AIS around the World

AIS chapters around the world have dedicated the past year to bringing awareness to IS and IT programs both on and off campus. The Association of Information Systems at the American University in Cairo has excelled at promoting the AIS mission. The chapter was established and accredited in March of 2010 and has since been working to spread awareness, recruit and establish the organization across the community.

The American University of Cairo’s AIS chapter has involved members in professional development in many ways. The group has hosted forums allowing students and members to further develop skills and extend the knowledge beyond what they may receive in a classroom setting. The group created a series of weekly lectures with guest speakers from the Egyptian professional community to help students develop unique IS skills. “The forums also feature a workshop program whereby students can sit down with the IT professionals and experts in focus groups to understand the technical workings in more detail,” said current President Marina Nabih.

Another noteworthy accomplishment of the chapter in the past year was their effort to gain accreditation of the IS major. They started by interviewing with the accreditation body. The university’s MICT major has since then been triple crowned by three different accreditation bodies. The chapter plans to continue this role when it comes time for reaccreditation in the future.

The American University of Cairo AIS group members have proven to be excellent in their efforts of communications, membership and professional development. In terms of communication, they distribute information and news through a variety of channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, Snapchat, email and more. Their continuous effort to communicate with members allows everyone to stay connected and involved. Digital communication and social media techniques are also used by the chapter to help with awareness and recruitment.

Overall, their membership efforts have been very successful along with the variety of events that they have hosted for professional development purposes. The chapter was recognized for excellence in these areas at the Membership Award Luncheon last year.