Egyptian Universities Search for a New Role

Universities played a central role in Egypt’s 2011 revolution and were heavily affected by the subsequent return to military rule. Egyptian universities have a long history as settings where young activists engage in political action. Today they are institutions with a changing role and scope. The expansion of private, for-profit institutions of higher education over the past decade has called into question the traditional model of public universities with access guaranteed by the state, while campuses have been largely silenced as forums of activism.