Choosing to Look Ahead

Issue No. 12 - Summer 2005-06 INSPIRIT INSPIRIT 19 55 The Haigazian University Newsletter Choosing to Look Ahead Issue # 11 - Summer 2005-2006 INSPIRIT From the President Between July 12 and August 14, 2006, Lebanon witnessed a brutal war on the Lebanese - Israeli border, including air and sea raids and blockade all around the country. In response to the crisis and many letters of concern, President Haidostian sent five letters to concerned friends, international colleagues, and supporters of Haigazian University. Here are excerpts from those letters: Dear Friends July 19, 2006 needy and the helpless. The majority of As soon as the crisis is over, the Lebanese the people in the country have not been will want to rebuild. International help working for eleven days now. They have will be desperately needed. The econo- been watching the news, waiting for an my has been hit strongly. Therefore, the end. Even in these disastrous days, much already existing financial crisis of the good can be done. people will get much worse. Schools July 28, 2006 that have welcomed displaced people will need to be renovated as soon as Throughout the country, aid work in possible. As far as Haigazian University support of the refugees has been bet- is concerned, more financial aid will be ter organized now than it was in the requested by the students. past weeks, including the small efforts of the Armenian Evangelical Church. No matter how hard the situation, I Prayer groups have been organized in should mention that many people are and around churches, including a daily also working hard in Lebanon and else- time of prayer for the Haigazian com- where to ease the pain of others. Also, munity. Denominational and regional Contents even as we prepare for worse days ahead, barriers among the people working for it is amazing that some people on the and with each other have thankfully From the President 2 Haigazian University staff are work- dropped to a minimum. Bombing has ing six hours a day painting classrooms, War on Lebanon 3 continued in the past days but focus- moving furniture from one office to the Student Life ing mainly on the South and the Bekaa. 4 other, preparing for the Fall Semester! Cars, trucks, communication centers Anniversary Closure 6 and neighborhoods have been occasion- July 23, 2006 Staff & Faculty News 7 ally targeted. The number of the civil- I look forward to a week of hopeful Miscellaneous News 8 ian victims in Lebanon has exceeded activity even in these difficult times in 500. The bombing of the Jiyyeh power Public Lectures 10 Beirut and the Haigazian University plant which served Southern Lebanon Women’s Auxiliary 12 administrative offices. Our communities has resulted in a 15,000-ton oil spill in are not only hopeful this too shall pass, Graduation 13 the Mediterranean Sea causing a major but many groups have been conducting environmental disaster. organized activities to reach out to the Editorial Team: Vartoug Balekjian President’s Secretary Contributing writers: Mira Yardemian Director of Public Relations Antranik Dakessian Director of Student Life Published by: Kardashian Printing Services Industrial City, Bouchrieh, Lebanon 961-1-484970 Choosing to Look Ahead INSPIRIT War on Lebanon August 7, 2006 and his family, a lecturer of Computer fully re-kindle their zest for education; Soon, the pages of four weeks of this Science at our university. The targets in we will attempt to re-configure their infamous war on Lebanon will be Lebanon have been mostly civilian tar- hopelessness into creativity; we will re- completed and this is my fourth let- gets. We are promised to witness more treat their disappointment in God and ter. Almost one-thousand civilians have destruction, more killing, and rounds of humanity with examples and messages been killed. Many more thousands have disaster after disaster. of faithful service; we will try to re-create all the positive and beautiful that been injured. A few thousand apart- Lebanon has often been the envy of its Lebanon has been known by. It is a ment buildings have been totally ruined, neighbors. Lebanon has always wanted one of which housed Mr. Moukalled prayer that will hopefully turn into a Continued “Letters from Continued the President” to be proud of its wealth of civiliza- plan of action. tion, intercultural identity, institutions, beauty and energy to create. And yet, Whether the future will bring further look at the symbols Israel has chosen to violence or not or how soon, we do not destroy before everything else: the air- know. In fact, globalization of all sorts port, seaports, bridges, communication of processes and realities in the world stations, and the like, the exact symbols will also and increasingly mean that the of Lebanese openness to the world. insecurity of one is the insecurity of all, a lesson we should have learnt from our August 16, 2006 Christian faith but failed to do so. This morning, we announced that What we know here is that we can the Summer Semester of Haigazian bring our share in peacemaking among University will be resumed on August and through those who enter our gates 23. To my knowledge, that is the earli- at Haigazian University: an institu- est date for any university to reopen tion whose foundations go deep into after the crisis. As students of various the history of the perseverance of the backgrounds and ideologies re-gather Armenian people, into the Christian at Haigazian, we will re-capture our sacrificial message of forgiveness, and opportunity to create an atmosphere into the deep roots of the magnificent of dialogue among them; we will hope- cedars. Haigazian Students’ Response to the War From the very first day of the ongoing Soon refugees started to pour into the Plans were drawn, and according to events, Student Life officers started con- Armenian Evangelical College, next to their residential areas students were templating ways to have their share in the university. Others gathered in the allocated social outreach assistance in ameliorating the hardships the country Sanayeh Park, close to the university. the locations the Armenian Evangelical faced. Several brainstorming sessions Community had established. were held, Haigazian students living in In collaboration with the project coor- bombed areas were contacted to check dinator, Maria Bakalian, Student Life about their whereabouts and conditions. started to entertain the forty refugee Others were asked about their availabil- children of those families who had ity and desire to do philanthropic work. taken refuge in the neighboring school. A long list was prepared. students from Games, competitions and just friendly the university neighborhood checked in talks were used to give the refugee chil- and offered their assistance in case the dren useful recreation. university was planning to help. Issue # 11 - Summer 2005-2006 INSPIRIT Student Life Student of the Year Michel Majdalani Michel Majdeleni, a senior student year he traveled to France with the bas- majoring in Business Administration, ketball team to participate in the French is born on August 6, 1983, in Beirut, tournament ‘Tournoi des 5 Ballons.’ He Lebanon. has been elected the president of the Haigazian University Business Society His motto is ‘Whoever believes in God (HUBS) for two consecutive years. can make the biggest change he wants.’ For Michel, Haigazian University has Michel’s Haigazian University experi- been instrumental in helping him dis- ence has given him ample opportuni- cover himself, discover the Armenian ties to explore his talents and use them culture that enriched his life with a new year after year. ideology, and helped him understand In his first year he became engaged in the the other. He says that his best memo- Social Activities Club. During his second ries come from Haigazian University. Alumni News - Obituary Gabriel Giet Jal tural adaptations of the Dinka and Jikany Jal also worked in Norway as a visiting Nuer communities in Upper Nile Basin. professor at the Centre for Development On August 30, 2006, Jal, 61, an expert Among his works are: ‘A Historical Study Studies, University of Bergen, for three of ethno-history specialising in Sudan, of Conflict in Anglo-Egyptian Relations years. died in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, in the Sudan, 1899-1936’ and ‘The History While in Nairobi, Jal was part of the after a short illness. of the Jikany Nuer in Upper Nile Basin.’ Sudanese revivalism during the peace He was a professor of history at Kenyatta Professor Jal had his undergraduate edu- negotiations. He helped organize the University where he had taught in the cation at Haigazian University where January 2003 ‘Conference on the House departments of history and anthropol- he graduated with a BA in history and of Nationalities in South Sudan,’ a meet- ogy since 1995. anthropology. He received his MA at ing that brought together several South Professor Jal was an authority on the the American University of Beirut and Sudanese professionals and journalists history of South Sudan, and published his Ph.D. at the School of Oriental and in the diaspora. many works on the migration and cul- African Studies, University of London, where he later taught in the 1980s. Alumni Achievements n Friday March 3, 2006, the fter graduating from of South Carolina, USA, for her poster UCLA Armenian Graduate Haigazian University entitled ‘Glucosylceramide is required Student Association (AGSA) and the American for virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans’. Oheld its fourth annual international col- AUniversity of Beirut, Talar Keshishian She is currently studying in the loquium in Armenian Studies at UCLA. (class of 2000) left for the U.S.A. and Department of Biochemistry and began working in the medical research Dzovig Kassabian, from Haigazian Molecular Biology at the Medical field.

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