lab. Their results aim to optimize architectural designs for campus buildings and make wayfinding tools, such as landmarks and signage, more accessible in complex buildings. They’re now seeking to publish their findings in a research journal.

Virtual Reality Design

The team’s main goal was to examine how users navigate complex architectural layouts, such as university campuses. After conducting the research, the team made recommendations for the design of university campuses and navigation systems for new buildings.

“The AUC community has identified a pressing need to explore the phenomenon of wayfinding, particularly in school buildings that often resemble a labyrinthine maze. This investigation seeks to improve navigation, spatial orientation, and user experience within these complex environments,” said El-Khouly.

Using the School of Sciences and Engineering (SSE) building as a model due to its complex architectural typology, the research team explored how individuals reached specific destinations. El-Khouly’s team categorized participants into two groups: experienced and inexperienced building users. Each participant had to locate the VR lab on the second floor from a controlled starting point in the main lobby on the plaza level.

“We identified a pressing need to explore the phenomenon of wayfinding, particularly in school buildings that often resemble a labyrinthine maze.”

Elghazouly was responsible for programming the model of the building in VR, a process that was full of challenges but ultimately very fulfilling. She said, “I began by working on my computer, extruding the building’s basic plans to create an initial structure. Then our team went through the building to photograph every space, capturing the finer details.”

The challenge was translating those small, memorable details into the VR model. “To see which features students actually referenced, we had to add multiple layers of detail. This process took months as we carefully added textures, tiles, soundscapes and even specific signs and doors,” said Elghazouly. It was those layers of detail that made the VR environment realistic, emulating true navigation and recall of complex spaces.

The VR technology also allowed for precise data collection as El-Khouly shared that they used eye and path tracking as well as time sampling to pinpoint when participants paused, looked around and made navigational decisions. 

Eldiasty was responsible for selecting significant space syntax analyses and measures for studying indoor navigation. Her focus was on integrating results from the VR experiment’s space syntax, using data from eye and movement tracking. “I aimed to explore the correlations among these datasets and analyze how they correspond to spatial syntax outcomes,” Eldiasty said.

Informing the Future of Campus Navigation

The team found that inexperienced users relied heavily on visual cues such as maps, signage and room numbers, while those familiar with the SSE building, especially long-term users, drew on their cognitive maps and memory to create mental shortcuts. The second group took direct and even unexpected routes, often choosing a completely different path to return to the starting point.

“Students from different majors used varied spatial landmarks to find their way,” said Elghazouly, noticing that “certain architectural features stood out as stronger landmarks than the signage, and many students struggled with reading campus maps.” El-Khouly pointed out an example of this: many experienced users recognized a green couch on the first floor of the SSE building as a sign that they were on the wrong floor.

These insights can inform future campus designs. Elghazouly said that the campus should “offer multiple ways for students to orient themselves” in order to create a more accessible, student-centered campus design. 

“We are equipped with an upfront technology that doesn’t exist elsewhere in the Middle East, and we are looking forward to benefiting from it through our research applications.”

El-Khouly also noted implicit factors revealed by the experiment, such as the “social logic” of spaces. For instance, users tried to pass quickly through zones where they found themselves alone, so “we try to avoid segregation zones in our designs,” he added.

El-Khouly emphasized the importance of aligning with smart campus principles, specifically through digital, adaptive signage that can show real-time events as well as voice-assisted navigation and sensory or haptic feedback for inclusivity. In addition, he noted that integrating mobile and augmented reality navigation for real-time, location-based guidance could aid users across complex buildings. 

These types of projects, El-Khouly said, are already underway at AUC, where engineers are using sensors of WiFi routers to locate and direct users around the building. Meanwhile, internet sensors could monitor high-traffic zones to adapt layouts or signage in real time to improve flow.

The Research Team: Where Are They Now?

Hoping to do more with the VR lab in the near future, El-Khouly said,  “We are equipped with an upfront technology that doesn’t exist elsewhere in the Middle East, and we are looking forward to benefiting from it through our research applications.”

El-Khouly is currently collaborating with Eldiasty on the development of her PhD thesis project, which investigates the phenomenon of urban walkability in new cities. Eldiasty hopes to use the VR technology to analyze and enhance walkability in emerging urban contexts. 

And while Elghazouly is now completing her PhD in Canada, she hopes to eventually build a VR model of the entire AUC campus to test navigation techniques on a larger scale, even hoping to incorporate intelligent non-player characters to simulate social interactions within the space. “Imagine an interactive campus in the Metaverse where anyone anywhere can explore and appreciate what makes AUC unique,” she said.

Yomna Elghazouly, Associate Professor Tamir El-Khouly and Asmaa Eldiasty work together as a research team in AUC's virtual reality lab.

The Educational Virtual Environment Lab is a collaborative effort between the Mechanical Engineering and Architecture departments and is co-managed by Professor Khalil El-Khodary, Professor Sherif Abdelmohsen, and El-Khouly.