UA-R-GC-1914-01-01-1989-05_Page-029

-- May 10, 1989 AT & T Building MINUTES DESERT COMMITTEE THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES THEAMERtCAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO Wednesday 2:00 p.m. Attending: Mr. Bacon, Mrs. Brown:,Mr. Crary, Mr. Hannon, Mr. Hedlund, Mr. Hyde, Dr. Pedersen, Dr. Toepfer Also present: Mr. Schier en Reporting: Ms. Blakemore 1. Agenda The agenda was approved. 2. Minutes The minutes of the March 1989 meeting were approved. 3. Consolidated Long Range Plan within Budget Prescription Vice President Toepfer reported that a 40-page draft long-term plan for future activities of the Desert Center which was prepared with the participation of a group of international scientists was completed just before the March meeting of the Board, but there was not enough time for the Administration to consider the proposals, obtain modifications, and present a proposal to the Board. He distributed copies of the plan the Administration had now approved for discussion by the committee. He also noted that the international scientists were highly impressed with the Desert Center. This report represents an assessment of the accomplishments and failures of the Center and recommends its future priorities and goals. It affirms that what were the Center's major purposes from its inception - applied research and demonstration rather than training and degree programs - will remain its purposes in the future, but that a bit more emphasis will be placed on training. First priority will be given to the "core program" of work in the areas of desert agriculture (horticulture and fodder and livestock production) and renewable energy (water pumping and irrigation). Activities and physical facilities necessary to support the core program and improve the efficiency of special projects will be equally important. Special projects aiming at the promotion of adapted products and processes for expansion and diversification of the desert productive base or for improving living conditions of desert settlers are recognized as being consistent with the Center's overall goals but not as important as the core programs aod for this reason, it was decided that these can be carried out only to the extent that they are fully funded through special contributions and income generat~d by the activities themselves