Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef, right, and Ismail Serageldin, director of the Library of Alexandria, celebrate the signing of a new cooperation agreement. An image of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak behind them. (Bob Kerr/UC Davis photo)
Delegation members talk about reconnecting with leading Middle Eastern universities
Thirty years ago, academic ties between Egyptian universities and UC Davis were strong, aided by funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development. That funding has long since evaporated and tensions have heightened in the Middle East, making scholarly and student exchanges and joint research more difficult.
But the need could not be greater for reconstructing those cultural and educational bridges, according to Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef and the UC Davis delegation accompanying him to Egypt in March to renew relationships and explore the possibility of new collaborations, not just with Egypt, but with other universities in the region.
Among those accompanying the chancellor to Cairo and Alexandria were Suad Joseph, professor of anthropology and women and gender studies, and director of the Middle East-South Asia Studies Program; and Kais Menoufy, an Egyptian-American who heads Delegata, a Sacramento technology firm. Omnia el Shakry, a UC Davis assistant professor of history specializing in intellectual history, met the delegation in Egypt while she was there on other business. Their essays regarding the historic trip are shared below.
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Essays
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"A cultural ambassador uses ties with Arab universities to help forge pact" — Suad JosephAs a young professor, I listened to Maya Angelou when she visited Davis in the late 1970s and invited us into the work of cultural translation. She said, "Nothing human is alien to me." |
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"Reflecting on UC Davis' Building Bridges effort toward peace" — Kais MenoufyOn my way back from Egypt, I spent many hours catching up on office work but happily found a few hours to reflect on our journey as well. It's easy and safe to say the trip was successful and to celebrate that success. But what does "successful" mean to us? |
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"Partnerships will prepare UC Davis students for global citizenship" — Omnia El ShakryImagine a bustling city of 20 million or so inhabitants — located at the proverbial crossroads of ancient and modern civilizations. This is Cairo. |
On the home page: Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef, right, and Ismail Serageldin, director of the Library of Alexandria, celebrate the signing of a new cooperation agreement. (Michael Parrella/UC Davis photo)