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The University of Cairo is the largest school in Egypt, enrolling some 100,000 students at its bustling campus in the heart of the capital. Although its numbers are not large, one group of students there has received special attention from the senior administration, including the president of the university. These 65 students are enrolled in a joint MBA program with the Robinson College of Business - in fact, the first such joint academic program between an Egyptian and an American university.

"This effort is a symbolic representation of the cooperation that could take place between our countries," said Kamal El Sheshai, who directs the RCB side of the program.

Although this joint MBA is relatively young - enrollment of the first class began only in the fall of 1998 - already it is recognized as the most prestigious MBA program in Egypt, according to El Sheshai. Unlike MBA degrees available from local institutions, the RCB/Cairo MBA offers students exposure to American faculty immersed in the American business system who travel to Cairo to teach. Additionally, the program requires Egyptian students to complete one semester of study in Atlanta, giving them the opportunity to interact with American students, culture and business mentors firsthand. The third advantage of the program is its academic accreditation and national rankings.

As a developing country, Egypt has a great need for managers who are capable of leading its efforts to develop the private sector and attract foreign investors and multinational companies. The labor shortage for people with senior managerial skills is so severe that, according to a key Egyptian business owner of a conglomerate of 42 companies, businesses have resorted to stealing personnel from each other - a practice that creates additional challenges for business development.

Like their counterparts in America who participate in the RCB's Flex MBA, students participating in the joint MBA at Cairo University are able to continue working fulltime, taking classes in the evening. They enroll in a slate of 10 courses in Egypt, seven the first year and three the second, before coming to Atlanta in the spring semester to complete their degree.

Approximately 40 percent of enrolled students hold engineering degrees, 40 percent have undergraduate business degrees and the rest come from diverse backgrounds. Some 70 percent are male and 30 percent are female.

Of the first class, which graduated this academic year, most students returned to Egypt, receiving promotions in their companies. Diaa Ghaly, for example, returned as executive officer to Wadi Holdings SAE, the strategic and financial management arm of companies owned by The Wadi Group, a large multinational company working in food processing, poultry integration, commodity trading and desert land reclamation in the Middle East.

"As professionals who have had exposure to the business environment in the United States, both through our MBA studies and practical training in American companies, we can act as important links between business in both regions and as agents for change in our countries," Ghaly said.

The Fulbright Commission in Cairo has encouraged the joint MBA from its beginning. As a major supporter of the program, along with several companies from the private sector in Egypt, the commission has established a scholarship fund, based on merit as well as financial need, to cover the costs of tuition in Egypt. Many of the joint MBA students also have received scholarships from USAID to travel to Atlanta and study at the RCB. Still others have helped defray tuition by serving as graduate research assistants.

The program benefits not only Cairo University but also the RCB, said El Sheshai. "The experience of teaching in Cairo as well as teaching Egyptian students here contributes to the internationalization of our faculty." Additionally, RCB students can choose to take any of their core courses at Cairo University, receiving the same number of credits and giving them an experience in study abroad.

The collaboration's third benefit is building a good reputation for Georgia State in Egypt that may lead to future collaboration. Already, the RCB has been approached by other Egyptian universities to set up an American-style business degree program on their campuses. Its efforts have been enlisted in helping establish a private university in Cairo, too. For now, the RCB is limiting its focus to further development of the joint MBA at the University of Cairo. With 23 graduates and another 40 current enrollees, the program enrolled 21 new students this fall.

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