UA-R-GC-1914-01-01-1943-11-05_Page-011

1 13 stitutions, and several advances in wages have become necessary, while in some cases (as with Dr. Cleland's and my secretary) it has not been possible to re-tain certain classes of workers. Last year's reports stressed our increasing embarrassment owing to the shortage of Americans on our staff. As unusual hopes of getting transportation to Egypt for our long delayed staff in America have been communicated to us by Mr. Lum, there is no need to re-emphasize this problem of our work. We have survived this depletion in our staff, but at a cost in efficiency and with a certain lowering of our American standards and also a lessoning of the American character and atmosphere of our institution. The year 1942-43 has not been marked by much anxiety in respect to religious freedom in our activities, although at one time a British school was threatened with closure because its Moslem pupils were being given Christian teaching. The matter received the diplomatic attention of the British Embassy and, as a cautionary measure, was called to the attention of the American Lega-tion. It appears at present that a solution of such problems will be sought for ana perhaps accepted along the lines of a Conscience Clause whereby stu-dents may be excused from religious instruction upon written request of parents. We turn now to the reports of heads of the four main aivisions of the University's work. I. FAOCULTY OF AkTS AND SCIENCES We make use of the new title approved by the Trustees as a substitute for the former title College. The reasons for the change have been fully set forth in correspondence carried on when approval of the change was requested.. In general the change was requested because in French, Egyptian and even British circles, schools of a Secondary level freely use the term College and the only distinctive term describing a higher or University level of education is the term Faculty. Staff: Through another year Mr. Howard, as Acting Dean, has piloted this major division of the University with its 426 students and its extremely extensive and complicated activities. Once again he deserves a special tribute for his effic-ient adminstration and the poise and sustained sympathy he has shown under the trying circumstances of a shortage of teachers and the initiation of new recruits to his staff. The degree to which the war has robbed us of our permanent Ameri-cans is illustrated by the fact that in the large staff of the College numbering some 35 men, Mr. Howard is the only permanent American. Fortunately there are others, short termers, Europeans and Egyptians, who through long service have be-come as loyal and as dependable as those we have described as permanent Americans. It is a gratifying honor to us and to him that Mr. Fuad Sarruf who has served us in the Journalism department has been appointed recently editor-in-chief of the newly projected Arabic Readers Digest. Student Body: The lowered enrolment, from 492 in 1941-42 to 426 in 1942-43 will be noted. Several explanations have been advanced. One is that the summer of 1942, with the threat of the Italian invasion at Alamein, failed to offer oppor-tunity for student-getting. • The other is that the Egyptian Government has started a vigorous program which threatens to crowd out all non-Government schools. A new University has been started at Alexandria. Grants in aid are much more liber-al to attract poor students. Lowered scholastic standards give repeated chance