JMU to sign agreement with Alamein International University

James Madison University will host a delegation this week from Alamein International University based in New Alamein, Egypt, along with officials from their embassy in Washington, D.C. JMU Interim President Charlie King will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with AIU President Essam ElKordi, that will officially establish an exchange partnership between the two schools, and is the culmination of more than two years of program development and collaboration.

AIU is based on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast and is part of an ambitious plan to create a new hub for government, education, and tourism in the country. The collaboration with AIU was initiated when Dean Mustafa ElNainay (dean of the faculty of Computer Science and Engineering at AIU) visited JMU in the Fall of 2022. During this visit, Dean ElNainay met with various computer science faculty members, including CISE (College of Integrated Science and Engineering) Associate Dean Jeff Tang (interim CISE dean) and CISE Dean Bob Kolvoord (interim provost). Dean ElNainay also spoke to CISE students involved in senior capstone and research multidisciplinary projects, such as the JMU Autonomous Vehicle Project.

During this visit, Dean ElNainay also had several meetings with Samy El-Tawab, the program director of the Information Technology Major within the Computer Science Department at JMU, and Ahmad Salman, a faculty member in the Computer Science department. These meetings focused on the new Bachelor of Science degree program in the Information Technology major, including the courses and learning objectives of each class. As a result of these meetings, AIU successfully launched a similar IT program in the fall of 2023.

Since the two programs are modeled very closely after each other, the conversation evolved into establishing an official exchange program that allows students to complete major coursework at either university. To solidify this arrangement, in May 2023, then CISE Dean Bob Kolvoord visited AIU along with Ahmad Salman. During this visit, they explored the different facilities and labs and met with AIU’s administration, faculty and students. The visit resulted in a green light to establish an official collaboration between JMU and AIU.

The starting point of the agreement is the exchange program that allows students from either university to visit, take courses and receive credit. It also allows opportunities for Egyptian universities and research institutions to host U.S. Fulbright Scholars to teach and conduct collaborative research. Lastly, the agreement has a dual degree portion that allows JMU students to complete major coursework in the IT Program at AIU and vice versa.

This week, the result of two years of planning and international coordination will be realized when the MoU is signed. The agreement sets the stage for a successful and mutually beneficial partnership between JMU and AIU, and both schools hope to begin sending students in the fall of 2025. This project has been in the works for a long time, and would not have been possible without support from many groups at JMU: CISE, the Computer Science department, JMU Admissions Office, the Center of Global Engagement, Financial Aid Office and Academic Affairs to name a few.