Ismail Serageldin was appointed to the Supreme Council for Culture in Egypt. This august body comprises 22 persons in their individual capacity and a number of eminent ex-officio members. Ismail Serageldin was appointed to the only vacant chair. Membership to the council for these 22 persons is a lifetime appointment. Reached for comment, Serageldin said that it was a signal honor to be in such company, and to sit in the same chairs where eminent persons such as Ibrahim Madkour had sat.