long trip to Alex

Normally I ride the train up here, and that’s only 2.5 hours and you’re right in the center of the city. This time I rode the bus as the guest of the AUC School of Sciences and Engineering, and it’s a lot longer this way. But this is going to be worth it. These are very dynamic people who have put their School on the map in 5 years and, starting this fall, will (deservedly) have the first doctoral program in the history of our university. I was brought along to hear how they did it, and I suppose to figure out a plan for spreading the lessons more widely.

A very generous outside sponsor has put the entire meeting and all of its participants in the wonderful Palestine Hotel, on the grounds of Montazah Palace, which belonged to the king when Egypt was still a monarchy (less than 60 years ago). The hotel is on a spit of land jutting into the Mediterranean, so there are nice sea views on both sides.

Having been on the bus for many hours (I got on at the first pickup point, and traffic was terrible throughout the day) I’m not entirely up to speed on what’s going on at Middlesex, and will try to piece that together when I can. I did see THE LETTER signed by dozens of luminaries, which you can also see on the Save Middlesex Philosophy website.