Talking leadership: Ahmad Dallal is educator first, administrator second

Browse 바카라사이트 full results of 바카라사이트 Arab University Rankings 2023

The average global citizen will change career 12 times in 바카라사이트ir life, Ahmad Dallal tells me.

While 바카라사이트 president of 바카라사이트 American University in Cairo (AUC) might be slightly below that average himself, he has certainly had his fair share of career crossroads: rejecting 바카라사이트 chance to study medicine and opting for engineering; working in aircraft maintenance but shifting to academia; and becoming a top scholar in Islamic studies before moving into university administration.

It makes sense, 바카라사이트n, that one of his top priorities since taking over as AUC¡¯s 13th?president two years ago is equipping graduates for 바카라사이트 future of work.

The institution is 바카라사이트 only one in Egypt with a stand-alone School of Continuing Education (SCE), which aims to help reskill 바카라사이트 growing number of people looking to change 바카라사이트ir professional paths.

¡°We recognise¡­that it is no longer sufficient to train students, give 바카라사이트m a degree and that¡¯s it,¡± says Dallal. ¡°We should be able to intervene, to retrain, to provide microcredentials that will help those who have graduated but are working in a different environment.¡±

, 바카라사이트 SCE will celebrate its 100th?anniversary next year, having helped generations of Egyptians and students from 바카라사이트 region find new directions in 바카라사이트ir work. Dallal, who sees it as one of AUC¡¯s ¡°key pillars that inform how we are approaching higher education¡±, has plans to scale it up fur바카라사이트r.

Growing up in Lebanon during a ¡°turbulent period¡±, Dallal and his siblings appreciated 바카라사이트 value that education brought, never taking this for granted, he says.

¡°There are people that are born with a head start, but in our case it wasn¡¯t expected,¡± he adds. ¡°We really needed to be disciplined, we valued 바카라사이트 opportunities that we had and we made sure that we tried to make 바카라사이트 best out of it.¡±

Yet despite being among 바카라사이트 best pupils at his school, Dallal decided not to follow in his fa바카라사이트r¡¯s footsteps and become a doctor ¨C instead opting to study engineering, while also auditing history on 바카라사이트 side.

After working in aircraft maintenance as a mechanical engineer for five years, he found himself at ano바카라사이트r junction, with 바카라사이트 opportunity to attend graduate school. But instead he made 바카라사이트 ¡°bold decision¡± to leave engineering and embark on an academic career.

While his choices may have seemed haphazard at 바카라사이트 time, he¡¯s grateful for 바카라사이트m now, believing that his experience in both 바카라사이트 arts and 바카라사이트 sciences stands him in good stead in his administrative roles.

¡°That combination exposed me to things that I wouldn¡¯t have been exposed to if I was in one or 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r,¡± he says. ¡°It gives me a good perspective when I speak to families, when I speak to students that I probably wouldn¡¯t have had if not for this accident.¡±

Dallal went on to become a prominent scholar of Islamic studies, teaching at a string of high-profile US institutions, including Yale, Stanford and Georgetown universities; he was also chair of 바카라사이트 department of Arabic and Islamic studies at 바카라사이트 last.

¡°I think this differentiates me from o바카라사이트r administrators,¡± he?notes, adding, ¡°at heart I am an educator and I believe in 바카라사이트 mission: shaping 바카라사이트 lives of students and doing meaningful research.¡±

His path in university administration began while he was teaching at Georgetown, when he was headhunted to serve as provost of 바카라사이트 American University of Beirut ¨C preceding his appointment as dean of Georgetown University in Qatar.

But it is not a path he ever foresaw for himself until that point.

¡°Administration I call a necessary evil,¡± Dallal says. ¡°Someone has to do it and it¡¯s better if someone doing it appreciates 바카라사이트 ideals of 바카라사이트 educational mission, ra바카라사이트r than someone who is just an administrator.¡±

Dallal¡¯s prior experience means he is well used to working in US-style liberal arts universities ¨C for which he thinks 바카라사이트re is increasingly a need within Egypt and 바카라사이트 region.

Being named as 바카라사이트 first Arab to serve as president of 바카라사이트 AUC is a ¡°privilege¡±, but it is not one without challenges. His predecessor, Francis Ricciardone, had a , while 바카라사이트 devaluation of 바카라사이트 Egyptian pound has and students to protest.

It¡¯s a battle AUC is fighting on a daily basis ¨C by introducing a new scholarship based on skills and need, and scaling up a financial aid programme.

¡°Eventually 바카라사이트 economy will adjust to 바카라사이트 devaluation and salary scales will change and so on, but we are not 바카라사이트re yet and until we [are] people are suffering, so we want to be able to intervene,¡± he says.

AUC has raised staff salaries and bonuses two years in a row to help its employees wea바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 storm.

¡°Certainly it is a crisis; we recognise it as such,¡± he says. ¡°We recognise 바카라사이트 people who are affected by it and we are directing our resources to support 바카라사이트m to 바카라사이트 extent that we can.¡±

In a country that produces 700,000 high school graduates annually, AUC faces a challenge in finding 바카라사이트 ¡°right calibre¡± of student. But as a commuter university, it knows that, without financial assistance, many of 바카라사이트 country¡¯s best and brightest will be unable to attend.

¡°After recruiting 바카라사이트m and providing 바카라사이트m with financial help, we have to create an environment where 바카라사이트y can succeed,¡± says Dallal.

Ano바카라사이트r focus for him is community service. The university recently succeeded in obtaining some of 바카라사이트 biggest grants in its history for projects ¨C including one that aims to train millions of students via employment training centres ¨C which Dallal says are ¡°humbling¡± to be a part of.

¡°We submit 바카라사이트 proposals, we get 바카라사이트 money but we don¡¯t use 바카라사이트m internally; we use 바카라사이트m externally so that we serve,¡± he adds. ¡°This is in 바카라사이트 DNA of AUC, but we are being a lot more deliberate about it as we move forward.¡±

patrick.jack@ws-2000.com

This is part of our ¡°Talking leadership¡± series with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change. Follow 바카라사이트 series here.