The Council
The International Council for University Wisdom, ICUW, carries the scholarship of higher education to the people who govern universities, and reads it with them.
Why a council.
Presidents and rectors do not join programs; they join bodies of peers. Calling the Council a council tells a university leader that membership is standing, not a subscription, and gives every seminar, certificate and agreement the authority of an institution.
The writing that explains how universities work began in earnest in 1965 and has never stopped. Much of it goes unread by the people who make decisions about governance, curriculum and growth. The Council exists to close that distance.
Founded
2026, by Prof. Bassem Khafagy and Dr. Christopher Washington
Publication
Wisdom … Forgotten, since February 2026
Programs
Online, and in residence in Antalya
Year
Four seasons, September to August
What the Council does.
Everything the Council offers grows out of the same reading. The publication is its voice, the programs its classroom, the book series its permanent record.
Editorial independence
Book selection rests solely with the two co-authors of Wisdom … Forgotten, on grounds of intellectual merit. No supporter, member or client has any influence over what is chosen or how it is read.
The Council’s editorial independence policy · Read the policy in full →
The co-founders.
The Council rests on two independent reputations. Each co-founder chooses and reads one book in every issue, and together they teach the programs.
“Read with us. Think with us. Reimagine with us.”
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Prof. Bassem Khafagy
Co-Founder and Chairman
A scholar and bestselling author whose nine books, published since 2004 in English, Arabic and Turkish, have sold more than 300,000 copies and are cited in graduate research. He has lived across three continents, speaks at international summits in Europe and the Middle East, and creates the artwork of Wisdom … Forgotten.
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Dr. Christopher Washington
Co-Founder and President
Three decades inside university leadership, as a provost and across governance, workforce and curricular innovation, and faculty-driven transformation. He writes on leadership innovation, organizational culture and the design of learning ecosystems, and brings the practitioner-leader’s view to every issue.
Write to the Council.
Questions about membership, the programs or services for your institution reach the co-founders directly.
Contact the Council