AUC hosted this week the annual meeting for the Association of American International Colleges and Universities (AAICU), a consortium of independent, non-for-profit, higher education institutions located outside the United States and based on the American liberal arts model. The meeting was attended by leaders of member universities from the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe, including Nigeria, France, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Lebanon, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates.
"We are honored to have hosted such a distinguished gathering of leaders of international American universities. We share a vision and interest in developing liberal arts education and making it accessible around the world."
AUC hosts the annual meeting of the Association of American International Colleges & Universities, with leaders of member universities from different parts of the world
"We are honored to have hosted such a distinguished gathering of leaders of international American universities,: said AUC President Ahmad Dallal. "We share a vision and interest in developing liberal arts education and making it accessible around the world. The exchange of ideas and perspectives during the meeting exemplifies the spirit of collaboration and innovation that defines AUC and its commitment to global engagement."
Touring the New Cairo campus, including AUC's Center for Applied Research on the Environment and Sustainability as well as the Rare Books and Special Collections Library
“I was very impressed with how architecture played a significant role in focusing on students, faculty and staff. The whole structure speaks to the philosophy of the school,” said Panagiotis Vlachos, president of the American College of Thessaloniki and president of AAICU.
“The University seems to be an engine of change within the community, the region and, of course, the country."
The meeting aims to facilitate conversations on the future of higher education as well as effective strategies and best practices for advancing academic partnerships. It also promotes intercultural perspectives through student and faculty exchange.
“For us to do our work in this sort of rich historical context has really been enjoyable,” said Todd Laursen, chancellor of the American University of Sharjah.
AUC hosted the AAICU meeting back in 2008 resulting in the Cairo Declaration.
“The University seems to be an engine of change within the community, the region and, of course, the country. It incorporates all different communities into it in a magnificent way,” said Samuel Martín-Barbero, president of Franklin University Switzerland.
Finance juniors Salma Afifi, Jumana Elhefnawy and Maya Abu Shahba developed ScanHa to incentivize consumers toward making sustainable fashion choices, promoting conscious consumerism and reducing the industry's environmental impact.
"We want to create a community of environmentally conscious and responsible shoppers without compromising either style or budget," explained Elhefnawy. “ScanHa allows customers to scan the barcodes of clothing items while shopping, showing a sustainability rating for each piece. For high-rated items, the user is encouraged to proceed with the purchase, whereas for low-rated items, the user is redirected toward a more sustainable yet identical alternative. ScanHa also offers incentives and discounts for eco-friendly purchases, which makes sustainable shopping more desirable and accessible.”
Offered by the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at AUC’s School of Business in collaboration with the African Engineering and Technology Network (Afretec), a pan-African network that includes universities from across the continent, the competition encourages students to utilize advanced technology (ICT) in order to aid businesses and public establishments in reducing waste and advocating for ethical practices for a more sustainable future.
Competing with more than 200 participants from 14 different African countries, a team of three AUC students won the ICT for Circulatory Competition for their first-of-its-kind mobile app, ScanHa, which allows consumers to scan clothing barcodes to view sustainability ratings and recommendations for more eco-friendly alternatives.
“We all love fashion, but often fail to acknowledge the effects it has on the environment and how damaging it can be."
The idea of the startup app stems from the Entrepreneurship and Innovation course offered by the Business School. The course mirrors the real-world early stage of the entrepreneurial process where students are given the chance to build a business model throughout the semester resulting in a final pitch.
“We had identified the problem of sustainability in the fashion industry early on in the course. However, we just did not know how to go about creating a solution. We first toyed with the idea of creating a fintech app, but it lacked the spark,” Afifi said, “After weeks of research and brainstorming, we landed on the idea of ScanHa.”
The app aims to shift the stigma surrounding the cost of sustainable fashion. “We all love fashion but often fail to acknowledge the effects it has on the environment and how damaging it can be,” Abu Shahba said. “We want to raise awareness by encouraging consumers to make informed decisions. Whether actively seeking sustainable choices or new to the concept, our objective is to simplify the process of sustainable purchases for the consumer to benefit both the society and the environment."
The ScanHa team credits their success in part to their educational journey at AUC< where classes allowed them to hone their pitching skills as well as their ability to identify weak points in their initial thought process to determine the viability of their project.
"Their ultimate victory in Afretec further solidified their excellence."
“Research was instrumental to our success," said Afifi. "Our idea is complex, so clarity and cohesiveness were key. Thanks to the power of research, the guidance of our professor and AUC equipping us with an extensive research base, we were able to readily and smoothly answer the Q&A section of the competition.”
Moataz Darwish '95, associate professor in the School of Business and course instructor, noted, “This team kept passionately exploring their problem space of fast fashion and persistently iterating between multiple solutions for most of the semester whilst their classmates were already finalizing their projects. Their ultimate victory in Afretec further solidified their excellence."
Darwish commended ScanHa’s team diversity. “By combining various thinking styles and personalities, they achieved a well-rounded approach that propelled them to success,” he said.
