Awards

Thomas Hart Benton Mural Medallion - 1992

International Council Dinner

Bloomington, Indiana

Presenter: Thomas Ehrlich

Honorary Degree - 1979

LL.D.

Doctor of Laws

Commencement

Bloomington, Indiana

Presenter: John William Ryan

About Mohamed Abdel Khalek Allam

Mohamed Abdel Khalek Allam distinguished himself as an educator and as an administrator in a career which was characterized by unfailing idealism, energy, and a spirit of international cooperation. Born in Cairo in 1921, Dr. Allam received his early education in his native Egypt, earning a Diploma from the Higher Institute of Education in 1944. From 1944 to 1947, Mohamed Allam taught in secondary schools before being appointed an Inspector for the National Ministry of Education. It was then that he came to the United States for graduate studies, gaining an M.A. in Physical Education from Ohio State University in 1949. From Ohio State University he moved on to Indiana University, where he worked toward Directors Degrees in Recreation and Health Education, and where in 1955 he earned a doctorate in Health and Safety Education.

Dr. Allam returned to Egypt and devoted himself to every aspect of education. He held part-time positions teaching in the Higher Institute of Physical Education for Men, the Higher Institute of Physical Education for Women, the Higher Institute of Social Work, and in the Faculty of Arts at both Cairo and Ain Shams Universities. While fulfilling these teaching duties, Dr. Allam was also engaged in administrative responsibilities at the national level in the fields of health and recreation. As an administrator, Mohamed Allam was vitally interested in promoting the well-being of every individual, reaching even the smallest village through the establishment of the combined school and public health unit. From 1955 to 1958, he was a member of the Supreme Council for Youth Welfare before being appointed the Council's General Controller of Technical Affairs (1958-1962), and later its Assistant Secretary General (1962-1964). In 1964 Dr. Allam was appointed Director General of Planning at Egypt's Ministry of Youth, a position he retained until 1966, when he accepted an appointment as Director of Admissions and Registration at the American University at Cairo. In 1969, Dr. Allam became that university's Dean of Records and Admissions, and in 1973 he was appointed as Vice-President for Student Development.

Dr. Allam's distinguished service to Egyptian education was not limited to his teaching and administrative appointments. He authored a book on youth welfare, Youth Welfare, Profession and Science, and contributed to The World Today in Health, Physical Education and Recreation, a book published in the United States, a chapter on physical education and recreation in the United Arab Republic and in Africa. Furthermore, Mohamed Allam translated two other works in his field, including A World History of Physical Education. He served as President of Egypt's National Voluntary Work Camp Association; as a member of the Education and Psychology Committee of the Supreme Council of the Arts, Literature and Social Sciences; and as a board member of the National Youth Hostels Association in Egypt. However, Egypt is not the only country to have benefited from Mohamed Allam's knowledge and experience. In the late 1950's, Dr. Allam established programs for young people in the form of recreational camps, not only in his own country but in Syria also.

In 1971 Dr. Allam took a leave of absence from the American University at Cairo, and as consultant to the Sudanese government spent twenty months working as Project Manager for Youth Employment Promotion Centers in the Sudan. Mohamed Allam's commitment to the international promotion of health and education was further demonstrated by the time and energy he spent as a delegate to and administrator for international conferences and committees. He was Secretary General of the first Afro-Asian Youth Conference which was held in Cairo in 1959. He was also a delegate to the Sixth World Youth Festival in 1957 and to the Second Corning Conference held in New York in 1962. Throughout his career, he maintained contact with the United States, and on many occasions visited American universities to confer with Egyptian students enrolled in graduate school.