GW students and faculty members were treated to a keynote speech by Egypt's first Minister of State for Environmental Affairs at the May 20, 2000 Commencement ceremony of the School of Engineering and Applied Science. At the event, Her Excellency Dr. Nadia Makram Ebeid provided an audience of more than 2,000 people with an inspiring summary of the environmental initiatives in Egypt, the heart of a 7,000 year-old continuous human civilization.
Minister Ebeid’s presentation, which was broadcast live on GW’s closed-circuit television system, described several impressive environmental initiatives in Egypt, including a remarkably successful program to clean up the Nile River, one of the world's greatest natural resources. She also explained how her government is integrating environmental awareness into the educational curricula at various levels in schools and universities throughout Egypt in order to leave a lasting legacy for future generations.
 | Environmental and Energy Management Professor Robert Romano and GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg hood a student at the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony |
An extremely impressive person, Dr. Ebeid is a Member of the General Secretariat of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s National Democratic Party and holds a long list of impressive
credentials. These include service as President of the African Ministers Conference for the Environment; Member of the Board of Trustees, Center for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe; and Chairperson of the Council for Environmental and Developmental Research, Egyptian National Academy of Scientific Research.
A number of Environmental and Energy Management students received recognition from SEAS Dean Thomas Mazzuchi during the May 20 Commencement ceremony |  |
Prior to her current service with President Mubarak, Dr. Ebeid held several top positions with the United Nations Development Programme and the U. N. Food and Agricultural Organization. She has received a long list of honors, including a recent honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree from Occidental College. She was accompanied by a number of Egyptian dignitaries, including Prof. Dr. Osama M. Zaki, Cultural and Educational Counselor at the Embassy of Egypt, Mrs. Zaki, and two of Dr. Ebeid’s sons, one of whom graduated from GW on the day of the event.
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Environmental and Energy Management Professor Jonathan Deason served as School Marshal for the |
Dr. Ebeid’s keynote address was the highlight of the SEAS Commencement ceremony, which also featured recognition of more than 500 graduating students in 21 undergraduate and graduate degree categories. In addition, 31 graduating students and alumni received various awards and honors at the ceremony.