Another 'birthday' is celebrated on campus in the anniversary year of Ulm University. The German University in Cairo (GUC) turns 15.
Ulm University and the University of Stuttgart were both instrumental in the foundation of the GUC. High-profile guests are expected at the anniversary celebration on Thursday, 7 December (5 p.m.), including representatives of the Egyptian Ministry of Science, the Egyptian parliament as well as the German Ambassador in Cairo. Dr. Dorothea Rüland, Secretary General of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), will give a talk on 'Transnational Education'. Other office holders - for example from the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts (MWK) - come to express their congratulations.
Professor Asharaf Mansour, founder of the GUC, Chairman of its Board of Trustees and alumnus of Ulm University, as well as President of Ulm University Professor Michael Weber will speak about the early years of the GUC and its plans for the future.
Around 12,000 students are currently enrolled at the GUC. Its subject range and structure is mostly equivalent to that of German technical universities. Language of instruction is English, yet all students are enrolled in German language courses. GUC students frequently visit the partner universities in Ulm, Stuttgart and Tübingen in order to write their final theses or complete a master's programme. In Ulm, a student residence was established specifically for this purpose. Between 2012 and 2017, more than 4,500 GUC students have travelled to Germany for short or long-term stays.
The private German University in Cairo receives support from the DAAD through the programmes 'German university projects abroad' and 'Transnational education - funding for binational universities', which are funded by the BMBF and the Federal Foreign Office. The GUC is regarded beyond the Egyptian boarders as model university and the biggest university project that was realised together with German universities: According to the DAAD, 42 percent of all students in German transnational education projects are enrolled at the GUC. On top of its German office at Ulm University, the GUC also has a campus in Berlin.
In Egypt, the 15th anniversary was celebrated in early October. The event on 7 December dovetails into the festivities of the 50-year anniversary of Ulm University.