Fulbright New Century Scholar Mohsen Elmahdy Said is working on the Higher Education Enhancement Project (HEEP).

Mohsen Elmahdy Said, a Fulbright New Century Scholar in 2005-2006, has been a professor of applied mechanics at Cairo University since 1989 and is the executive director of the Projects Management Unit at the Ministry of Education in Egypt. He has researched higher education reform for the past 15 years, focusing on quality assurance and accreditation-related issues.

Said also works with the mission of the Higher Education Enhancement Project (HEEP), administered by the Projects Management Unit in the Ministry of Education. HEEP works to establish a strategic plan for the enhancement of education in a rapidly expanding educational system.

HEEP is working to improve quality assurance in higher education, and suggesting ways to make the educational system in Egypt more transparent. As such, HEEP would like the educational system to amend the requirement whereby university presidents are presidentially appointed.

Another factor that impedes quality assurance is, "that faculty are reluctant to participate because they have no motivation. They already have job security because they are tenured as soon as they receive a postdoctoral degree." HEEP suggests increasing enthusiasm among faculty by developing new Awards for Excellence that would be presented to outstanding professors.

As a result of Egypt's changing and quickly growing higher education system, particularly private institutions are emerging at a shocking rate. Said believes that this growth must be slowed to preserve quality.