ASU announces dual-degree opportunities for students at Galala University in Egypt


February 3, 2022

Through a collaboration with Arizona State University and the Cintana Alliance, a global network of ambitious universities working together to develop and scale high-quality academic programs, Galala University in Egypt will begin offering dual bachelor degrees to its students, allowing them the opportunity to earn an accredited degree from a top-ranked American university and from Galala University at the same time, without leaving Egypt.

The unique partnership is poised to rapidly expand access to high-quality and in-demand degrees for students throughout the Middle East and North Africa region, furthering ASU’s focus on driving social impact by increasing access to postsecondary education for students around the world. A small group of students walk together in front of the Faculty of Medical Sciences building on the Galala University campus in Suez, Egypt. A small group of students walk together in front of the Faculty of Medical Sciences building on Galala University campus in Suez, Egypt. Download Full Image

With the addition of Galala University (GU), ASU and Cintana Alliance currently connect eight institutions from around the world in an effort to expand access to the high-quality education needed to fulfill the needs of an increasingly global environment. Over the next 10 years, the Alliance will grow to include an estimated 50 universities.

Starting spring 2022, qualified Galala University students will be able to pursue dual degrees in business administration, marketing, computer information systems, software engineering and electrical engineering, all recognized by the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Students studying natural sciences, social sciences, art and humanities will also soon be able to earn an ASU undergraduate degree by completing their final year of study at an ASU campus or online. 

Galala University was established to be the first-ever smart university in Egypt, modeled after the fourth generation university concept that puts scientific research, local and international job requirements, and hands-on experience at the core of its learning strategy. Galala University’s programming and offerings will be strengthened by access to Arizona State University’s digital resources, innovative research initiatives, faculty experts and hundreds of degree program curricula to provide a competitive, world-class education for every learner.

“Over the last several years, developing new, high-quality national universities — including Galala University  has been core to the country’s strategic goal in improving higher education. GU is emerging as a state-of-the-art higher education institution that aims to provide our students with the highest level of learning, skills and competencies that enable them to compete nationally, regionally and globally," said Ashraf Haider Ghaleb, acting president of Galala University. "Together, (we) will develop a unique collaboration to achieve our strategic goal of globalization by providing GU students the opportunity to pursue dual degrees from our institution and Arizona State University. We look forward to working with our partners in the U.S.”

Last week, ASU Executive Vice President and University Provost Nancy Gonzales and ASU Vice President of Global Academic Initiatives Julia Rosen traveled to Cairo to finalize the partnership with leaders from Galala University, the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Cintana Education.

The signing ceremony in Cairo was attended by (from left to right) Dr. Amyan Ashour, Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research; Dr. Mohamed El-Shinawi, Vice President for International Cooperation of Galala University; H.E. Sherif Ismail

From left to right: Amyan Ashour, deputy minister of higher education and scientific research; Mohamed El-Shinawi, vice president for international cooperation at Galala University; H.E. Sherif Ismail, chairman of Galala University Board of Trustees; Nancy Gonzales, executive vice president and provost of Arizona State University; Adel Al-Adawi, deputy chairman of Galala University Board of Trustees; Doug Becker, founder and chairman of Cintana Education.

“Arizona State University is delighted to be part of this initiative. We believe educational access on a global scale can best be achieved through comprehensive, networked partnerships,” Gonzales said. “We also believe new, inclusive educational models are needed to meet the expectations of students around the world. With Galala, we are introducing a new model of inclusion that provides students the opportunity to obtain an Arizona State University degree in Egypt, creating new educational opportunities in the years to come.”

Additionally, ASU will support Galala University to launch new research projects, engage in social impact work, educate the future Egyptian workforce and nurture first-generation college graduates through its commitment to the social, cultural and economic well-being of the surrounding community.

“Universities are engines of social transformation, through the work that they do and the community of scholars that they develop,” Gonzales said. “Much like Arizona State University, we anticipate many Galala students will be the first in their family to attend college. And as we have seen at Arizona State University, the power of a college degree lifts families and communities when these first-generation college graduates achieve more than they could have possibly imagined.”

Also joining the trip was Douglas L. Becker, founder and chairman of Cintana Education.

“Galala University represents a new, innovative model to advance the critical movement underway in postsecondary education in Egypt and around the world,” Becker said. “We are delighted to be able to bring together a leading American institution — Arizona State University — with a leading and equally ambitious international partner — Galala University — to provide students in the region with access to dual degrees from two top institutions. We are grateful for the continued partnership with ASU and look forward to future collaboration.”

For more information about the partnership between Arizona State University and Galala University, please visit galala.asu.edu. To learn about engagement opportunities with ASU-Cintana Alliance partners around the world, contact the Office of Global Academic Initiatives at asuglobal@asu.edu

Samantha Talavera

Asst. Director, Global Marketing and Communications, Global Academic Initiatives

ASU, USIU-Africa, Mastercard Foundation bring online learning solutions to Africa and beyond


September 20, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the world in many ways, and education is no different. With businesses and schools shut down for months at a time, educators have been forced to reimagine what it means to inspire and educate their students from anywhere in the world.

With the unpredictability of the current world and online learning’s proven ability to meet academic standards for student success, it’s clear that online learning is here to stay. The global e-learning market size is projected to grow to $370 billion by 2026, up from $226 billion in 2020, according to Valuates Market Research reports. Download Full Image

Now more than ever, expertise in online learning, teacher training and instructional design is in high demand, with institutions all over the world looking for new ways to innovate and educators who can lead their students through the new age of digital learning.

In the last 10 years, Arizona State University has provided access to more online students than any other research-intensive public university and is continuously recognized as a leader in innovation and digital education, ranked in the top 1% nationally for online education by U.S. News & World Report.

This year, ASU, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation's Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning and United States International University-Africa, aims to expand the use of digital learning tools at international universities through the e-Learning Initiative for the Mastercard Foundation’s Scholars Program network of universities. 

Multiple ASU units are also working together on this initiative — Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, University Design Institute, Global Academic Initiatives and EdPlus — which will provide foundational training to 10 institutions in Africa and beyond to help them better prepare for and deliver high-quality, inclusive e-learning that enables students to successfully pursue their studies from any location in the world. 

“We are thrilled to be a part of this initiative, sharing ASU’s world-class expertise in digital learning and university design, shaped and contextualized by our African partner, USIU-A, and led by the Mastercard Foundation with their deep commitment to expanding access to quality education across Africa as part of their Young Africa Works strategy,” said Dawn Feldman, executive director of Global Academic Initiatives.

The first phase of the e-Learning Initiative began this fall and will be implemented over 18 months, with a strong focus on addressing urgent needs of universities in the Scholars Program network in the immediate term, while also building institutional resilience for the longer term. The second phase of the initiative will leverage learning from this program in order to scale efforts in other universities in Africa.

In order to address immediate needs, the initiative will develop a community of about 135 "e-Learning Champions" in instructional design and e-learning pedagogy from the Scholars Program network. These new champions will learn instructional design standards and gain e-learning support from ASU experts to confidently build sustainable online learning programming in their home university. The champions will then be expected to train more faculty and designers within their own institutions over time, extending the benefits to students well into the future. It’s estimated that at least 95,000 students could benefit from the e-Learning Initiative.

Since the initiative began:

  • More than 100 e-Learning Champions began their learning journey starting with the two-week Master Class for Teaching Online, virtually delivered by ASU’s EdPlus.
  • More than 50 e-Learning Champions began the second activity in their journey, specialized coaching with partners at USIU-A.
  • Representatives from the 10 partner universities as well as the three co-implementing partners convened to share early wins and address the critical components of digital adoption and scaling e-learning at the institutions.

“We have the opportunity to develop a community of practice to learn from each other’s work to digitize education,” said Reeta Roy, president and CEO of Mastercard Foundation. “And we have the opportunity to work together to shape education across Africa.”

To learn more about the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program's e-Learning Initiative or for a list of participating universities, visit the e-Learning Initiative website

Samantha Talavera

Asst. Director, Global Marketing and Communications, Global Academic Initiatives