UA-R-GC-1914-01-01-1984-02_Page-013

• • THE AMERICAN UNIVER..S ITY ~N CAIRO -;G~ I n... .I .I ._ .4' .. - .__- ,.~,- U I -.-.. -• -II -I -~ -II RICHARD F. PEOIiRIiUiiN PR •• IC.NT Dear February 16, 1984 ATTACHMENT A There will be almost no difficult policy issues before the Board at this session. Instead we will be reviewing the progress of our various construction and campus development projects, choosing the fi rst candid~tcs for honorary degrees, and holding the firfit mccting of our new Desert committee. You may, or may not, be aware of increased security during your visit this year~ Security has been increased but we have asked them to keep it as inconspicuous as possible. Security on the campus also has been increased. Soon we will be installing heavy-duty sidewalk railings around all three parts of the· campus and limiting parking around most of the campus to Aueians. We were starting such measures even before the brutal and callous . . murder of Malcolm Kerr. We have stepped up the process since then. There have been no threats against AUe and the situation here is in no -way comparable to Lebanon. But it is only prudent to take precautions • . Immediately . after the assassination I sent personal and official condolences to Mrs. Kerr and to AUB. We also offered Mrs. Kerr, who has an MA from AUe, a teaching position in ELI. She accepted, has started teaching, and you will undoubtedly see her during the Board meeting. Last Wednesday we held a memorial service for Dr. Kerr in Ewart Hall, attended not only by our own people but 'by many from the community. Questions have been raised in the u.S., some of them very thoughtful, about the future 'or non-future of u.S. education in the Middle East-or at least about the posture of u.S. education in the Middle East - in the aftermath of Dr. Kerr's assassination. We should give thoughtful attention to that issue. Possibly the root reasons why Aue was the Subject of newspaper attacks in Egypt last fall were our recent successes and our increasing prominence. Success in itself is bound to create opposition. ' So the posture we assmne, or acquire, is important. But I also believe we should take ample time before drawing any conclusions. we should let the dust settle before we do so. cairo is not Beirut. Egypt is not in the eastern littoral of the Arab world. And pressures thefe will not necessarily take hold here. 113. SHARIA KASR EL AINI, CAIRO, EGYPT TELEPHONE 21930 - TELEX: 82224 AUCAI UN 2/84 BD