New pact with Egypt to bring Egyptian students, faculty to CGU

Claremont Graduate University (CGU) has renewed a longstanding agreement with the government of Egypt to encourage and support Egyptian students who would like to pursue master’s and doctoral degrees at the California university. The accord also lays the foundations for scholars from Egyptian universities to visit Claremont to collaborate with CGU faculty on teaching and research projects. CGU President Deborah Freund, Executive Vice President and Provost Jacob Adams, and Mohamed Helmy El Borai, director of the Egyptian Cultural and Educational Bureau, signed the agreement during a ceremony in Claremont on May 9. "This is a wonderful bridge between West and East," Freund said. "We welcome our friends from Egypt and we look forward to helping them explore the world and prepare for their roles as global leaders." Under the terms of the agreement, Egyptian education officials will encourage qualified students to apply for admission to masters and doctoral programs in CGU’s five academic schools. The Egyptian government will help admitted young men and women secure scholarships to cover tuition and other expenses. The university will award degrees to the students upon the satisfactory completion of academic programs. CGU will also host visiting faculty from Egyptian universities for stays of up to six months, during which the scholars will partner with CGU faculty to pursue research in areas of mutual interest. The agreement broadens a 2004 pact between CGU and Egypt that has produced 13 Egyptian graduates so far. Ambassador Sallama Shaker, the former Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt who now teaches in CGU’s School of Arts and Humanities, was instrumental in cultivating the relationship. "Egypt has a long history going back to the nineteenth century of encouraging young people to study abroad, so these types of exchange programs are in the culture," Shaker said. "CGU’s renowned academic programs are in-demand, and the university is friendly and welcoming to international students. So I believe we have the seeds here for a long and sustainable relationship." More than 380 international students from 55 countries worked toward masters or doctoral degrees at CGU in 2014. The first of the new Egyptian students could arrive within the next year.