Alaa Abd-El-Aziz

Alaa Abd-El-Aziz
Born	Egypt
Occupation(s)	Scholar, university administrator
Years active	1989–2021
Known for	Former president of the University of Prince Edward Island

Alaa Abd-El-Aziz is a Canadian scholar who formerly served as the president of the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI).

Early life

Abd-El-Aziz completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at Ain Shams University, obtaining his bachelor's degree in 1985 and master's degree in 1989. He then pursued and earned a PhD from the University of Saskatchewan in 1989.

Career

Starting his academic career in 1989, Abd-El-Aziz worked as a lecturer at the University of Toronto. The following year, he joined the University of Winnipeg as an assistant professor, advancing to full professor status by 1997, a position he held until 2006. Additionally, he maintained adjunct faculty roles at University of Manitoba, Université de Sherbrooke, and the University of Winnipeg. Between 2006 and 2011, he was a chemistry professor and served as Provost at the University of British Columbia Okanagan.

University of Prince Edward Island

In November 2010, Abd-El-Aziz was appointed president of UPEI, officially assuming the role in July 2011. Under his leadership, the university experienced an increase in student enrollment, notably with international students growing from 536 in 2012 to approximately 1,400 representing 90 countries by 2021. He also oversaw the expansion of the nursing program and established a collaborative faculty of medicine initiative with Memorial University of Newfoundland.

In 2013, allegations concerning sexual harassment were brought against him to the P.E.I. Human Rights Commission, related to "inappropriate comments between colleagues." That same year, UPEI resolved these complaints through settlements bound by non-disclosure agreements.

Abd-El-Aziz’s presidency contract was extended in 2015, again in 2018, and once more in 2021. He received recognition as Innovator of the Year from Atlantic Business Magazine in 2020. Although initially planning to serve until 2025, he stepped down from his position in December 2021 citing health issues amid reports that numerous non-disclosure agreements had contributed to a "culture of silence and fear" along with a toxic environment at UPEI.

Following his departure, Gregory Keefe was named Interim President and Vice-Chancellor. A later inquiry conducted by Rubin Thomlinson law firm revealed that during Abd-El-Aziz’s decade-long presidency, 29 non-disclosure agreements had been executed.