peace fellowship program for egypt comprehensive report

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PEACE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

FOR EGYPT

COMPREHENSIVE REPORT

January 16 - July 15, 1983

i11i,WICW
America-Mideast Educational& Training Services, Inc.

1717 Piassachusetts Avenue, N.W. • Suite 100 . Washington, D.C. 20036 • [phone] * Telex440160 GCa ble: Amideast
AMERICA-MIDEAST EDUCATIONAL & TRAINING SERVICES, INC.

PEACE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM FOR EGYPT

COMPREHENSIVE REPORT

JANUARY 16, 1983 - JULY 15, 1983
TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION....... ..................... . . .. I

CAIRO FIELD OFFICE ACTIVITIES...... . . . . . . . . . 2

III. AMIDEAST/WASHINGTON PROGRAM ACTIVITIES............... 5

IV. MID-PROJECT REVIEW, FEBRUARY 1983, CAIRO............... 10

V. PROBLEM ISSUES AND RECOMMENDATIONS............ . . . . 12

VI. CONCLUSION............. . ........... . 16

VII. APPENDICES

A. Overall Peace Fellow Status Chart............ . . . 17

B. Peace Fellows Currently Enrolled in U.S. Programs... 73

C. .oaphical Distribution of

Cutrently Enrolled Peace Fellows..... ........... 117

D. Field of Study Distribution of

Currently Enrolled Peace Fellows.............. . 143

E. gpian Sponsorship Distribution of

Currently Enrolled Peace Fellows... ........... .165

F. Cumulative Peace Fellow Enrollment:

Academic Progress........ .................. 185

G. Peace Fellows Who Have Completed U.S. Programs. . . . 333

H. Peace Fellows Who Have Attended Conferences........ 365

I. Sample Forms:

1. Campus Visit Reports..... ............... .. 383

2. Academic Enrollment and End of Term Reports. . .. 391

3. Program Evaluation Reports by Peace Fellows. . .. 403

4. Program Completion Reports by AMIDEAST......... 413
I. INTRODUCTION

AMIDEAST presents the sixth Comprehensive Report on the

Peace Fellowship Program (PFP) for Egypt, covering all project

activities from January 16, 1983 through July 15, 1983. A

major human resource development project, the PFP was established

jointly by the governments of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the

United States. The PFP is committed to the education and training

of 1500-1900 young Egyptian professionals at the advanced graduate /?-()

level, at institutions throughout the U.S., in fields considered

relevant to Egypt's needs as a developing nation. Funds for the

PFP are provided through the U.S. Agency for International

Development (USAID).

On the basis of its thirty years experience designing and

operating human resource development programs for the Middle East,

LAMIDEAST was selected by the Egyptian government to administer the

PFP for a five-year period, through July 198 5j AMIDEAST provides

technical, support, advisory, and training services, which include

counseling, document preparation, placement, financial disbursement,

orientation, program monitoring, record-keeping, and providing

periodic reports, of which this twice-yearly Comprehensive Report

is one example. All procedures followed are in accordance with

established USAID guidelines for participant training programs.

Candidates are nominated for the PFP by Egyptian universities,

research institutions, government ministries, and public and private

companies, for sponsorship in academic programs of 10- or 21-month

duration. Selection of participants is made by the Egyptian Ministry

of Higher Education (MOHE), based on academic excellence and potential

contribution to Egypt's development needs. Emphasis is therefore

placed on such fields as Agriculture, Architecture, Business, Economics,

Education, Engineering, Medicine, and Public Health. Peace Fellows

enroll in programs of coursework and research at the graduate and

post-doctoral level.
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This report will provide information about program activities

during the past six months, relating to the ongoing placement and

counseling of Peace Fellows, and about program developments and

issues discussed by AMIDEAST, the MOHE, and USAID in recent meetings.

The report will identify problem areas and include recommendations

for their resolution. Addenda in the form of charts and lists will

present extensive cumulative data about PFP participants from the

project's inception inJuly 1980 to mid-July 1983.

II. CAIRO FIELD OFFICE ACTIVITIES

During this reporting period, 231 Peace Fellow's files were

received from the Missions Department. Sixty six files were returned

to the Missions for reasons such as withdrawal from the program, not

showing up for interviews, or insufficient English language proficiency.

A total of 318 files were completed and forwarded to AMIDEAST/Washington

for placement processing. As of July 15, 1983, the files of 29 10-month

Peace Fellows and 26 21-month Peace Fellows were pending completion in

the Cairo office; no files were still awaiting the PF to show up for the

interview.

The TOEFL exam was administered five times, with the following

results:

Exam # PFs # PFs 550 + 500 - 450 - Below

Date Registered Tested Above 549 499 450

Jan 1983 51 46 3 10 18 15

Feb 1983 27 26 1 9 12 4

Mar 1983 48 43 1 14 17 11

May 1983 56 50 6 11 21
12
Jun 1983 51 - - - - Results not yet available - - - -
Four pre-departure orientation programs were conducted at the

American Cultural Center in Garden City. Featares of the orientation

program are an introduction to the library system used at the Center,
two films ("Student Life in the U.S." and "Graduate Study in the

U.S,"), a discussion of differing cultural patterns in the U.S.

and Egypt presented either by Mrs. Betty Atherton, the wife of

Ambassador Atherton, or by Mrs. Marian Precht, the wife of Deputy

Chief of Mission, a welcome and discussion of Peace Fellowship

Program pre-departure requirements by AMIDEAST/Cairo Director

Ronald Wolfe, a presentation by staff members of the Missions

Department, and a roundtable discussion about life in the U.S.

on the Peace Fellowship Program, with returned Peace Fellows

providing first-hand observations and comments. A total of

68 prospective Peace Fellows attended these sessions. The number

of Peace Fellows who travelled from Cairo to the U.S. during this

time was 178.

Counselor Sue Khalifa continued to travel to Alexandria to

meet with Peace Fellows, conduct interviews, review recently­
received correspondence, and make other necessary arrangements.

A total of 805 meetings with Peace Fellows were recorded during

23 one-day visits. This activity offered great convenience to

Peace Fellows in the Alexandria area, who no longer have to take

time off from work and pay the expenses of travel and lodging in

order to conduct their necessary Peace Fellowship business in Cairo.

It has also reduced the high pressure of student traffic in the

AMIDEAST/Cairo office.

During this reporting period three training programs were

conducted in the Cairo office for Missions Department personnel.

The trainee:, their titles, and the length of their training

programs are given below:

Ms. Omayma Ahmed Farahat

Technical Member, Financial Section, Missions Department

February 27 - March 31, 1983
4
Mr. Mahfouz Moustafa Ahmed

Head, Nominations Unit, Missions Department

April 3 - 28, 1983

Mr. Salah Abou El Kheir

Technical Member, Students Care Section, Missions Department

May 2 - June 2, 1983

The elements of the training program at the AMIDEAST/Cairo

office include a week of observation and work with each of four

distinct phases of the Peace Fellowship operation: the reference

library of U.S. educational materials, the student counseling

unit, the program coordinator's office, and the correspondence

and follow-up section of the office. During this training program

each trainee became involved in advising student visitors to the

office including Peace Fellows, and familiarized themselves with

how correspondence flows between the AMIDEAST offices and the

EgyptLan government, learned basic information related to U.S.

university requirements, and learned about specialized tests,

including TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, ECFMG, and the VQE. They were

given the opportunity to observe first hand orientation programs,

learn travel and visa procedures, and .eview all the documents

and papers which are required to make submissions to American

universities for academic placement.

It is hoped that the Missions Department will continue to

assign staff members to the AMIDEAST/Cairo o fice for training

programs. The result is to strengthen relationships between our

offices, improve the ability of the Missions Department to conduct

its own student programs, and to make our staff members more aware

of the procedures, requirements, and constraints of each other.
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III. AMIDEAST/WASHINGTON PROGRAM ACTIVITIES

A. PLACEMENT

From January 16, 1983 to July 15, 1983, 318 files were received

at AMIDEAST/Washington, bringing to 1575 the total number of placement

cases undertaken. Ten of these 318 have since been withdrawn at the

request of the MOHF. The following should be noted about the 308

files entering active placement status during this 6-month period:

1.Length of fellowship
10 (13) months ................................... 191 (63%)
21 (24) months ...................................1 3 (36%)
20 months ..........................................4 (1%)
2. Degree/non-degree goal

Ph .D .............................................. 61

M.S ............................................. 37

Degree program admission sought ................... 98 (32%)

Master's level courses & research................ 152

Doctoral level courses & research................. 37

Post-doctoral research ............................ 21

Non-degree admissions sought ..................... 210 (68%)

3. English language preparation measured in TOEFL scores

Above 525 ......................................... 61

500-525........................................... 45

450-500.......................................... 107

Below 450 .......................................... 1

No TOEFL sent with file ...........................74
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4. Fields of study
Health-related fields ............................. 99 (33%)
Engineering & applied sciences .................... 91 (30%)
Education & social sciences ....................... 44 (14%)
Agriculture ....................................... 33 (11%)
Business Administration........................... 30 (10%)
Architecture.......................................6 (1%)
Economics.......................................... 5 (1%)
5. Sponsorship

Universities ..................................... 124 (40%)

Government ministries .............................95 (31%)

Public & private companies ........................ 72 (24%)

Research institutes & academies ................... 17 (5%)

6. Gender

Male ............................................. 238 (78%)

Female ............................................ 70 (22%)

7. Cumulative placement statistics

Total files received from beginning of PFP............. 1575

Number of participants who have completed programs ...... 440

Number of participants currently enrolled in U.S ........ 495

Number of participants withdrawn/cancelled .............. III

Number of PF placements pending ......................... 529

These statistics portraya project of great size and complexity.

Numerous cases require individual handling due to the inadequate

English language preparation of many Peace Fellows, their highly

specific academic subject goals, and the need to complete these

goals within a designated specific time.
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The average TOEFL score for Peace Fellows nominated during

this 6-month period is just under 500. Most accredited U.S.

universities now require 550 for admission to graduate programs.

Almost 60% of these Peace Fellows will therefore be required to

enroll in an intensive English language program before qualifying

to begin their academic studies.

iApproximately three-quarters of these recently-received

cases are majoring invery specialized fields of study within

medicine, engineering, the applied sciences, and agriculture. (

The greater the degree of specialization sought, the smaller

the number of universities offering suitable programs. The

problem is compounded when the only school or schools which

offer the PF's specialty require a TOEFL score higher than

500 prior to admission.

Nevertheless, AMIDEAST's placement efforts have been highly

successful. Of the 1575 files received inWashington since the

inception of the Peace Fellowship Program, 440 Peace Fellows have

already completed programs in the U.S. There are currently 495

Peace Fellows in U.S. programs. Per Missions Department requests

we have withdrawn III files from the program. Another 529 are

now in placement pending status. Approximately 360 have received

offers of admission to a U.S. university and are preparing to

embark on their programs. Some 100 of these should arrive in time

for Fall 1983. 4IDEAST anticipates that over 200 more Peace

Fellows will arrive in the U.S. to begin programs by Winter 1984,

and virtually all the rest of the currently pending cases will

be placed by Fall 1984.