I watched Mohamed weaving through the crowded tables during a major ICT function, to greet me with a broad smile and a great deal of enthusiasm. I recognized him as one of our bright EMBA graduates and was truly delighted to hear that he had just earned himself a promotion to his “dream job,” as he put it. Mohamed explained how he believed it was largely due to fundamentals he had acquired during his studies at Nile University. The CEO of his company was so impressed with the quality of an assignment he had requested from him, that he appointed Mohamed Director of Planning of Corporate Strategy.

Mohamed, and many others like him, are the reason Nile University was founded: to allow individuals to reach their potential, stand out among their peers, and excel in their careers. During an NU function celebrating the achievements of seven M.Sc. degree graduates awarded fully-funded Ph.D. fellowships from top North American universities, I asked the graduates to report on their two-year experience at NU. Their common response was a depiction of a “life-transforming” experience that opened the doors to exciting opportunities on the path towards the realization of their dreams. All were proud to be NU graduates, with several indicating that upon returning with their Ph.D.’s, their aspiration would be to join NU’s faculty body.

The entire NU family of faculty, researchers, and administration, is honored to be part of its students’ growth and education, and looks forward to continuing to shape the future of a new generation. Furthermore, these success stories are among many which have motivated the finest and most accomplished professors from around the globe to join Nile University and become catalysts of this new generation’s future successes.

This year, we have had many other accomplishments on an institutional level as well. A research program in the recently founded Nanoelectronics Research Center was launched. Interaction with multinational and national companies such as Microsoft, Intel, Philips, Mentor Graphics, Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs and others sustain NU's position on the leading edge of applied research and technological development. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed with Intel Corporation, by which four of our graduate students were awarded internship fellowships at Intel Corp, USA as part of their research work. Our collaboration with international universities such as Ohio State University, University of Minnesota, Northwestern University, Imperial College and IESE Business School continue to grow. More than 260 students joined our graduate programs, 82 of whom were extended fully funded fellowships to conduct research in our four research centers thanks to the generous contributions of our founders and donors.

This year also marks a historic one for Nile University as it opened its door to the first wave of undergraduate students. Four initial undergraduate programs were launched in areas considered to be of high priority to the community, with plans underway to offer more programs in the coming years.

I am proud to report that our faculty and graduate students have been very active in disseminating knowledge through quality publications in international journals and conferences. This year they published more than seventy journal and conference papers and received nine awards.

In spite of several headwinds this year, not the least of it a global financial crisis, we are very proud of our accomplishments. Still, we are also well aware that the challenges to continue this phenomenal progress are many. We are confident that with the continued support of our trustees and donors, the government’s encouragement, and a community yearning for quality education, we will not only reach, but exceed, expectations.

Tarek Khalil
President & Provost