Ahmad Dallal named AUC President

The Board of Trustees of the American University in Cairo (AUC) announced on Tuesday the appointment of Ahmad S. Dallal as AUC’s 13th president, a statement by the university said.

An accomplished academic leader and renowned scholar with US and regional higher education expertise, Dallal currently serves as dean of Georgetown University in Qatar.

He previously served as provost at the American University of Beirut (AUB) from 2009 to 2015. A prominent American scholar, Dallal has taught at AUB, Stanford University, Yale University, Smith College and Georgetown University, where he also served as chair of the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, according to the statement.

 “We are pleased that Ahmad has agreed to serve as AUC’s next president,” Mark Turnage (ALU ’82), AUC alumnus and chair of the Board of Trustees, who was a member of the search committee, said. 

“AUC is a remarkable institution at a point of inflection in its history, having achieved tremendous success in its first 101 years and now ready to chart a path for its second century. Dr. Dallal’s academic and administrative acumen, inclusive leadership style and a deep sense of purpose will serve to propel AUC to even greater heights as it navigates an increasingly changing and complex higher education landscape,” Turnage added. 

 Commenting on his selection, Dallal said, “I am honoured to join a vibrant and intellectually rich community at AUC. The University serves an important mission at a consequential moment in history and in a country and region that play a critical role on the global stage. I believe deeply that education is the engine of advancement for societies and that institutions like AUC are connectors in a world in which our futures are intertwined, as we have all witnessed firsthand through the pandemic.”

The search for AUC’s 13th president began in early fall, following President Francis Ricciardone’s announcement that he will step down at the end of the academic year in June 2021, the statement said.

A Presidential Search Committee, chaired by AUC Trustee Tarek Masoud, and consisting of trustees and AUC faculty representatives, was formed. The international search to find AUC’s next president included several rounds of wide-ranging consultations with faculty, students, staff and administrators, it added.