Greek campus to turn into technology park
BY AHMED EL SEBAIE AND AHMED MOHSEN
For almost 50 years, the Greek Campus witnessed some of the best days of many AUCians’ lives. But earlier this month, a 10-year lease agreement was signed, turning the campus into the first technology park in downtown Cairo.
“Most of our new students are out in New Cairo; they don’t come down here that often, and I hope that the internships and the kind of things that will be here will actually bring more students down here,” said Lisa Anderson, AUC president.
Anderson added the project includes a lot of collaboration and partnership between AUC and Sawari Ventures, a Cairo-based international venture capital firm, which signed the lease agreement allowing them to operate the campus while the university maintains full ownership.
Anderson told the Caravan that she understands what the Greek campus means to the alumni.
However, the university has reached an agreement with the Tahrir Alley Technology Park (TATP), the company that will manage the campus, who stated that the park will welcome everybody.
The AUC community will have access to many events that will be held at the Greek campus by TATP, Anderson added.
Anderson also expressed her hopes that the new deal will help revive the neighborhood of Downtown Cairo, because it was greatly affected ever since AUC moved most of its activities to the New Cairo campus.
She said that there is no way they would have sold this campus, and they will never do that, because “owning a property in the middle of a big city is some of the most valuable property on the planet.”
Anderson said that TATP rented the campus, which is financially good for the university, the Falaki, the neighborhood and for Egypt in general.
Ahmed El Alfi, founder of TATP, stated that they will not change anything in the structure and the exterior of any buildings on campus.
“The word ‘demolition’ is not going to happen here; I put it in the contract,” said El Alfi, “We will do renovations in the inside of the buildings, cleaning, painting and rehabilitating.”
Speaking of his plans for the Greek campus, Alfi added that he believes the technology park is going to be a small version of Silicon Valley and great ideas will come out of it.
Silicon Valley is a region in the American state of California, and it is noted to be the home of many of the largest technology corporations in the world in addition to thousands of small technology related businesses.
“I want to make this the coolest and most interactive place for entrepreneurs, technology people and big companies to come together and interact,” El Alfi added.
He also said that many things will make this place special, including its amazing location in the heart of Cairo.
“This place is going to be the premium place of its kind in all of the Middle East and Africa,” said El Alfi.
Tarek Aly, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the New Greek campus, stated in a press conference held in the old campus on Nov. 14, “I want to emphasize that we in TATP, and me on a personal level, are fully aware of the nature and historical value of this complex.”
He said that the company is aware of the location’s symbolic value and what it has represented in the “minds and hearts of thousands of AUC alumni” for decades.
“I can see this clearly in the memories that are shared by many of our visitors today, in the simplest things,” said Aly, adding, “I can see it in the symbolic writings they are looking for on the desks, and the stories of love and marriage, and most importantly, the stories of innovation, challenge, persistence and success.”
Aly said that the before-mentioned reasons gave TATP the great responsibility of maintaining the heritage of the Greek Campus and to write a new chapter in its “honorable history.”
On the other hand, many AUC graduates showed concern that this would mark the end of the campus, which was abandoned starting 2008, when the Campus was opened in New Cairo and most operations were moved away.
“This is really bad news for me. The Greek campus was my favorite; I spent the best four years of my life in this place. I have good memories in every part of it, and it is the place where I made my best friends,” said Sara Adel, AUC alumna.
Heba Ismail, another AUC graduate, told the Caravan that she has the best memories at the Greek campus.
She said, “I used to love sitting by the stairs in front of the library; the whole campus was wonderful.”
“The campus was abandoned for a long time. I guess this had to happen one day or another; life has to go on,” Ismail added.
Ehab Said, an AUC alumnus, was among those who showed concern that the campus would be torn down, putting an end to their favorite memories of the place.
“I don’t know if they are going to destroy any of the buildings, but I really hope they don’t. They mean a lot to all of us.” he said
Said added that the AUC Downtown buildings are of historic significance and mean a lot to those who spent years of their lives there studying, teaching or working.
“I loved [the Greek campus]; I have stories in every corner of it – in the classes, in the garden and even the library,” said Said, adding, “I want to be able to come back and visit the campus in the future.”
