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John D. Gerhart

Our Founder

Born in 1943 in Abilene, Texas, John D. Gerhart was The American University in Cairo's ninth president. A native of Abilene, Texas, he received his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University and earned his master's and PhD from Princeton University.

John D. Gerhart spent 29 years in the Africa and Middle East program of the Ford Foundation, working in the fields of economics, agricultural development, and public administration before joining the University in September 1998. A lifetime of work in the philanthropic field convinced him that an essential aim of liberal education is to instill values of service and civic responsibility. Gerhart expended an unparalleled amount of time and effort in strengthening AUC's academic programs and expanding extracurricular activities for students. He began a historic fundraising campaign that raised an unprecedented amount of money for AUC New Cairo and research and training programs at the University. One of his enduring legacies at the AUC was the leadership he provided in promoting volunteerism and public service.

Gerhart’s contributions to higher education in Egypt and his lifetime work did not go unnoticed; among some of his accolades were:

  • Named as one of Princeton’s graduate faculty's hundred most notable alumni of the 20th century in 2001.
  • Awarded with Egypt’s First-Class Decoration for Arts and Sciences by President Hosni Mubarak in 2002.
  • Conferred with the degree of doctor of Humane Letters honor caused by the AUC in 2002.