UniCouncil_1960_049

cost® The University holds certain concepts which are so fundamental to its purposes that it would rather discontinue operation than betray them* These^, have been stated in this document: The University’s first and overpowering- responsibility is to its ideal of what a university should be* At the same time, the American University at Cairo is genuinely convinced of the need to effect an amicable and harmonious modus vivendi among diverse elements* This requires a spirit of tolerance and breadth of view* It is only when a modus vivendi is achieved that the civilization of man can grow richer and more mature* In fact, this conviction is inherent in the University1 s nature and purposes as briefly described in die first section of this document* Since the University is designed to be a cultural and intellectual meeting place for East and West, there is nothing to be gained by pretending that these two great components of the world arc- similar in every respect* Were they so, there would be no justification for the founding of a western institution in an eastern country* The University owes its inception, therefore, to the fact that East and West are different one from the other; it owes its present and future existence to the fact that similarities between the East and West are increasing as the world grows smaller* This process which brings East and West closer highlights the urgent need for mutual sympathy and understanding, a need never greater than it is today* To the fullest possible achievement of that mutual sympathy and understanding the American University at Cairo is most sincerely dedicated