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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
For Immediate Release
December 12, 2006
2006/1106
Media Note

State Department Launches Community College Scholarship Exchange Initiative with Egypt

Assistant Secretary Powell with Minister of Higher Education Hany Hilal, Ambassador William Rugh, and exchange student Amira Hassanein of AUC.

Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Dina Habib Powell announced a new Community College Scholarship Exchange Initiative with Egypt bringing more than 1,000 Egyptian students, junior faculty and vocational school administrators to the U.S. Created in partnership with the Egyptian government, the community college initiative was developed through the cooperative efforts of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and the Binational Fulbright Commission in Egypt.

The initiative will bring 1,000 Egyptians to U.S. community colleges for one year of vocational and professional certificate study in fields critical to Egypt's economic growth and development. The exchange is designed to allow participants to enter the workforce immediately after they return to Egypt. The U.S.-Egyptian partnership will help Egyptian students participate in the building of an innovative, dynamic, and prosperous society in Egypt, using the skills they gain in the program.

In addition to the student scholarships, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs will provide 25 scholarships to junior faculty and vocational school administrators during the second year of the program for institutional capacity building in Egypt. The program will incorporate intensive English language training ensuring that participants are able to take full advantage of their U.S. study program.

The Egypt initiative will complement the U.S. Community College Summit Initiative Program, announced by Under Secretary Hughes at the U.S. University Presidents Summit hosted at the State Department by Secretary of State Rice and Secretary of Education Spellings in January 2006. Under that initiative, State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs will bring students from six countries around the world to study at U.S. community colleges beginning in 2007.

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