Egypt, Berkeley, Intel, Sign Accord to Develop Tech Curricula

The governments of Egypt, the University of California at Berkeley, and the Intel Corp. have signed a memorandum of understanding to implement the firm’s higher education technology at Cairo University, Alexandria University, Ain Shams University, and the American University Cairo. Hoda Baraka, first deputy to the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, called IT competency “key contributors to Egypt's productivity and economic growth.”

The deal is part of the META (Middle East, Turkey, and Africa) Higher Education Initiative, which focuses on advancing innovation in key areas of technology education. The project will offer the universities a formal curriculum to provide business know-how to grow a start up company based on the U.C. Berkeley Haas School of Business entrepreneur curriculum. It will also offer face-to-face curriculum development workshops with professors from Berkley, as well as university participation in an Intel supported regional/technology focused business plan competition. For more information, click here.

WebAward Competition Call for Entries Announced

The Web Marketing Association has announced the call for entries for its 10th annual international WebAward Competition. This competition that sets industry benchmarks based on the seven criteria of a successful Web site. Universities represent an important category in the competition, and the Association will again be honoring the Best University Web site of the year. The deadline for entry is May 31, 2006.

Web sites are judged on seven criteria, including design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copy writing, and ease of use. Entrants also benefit from receiving valuable feedback from the WebAwards professional judging panel on their Web site development efforts.

Judging for the 2006 WebAwards will take place in June through August, with winners announced in September. Judges will consist of a select group of Internet marketing professionals who have direct experience designing and managing Web sites with an in-depth understanding of the current state-of-the-art in Web site development and technology. For more information, click here.