Student Activities

Every spring, AUC hosts the Cairo International Model United Nations conference, held for the first time in 1989 and the first of its kind in the Middle East. More than 400 international and Egyptian students participate in CIMUN each year. The primary goal is to increase student interest in and awareness of the United Nations and international affairs. Through participation in CIMUN, students acquire valuable leadership, management and diplomatic skills.

The Cairo International Model Arab League takes place every fall and is currently the largest student-run conference at AUC. It was held for the first time in 1990, during the period leading up to the Gulf war. The program aims to make students familiar with the activities of the League of Arab States and helps them develop an understanding of the regional and international factors that affect the determination of Arab foreign policy. CIMAL is a valuable venue for an intercultural exchange among youth interested in Arab affairs.

The Philosophy Club provides an informal, student-friendly setting in which undergraduates can meet and discuss philosophy with one another. The club hosts talks, workshops, reading groups, and debates on a wide variety of topics, allowing undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty to interact with one another outside of class and to explore common interests. Club members typically invite faculty or graduate students to share their research, to provide an analysis of a contemporary issue, or to offer philosophical reflections on a work of art or a film. 

The Egyptology Club fosters interest in Egyptology in the AUC community and beyond by exposing its members to different aspects of the subject. Activities include lectures, movie nights, site visits, and volunteer opportunities.

Ministry of Education English teachers and Egyptian television personnel gain practice in a variety of English language skills to help them become better teachers, in the former case, and, for both groups, to help them improve their English. In addition, current and former TESOL present regularly to NileTESOL's annual conference--a service we offer to the English teaching community at the national level. 

The Psychological Counseling and Training Center provides counseling services to faculty, staff, alumni, students and their respective families. The counseling is provided by Counseling Psychology MA students in the final year of the program, who get training at the center to become skilled and ethical psychologists.  The counselors are professionally supervised by Psychology Department faculty. 

For the past two years, Professors Carie Forden and Yasmine Saleh have been working with UNICEF, the Ministry of Social Solidarity and the National Council of Childhood and Motherhood to build capacity in Egyptian social workers who are responsible for protecting children and youth from harm. Supported by funds from the European Union, the two faculty members identified a set of key social work competencies, assessed the need for training on these competencies, and then developed a three-week training curriculum in Arabic. 

All undergraduate students are required to take at least one service learning course before graduating. The courses partner with local nonprofit associations, social enterprises, and government offices.