Campus Alert Archive
UC Davis

Professor Radwan Flies 9 UC Davis Students from Cairo to Paris on July 4 as Morsi Coup Turns Violent

CAcivil unrestadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

When Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was ousted by the military on July 3, 2013, and protests turned violent across Cairo, UC Davis evacuated its Summer Abroad program group -- eight UC Davis students, two students from UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz, and program instructor Professor Noha Radwan's son -- flying them from Cairo to Paris on July 4. The students had arrived June 18 to study Egyptian authors and filmmakers; they had been scheduled to stay until July 16. Eight returned directly to the US; one remained in Paris, and one flew on to Istanbul.

Alerts
2
Response
min
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
University of California, Davis
Public R1 · CA
UC Davis Global Learning Emergency Response
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from The Aggie reporting on the July 4 evacuation; exact wording of the UC Davis alert not published verbatim477 chars
UC Davis Summer Abroad students currently in Cairo: Due to the rapidly evolving political situation in Egypt following today's change in government, all program participants are being advised to prepare to depart Egypt immediately. Your program leader, Professor Radwan, will coordinate your departure logistics. Please stay with your group, remain in your accommodations, and do not venture out into the city tonight. Further instructions will follow. — UC Davis Summer Abroad

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Professor Noha Radwan, a UC Davis professor of Comparative Literature and Cairo native, led the evacuation logistics -- her local knowledge was a significant operational asset in navigating a rapidly deteriorating capital city
The group was evacuated on July 4, 2013, the day after Morsi's ouster; millions of Egyptians were in the streets across Cairo in support of the military action, and clashes with Morsi supporters were escalating rapidly
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from The Aggie's reporting on the evacuation outcomes: 8 students back to US, 1 to Paris, 1 to Istanbul533 chars
All UC Davis Summer Abroad students who were in Cairo have been safely evacuated and are now in Paris. The program has been terminated early due to the ongoing political situation in Egypt. Students will be contacting their families to arrange onward travel. Eight students will return to the United States directly; others will make individual arrangements from Paris. We are grateful to Professor Radwan and our in-country partners for facilitating the rapid and safe departure of all program participants. — UC Davis Summer Abroad

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The evacuation flight to Paris was arranged within approximately 24 hours of Morsi's ouster -- consistent with the State Department's July 3-4 guidance urging US citizens in Cairo to avoid large gatherings and be prepared to depart
The UC Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) also suspended its Cairo programs around the same time, per Daily Bruin and Daily Cal reporting
Context

Background

UC Davis's Summer Abroad program in Cairo -- led by Professor Noha Radwan, a Comparative Literature professor and Cairo native -- brought 10 participants to study Egyptian authors and filmmakers beginning June 18, 2013. On July 3, 2013, the Egyptian military ousted President Mohamed Morsi, triggering massive pro- and anti-Morsi demonstrations and escalating violence across Cairo. The UC Davis group was evacuated on July 4 -- Independence Day -- flying to Paris and ending the program 12 days ahead of schedule. The Aggie reported that Professor Radwan coordinated the departure logistics, leveraging her local knowledge of Cairo. The UC Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) also suspended Cairo operations around the same time, and UC Berkeley separately evacuated its own students from Egypt. The UC Davis case is notable for having the program instructor's own son among the evacuees -- a personal stakes dimension unusual in the archive -- and for the speed of the evacuation, completed within 24 hours of the coup.
Analysis

Key Findings

Professor Radwan's dual role -- program instructor and local Cairo native -- gave UC Davis a meaningful logistical advantage in the evacuation: she could navigate contacts and departure options that a remote Study Abroad administrator in Davis could not
The July 4 departure date created an Independence Day evacuation narrative that several news outlets noted: UC Davis students flying out of Cairo as millions of Egyptians celebrated the military removal of an elected government
The UC Davis evacuation coincided with simultaneous UCEAP and UC Berkeley evacuations from Egypt, suggesting a coordinated UC-system-wide response to the July 3 coup rather than individual campus decisions
Outcome
All 10 program participants (9 students + instructor's son) safely evacuated to Paris on July 4, 2013. No UC Davis casualties. Eight students returned to the US; one remained in Paris; one flew to Istanbul. Program ended 12 days early.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    UC Davis study abroad students evacuated from Cairo
    theaggie.org
  2. Student Paper
    UCEAP suspends program in Cairo after political unrest in Egypt escalates (Daily Bruin)
    dailybruin.com
  3. Student Paper
    UC Berkeley evacuates students from Egypt (Daily Californian)
    dailycal.org
  4. Source
    2013 Egyptian coup d'etat (Wikipedia)
    en.wikipedia.org
Tags
study-abroadegyptcairocivil-unrestevacuationinternationalpublic-r1uc-davissummer-abroadadvisorycoup
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion