SEKEM‘s Journal for Economy, Culture, and Society in Egypt
SEKEM Insight Nr. 85 - September 2009
Dear Readers, a German proverb states that time needs to be granted to some developments to eventually succeed. For the Heliopolis University this statement has certainly proven its point.
Science
Social
Economy
Heliopolis University to Open in 2010
New Faust on SEKEM‘s Stages
Lebensbaum Celebrates 30th Anniversary
Heliopolis University Takes Final Administrative Hurdle
The first ideas for a „SEKEM University“ had been formulated already in 2002. It had always been the primary objective “round off” SEKEM’s manifold educational initiatives with a tertiary education institution enabling students to pursue professional and academic careers alike. While the SEKEM Vocational Training Centre and the Mahad Institute for Adult Education had laid the groundwork for a true professional education scheme a “SEKEM University” would have to be the logical and conclusive step. The first practical steps were made in summer 2003 by bringing together key stakeholders in the field. The following 2 years brought the first concrete concepts for the learning content and the infrastructures on the SEKEM headquarter premises. This summer what has become the new “Heliopolis University” has cleared the last obstacle after years of intensive work and will finally open its doors in late 2010.
Your Team of Editors
The buildings of the Heliopolis University on the premises of the SEKEM headquarter in Cairo
After having received the final and decisive official permission to proceed with the opening of the Heliopolis University from the Egyptian government only days ago Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish, founder of SEKEM, was brimming with enthusiasm: „I am extremely happy that we have finally received the permission to open our university from the President of Egypt, Hosny Mubarak, in the form of the presidential decree No. 298 dated 31. August 2009. I would like to thank all friends who have supported us
over the past 7 years to develop the idea of the university and bring it to life. During these years that we had to wait for the university project to take the final administrative hurdles the vision and the concept of the university could be developed. Tremendous experience could be gathered specifically through the practical cooperation in higher education projects with institutions in the entire world. We were able to successfully feed them back into our project concept and improve our
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