FOR RELEASE: Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Miller, Kissinger Visit Egyptian Universities
From left are Mohammad Eldeen, professor of English as a second language at Tanta University; Ahmed Helal, professor of counseling at Tanta University; Dan Kissinger, assistant professor of counselor education at the University of Arkansas, and Mohammad Amin Atwa, dean of the faculty of education at Tanta University.
In mid-November, two faculty members of the College of Education and Health Professions visited a number of higher education institutions in Egypt to explore possible collaboration.
Dan Kissinger, assistant professor of counselor education, and Michael Miller, professor of higher education, were based in Tanta, Egypt, home of Tanta University. Miller is also head of the department of rehabilitation, human resources and communication disorders at the University of Arkansas. Tanta University is the academic home of Ahmed Helal, who was a visiting scholar in Miller's department during the 2007-2008 academic year.
Miller and Kissinger are developing a continuing education proposal to provide short-term faculty development programs for the Tanta University faculty.
“None of this happens quickly,” Miller said, “but it is something that we are really committed to.
“This was an opportunity for us to meet a number of faculty members in different institutions to not only learn about the issues they face, but also to explore our common problems and strengths and identify ways that we can collaborate better,” he continued. “We’ve already seen research-based collaboration in counseling and communication disorders, and we hope that this can expand to many different areas, including postsecondary pedagogy.”
In addition to Tanta University, Miller and Kissinger visited the Alexandria University library, Cairo University and the American University in Cairo. Additionally, they met with representatives of the Supreme Council on Higher Education and the nonprofit student advocacy group, AMIDEAST.
“There is just such a demand for U.S. higher education, everyone wanted to talk to us about how we can bring more Egyptians to the United States for a college education,” Miller said.
There are currently 1,700 Egyptians studying in American colleges and universities.
In addition to the official discussions, Kissinger delivered a two-hour lecture on “Current Trends in Counseling Research” at Tanta University. The audience included more than 100 students and faculty members from Tanta, and the lecture highlighted the wellness model of counseling that is common in the United States but has not been introduced in Egypt.
“We recognize many of the same problems among Egyptians and Americans,” Kissinger said, “but they have been approaching counseling from a radically different paradigm. Our discussion, especially the question and answer period, was incredibly revealing and exciting for them and me.”
One of Tanta University’s counseling lecturers is currently completing his graduate degree at the University of Arkansas.
“I’m excited to be here and to see this collaboration grow,” said Eid Habo, a doctoral student in counseling.
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Contact:
Michael T. Miller, professor of higher education
College of Education and Health Professions
479-575-3582, mtmille@uark.edu
Dan Kissinger, assistant professor of counselor education
College of Education and Health Professions
479-575-5157, dkissin@uark.edu