The newly signed strategic partnership between American International University (AIC) and BADR University in Cairo (BUC) is gaining momentum with a recent visit by a BUC delegation to the AIC campus in Springfield.
The institutions signed a cooperative agreement in February 2023, marking the fourth new international partnership for AIC since October 2022. In that time, the college signed similar compacts with Universidad Andres Bello Santiago de Chile (UNAB), which ranks among the top fifty academic institutions in Latin America, Universidad Catolica de El Salvador (UNICAES), and St. Paul University in the Philippines (SPUP).
During the visit on April 13, the Cairo delegation, led by BUC Founder and Chairman Dr. Hassan El Kalla, met with AIC President Hubert Benitez, Executive Vice President Nicolle Cestero, and members of the president’s cabinet. The meeting was an opportunity for the leaders of the colleges to build relationships and to discuss, in person, the objectives and goals of the alliance.
“The main goal of our partnership with AIC is collaboration,” said Dr. El Kalla. “We are looking to improve the quality of education at our university in Egypt through joint programs, student and faculty exchanges. A full partnership is very important for us," he added.
After meeting with the president’s cabinet, the BUC delegation received a tour of the AIC campus. While visiting a nursing lab in the Colaccino Center for Health Sciences, Dr. El Kalla and his colleagues witnessed sophomore AIC nursing students working on medical simulations. El Kalla was impressed with the modern technology and expressed eagerness for that to be shared with BUC students. "This will create an opportunity for our students to catch up with the most recent advances in academic areas, including nursing. This kind of student skill building is a significant benefit of this joint venture.”
AIC President Hubert Benitez is equally enthusiastic about the opportunity for a dynamic partnership. “AIC is actively exploring innovative approaches related to education and expanding the institution’s academic offerings, sharing faculty expertise, engaging in collaborative research, in creating opportunities for faculty and student exchange, and very importantly, continuing to understand and appreciate cultural and personal values from different communities.”
BUC was established in 2014 as the largest private university in Egypt. The university contains sixteen schools, including business and economics, dentistry, engineering and technology, medicine, and political sciences. In addition, it houses the Science Academy, an interdisciplinary scientific research center established to provide solutions to global challenges related to health, science, and the humanities.