AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT ANNUAL REPORT OF THE FACULTY OF ARTS & SCIENCES ACADEMIC YEAR 2006-07 Dr. John Waterbury President American University of Beirut Beirut, Lebanon December 10, 2007 Dear Mr. President, Please find enclosed the Annual Report of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences for the academic year 2006-2007. This report was written by the chairpersons and /or directors of the academic units and of the standing committees of the faculty of Arts & Sciences, and edited in the Arts & Sciences Dean’s Office. Sincerely Yours, Khalil Bitar Dean of the Faculty TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION TITLE PREPARED BY PAGE PART A Summary of the Report of the Dean Dean Khalil Bitar 1 PART B Reports of the Standing Committees 6 -Administrative Committee Dr. Helen Sader 7 -Admissions Dean Khalil Bitar 13 -Advisory Committee Dean Khalil Bitar 19 -Curriculum Committee Dr. Malek Tabbal 20 -Graduate Committee Dr. Rabih Talhouk 23 -Library Committee Dr. Nadia EL-Cheikh 29 -Research Committee Dr. A. Abdel Rahman 30 -Student Affairs Committee Dr. David Wrisley 34 PART C Reports of Academic Units 36 -Anis Makdisi Program in Literature Dr. Maher Jarrar 37 -Arabic & Near Eastern Languages Dr. Ramzi Baalbaki & 45 Dr. Saleh Agha -Biology Dr. Hala Gali Muhtasib 55 -Center for Arab & Middle Eastern Studies Dr. Nadia El-Cheikh 79 -Center for American Studies and Research (CASAR) Dr. Patrick McGreevy 85 -Center for Behavioral Research Dr. Samir Khalaf 89 -Center for English Language Research & Teaching Dr. Kassim. Shaaban 93 -Chemistry Dr. Mazen Al-Ghoul 96 -Civilization Sequence Program Dr. Maher Jarrar 112 -Computer Science Dr. Ahmad Nasri 124 -Economics Dr. Simon Neaime 141 -Education Dr. Saouma BouJaoude 154 -Science and Mathematics Education Center Dr. Marj Henningsen 164 -English Dr. Lina Choueiri 166 -Fine Arts and Art History Mr. David Kurani 181 -Geology Dr. A. AbdelRahman 192 -History & Archaeology Dr. Kevin Butcher 200 -Institute of Financial Economics Dr. Samir Makdisi 215 -Mathematics Dr. Hazar Abu Khuzam 224 -Philosophy Dr. Bashshar Haydar 235 -Physics Dr.Leonid Klushin & 242 Dr. Malek Tabbal -Political Studies & Public Administration Dr. Hilal Khashan 249 -Social & Behavioral Sciences Dr. Arne Dietrich 259 -University Preparatory Program Dr. Ghazi Ghaith 283 PART A SUMMARY REPORT OF THE OFFICE OF THE DEAN 1 SUMMARY REPORT OF THE OFFICE OF THE DEAN This report covers the period from October 1, 2006 to September 30, 2007 for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences I. Faculty: The total number of faculty positions for the academic year 2006-2007 was two hundred and thirty three (233). All lines have been used for faculty appointments. The Whittlesey Chair was occupied during the academic year by visiting assistant professor Ralph Pedersen of marine Archaeology from Texas A&M University. The Alfred Howell Chair in History was not occupied due the war of the summer of 2006 as the candidate declined to join the university after that. The teaching program during the second semester involved 334 faculty members (some on part time appointments), 170 graduate assistants, and 2605 (2188 undergraduate and 417 graduate) students enrolled in 407 different courses (equivalent to 861 courses and sections). II. Students As a result of the circumstances that took place in summer 2006, a special policy was voted for study abroad by the B.O.D. (see addendum). 345 students registered for the freshman class and 453 registered for the sophomore class during the first semester of 2006-07. This was a significant increase in admission to those two classes from previous years. This was even more significant as it followed the war during the summer of 2006. A total of 142 applications for admission to the freshman class for the second semester of 2006-2007 were received and 103 were issued letters of admission. A total of 283 applications for admission to the sophomore class were also received and 144 letters of admission to FAS were issued. This added to the two entry classes further for the academic year 2006-07. the total number of undergraduate students in FAS remained rather constant at about 2200. The current policy of admission in FAS is to keep the student population in the sophomore class in FAS at the same levels as for the previous academic year but to increase the number of students at the freshman level if possible. Applicants to the UPP (University Preparatory Program) totaled 82 in September 2006 of whom 67 were issued letters of admission and 41 registered. This represents an increase in registration in this program in relation to the same period of 2005-06. Thirteen applications were received in November 2006 and eight were considered qualified for admission to the program. The graduate program saw an additional 39 students enrolled during the fall semester of 2006-2007. This is out of a total of 414 applicants (532 applications to different majors) for graduate study 262 of whom were issued letters of admission. This is a decrease in admission compared to the previous year. During the second semester of 2006-2007, 56 applicants were issued letters of admission to date out of 89 applicants (134 applications to different majors). 2 The University Unified Admissions committee (UUAC), with representation from all Faculties, has met and acted on all applications for admission to the academic year 2007-08. Early admission to the University by the UUAC has resulted this year in 207 applicants being admitted to the sophomore class and 46 to the freshman class in FAS. Furthermore 836 applications for admission to the freshman class were received and 573 applicants were issued letters of acceptance for the first semester of 2007-2008 including early admissions. Additionally a total 1480 of 2192 applicants for admission to the sophomore class were issued letters of admission. It is to be noted that many of these accepted applicants represent students applying to other Faculties at AUB also. Incomplete applications for admissions to the freshman and sophomore classes were processed at a later time. III.Faculty Recruitment Four hundred forty three (443) applications have been received to faculty positions that were advertised as available in the Faculty starting September 15, 2007. After consultation with the departments and the Advisory Committee, offers were made and over 26 have been accepted (This number includes several instructor positions in the communications skills program of the department of English). The Alfred P. Howell Chair in History went to historian professor Winfried Held from the University of Wursburg, Germany, and the visiting Whittlesey chair professorship went to sociologist Dr. Steven Seidman from the university of New York at Albany. A marked increase in recruitment continues to be due to an increase in needed instructors in the English language program. Two new faculty members in the department of Fine Arts and Art History, which has been established in the Faculty as of October 2005 are now on board. They are both in the area of Art History as a result of a world wide search. Special attention is being paid for recruitment of faculty to the department of Economics which lost five of its faculty members (Three due the summer war) and to the Department of Mathematics which has assumed all teaching of the subject to the students of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture. Similar significant losses took place at the end of the year in the department of Political Studies and Public Administration mostly again as an aftermath of the summer war of 2006. IV. Professors on Leave Ten professors were on ‘paid research leave’ during the academic year. Five were on leave (two maternity) during the first semester and four (one maternity) were on leave during the second semester. One was on leave for the full year. Ten other faculty members, financed by a Hewlett Foundation grant, were also on paid leave, five during the first semester of 2006-2007 and five during the second semester Nine faculty members are on leave without pay during the current academic year. Three will be on leave for the full year, four during the first semester and two during the coming second semester. Several requests for leave without pay and paid research leaves for 2007-2008 were considered by the Advisory Committee. Two professors have been granted leaves without pay for the academic year 2007-08 and three for the first semester. Two professors were granted leaves with pay for the first semester of 2007-08. Ten faculty members were granted 3 junior faculty paid leaves (previously known as Hewlett grant leaves) five for each semester of 2007-08. V. Applications for Promotion Eight applications for promotion were received by the deadline of August 7, 2006 (Three applications were for promotion to the rank of Full Professor). Of these two were promoted to the rank of professor and four to the rank of associate professor. Regretfully one of those promoted to associate professor resigned his position subsequently, again due to the summer war. VI. General Remarks The summer session went normally without interruption. In particular the Summer Arabic program administered by CAMES went on smoothly but did suffer from a few last minute cancellations. All four Ph.D. programs, from four departments in FAS, have been approved by the Board of Education of the State of New York. Students were admitted to three of these programs by the beginning of summer 2007. Since we have also received a major grant to upgrade all class rooms in FAS, all five are now completed and form our prototypes for future further improvement of our class room environment. This project was completed with help and consultation with the FPDU. A lecture hall (Bliss 203) designed to be a fully computerized exam room has also been partially completed during the summer of 2007.