Each year it brings together summits, monthly workshops, mentorship programs, and a community that continues to grow. Its focus areas include entrepreneurship and innovation, financial freedom, health and wellness, career development, and culture and influence. Together, they give young people the tools and opportunities they need to shape their own futures.

Big Moments, Greater Voices

The second edition of the Youth Summit took place on September 19th and 20th at AUC, was hosted in collaboration with the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation within Onsi Sawiris School of Business and the AUC Student Union, and brought in more than 3,000 participants. Over two days, the campus was alive with energy as young changemakers, entrepreneurs, creatives, and leaders shared their voices. The program was filled with inspiring keynotes, cross-generational conversations, unfiltered panels, and unforgettable performances, making it one of the largest gatherings for Gen Z in the region.

Conversations That Echoed Beyond The Stage

The summit delivered moments that resonated deeply with the audience. Abdallah Sallam’s talk, Yusra Mardini’s fireside chat, and Raya Abirached’s conversation across generations captured the spirit of openness and honesty. Cairokee’s band members and Mayan El Sayed brought fresh perspectives on creativity and resilience, while world champions Ali Farag, Raneem El Welily, and Ahmed El Gendy spoke candidly about the challenges and victories that come with success.

Learning From Leaders

The event also gave young participants a closer look at leadership in action. Ahmed Samy, CEO of Edita, and Kareem Yassin, General Manager of P&G, shared lessons from the corporate world. A special session on FinTech brought together Ayman Soliman, former CEO of Egypt’s Sovereign Fund, and Olivia Bellingham, Senior Vice President at Mastercard, who offered insights into a fast-growing industry.

Building Financial Freedom

Financial literacy was at the heart of the program. Ahmed Hammouda, CEO of Thndr, showed young audiences how they can plan for financial freedom before the age of 30. Wael Selouky highlighted the importance of monetizing skills and building multiple income streams. These practical lessons gave participants a strong foundation in a subject that is rarely taught but is essential for independence.

Voices From Culture and Creativity

The creative economy was well represented with film producer Mohamed Hefzy, writer Sarah Goher, Lina Sophia, and Alaa El Sheikh sharing their insights. The gaming industry also took the stage with Fil Robinson of Sony Pictures and Lionsgate and Sandra Kawar of Epic Games. Their stories reminded participants that creativity and cultural influence are powerful engines of change.

Entrepreneurship in Action

The entrepreneurial spirit of the summit was clear. Startups such as Thndr, Flash, and V7 showcased their ideas and growth journeys. A panel with Sherif Badawi, Ahmed Gaballah, and Mohamed Azab went beyond the success stories to reveal the real lessons learned from building companies, breaking myths and inspiring young founders in the audience.

Success Stories That Inspire

The live startup pitch competition was a highlight, with Omar Salah from BekyaPay winning 1 million EGP in funding. Other finalists including Miyah Farms, Raid AI, STLR, and LearnNia gained valuable visibility and mentorship. Another milestone was the launch of the Fashion Fellowship in collaboration with Baraka Group, a program designed to support and empower young fashion talent in Egypt.

Lasting Impact

The Youth Summit left a strong mark, reaching more than 25 million people on social media and amplifying its conversations far beyond the AUC campus. It created space for genuine dialogue between CEOs, athletes, artists, and entrepreneurs and the younger generation. Most importantly, it sparked new energy for youth empowerment in Egypt and across the region, paving the way for more initiatives in entrepreneurship, fashion, and mentorship.

Sherif Kamel ’88, ’90. ‘13, dean of AUC’s School of Business, has been elected board chair of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) for the 2024-2025 academic year, effective July 1, 2024. 

"Being elected as chair of the AACSB Board of Directors is not just a personal honor but also a testament to the vital role that AUC and similar institutions play in shaping the future of global business education," said Kamel. "I am committed to leveraging this opportunity to further AACSB's mission of fostering engagement, accelerating innovation and amplifying impact in business education."

Poised to guide AACSB during a critical phase in its evolution, Kamel plans to prioritize digital transformation in education, enhance global collaboration, and promote sustainable and inclusive growth. His extensive involvement in advisory and governance roles, including a recent appointment to the board of the Central Bank of Egypt, underscores his profound impact on the business education landscape.

"Being elected as chair of the AACSB Board of Directors is not just a personal honor but also a testament to the vital role that AUC and similar institutions play in shaping the future of global business education."

Kamel's roles as vice chair and chair-elect of the AACSB board and leadership of its Innovation Committee in 2023 set the stage for his current position as chair. Under his tenure as dean of AUC’s School of Business, the institution achieved the prestigious triple-crown accreditation and has been consistently recognized among the top business schools globally.  

Established in 1916, AACSB is the world's largest business education alliance. It connects educators, learners and business professionals on an international scale to foster engagement, accelerate innovation and amplify impact in business education, aiming for a better society.  

On Friday, December 9, the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and the Business Graduates Association (BGA) hosted a Gala Dinner at the Biltmore Mayfair, where the winners of the AMBA & BGA Excellence Awards 2022 were announced. The ceremony was attended by more than 210 business school leaders, as well as category finalists, judges and members of the media.

Click here to read more 

Futures Lab, an upcoming retreat hosted by the AUC Innovation Hub and New Silk Roads, will encourage collaboration between business leaders, architects, researchers and policymakers to explore how the future of Egyptian real estate may be adapted to climate change-related challenges. 

"With Egypt's population doubling every 30 years, the real estate sector is becoming critical in its impact on climate change,” stated Ayman Ismail, director of AUC Innovation Hub. “In Futures Lab, we get into a deep conversation with industry leaders to think of innovative, pragmatic, industry-driven solutions, building AUC’s depth of knowledge." 

Egypt currently faces a myriad of climate-related challenges, such as water scarcity, extreme changes in weather patterns, land degradation and large-scale migration, among others. Futures Lab’s goal is to adapt Egypt’s real estate development strategies to address these challenges. These solutions may include changes to building materials, urban design and green financing. 

Rather than trying to predict exactly what will happen in the future, Futures Lab intends to examine what could happen in the future and hopes to expand discussions about climate change from narrow “problem-solution” questions to more holistic and long-term approaches. This will allow members to design multiple potential futures for climate-friendly Egyptian real estate, with a focus on possibilities rather than certainties. 

To plan this retreat, Futures Lab conducted pre-event roundtable discussions featuring thought leaders from diverse backgrounds who bring with them different perspectives and approaches to the climate issue. Notable attendees included Tarek Tawfik, president of AmCham Egypt,  Ahmed Shalaby, Founder, president and CEO of Tatweer Misr, Amal Enan, senior advisor on COP27 to the World Resources Institute, Khaled Tarabieh, University architect and associate chair of AUC’s Department of Architecture at AUC, and many others. 

“The Futures Lab could not be more timely. The pace of change in the climate change space is unprecedented, and immediate actions are needed,” said Dalia Abd-Allah, senior director of the AUC Innovation Hub. “Bringing voices from all relevant stakeholders to greening real estate in Egypt into one place through the Futures Lab is a much-needed approach in addressing climate change pressures beyond traditional solutions.”

This three-day program aims to create actionable visions for real estate development in Egypt through a series of workshops and discussions. Members from different backgrounds, such as architects, urban planners, policy makers and business owners, will work together in groups to create action plans to present to their colleagues on the last day of the retreat. These action plans will then be used as the blueprint for future designs, policy and research. 

The retreat is scheduled for the end of September in Ain Sokhna and will be hosted by the AUC Innovation Hub and New Silk Roads. The AUC Innovation Hub, located at the AUC New Cairo campus, connects corporations, start-ups, researchers and innovators to collaborate on developing strategies for Egypt’s most challenging problems. New Silk Roads is a Netherlands-based organization that works with international organizations, multinational companies, and creative enterprises to consider multiple bold and innovative scenarios for the future.

AUC and the College of Charleston in South Carolina, both liberal arts institutions with a long legacy in education, have recently partnered on a new academic cooperation and student exchange program for both undergraduate and graduate students for a period of five years. 

Students from AUC and the College of Charleston will receive a scholarship to spend a semester or year abroad at the other institution, providing students with a unique international experience and strengthening East-West cultural ties. "Our new partnership with the College of Charleston represents an excellent opportunity for our students to spend a semester at one of the finest liberal arts and sciences institutions in South Carolina, which provides quality education along with authentic student experiences,” said Ahmed Tolba, ’97, ’01, associate provost for strategic enrollment management and associate professor of marketing at AUC. “It is ranked no. 1 among public universities in the United States in terms of the percentage of undergraduate study-abroad students. I look forward to hosting their students at AUC and having our students benefit from a unique experience there."

AUC Trustee Jonathan Wolf (YAB '75), founder and president of Wendover Housing Partners, LLC who was a study-abroad student at AUC, and his wife Nancy were instrumental in making this program a reality. They will provide funds for AUC students to spend a semester or year abroad at the College of Charleston, while Hilton and Catherine Smith, who serve on the College of Charleston’s School of Languages, Cultures and World Affairs advisory board, will fund College of Charleston students to come to AUC.

“To find and do and be of significance, you need to study in Cairo,” said AUC Trustee Wolf to Charleston’s The College Today. “As a Westerner, my first stop out of the U.S. was the ancient world. Cairo opened up what for me later became a career and way of life. It gave me confidence. If you can succeed in another culture with another language, then there’s nothing you can’t accomplish.”

Garrett Davidson (CASA ’04, MA ’06), who studied at AUC’s Center for Arabic Study Abroad and earned his master’s in Arabic studies from AUC and is now an assistant professor of Arabic and Muslim world studies at the College of Charleston, emphasized the importance of this global experience for students.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for both institutions,” Davidson told The College Today. “As a student at AUC, I established professional and personal connections that continue today. It was the most influential experience of my life. I explored all over Egypt. I met people from all walks of life and got to hear their views on everything from politics and religion to economics and food.”

The Wolfs also established the Nancy and Jonathan Wolf Study-Abroad Scholarship at AUC.

Egypt's Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat '95 is beginning a new phase in her mission of public service to Egypt, after heading the Ministry of Tourism for the past two years. 

Driven by a sense of responsibility to give back to her country, Al-Mashat said on her Instagram and LinkedIn accounts: 

"When you choose public office, you serve where needed. At the outset of taking over the Ministry of Tourism in January 2018, I committed to changing the narrative on #Egypt's tourism sector and advancing its frontiers. As I embark on a new challenge, I refer to a quote in my chapter published in the book, Daughters of the Nile: Egyptian Women Changing their World (December 2016): “Serving Egypt by contributing to policies that would make the richness of the Nile flow to all its citizens is not only a mission, it's a passion." She added, “ I look forward to designing and implementing policies in another portfolio along my journey of public service.”

The first woman to head the Ministry of Tourism since its establishment 60 years ago and the youngest minister in Egypt when appointed in 2018, Al-Mashat will be credited for transparently launching a "comprehensive, coherent and consistent policy framework," the Egypt—Tourism Reform Program (E—TRP), designed to unleash the potential of Egypt’s tourism sector through implementing structural reforms. Consequently, tourism has become one of Egypt’s fastest growing sectors, witnessing an unprecedented rebound, with revenues growing annually by 28 percent to record $12.6 billion in FY2018/2109 — the highest in the country’s history — and $4.2 billion in FY 2019/2020.

Al-Mashat has been recognized internationally for her relentless efforts and outstanding contributions to the tourism sector, both domestically and globally. She received the 2019 World Travel & Tourism Council Champion Award for Resilience, demonstrating strong leadership and pioneering public policies and initiatives that have increased the competitiveness of the sector, leading it through a successful recovery from adverse events. Minister Al-Mashat also received the World Travel Market's 2019 Global Leaders Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Industry on behalf of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism. The award recognized Egypt's Ministry of Tourism as the one that has contributed the most to the global travel and tourism industry over the last two years. This marks the first time for Egypt to receive these awards.

For the first time, AUC was the main partner and host of #RiseUpAtAUC, the one-stop-shop event connecting startups in the Middle East and Africa, with more than 20 of AUC’s faculty and alumni as guest speakers.

In his speech at the opening of RiseUp ‘19, AUC President Francis Ricciardone emphasized the University’s role in inspiring its students to utilize their education to better serve Egypt and the communities around them. “At AUC, Egypt’s global University, we bring the world back to Egypt and we bring Egypt to the world — and not only for tourism, which is a wonderful thing, but for learning, creating, researching and developing projects and products that will improve lives. That’s what AUC is about. This is the right place for RiseUp Summit 2019,” said Ricciardone.

In its seventh edition, the summit bustled with the region's top entrepreneurs, startups, investors, creative masterminds and Fortune 500 companies. This year’s summit built on past ones, focusing on the Journey to Growth as its main theme, as well as drawing the line between the past, present and future. The three-day summit included talks, panels and chats; in-depth workshops and boot camps; networking sessions with hundreds of investors; talent matchmaking events; and exclusive satellite events.

AUC alumni speakers included Mohamed Aboul Naga ‘09, co-founder and CCO of Halan; Yaseen Abdel Ghaffar ‘10, managing director of SolarizEgypt; and Karim Fahmy ’17, CEO and co-founder of Inploy, who all stood on RiseUp’s stage to tackle different entrepreneurial topics together with international figures in various fields, including Brian Collins, chief creative officer at COLLINS; Gerardo Mazzeo, global innovation director at Nestlé; Karen Cheng, head of social at 9GAG; Marcel Muenster, founder and director of the Gritti Fund; Raya Abirached, TV presenter; and Samih Sawiris, founder of Orascom Holding AD.

“It feels very nostalgic to be back on campus for the RiseUp summit this year," said Islam Shawky, CEO and co-founder of PayMob, an infrastructure technology enabler providing payment solutions company. "I started school in 2008, so AUC New Cairo is the only campus I know. We started our company on this campus, as the six members of the founding team are AUC graduates, so we are extremely nostalgic.”

Among the workshops that took place throughout the three-day entrepreneurial marathon was one held by Kim Fox, professor of practice in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, titled What You Need to Know About Starting Your Own Podcast.

“I'm such a fan of RiseUp Summit because it brings together the vibrant community of thought leaders, creatives and more; the energy is contagious and inspiring,” said Fox. The ability to reach out to other attendees and speakers for potential collaborations and knowledge sharing is achievable and encouraging. It was nice to see so many of my former students and colleagues there.”

Ramez Youssef, co-founder of Tayarah, a creative production agency, also held a workshop titled From Trendsetters to Trend-Seekers. “RiseUp Summit feels so different this year, being at AUC New Cairo. The content is also different, as different people are delivering different messages,” he said. 

Startups from AUC Venture Lab (V-Lab), Egypt’s first University-based startup accelerator and a leading accelerator in the Middle East and Africa, also participated in the summit. In a special booth for the V-Lab, graduates of this year’s cycle shared their experiences with the attendees and highlighted the impact of their ideas and businesses on the Egyptian economy.

"The AUC Venture Lab had a strong presence in RiseUp Summit this year, with more than 24 startups presenting their innovations to the summit participants, investors and international partners,” said Ayman Ismail '95, '97, Abdul Latif Jameel Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship; associate professor at School of Business and the founding director of the AUC Venture Lab. AUC also announced the launch of the new Innovation Hub, focusing on attracting corporate innovation labs to be based on campus and expand their collaboration with AUC faculty and students. Our end goal is to create a collaborative community of entrepreneurship and innovation at AUC and Egypt.”

RiseUp Summit 2019 held a competition for the best educational applications at the event, where AGORA, a V-Lab startup, ranked first and won the African App Launchpad Cup and a monetary prize. AGORA is an ed-tech app that empowers children to explore the world around them and learn from it through Augmented Reality.

The summit also included a Creative Marketplace featuring some of Cairo’s creative startups that displayed their products, including Doodle Factory and Babyfist.

As AUC turns 100, the University is not only celebrating its century-long achievements, but also looking to the future, ushering in a new centennial of innovation and service to the community.

Checkout AUC' centennial website to know  more about the upcoming centennial events.

Watch here some of AUC President Francis Ricciardone's insights about the event.

#RiseUpAtAUC  #AUCFutureMakers

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab at AUC (J-PAL) is partnering with UNICEF Egypt to host the first Global Evidence for Egypt seminar titled “Overcoming Youth Unemployment in Egypt: What We Can Learn from Randomized Evaluations.”

The seminar is part of a four-part Global Evidence for Egypt Spotlight Series, bringing together Egyptian policymakers and leading J-PAL affiliated professors to discuss policy issues in the Egyptian context — including labor, education, health and social protection — tackling the issues a global research perspective and then offering evidence-informed solutions to address these issues in Egypt. Sunday's seminar will feature representatives from the Ministry of Manpower; Ministry of Youth; Hana Yoshimoto, education chief at UNICEF; and Bruno Crépon, affiliated professor at J-PAL. Check out the event here.

Most recently, J-PAL co-founders Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo were jointly awarded the 2019 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in memory of Alfred Nobel “for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty.” 

Banerjee and Duflo are also the co-founders of the MITs MicroMasters Program. AUC is the first University in the region to offer a blended degree, pairing with MIT to grant MITx MicroMasters online learners credits that would count toward the completion of a full master’s degree at AUC, offering a possible pathway to earning a full master’s degree from AUC in economics in international development. AUC is the first University in the world to collaborate with MIT in recognizing credits for this particular online program. Read more about the collaboration here. 

In September 2018, AUC established the J-PAL/AUC initiative under the auspices of the School of Business. Its mission is to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by rigorous evidence. This is achieved through conducting randomized evaluations with Egyptian partners, disseminating evidence to policymakers and capacity building for the purpose of evidence-informed decision making across different sectors, including education, finance and labor. The initiative also creates opportunities for faculty members from AUC, Egypt and the Middle East to collaborate with J-PAL affiliates on research projects.

"Our research and teaching collaboration through the MIT MicroMasters Program with J-PAL is one of the most promising and exciting recent developments at AUC," said Mona Said, associate professor in AUC's Department of Economics. "Establishing ourselves as a research and capacity-building hub in this area has great potential for our faculty, program visibility, student learning and graduate careers. Most important — and herein lies why the 2019 Nobel Prize awarded to J-PAL co-founders was entirely deserved — it is excellent evidence-based research that will lead to policies that improve the well-being of many people in Egypt and the world at large."

J-PAL was originally founded at MIT in 2003 and has now expanded to become a global research center around the world with regional centers in Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. It is anchored by a network of 181 affiliated professors and 400 staff members at universities worldwide.

Thirteen of AUC’s master’s programs have topped the 2019 Eduniversal Rankings, with six being ranked the first in Africa and all among the top 200 worldwide.

No. 1 in Africa

• Executive Master of Business Administration
• Master of Arts in Economics
• Master of Business Administration (Operations Management)
• Master of Global Affairs
• Master of Science in Finance
• Master of Science in Sustainable Development (Green Technologies)

No. 2  in Africa

• Master of Business Administration
• Master of Public Administration
• Master of Laws (LLM) in International and Comparative Law 
• Master of Science in Computer Science
• Master of Science in Electronics and Communications Engineering 

No. 3 in Africa 

• Master of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication 
• Master of Engineering in Electronics and Communications Engineering (Management of Technology) 

Each year, Eduniversal helps more than 4.2 million students all over the world in their search for the right graduate program.

Founded in 1994, Eduniversal uses three main criteria in its master’s rankings methodology: reputation of the program, salary of first employment post-graduation and a student satisfaction survey. Read here a full list and description of AUC's master's programs in the 2019 Eduniversal rankings. 

“I am very excited about this year’s results of rankings for a number of graduate programs at AUC, particularly about the number of AUC graduate programs ranked among the top three in Africa — increasing to 13 programs from 10 programs in the 2018 ranking. ,” said Adham Ramadan, dean of graduate studies at AUC. "These rankings reflect the quality of graduate studies at AUC and the success of our graduate programs in maintaining quality." #MakingAUCProud

Earlier this month, 15 AUC theatre students traveled to Berlin to participate in the 19th Festival International New Drama (FIND) at the Schaubühne Theatre. Other participating universities included New York University, The New School and the Paris Conservatory, as well as universities in Germany and Belgium. 

During the trip, students got the opportunity to work with internationally renowned theatre-makers from Brussels, Beijing, Santiago, New York, London and Montreal and saw the world-premiere of theatre productions from around the world, including the Wooster Group's new production, Town Hall Affair, directed by Elizabeth LeCompte.

The festival seeks to create a global dialogue about the art form with the leading theatre-makers of tomorrow. The AUC Theatre program received a special invitation to this festival and was offered grants to cover most of the costs. 

Before the Trip

The students were excited about the opportunity to meet and work with other students and theatre majors from around the world. "We're collaborating with other students from different universities, so we'll get to see people from different backgrounds and different cultures, but at the same time we have an interest in the same thing," explained Reem Amer, theatre major. 

"Its a very interesting concept and a very exciting opportunity!" expressed Laila Ghoneim, a double major in theatre and English and comparative literature major. "We'll have the opportunity to work with people from other universities."

"It's really good for AUC students to get exposed to this and to try different methods of acting," said Hisham AbdelRazek, mechanical engineering major and theater minor. "Just to be around so many different cultures and people interested in the same thing — it's brilliant!"

A Holistic Experience

During the 10-day festival, AUC students took part in guided workshops on performance, cultivating their acting skills during the trip. The workshops included contemporary dance, the Meisner technique and the Grotowski technique.

"The whole thing was a learning experience, from the workshops to the plays," said Yasmine Hagagg, political science and history major, and theatre minor. "But my favorite part was getting to watch productions every night because it really showed me what contemporary and experimental drama is starting to develop into. Also, I got to meet Elizabeth LeCompte, which was pretty cool!"

Every day, students got the opportunity to see a play in a different language."The plays touched on a lot of controversial topics, and it was very interesting to see and to watch," expressed AbdelRazek. "We'd have a discussion afterward because there would be a talk after each play."

The students also got the opportunity to meet and hang out with their theatre peers from around the world. "We would always eat lunch together — us and the other schools," explained Amer. "And at night, we got the opportunity to watch plays and hang out with other people there at the theatre."

Overall, the students were grateful for the experience. "I think the festival was incredible and I think everyone who went grew," reflected AbdelRazek. "It's really inspiring for us that we're not alone, that there is more of us here. It makes you feel comfortable as a person that you're on the right track with what you've studied."

Check out these pictures of their adventures abroad.