10 14 24

AUB student elections Shukri’s story Bucking the trend, AUB restores tenure after more than three decades

American University of Beirut Magazine. Spring 2018, Vol. XVI, No. 2 Free and Fair Aidu cat ion.

Ahmad Badran (BBA expected ’19) is following in his brother’s footsteps in attending AUB. “Ashraf [his brother] graduated in 2014 with a degree in engineering,” he says. Badran is working towards a degree in business administration at his brother’s encouragement. “I was going to study engineering, but he recommended business.” Why? “Because he knows I want to stay in Lebanon and there are more opportunities here for someone with a business degree.” He hails from a working class family in Der El Zehrani, in the heart of southern Lebanon. His father, now retired, spent his career at the General Directorate of General Security. On arriving at AUB, he applied for financial aid and was awarded a BLOM Bank Scholarship. “I’m extremely grateful,” he says. Inspired by the passion of lecturer Rania Uwaydah Mardini (BBA ’96, MBA ’99), Badran has made accounting his focus. When not working through cash flow statements under Jafet Library’s fluorescent lights, he is watching Prison Break and Designated Survivor , listening to Cuban-American singer Camila Cabello, or perusing the shops on Rue Verdun. “So far it’s been a really pleasant experience.”

To speak to someone about supporting financial aid, contact us at [email protected] or make a gift at give.aub.edu.lb The MainGate Spring 2018 Contents Vol. XVI, No. 2

Student life, the liberal arts, AUB personalities Inspiration 5 past and present

10 A look at AUB’s student elections

Discoveries 23 Research, the arts, and current events

24 AUB reinstates tenure, affirming its research bona fides

Wellness 33 AUBMC 2020, health, and medicine

Dr. Fadi Sawaya discusses the future of cardiac 38 intervention procedures

Impact 43 Regional impact, advocacy, and policy initiatives

48 The story behind the empty skyscrapers towering over campus

AUB Everywhere 53 Alumni profile, class notes, WAAAUB, and chapter news

Emily Nasrallah (BA ‘58), celebrated writer, explores 54 the theme of migration in her novels, while remaining true to her roots

In Memoriam 65 Letter from the president

Views from Campus

Dear fellow alumni and friends of AUB, The job market our graduates enter remains challenging. We believe the AUB graduate of the future should be versed Our deep roots in the Arab world and our strong ties to the in the vital and marketable skills of the liberal arts, alongside homeland of our American founders make AUB a dual- a professional qualification for some. We want each and identity institution that sits at the heart of today’s global every graduate to be empowered and equipped with an challenges. I would argue that our strengths lie in exactly entrepreneurial mindset and skill set to create her or his own that nexus, in which millennia of cultural development original role. Meanwhile, we have done everything possible blend with the freshness and vigor of a young population, to invest more in research with internal funding growing rooted in old civilizations, yet honed on modern ideas. From from $2.5 million a year to about $5 million a year over the my perspective, we can identify AUB’s specific challenges last three years. We are rethinking our approach to graduate under several broad headings—affordability, graduate education and graduate assistantships and providing employment, elevating research, and geopolitical instability. considerably more opportunities and funding for individuals committed to seriously defining their futures in the spheres AUB tuition and fees, while substantially lower than those of research, teaching, and administration. In addition, we of competitor American institutions by more than a third, have restored academic tenure after a hiatus of more than are out of reach of many Lebanese and Arab families, and 30 years and are seeking reaccreditation by the Middle States represent a significant barrier to my core belief that the Commission on Higher Education, a massive effort involving advantages bestowed by a top-class university education more than 145 faculty, staff, and students. Our biggest must not be available only to those already endowed with challenge remains, as it has been for many years, geopolitical wealth, access, and privilege. On the contrary, universities instability. Even in the midst of regional transition and must engage in rectifying economic imbalances, empowering uncertainty, I am convinced that we must tilt towards the the disempowered and the underrepresented, and acting as future with a sense of determination and self-belief. We an engine for lasting positive change in society. After years of cannot be cowed into despair or inaction. We must instead steep tuition rises we are now becoming considerably more embrace the role that AUB has played so often in the past economically inclusive, not less. We are on track to double and help to shape the future of our region. That after all is at the number of scholarships, but we want to—and must—do the core of our identity, and why we at AUB do what we do, more. Philanthropy is a keystone for affordability and donors and what we must keep doing. give more generously to dynamic, visionary, and ambitious causes. To judge by current record levels of philanthropic giving, our support base has never been so galvanized in support of AUB’s vital mission. To go to the next level, the university needs to be recognized globally as one of the great societal difference makers and mainstays of tolerance, openness, and diversity in the world today. 2 3

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Dear MainGate readers,

Welcome to this latest edition of your favorite magazine shining a spotlight on the abundant life of AUB and its global community. This time we have tried to focus on the most important Cover Student elections, constituency that any university has—its students—with stories that we hope will invoke your October 2017 own campus experiences, and perhaps the comforting feeling that little has changed in the rocky outcrop between Bliss Street and the Mediterranean. But you might equally be struck that things are very much in transition in an academic community that has its sights firmly set on the future.

Our cover image and main feature celebrates the unique phenomenon of the AUB student elections, which took place in the fall in typical energetic fashion. Do read our close-up account of the realities of the polls which, if you think about it for a moment, must be an apogee of democratic expression in a region with a dearth of free and fair elections at almost any level. It is my sincere hope that the participants in these hotly contested ballots will carry the experience throughout their lives, reminding them of the truth that this region’s people deserve more say in who governs them. Don’t miss our illuminating profile of world renowned author Back Cover Emily Nasrallah whom MainGate was lucky to interview in her Beirut home, nor the The proposed new Center for unforgettable and life-affirming account of a newly-enrolled scholarship student who has Advancement in Science and reached AUB after a series of ordeals of forced migration and homelessness. Engineering (CASE) building.

Since taking the honor of editing MainGate , I have felt we missed hearing from our readership, except the very welcome reminiscences and updates we receive for our AUB EVERYWHERE alumni section. So please do contact us. We will publish the most interesting messages and consider all requests for different kinds of coverage. Get writing and thanks in advance! Executive Editor Martin Asser Responsible Director Nabil Dajani Martin Asser , Executive Editor Managing Editor Sally Kaya Najjar Features Editor Eric Eyges Alumni Editor AUB FAFS FM LAU REP Barbara Rosica American University Faculty of Agricultural Faculty of Medicine Lebanese American Regional Contributing Writers of Beirut and Food Sciences University External Programs Abbr. HSON Rami Khouri AUBMC FAS Rafic Hariri School MSFEA SPC Susanne Lane American University of Faculty of Arts of Nursing Maroun Semaan Faculty Syrian Protestant College Sally Abou Melhem Beirut Medical Center and Sciences of Engineering and IFI WAAAUB Architecture Art Direction and Design Common CCECS FHS Issam Fares Institute Worldwide Alumni Communication Design SAL abbreviations Center for Civic Faculty of for Public Policy and OSB Association of AUB www.cd-sal.com found in The Engagement and Health Sciences International Affairs Suliman S. Olayan Photography MainGate (MG): Community Service School of Business Hasan Nisr Jean Pierre Tarabay University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections American University of Beirut Office of Communications PO Box 11–0236

ww w.fsc.org Riad El Solh 1107 2020 Beirut, Lebanon The pages of The MainGate are printed on 100 percent postconsumer fiber paper and the cover is 30 percent. It is printed using Tel: 961-1-353228 web offset process with attention to clean-air operations. Lane Press gets 98 percent of its electricity from sources other than greenhouse New York Office gas-producing carbon fuel. Inks are bio-derived and low in volatile organic compounds. 3 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, 8 th Floor Please recycle this magazine. If you prefer to subscribe to the online version of The MainGate , please email [email protected] New York, NY 10017–2303 Tel: 212-583-7600 AUB is committed to the principle of equal opportunity and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, national or ethnic [email protected] identity, sex, gender or gender identity, marital status, disability, genetic predisposition or carrier status, alienage or citizenship status, www.aub.edu.lb/maingate political affiliation, or any legally protected characteristic, in its programs and activities to the fullest extent permitted by Lebanese law. Printing This includes prohibition against sexual harassment and sexual violence as mandated by Title IX of the U.S. Education Amendments of 1972. Lane Press Inquiries or complaints may be addressed to the Title IX Coordinator at [email protected], the Dean of Student Affairs at [email protected], or the Office of the President, College Hall, 5th Fl., Beirut, Lebanon, +961-1-350000. For AUB’s full policies, visit www.aub.edu.lb/titleix. The International Advisory Council Annual Meeting and Dinner New York City

The International Advisory Council (IAC) held its annual meeting at AUB’s New York Office Debs Center on November 17. This was followed by a dinner and panel discussion at the Morgan Library and Museum. Established in 1992 to support the president and trustees, the IAC brings Ambassador Marwan Muasher expertise and a worldwide perspective to areas of key concern to the University.

President Khuri led a fascinating discussion during the meeting with a diverse group of international leaders on the risks and opportunities of higher education during a period of extremism and conflict in the Middle East. Participants wrestled with a number of topics during a wide-ranging Ambassador discussion that touched on strategic Ryan Crocker partnerships, centers of academic excellence, student life, mentoring, financial aid, research, tenure, public service, and innovation. IAC members were especially concerned about the urgent need for enhanced job opportunities for Arab youth and for nuclear arms deal, authoritarian and education for refugees. One theme that patronage regimes in post-oil came up repeatedly was the importance economies, US interventions in the of the core values of a liberal arts region, the Islamic State, and the education in helping to build and refugee crisis. Muasher discussed sustain dynamic regional civic the absence of effective, responsive Ambassador governance in the Middle East and Susan L. Ziadeh institutions. concluded that we are living in the gap The meeting was followed by a dinner between the end of one era and the and panel discussion led by IAC beginning of another. Ziadeh assessed Chairman Ambassador Frank G. changes in US foreign policy under Wisner. The panelists included US President Trump. In his remarks, Ambassadors Ryan Crocker and Susan Crocker commented that he thought L. Ziadeh, and the former Jordanian that the region would remain volatile foreign minister and deputy PM for some time to come. He spoke also Marwan Muasher. They drew on their of AUB’s century-and-a-half record as wealth of experience having served for a rock of stability, a beacon of hope in a decades in high-level positions in the sea of chaos, and an institution whose IAC Chairman region to offer interesting insights on brightest days lie ahead. Frank G. Wisner several challenging issues including the Iran/Saudi Arabia axis and their The panel discussion triggered a lively regional proxy wars, the US-Iran question and answer period. Inspiration

Student life, the liberal arts, AUB personalities past and present

Women’s Symposium 6 Improving the lives and careers of female faculty at AUB

Face to Face 8 Samia Azar on focus, flexibility, hard work, and giving back

Student Elections 10 AUB’s impassioned voters

Art, Theater, Music, Comics Published & Produced 12 Written Word: books by AUB faculty and alumni

Shukri’s story 14 Triumphing over adversity

A brave new world AUB’s Media Studies Program trains students to for journalists 16 navigate the world of new media

Sports and Scholarship What can sports teach students? Why are 18 scholar-athletes so scholarly?

BBC World Questions 20 BBC comes to AUB

Fight School 22 Ramzi Yahia trains in the art of combat, while keeping his grades high Inspiration

The Lives and Careers of Women Faculty at AUB

AUB has long been at the forefront of nutrition from Columbia University. a pioneer in public health scholarship empowering women in the region, Early in his administration, the in the region who served as dean of the admitting its first female students to the president announced that although the Faculty of Health Sciences from 1998 School of Nursing in 1905, accepting University had been a pioneer in the to 2008, and was AUB’s first female women to the Pharmacy and Dentistry area of gender equity in the region, it academic dean. Still, the work of the Schools in 1921, graduating the first still had far to go, and that he intended task force is surprising in its scope female student, Sara Levy, in 1925, the to do something about that. Making and potential impact as anyone who first Muslim woman, Ihsan Shakir, in good on that promise, he appointed a attended the president’s symposium, 1929, and the first woman medical Task Force on the Lives and Careers of Women at AUB: Strategic Institutional doctor, Edma Abu Chedid, in 1933. Fully Women Faculty at AUB in December Initiatives, on September 5, 2017 can coeducational in 1924, decades before 2015. attest. [SeeitonAUBYouTube] most colleges and universities in the United States and Europe, AUB has Over the course of nine months, the In her introduction to the symposium, appreciated the importance of female task force, which was made up of men Al-Harithy stated, “Today we no longer empowerment, not only as a matter and women, senior and junior faculty ask how far women can go and what of social justice, but in creating more and staff, collected information and they can achieve, but we ask the more robust working environments, an data from various university pertinent question of how to remove essential component of national and departments, and conducted meetings, all barriers in offering them equal regional development. While this surveys, and focus groups. In December opportunity.” In 2003, President John history is remarkable, it is not the 2016, they submitted a 236-page report Waterbury launched initiatives that had reason that women’s rights are so close that included findings and some success in increasing the number to the heart of AUB’s current president. recommendations that were both of women in the student body and Dr. Fadlo R. Khuri often pays tribute meticulous and exhaustive. This might faculty, and in senior administration. to the influence of his mother, be expected from a committee of “But representation and leadership are Dr. Soumaya Makdisi-Khuri, a well- impressive academics headed by co- not enough,” Al-Harithy continued, regarded mathematics professor (now chairs Howayda Al-Harithy, a professor “an infrastructure of opportunity, retired), and his wife, Dr. Lamya of architecture in MSFEA, and Emeritus empowerment, and accountability Tannous-Khuri, who holds a PhD in Professor of Public Health Huda Zurayk, needs to be put in place.” The panelists 6 7

discussed the many challenges and of administrative leadership. Forty Women Faculty opportunities related to empowering percent of female faculty reported that at a Glance* women at all levels from senior they “strongly agree” that women have administration to students. Gender an equal opportunity to express their * (statistics for AY 2015-16, except where noted) Equity and Title IX coordinator Trudi views in important committee meetings Hodges illustrated the benefits of compared to 68 percent of men. Representation leveling the playing field and spoke Work/family life balance does of research that shows that “gender not show a wide gap between women diversity improves performance on and men. Sixty-eight percent of 47.7% teams, organizations, and across the female faculty reported often missing of female faculty hold board—particularly gender diversity family responsibilities due to work professorial rank in leadership.” obligations, as compared to 64 percent of male faculty. The task force collected and assessed 73.6% quantitative and qualitative data At the conclusion of the presidential of male faculty hold under two major themes: women’s symposium, President Khuri spoke of professorial rank professional status and career the unique challenges of work/life trajectories and work/family/personal balance in academia and in Lebanon. life balance. Currently, women He announced several initiatives that Senior administrative leadership represent 28 percent of the professorial are a direct result of the work of the positions held by women faculty at AUB. While 47.7 percent of task force, including the establishment AY 2000–01 female faculty hold professorial titles, of a permanent commission on the significantly more (73.6 percent) of male status of women at AUB, an annual 5% faculty hold professorial titles. In the award to recognize individuals who academic year 2015-16, 32 percent of mentor women faculty and others at AY 2015– 16 assistant professors, 32 percent of AUB, and a “top flight” mentorship 20% associate professors, and 21 percent of panel. In reaffirming the mission of the full professors were female. Promotion Task Force on the Lives and Careers of success rates for women are similar Women Faculty at AUB, Khuri stated, Promotion to men. “Our goal is straightforward: to ensure Women spend more years in rank than men before a safe and non-discriminatory receiving a promotion, especially at the assistant professor level The number of years in rank, however, environment at AUB. Our approach is is longer, especially at the assistant to nurture a culture of mutual respect professor level: 6.1 years for women and tolerance, to anchor our policies 6.1 years faculty compared to 5.5 years for men. and practices in ethics, to focus on Women represent 19 percent of education and prevention, and to in rank before promotion for female faculty academic leadership and 20 percent prioritize student needs.” 5.5 years in rank before promotion for male faculty

Work Environment “Strongly agree” that they have an equal opportunity to express their views in important committee meetings 40% of female faculty

68% of male faculty Inspiration

Face to Face The Rewards of a Job Well Done

When Samia Ibrahim Azar came to AUB In her 40 years at AUB, Samia has as a young mathematics graduate in “stepped in” to support many business 1977, she was immediately impressed by functions. She also helped set up the support and job training she processes for Finance, Procurement, received as a junior programmer in and HR, and even did a short stint in AUB’s Computer Center. She also strategic planning for the Faculty of appreciated what AUB offered her and Medicine. Having worked in a number so many others during the Civil War of different roles, Samia has gained a years: the feeling of being in the calm global awareness of how the University eye of a storm. Living close to campus, operates. Currently a business analysis she didn’t have to endure a long or manager in the IT Enterprise Functional dangerous commute. And whereas other Systems Unit, she concentrates mostly departments were dealing with attrition on the daunting student Banner and trying to maintain the status quo, IT application for registration and was taking off, piloted by talented and admissions, and on the overarching dedicated staff determined to move AUB effort to “reach for the skies” in forward. While navigating new coordination with the IT vision to technologies, Samia felt the invest in Cloud strategies. reassuring presence of senior managers who were always there to Like other AUB staff stalwarts, Samia guide, support, and mentor her, says that “AUB is in my blood. Family and who inspired her to do the members have gone here for same for others just starting out generations, but it’s not something in their careers. that I take for granted. I know what a privileged life I’ve led, and I feel Focus, flexibility, hard work, a tremendous debt to this unique and giving back are the four institution.” She believes deeply in pillars of Samia’s working life. the role AUB has played and will Add to that personal attributes continue to play in Lebanon and the of being an exceptionally good region, fostering tolerance, diversity, and patient listener, and having open dialogue, intellectual freedom, an insatiable curiosity about and progress through process—or in how things work—and how to plain language, people working well make them work better—and together. Samia’s love for her work you have someone deserving of springs from knowing that what she a President’s Service Excellence does contributes to the greater good. Award. Thrilled to have “It’s not how you’re ranked or received this honor, Samia remunerated. It’s how well you do your modestly deflects compliments job—how much you love it. If you love by insisting that she has simply what you do, then material rewards done what anyone would follow. The big payoff is just doing do–stepped in when needed. something well.” Take it from an authority on the subject. 8 9

By the Nu bers

With the move to reinstate tenure, AUB is taking stock of itself as a research institution. We thought it would be worthwhile to look at where faculty publish, the disciplines which publish the most papers, and with whom they’re collaborating. Below are the results for 2012-17:

Most popular journals for faculty # of publications Top Collaborating Institutions # of publications

Plos One 58 American University of Beirut* 4, 263 Scientific Reports 29 Harvard University 196 Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 24 Lebanese University 158 Lancet 22 Lebanese American University 154 Public Health in the Arab World 21 McMaster University 151

* Faculty collaborate most frequently with other AUB faculty. Most active areas # of publications - The source of the data is the Web of Science.

Public Environmental Occupational Health Scientific Reports 244 Oncology 200 Surgery 170 Medicine General Internal 153 Engineering Electrical Electronic 143 Cardiac Cardiovascular Systems 118

By the Books Course: Building and Destruction of Mountains

SyLLABUS CLASS TIME INSTRUCTOR’S BIO

This course deals with geomorphology, the This is a seminar-based class where students Dr. Tony Nemer is a newly appointed assistant science of the landforms of the Earth’s surface have ample opportunity to discuss, interact, professor at the Department of Geology. He and the processes that create them. It covers and assess concepts. They are shown real-life holds a PhD in active tectonics from Université the interplay between the two sets of forces examples of landforms and their associated Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France, and a that create landforms: internal, geologically processes to enliven the discussion. Students master’s of science in structural geology from driven, plate tectonics; and external, also take a field trip to explore various AUB. He conducted post-doctoral research at climatically driven, weathering and erosion. Lebanese landforms that illustrate concepts the University of Missouri, Columbia, where he It involves a range of scales, from continents discussed in class. researched neo-tectonics. In 2007, he joined and mountain systems to hill ranges and river ExxonMobil in Houston, Texas as a structural basins to rivers, beaches, and glaciers. This and exploration geologist. He combines both is a natural sciences course geared toward a industrial and academic experience, and has general audience. published in top international journals. Inspiration

Student News Democracy Wins Again

When I arrive on campus early Monday basic character, its raisond’être , in its (or 0-100 in Arabic) real quick,” a morning, I expect to see all the signs name. Below, the major coalitions— bilingual play on words which of a contentious, impending election: Campus Choice (CC), Leaders of references a popular hip-hop song. campaign posters, pamphleteers, Tomorrow (LT), Students for Change speechmakers, hawkers of political (SC), and Red Oak (RO)—made up of By Tuesday, CC, LT, and SC have filled trinkets, cheering throngs. But there is various student clubs make statements the wooden and metal stands with none of that in front of West Hall, only about their visions of student values. candidate photos and flyers. RO has stands of wood and metal arranged in And below those statements are links chosen to boycott the elections, not one long row against the stone wall, to social media. I pull out my phone. for the first time. LT members wear red underneath which sweeps a hollow- vests, SC wears yellow, and CC wears cheeked custodian, and above which While the physical campaign I white. I see an earnest-looking man, walks a sullen cat. expected to find in front of West Hall a purity of spirit in his face, sitting on has yet to begin, the digital one is the edge of West Hall’s platform, Ali Fearing I’m missing some flurry of already well underway. Coalitions, Zeineddine (BE expected ’19). He enters activity, I scramble up the stairs into clubs, and a handful of independent firmly into his political speech as I plop West Hall to speak with Student candidates are posting furiously on myself next to him with a recorder: “I’m Services and find, on entering, an the Facebook group, AUB not financed by anyone and our party’s Outlook newspaper flopped against the COURSES/TEACHERS GURU, which decisions are made democratically. door, open to a full-page article, “AUB counts more than 18,000 members. They aren’t dictated by some outside election coalitions revealed.” I read One student, in a clever, low-key plug, force. We don’t tell people who to vote the authors’ description of shifting posts a photo of some lost keys on top for. We’re concerned with the students political alliances among clubs with of a campaign poster for independent and how to represent them secularly deliberately ambiguous names, candidate Georgio Toumieh and democratically.” Freedom Club, Youth Club, Social Club; (BS expected ’18) that reads: “The only Secular Club openly declares its elections just went from ZeroTou-Mieh 10 11

After speaking with Ali, I begin approaching More than anything, the debates show how (MA expected ’18), tells me she voted for CC, students at random. As standard practice, I engaged and knowledgeable students are “because they support graduate assistantship ask each person where he or she is from and regarding university issues and administrative payments.” find this to be a sensitive question. “Why do mechanisms. “We need to improve you want to know where I’m from? I’m from communication with the Board of Trustees,” The sun sets as the students form a tri-colored Lebanon. Where in Lebanon? From the South. an SC candidate says. sea in front of West Hall. The energy reaches Where in the South? From a city called...” its peak, the atmosphere is electric. At stake I make a point to ask every student this Thursday is calm, as official campaigning is is control over AUB student representative question, painting for myself the full panoply suspended. In the meantime, I make contact committees at the university and faculty of origins that is AUB, a university that truly with two PhD candidates in Lebanon to study levels, and a say in the University’s lives up to its claim to be a home to students the elections and we agree to meet at a cafe. administrative affairs. Suddenly, a large from every corner of Lebanon, and many Daniel Tavana, of Princeton, sits across from projection screen drops and begins to show corners of the world. me; Christiana Parreira, of Stanford, to my the results as they’re counted. Dean of Student left. “Our project looks at student Affairs Talal Nizameddin announces winners Hassan Taan (BE expected ’19), a deep-voiced participation in the elections,” says Tavana, from the building’s steps, as the chants young man from Zrarieh, tells me: “I want to “who’s voting, who’s not, who they’re voting become more rhythmic and political. From increase the budgets for final-year student for.” He talks of how students arrive at the amidst the yellow sea appears a flag for a projects and to expand the engineering career university, having matriculated from a political party, but it is quickly snatched center.” Beyond a sea of yellow and red vests, secondary school “that, more often than not, away by security officers. The final results I see Georgio Toumieh in a white shirt, looking has a particular religious affiliation.” He show an even split among the three coalitions, poised and polite: “I’m running for the SRC continues: “at AUB, they’re around all at which point the students chant the [Student Representative Committee] for FAS different types of people.” Parreira cuts in, Lebanese national anthem in unison. seniors, the only independent candidate “we want to see the effect participation in running. To run for the USFC [the university- these elections has on students, whether they wide University Student Faculty Committee] become more or less sectarian.” She remarks as an independent is really hard. I only need on the robustness of AUB’s election process 100 votes for SRC, but 200 or 300 for USFC.” compared to American universities where In a nod to national politics, he speaks of how few pay attention and candidates run on members from different coalitions sabotage “comically minor” issues. Tavana, who ran each other’s projects, resulting in gridlock, and won election to student government at which he, as an independent, hopes to the University of Pennsylvania, concurs: transcend. “Interest in elections is much higher here, and the platforms, it’s amazing how The students are getting rowdy in front of developed they are.” the platform where I first met Ali, shouting, throwing each other on one another’s The day of the election, Friday, I see a shoulders, forming three separate colored cameraman from a private news network seas. A goateed young man steps to the edge outside the Main Gate. “Why are you here?” of the yellow sea and shouts a sectarian I ask. He grins. “What happens inside slogan with great gusto, before a supporter happens outside,” referring to the notion of a rival coalition candidate walks over and that AUB’s elections serve as a bellwether calms him down with a hug in a lovely show for national ones. Security is tight, the guard A thick crowd exits via Main Gate, after which of brotherly spirit. checks my ID, then sends me inside the political party flags can be produced without office to have it checked again. Everyone is contravening university policy. Cheering On Wednesday, the students set up for the scrambling towards West Hall. I meet George students make their way up Bliss Street before annual Outlook debate. Each coalition has a Yazbeck (BE expected ’20), half-Nigerian, dispersing to celebrate at various cafés and table. The moderator from Outlook stands half-Lebanese. After briefly bonding over our restaurants around the city. behind a lectern posing questions in English, mixed-race origins, he tells me he won’t vote. which candidates answer in a mix of English Why? “I grew up in Dubai and Nigeria, so The final voter turnout stands at 62.3 percent, and Arabic. It’s hard to discern clear policy I’m not really invested in the politics here.” with roughly 5,200 students voting. “I’m very differences. As with many elections, there are happy,” Zeineddine says. “CC got more seats a handful of issues that must be championed Election observers in blue vests watch over than last year.” I turn to the dean of student regardless. Tuition must be lowered; work- the crowds. The voting IT infrastructure is affairs for a final statement on the outcome: study programs improved; transparency in place. Students form lines to enter West “Politics is tough, but you come out a stronger increased; student spaces enlarged. Palestine, Hall, swipe their IDs on machines that tell person. It’s an educational experience.” LGBTQ+, feminism, and inclusiveness bona them which faculty council they’re eligible fides are showcased to different degrees. to vote for, and vote on preset laptops. A -EE Ugandan graduate student, Esther Kamugo Inspiration

Published & Produced Comics THE MU’TAz AND RADA SAWWAF ARABIC COMICS INITIATIvE AT AUB: A SERIES OF EvENTS ON Art ARABIC COMICS

SURSOCk MUSEUM Partitions et Couleurs: Hommage ExHIBITION à Amine El Bacha September 15, 2017 – March 12, 2018

The first exhibition in a cycle of tributes to artists represented in the collections of the Sursock Museum, this tribute brings together a series of oil paintings, watercolors, and painted wooden objects created between the 1960s and the first decade of the 21st century.

Courtesy of the Sursock Museum

AUB ART GALLERIES “One Hundred years Closer to AND COLLECTIONS Communism: Art and Revolution in the Middle East” November 23, 2017 – February 9, 2018 March 2018

On the centennial anniversary of • March 5: Award Announcement the October Revolution, this exhibit A press conference to announce the explored the relationship between art winners of the Mahmoud Kahil Award and communist politics in the Middle in Comics, Cartoons and Illustrations East by bringing together artifacts, to promote comics, editorial cartoons, archival materials, posters, prints, and illustrations in the Arab world. photos, film, theater, and communist • March 6: Symposium symbolism from different periods. Bathish Auditorium, West Hall, Activism in Arabic Comics • March 8: Gala Dinner Theater The annual Mahmoud Kahil Award dinner ceremony AUB THEATER INITIATIvE IN • March–May: Exhibition CONjUNCTION WITH THE “Moroccan Comics” INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE “LATIN AMERICA, AL-ANDALUS AND THE ARAB WORLD” Music

Scheduled to open in mid-April 2018, CONCERT: ASSEMBLy HALL venue TBD TRIBUTE TO NASRI CHAMSEDDINE

A Lebanese dialect production of February 21, 2018 Federico Garcia Lorca’s BloodWedding Robert Myers, producer A concert by the Arabic Ensemble of Sahar Assaf, director and translator the AUB Zaki Nassif Program 12 13

Written Word

IntheHouseofUnderstanding:HistoriesinMemoryofKamalS.Salibi ; Abdul Rahim Abu Husayn, Tarif Khalidi, Suleiman A. Mourad (eds.) (AUB Press, 2017) Dr. Kamal S. 1. IN THE HOUSE OF Salibi is renowned for his monumental contributions to the history of Lebanon. Yet, UNDERSTANDING: his scholarly legacy extends well beyond Lebanon to topics that span the Middle HISTORIES IN MEMORy East from biblical to contemporary times. This collection of essays, written in Salibi’s OF kAMAL S. SALIBI honor and memory, similarly covers a range of subjects that touch upon his own interests–aspects of ancient, medieval, and modern Arabic/Islamic and Middle Eastern history, literature, and art. 1

StrategicThinkinginaHospitalSetting by Abdul-Latif Hamdan; (Springer, 2017) Translating the realities of healthcare reform and healthcare costs into competitive 2. STRATEGIC hospital practice is the goal of this accessible, jargon-free guide. Taking its cue from THINkING IN A Michael Porter’s highly-regarded business strategies, it offers a sound framework for HOSPITAL SETTING hospitals looking to develop efficient, patient-centered service delivery. The book organizes business and clinical priorities where they intersect so that physicians throughout healthcare systems can understand their role in building and sustaining innovation, and leverage their strengths and system resources toward meeting 2 patient needs. In addition, chapters review eight core strategic tools, describe possibilities for their implementation, and provide in-depth findings on Porter’s methods as used in a diverse group of hospitals across Lebanon.

ArabicasOneLanguage:IntegratingDialectintheArabicLanguageCurriculum ; Mahmoud Al-Batal (ed.) (Georgetown University Press, 2017) For decades, students 3. ARABIC AS ONE learning the Arabic language have begun their studies with Modern Standard Arabic LANGUAGE: (MSA) and then transitioned to spoken Arabic. While the MSA-first approach neither INTEGRATING reflects the sociolinguistic reality of the language nor gives students the DIALECT IN THE communication skills required to function in Arabic, the field continues to debate the ARABIC LANGUAGE widespread adoption of this approach. Al-Batal gathers key scholars who have CURRICULUM implemented dialect integration into the Arabic language curriculum and presents 3 their studies of curricular models, student outcomes, and attitudes of students and teachers using the integration method. This is an essential resource for all Arabic language teachers and those working in Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language (TAFL).

AstoundingMemoriesinDevelopingCountries ; Waddah Chehadeh (CreateSpace, 2017) From a seaport in Yemen to an airport in the jungles of Equatorial Guinea, from 4. ASTOUNDING a dam in Mali to a highway in Mongolia, a large-scale developer narrates 12 MEMORIES astounding accounts of the socio-economic effects of infrastructure development. IN DEvELOPING After millions of miles travelled and the observation of hundreds of projects COUNTRIES impacting tens of millions of lives, he arrives at the conclusion that billions of dollars in infrastructure can only bring about sustainable change when coupled with investment in human capital. To advance civilization, he believes that 4 ingenuity must be paired with education.

5. SHAkE, RATTLE Shake,RattleandRoll:Lebanon1971-1984 ; (Amazon Australia Services, 2013) This is AND ROLL: a coming of age story of a young Australian-born Druze boy who moves with his LEBANON family to Lebanon at the onset of the Civil War. This deeply personal account offers 1971-1984 cultural insights forged on the crucible of brutal conflict. The author was an FAFS Class of 1983 graduate.

5 Inspiration

Shukri’s Incredible Journey

I have been on the move for most of my sister, I knew one thing—that I must life, so that even now I have never had have a good job, so I could take care of a firm idea of what “home” is. I don’t myself and my own children so they know what it is like to have childhood would not have to go through what my friends. I’ve always wondered what it sister and I did. meant to have a country to go back to or a passport to take me there. I’ve never I was taken back to Somalia when I was taken lessons in my mother tongue or 12. The only explanation I was given learned the history of my people. I’ve was that it was not good for me as a never had a sense of belonging and I’ve young Somali and Muslim girl to grow always wondered what it would be like up in Sweden. Unfortunately this is a to understand the rules of the game in common practice among the Somali your culture, your society, or your diaspora community. I couldn’t community. It is a strange feeling being understand what was happening to me a resident stranger your whole life. at the time, but I knew all too well that I The civil war in Somalia forced many was back to Square One and had to families to flee in the 1990s, so my start all over again. experience as a young girl was not unusual. At the age of eight, I was taken The dream of building my own away with my nine-month-old sister by successful career still burned in my our mother and spent six months on a breast, even though in the reality of the perilous journey that took us to four next few years it took a lot to keep the countries in two continents to reach a flame alive. The dangers of Mogadishu safe haven in Sweden. and its bleak career prospects drove me to neighboring capitals. I gave birth to a I was exhausted but excited to think lovely son but I became separated from that we had the opportunity now to find him through circumstances I don’t want a safe shelter, a peaceful life, and a to go into here. Although I still can’t see good education. Soon I started him today, he gives me reason to strive imagining what my future career might for a better life, for him, which he so be: a doctor, or lawyer, or a TV deserves. presenter. After tasting the experience of crossing Europe with my mother and 14 15

But still I hadn’t tasted the worst. way by doing part-time jobs and my Now that my AUB journey has started Desperate to revive my fortunes, I took mother sent me some funds from with a world-class education and the dangerous journey across the Gulf Sweden although she could ill learning the practical skills to of Aden to Yemen and I was lucky to afford it. transform my community back home survive the ruthless people traffickers in Somalia, I am planning to use my on the way. I worked for two-and-a-half education, my training, and my skills years in Yemen as a housemaid, a hotel to benefit the situation that girls and cleaner, a waitress, a cashier, and a “Being a MasterCard women face back home. Being a receptionist. All I wanted was to go to MasterCard Foundation scholar is being school, but I couldn’t because I was an Foundation scholar is a role model. I am ready to take up that undocumented immigrant with little being a role model. I challenge. I envision myself as a leader money. Yemen saw the peak of my who will bring positive change on the vulnerability and the most serious am ready to take up ground. I know it will take a lot of time violations that I have faced: long hours to change all that, but I will be satisfied without breaks or days off, beatings, that challenge. I to do my part, however small. being deprived of food and wages. All envision myself as a the while harassment in the workplace Now that Somalia is emerging from a and in the street. I had to escape and leader who will bring long civil war there is a lot of work to the only option I had was to take positive change on do in terms of security as well as food another risky journey, by foot, over the security. As I have been writing this mountains to Saudi Arabia. the ground” article a terrible tragedy has happened in Mogadishu. The bombing left more As an undocumented immigrant, my than 300 people dead, and hundreds only option was to become a domestic are missing or injured. The vast servant. The lady who employed me, Despite all the hardship and difficulties majority of Somalis either know I only knew her first name, was a that I faced in my early life, I remained someone who was killed or injured by cultivated person with an important job positive about my future. I pushed the atrocity or know someone who is in Jeddah and no husband. She was a myself beyond my limits and that gave connected at a personal level, be they graduate of the American University of me the confidence to realize my inner a friend, a colleague, a close family Beirut and I saw that real freedom for abilities. The way I see it, every member, or a more distant relative. women in our societies begins with experience has made me more Most of the victims were young people, education. She was surprised by the determined to develop people’s the future leaders, doctors, teachers, request from her Somali housemaid, capacity to help themselves and to and stars of the next generation. but she allowed me to read the Arabic work with others as a community. books in her library and gave me the I give my energy to programs and With my friends in the African Club, newspaper to read every day after she organizations to support women and which we have revived at AUB this had finished it. I spent all my free time especially Somali women and girls. term, we held a vigil under the hashtag reading. Just a few years ago I was among the #IAmSomalia and Arab and European thousands of voiceless women working students, faculty, and staff stood Eventually, after five years in Saudi in the MENA region as domestic alongside us. It was a strong and Arabia, I saved enough to return to workers. Education was my only hope emotional reminder not to let lack of Africa and complete my secondary and getting the MasterCard Foundation stability back home stop us from being education in Somalia and Scholarship was what pulled me to the best we can be here at AUB so we undergraduate degree (with come back to the region. It was a can shine and keep the hope of distinction!) in Uganda. I paid my dream come true. Somalia alive. Inspiration

Fast-growing Media Studies Program Aims for Quality Communicators and Self-confident Citizens

RenownedsyndicatedcolumnistandAUBjournalist-in-residenceRamiKhouriwritesaboutAUB’sMediaStudiesProgramanditsevolving curriculum,whichteachesstudentstothinkcriticallyaboutmedia,asbothproducersandconsumers.Khouriiscurrentlyteachingacourseon narrativejournalismatAUB,whichdrawsfromtheworkoflatePulitzerPrize-winningreporterAnthonyShadid.

Journalism and communications different perspective, from the Nora Boustany, an award-winning offerings have grown at AUB in recent television shows I watch to the politics WashingtonPost foreign correspondent years almost as briskly as the offerings going on behind the scenes. The and columnist for 30 years, is one of on Arab television, which begs the constant change in the media world half a dozen journalism instructors in question: how should AUB, anchored trickles down to our studies, always the Media Studies Program. She says in American and Arab values, teach keeping the material exciting.” that her main mission “is to train journalism and communications in students on how to become effective light of such rapid change? The answer, The AUB veteran and institutional communicators, by relying on facts and Media Studies Director May Farah memory in this arena is Dr. Nabil Dajani keen probing and observation to get explains, is to teach students to “grasp (BA ’57, MA ’60), who has taught their stories across professionally and critically how facts and propaganda communications at AUB since the early credibly. We also teach our tech-savvy alike shape their world so that they 1970s. He helped establish the first students how to apply their own critical can behave competently as media journalism program at AUB and has thinking and scrutiny to sift through consumers and producers.” participated actively in recurring the information that is out there. The discussions on how AUB should aim is to generate our own brand of Last year, the Media Studies Program balance pure academic research on Arab Hemingways — battalions of held a conference titled “Rethinking media in society and teaching practical ruthless and dogged investigative media through the Middle East.” journalism skills. journalists and first-class documentary Researchers, practitioners, students, and filmmakers who can compete with and activists from across the world their peers worldwide.” analyzed how media operates in the Middle East, what it tells us about the “The aim is to She and other seasoned professionals lives of citizens in the region, and how generate our own brand teach practical courses like war and such analyses from within the region trauma journalism, video and differ from those from abroad. of Arab Hemingways — photography, visual storytelling, battalions of ruthless and Palestinian film and media, advertising This broad scope may be one reason for dogged investigative writing and strategies, public relations the program’s robust growth. The MA techniques, opinion and public policy program has remained steady at 25 journalists and writing, broadcast reporting, and digital students annually, while the new BA first-class documentary data journalism. New courses reflect program attracted 175 majors in its first filmmakers who can pioneering research by faculty on issues three years. Meanwhile, hundreds of like gendered media representations working professionals from the Middle compete with their and political activism and campaigns. East and North Africa come to AUB peers worldwide.” each year for four-week diploma and The most recent new course, Narrative certificate programs in journalism and News Reporting and the Legacy of communications. Anthony Shadid, draws on analysis of “We want to go beyond graduating the personal papers of the late award- Mariam Shour, a senior media studies ‘mechanics’ who do a good practical winning Arab-American Washington major who also minors in creative job in one field, like video films, Post and NewYorkTimes foreign writing, says she “chose to study Media advertising, or reporting,” he explains, correspondent who died in 2012. His and Communications because the many “and produce ‘engineers’ who master papers at the AUB Libraries’ Archives different courses cover topics that are the fundamentals of the craft and and Special Collections Department are relevant and timely to today’s world. understand and can manage the bigger being studied in a joint project between During my four years at AUB, I’ve picture of media’s many roles in media studies and archives learned over time to see things with a society.” professionals. 16 17

Practical experiences open to students “Students today live with cameras in Whatever that may be, the AUB Media include summer- and term-long their cellphones and use photography Studies Program is likely to be keeping internships, a specialized media lab daily, both to express themselves and to up with the new technologies and course, producing videos on AUB- capture events all around them. One of media uses in political society, while generated research for dissemination the most critical things we teach them also training aspiring communicators by the university Office of is more about human relationships in the immutable ABCs of journalism— Communications, and weekly brown than technical photojournalism—it is getting the facts right, and presenting bag lunch lectures by successful how to connect with people, and gain them to the world in a compelling way. professionals who share their their trust. This makes them better experiences with students in open visual storytellers, but also more -RK discussions. rounded human beings.”

Even in very specialized courses, This reflects what Farah calls AUB’s such as the photography and visual intent to give students the technical storytelling course taught by award- and personal tools they need to succeed winning photojournalist and in work and life “because we have no documentary filmmaker George Azar, idea what the media scene will look students simultaneously learn about like five or ten years from now.” their world, their vocation—and themselves. Inspiration

Work Hard, Play Hard

The rows of students lined up along the And those additions come with the full Green Field’s edge, waiting to test their support of the administration, which mettle as rugby players, seemed longer has increased the athletics budget by this year, than last. The same went for roughly 12 percent. Those funds have soccer tryouts. “Every year we have gone to coaches’ and referees’ salaries, “Being an more and more students trying out for as AUB supports a greater number and sports teams,” says Athletic Director diversity of sports, and toward athletic athlete teaches one Ghaleb Halimi. “Three years ago we scholarships. The budget for students to be organized, had between 350 and 400 athletes. This traveling abroad to compete also year we easily have 600.” increased by 10 percent. skilled in time-

New leagues have been formed to There is much evidence, both scientific manaagement, to accommodate the growing number of and anecdotal, demonstrating the give our best ... students. “We used to struggle to find positive effects of physical activity, in players,” says varsity rugby captain general, and organized sports, in and take Alfred Bowles (BE ’17), “now we have particular, on academic performance, responsibility” varsity, junior varsity, and a women’s which gives any university, including rugby team.” The diversity of sports AUB, good cause to support student offerings has grown as well, Halimi participation in athletic events. As says: “This year, we added ultimate water polo player and swimmer frisbee, archery, and men’s and women’s badminton. Last year, we added handball and women’s rugby. Next year, we’ll add cheerleading.” 18 19

George Khalil (BE ’17) put it on fear of ever becoming academically retain new vocabulary in foreign receiving AUB’s Men’s Athlete of the ineligible to play keeps her studying languages quicker than their sedentary Year award, “Being an athlete teaches hard. peers. Another, published in the Journal one to be organized, skilled in time- ofCognitiveNeuroscience , showed the management, to give our best in what For Halimi, sports is more a means to powerful neurogenerative effects of we do, to be able to take decisions, shape one’s character than one’s exercise in mice, meaning that exercise pre-calculate consequences and habits. “It teaches leadership, makes new brain cells. impact, and take responsibility.” democracy, and respect, for your teammates, your captain, and more And, lastly, there are the intangibles, Varsity football captain Wael Daou importantly, your opponent. Even when the memories of glory on the field or (BE expected ’18), who has played for they meet after matches and socialize, the court that can be drawn from long professional club Shebab Al Arabi and that shapes their personalities.” after one’s college years. “We were trained with the Lebanese national playing a tournament final against LAU, team, expresses a similar sentiment: Then there’s the science. TheNewYork remembers Daou. “There were five “I have to be more organized because Times has reported on multiple studies minutes left in the match when I my day is so full.” And Deya Schray that show how physical activity headed the ball into the goal off a (BA expected ’19), a 5’8’’ half-German, supports learning and brain health. corner kick. We won the league. It half-Lebanese small forward for AUB’s One study published in PLOSOne was my greatest moment.” varsity basketball team says that her showed that well-exercised adults Inspiration

Let’s Talk About It

It was a humid Tuesday afternoon Cautious rhetoric left the audience the Civil War isn’t taught in public when BBC host Jonny Dymond, series unimpressed, as when Hasbani hedged schools. A Yemeni woman, her voice producer Charlie Taylor, and other team around Dymond’s question about thick with emotion stood and said, members descended on AUB for an whether a sect-based political system “it’s time to move past [the Civil War],” installment of the radio program World undermines the state. “The concept of and write the history, while several Questions . The program sees the sectarianism could act against a strong others sounded their approval, and renowned British news service partner state,” he said, “but it could also help one shouted, “you’re all representing with the British Council in hosting a produce a unique model where a strong parties that were involved in the dialogue between local citizens and a state can exist.” Hasbani and Civil War.” panel of politicians around contentious Sehnaoui, who said sectarianism must national and regional issues in a select be addressed regionally before it could Hasbani said, “historians should not country, this time and for the first time, be done nationally, were the only write the history of the war as most Lebanon. panelists who did not give the historians are biased,” and Sehnaoui confessional system short shrift. said that the time for a tribunal and WorldQuestions chose Lebanon as a the writing of history was in the war’s challenging stop in the Middle East, as immediate aftermath, though it isn’t a regional exception that tolerates the too late. kind of frank political discussion the program encourages. The panelists— “Mr. Anchor, Hallak spoke of her project Beit Beirut, Deputy Prime Minister and Lebanese a famous villa turned museum at the Forces MP Ghassan Hasbani, Beirut sorry, but Lebanon crossroads of what was once the city’s Madinati founder and AUB dividing line, which, she said, might Neighborhood Initiative director Mona is bordered by Syria, serve as a vehicle for bringing personal Hallak, Free Patriotic Movement MP the Mediterranean, stories from the war to the fore of public Nicolas Sehnaoui, political analyst consciousness and encourage open Kamel Wazne, and Health Minister and occupied dialogue. Wael Abu Faour of the Progressive Palestine.” Socialist Party—spoke candidly of the Hasbani downplayed the existence of nature and consequences of Lebanon’s any relationship that implied Hezbollah confessional system of government, had legitimacy as a security force and the role of paramilitary forces such insisted the Lebanese Army was as Hezbollah’s, and the country’s Wazne said sects stymie governments responsible for ousting the Islamic environmental degradation. by providing each other with a State from Lebanon. “[The Lebanese convenient means of avoiding Army] represents all Lebanese. It is Audience members—BBC World Service parliamentary debate, which, he the only force authorized by the controller Mary Hockaday sitting said, is to accuse the other party of government today to act as far as the quietly among them— commented, sectarianism. And Abu Faour said, terrorist groups within the Lebanese questioned, and frequently clapped “There is a very deep contradiction borders are concerned.” and cheered, but never so loudly as between being part of a sect and part when a young woman, professing to of a state… every sect has its own party, Wazne made a point of mentioning his be traumatized at hearing the word political affiliation, its own view about Southern origins and said Hezbollah Israel repeated by Dymond and the what’s going on from here to China.” fights on behalf of all Lebanese. panelists said, “Mr. Anchor, sorry, but Scattered cheers. Then a young man Lebanon is not bordered by Syria, the Talk of transcending sectarianism led shouted “Hezbollah brought Daesh to Mediterranean, and Israel, but by Syria, to talk of transcending the Civil War’s Lebanon.” Abu Faour said a “Lebanese the Mediterranean, and occupied legacy when an audience member formula” was necessary to solve the Palestine.” asked how Lebanon could progress if country’s defense problem. One 20 21

audience member said, “Hezbollah, already had through “our minds, when they decided to fight in Syria, our education.” Sehnaoui echoed they didn’t ask our opinion. More than that sentiment: “the mix of genes we half of the Lebanese didn’t agree and have is full of creativity.” Wael said they were totally against what sardonically, “Why should the West Should Hezbollah did.” Scattered cheers. benefit from Lebanon?” The crowd gave an approving chuckle. Hassan Lebanon, Should Lebanon, like Kenya, ban said, “talent.” And Hallak had the like Kenya, plastic bags? That question brought the final word on the matter: “resilience.” discussion back to the theme of Then the microphones shut off, the ban plastic government dysfunction. “People are Issam Fares Lecture Hall emptied, and ahead of the government,” said Hallak. the audience and panelists stepped bags? “We do recycle at home.” More talk of outside into a balmy evening. divided government, lack of trust, and parliamentary paralysis followed. A young audience member asked the final, seemingly counterintuitive, question: how can the West benefit from Lebanon? Wazne said they 22 Inspiration

Fighting for Trophies, Fighting for Grades

Every day Ramzi Yahia (BE ’20) walks Yahia’s father and brother watched out through Main Gate to Atos Jiu-Jitsu from the stands. He remembers the ring in the basement of the Sabah Building smelling of Thai oil, the fluorescent on Badr Dimechkiye Street. He warms lights bouncing through globules of up with acrobatic jump roping, sweat dripping into his eyes, and the stretching, then drills combat adrenaline, never so high as in those techniques—choke holds, arm bars, moments just before the first bell. He double leg takedowns—and ends the remembers channeling the surrounding two-hour session with sparring or by din until it became white noise, a hum wrapping his legs around a heavy bag that focused his mind. for some vertical sit-ups, before returning to Jafet Library to study. A kick thudded against his midsection, shins snapped against thigh meat. He’s coming off a gold medal at the Suddenly, Yahia saw a window to his Open Mediterranean in MMA (mixed opponent’s nose through which he martial arts) and silver at Abu Dhabi pushed his right fist, hobbling the Grand Slam Championship and is teenaged boy in front of him. The preparing to travel to Portugal and the referee raised his hand. United States, visas permitting, for training and competition, with an eye It was a clean victory, that first fight, towards entering the UFC, the world’s and one that encouraged Yahia enough premier mixed martial arts league. to keep him training and fighting through high school. “I trained when I His is a classic tale, of finding in martial should’ve been studying,” he says. “I arts a means to defend himself against even snuck out to fight once because I bullies and improve his physique. didn’t think my parents would let me “People would tease me for being fat,” compete.” His mom called and called, he says. “I avoided swimming classes.” “then I picked up the phone and told And so he typed “kickboxing” into her I won, and she started crying.” Google and picked the closest gym, which was Muay Thai-focused Though his mother doesn’t like to see Champions Club, near his home in him fight, she recognizes the positive Abu Dhabi. impact it's had on her son. “I made more friends,” says Yahia. “I’m more “I got kicked, punched, and really hurt respectful, unaffected, chill. I tell it badly that first day, but I liked it.” The like it is.” rush of pain and power, and the angst of adolescence, kept Ramzi coming No longer an academic idler, Yahia back, first weekly, then several times a earned a 93 grade point average his week; Champions Club became a refuge first term. And for his athletic from the Emirati sun, malls, souped-up accomplishments and scholarly cars, and school. “I wasn’t that good at achievement, he was celebrated by studying and [the gym] felt like the only President Khuri and Dean Talal place I belonged.” Nizameddin with the New Record Award for winning first place in the After a year of training came his adult division of a world championship. first official fight. He didn’t sleep the He has become known around campus night before. “I was nervous, excited. as “the MMA guy,” although, he says, Ramzi demonstrates his [Fighting] was the only thing I was “I don’t like to advertise all that.” single-handed cartwheel good at. I didn’t want to do badly.” after flooring an opponent Discoveries Research, the arts, and current events

Tenure returns AUB restores a fundamental protection for its professors 24 and encourages research along the way

Under Discussion 26 Monitoring glucose without needles

AUB Spaces 28 Dr. Hermann Genz unearths human history –very carefully

Holcim Awards 29 AUB alumni recycle rubble in conflict zones

Pursuits 30 A food crisis looms in the Middle East

Quiz 31 The arbiters of higher ed rankings know the score

Sports and Politics 32 Are the players on the field pawns in a geopolitical game? Discoveries

Restoring Tenure to Advance Research and Scholarship

After a 32-year hiatus, tenure is contracts, often lack job security, health President Khuri, who has made it a returning to AUB. One hundred and insurance and 401(k) benefits, yet do priority, said, during the discussion seven out of 189 full professors have much of academia’s heavy lifting in prior to the vote to reinstate tenure in applied to be part of the inaugural terms of teaching, as one more November 2015, that “tenure and its cohort. Normally, a university’s tenured argument for tenure. privileges confer the ultimate academic faculty confer tenure on their peers but protection and inspire high-risk, high- AUB has no tenured faculty yet. So, for impact research and scholarship.” Thus this first round, a committee of top-tier the primary motivation behind faculty from universities in the US are reinstatement is to transform AUB into taking stock of applicants’ research, a research powerhouse that could serve teaching, and service, in the “Tenure and its as a model for other universities in the humanitarian, civic sense. privileges confer the region.

The basic arguments for and against ultimate academic It is the job security that tenure brings, tenure haven’t changed over the protection and inspire which is critical to building a cadre of decades. Tenure’s champions talk of scholars that can achieve real research academic freedom, while its detractors high-risk, high- gains, that is the reason all top say it breeds complacency. More impact research and academic institutions in the United recently, the pro-tenure crowd has States continue to offer tenure. pointed to the general impoverishment scholarship” Tenure first came to AUB in 1921 when of graduate students, lecturers, and the Board of Trustees, meeting at 45 post-doctoral students in the United Wall Street in New York City, voted to States, who work on short-term give all adjunct, associate, and full 24 25

professors indefinite appointments, AUB started assessing the possibility of years ago, some 20 years ago. All of regardless of ethnic origin. “Hereafter reinstating tenure more than a decade them have already overcome a number no distinction shall be made between ago, under President John Waterbury, of hurdles to become full professors. Anglo-Saxon and non-Anglo-Saxon following a report by Middle States How to deal with this major group of teachers and administrators in regard Association of Colleges and Schools. faculty has been one of the biggest to ranks or categories of promotion,” The report, according to Provost challenges throughout.” the board report said. Mohamed Harajli, noted that “[faculty] were not happy with their employment Then as now, university administrators That initial commitment was reaffirmed situation, job security, and freedom of feared creating a situation whereby in later decades in a series of memos expression because they were not some full professors had tenure, while emphasizing the role of tenure in tenured.” others did not. There is a recognition protecting academic freedom. One though that this will be the situation memo from 1971 traces the struggle for at AUB at least temporarily since it is academic freedom back to medieval assumed that some of the 107 full times: “The struggles of the ‘free professors who have applied for tenure thinker’ in Islam have a bearing on the will not be successful. rise of universities in Spain, and it is the “Reinstatement Spanish universities that carried the [will] transform Harajli says that the decision to seeds of the European renaissance. The reintroduce tenure is less about this struggles of academic freedom in Islam AUB into a research current generation of full professors may even have a bearing on certain powerhouse that than the coming one. “It’s only a matter problems of academic freedom in of time before this two-tier system will AUB today.” could serve as a model dissipate.” for other universities It wasn’t until 1985, during the height of AUB’s new tenure system will follow the Civil War, that AUB decided that it in the region.” the American model meaning faculty could no longer maintain its tenure will be tenured when they are promoted commitments. On March 15 of that to the rank of associate professor. year, the Board of Trustees voted 85-20 Former FAS Dean Khalil Bitar suggests to freeze tenure, as many faculty left that because AUB professors have a the country and the University In 2006, Waterbury invited former MIT harder time accessing research funds suffered a “gradual erosion of sound President Charles Vest to assess the than their counterparts in the US, administrative control,” according feasibility of reinstating tenure at the producing sufficient research during to a board report from that year. University. “A task force was formed the six or seven years before tenure and a report was filed,” says Harajli, review will be challenging for AUB Interestingly, at around the same time which called for blanket tenure for professors. Tenure at AUB, he says, some American universities were full professors. That idea was soon should come not at associate, but at beginning to erode their tenure scrapped. “It’s a very complex topic,” the level of full professor. protections as well due primarily to the says Associate Provost Zaher Dawy. spread of Reagan-era economic ideas “The reinstatement of tenure in a Harajli disagrees. Faculty will be given that called for the dismantling of university as old, big, and well- extensions, he says, and as far as unions and more flexible employment established as AUB touches on lots resources, tenure will incentivize them contracts. of administrative operations that to apply for competitive funding. “You relate to faculty evaluation,” he says. have to throw the kids in the pool, so The American Association of University “To be able to move forward requires they can learn to swim,” he says. Not Professors (AAUP) estimates that engagement of so many stakeholders.” everyone will apply for tenure. “Those around 21 percent of higher education who are excellent teachers can remain faculty in the United States in 2017 A second task force formed under as professors of practice.” were tenured, which represents the President Peter Dorman hit the same culmination of a long, steady decline stumbling block as the first: how to going back to the 1970s when the handle full professors. “Full professors majority of higher-ed faculty were are a diverse group,” says Dawy. “Some tenured. were promoted a year ago, some 30 Discoveries

Under Discussion A Wearable Blood Test

According to the World Health measurement. “Our objective,” he says, Organization’s (WHO) latest fact sheet, “is to differentiate between glucose and the number of people with diabetes has other blood properties to improve risen from 108 million in 1980 to accuracy.” 422 million in 2014. The global prevalence of diabetes among adults Achieving consistent correlation over 18 years of age has risen from between the wireless signal readout 4.7 percent to 8.5 percent during the and blood glucose levels is critical. same period. In Lebanon, prevalence “Our goal is to reach above 90 percent sits well above the global average at accuracy, which would be 13 percent. These statistics speak to the tremendous,” Costantine says. potential importance of a system called Furthermore, “the device improves ediamond, a wearable, non-invasive upon current minimally-invasive blood glucose monitoring device being diabetic technologies that rely on developed by Joseph Costantine and measurement from the interstitial Rouwaida Kanj, both professors at the fluids—between blood vessels—to Department of Electrical and Computer measure the glucose variation,” Eid Engineering at the Maroun Semaan says. Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, and Assaad Eid, a Timeliness is a factor too. “The device professor at the Department of will estimate the level of glucose in a Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology continuous manner, and the data will at the Faculty of Medicine. The device’s be conveyed to an electronic web innovation will be to provide a highly registry that will be used to trigger accurate, wireless reading of blood insulin injections. Furthermore, the glucose; current non-invasive blood wearable device will be adapted to suit glucose monitoring technology must be different age groups,” Kanj says. heavily supplemented with traditional readings from the pin prick method due Even more significant is that ediamond to accuracy concerns. helps diabetics avoid the pain and soreness that comes with constant The device comprises one or more finger pricks. “This would be a special wearable sensors whose relief for children,” Eid says. electromagnetic response will vary depending on the wearer’s blood UK Lebanon Tech Hub, a joint venture glucose levels. “Wireless waves between Lebanon’s Central Bank and propagate through the human tissue to the UK government, supported this reach the bloodstream. If the project with over $1 million in funding. composition of the blood changes due The research team plans to initiate to variation in glucose levels, then the clinical trials by April 2019. “We’ve wave transmission and reflection already proven ediamond’s characteristics vary,” Costantine says. effectiveness on synthetic skin,” Eid says. “We are now moving to animal The device’s response can be calibrated trials.” against the finger prick test, the standard in blood glucose 26 27

The Post Office Becomes a Bookstore

When was the last time you went to the The new dropped ceilings hang low it all. But what about the old bookstore Post Office and received a letter from a over the cave-like space where students behind Daniel Bliss Hall? “It’s being loved one recounting the rhythms of now come to stock up on such titles as converted into a computer lab for the daily life abroad, or the pinings of a PrinciplesofEconomics and Campbell Math Department,” says Barhoumi. broken heart? If you’re a current AUB EssentialBiologywithPhysiology , And so the sea of campus buildings student, then the answer is likely never, which, according to bookstore staff, roils and shifts as spaces change hands which is why AUB has decided to carve were among the most popular and students shed the technologies of a out space from the Post Office under textbooks sold last term. bygone era. Ada Dodge Hall to make room for a new bookstore. “Students are not using the The colorful displays of pens and letter boxes any more,” says Director of markers offset the bunker aesthetic. Facilities Bassem Barhoumi. One feels safe here and at the heart of Discoveries

Lebanon is a treasure trove of excavated and pristine archaeological riches; the perfect place for AUB’s Department of History and Archaeology to produce fine scholarship in the field. In a sun-drenched office tucked away on the fourth floor of College Hall, Dr. Hermann Genz, chairman and professor of archaeology, is carrying on this tradition.

AUB Asked about various methods for documenting finds, Dr. Genz comments, “Drawing by hand certainly takes some time Spaces and skill, but it has the advantage of forcing me to look closely at every individual piece. After having drawn thousands of vessels and sherds, one becomes an expert in the pottery of a certain region and a certain period. Drawings could definitely be done more quickly with a 3-D scanner, but the speed eliminates the contemplative time an archaeologist would spend looking at the details of individual pieces.”

The professor explained that a wide range of tools and techniques is used to study sites and artifacts. These range from very traditional methods, such as fieldwalking to find new sites; excavations with shovels, pickaxes or fine dental tools—depending on how delicate and important the discoveries are—to high-tech methods such as the study of satellite or drone images, 3-D scans of buildings, and chemical and physical investigations.

Dr. Genz’s research interests in the Levant include the transition from village communities to more complex forms of socio-political organization, often called “city-states” in the late 4th to early 3rd millennium BC, and the ultimate incorporation of the Levant into large empires in the 2nd millennium BC. Further fields are the chronological and functional aspects of Bronze Age pottery, the storage and trade of agricultural goods, mining and metallurgy, and trade relations between the Levant and the neighboring regions as well as interrelations between human societies and their environment. 28 29

Recycling Rubble

After the 2006 Israeli bombardment of The team’s design calls for a set of aggregates. A primary function of the Lebanon, contractors scooped up the modular concrete processing facilities modular facilities will involve crushing rubble and poured it into the sea. In distributed at key points around Aleppo concrete, distilling aggregates, and places like Yemen and Syria, ruined to allow for the most rapid, efficient, sorting them into types—stone, sand, buildings simply lie in wait for a and environmentally sound processing metal—for use in future concrete mixes. ceasefire. Nour Madi (BE ’12, ME ’16) of waste. They estimate that 11 facilities admits she doesn’t know when that recycling 3,787,505 tons of concrete “Beyond the recycling, these units will ceasefire will come, but when it does, annually will repurpose the sum of help the local communities,” Melki she says, the residents of ruined cities Aleppo’s debris in ten years. says, by employing people and perhaps should think about recycling the rubble doubling as a community center. The in their midst. residents might even find something of the city’s lost soul in new buildings Together with fellow AUB graduates wrought from old debris. Jad Melki (BArch ’12) and Ghaith Abi Ghanem (BArch ’12), she put together a “The primary Abi Ghanem points out that unlike proposal for how it might be done in the efficiency gains municipalities in Europe and North city of Aleppo and submitted it to Swiss America, which mandate concrete building manufacturer LafargeHolcim’s come from the recycling, there are very few such sustainable design competition. The amount of readily requirements in the Middle East and team won second prize in the Next none in Lebanon. Generation category. available debris in destroyed cities, Since winning the competition, Madi Madi began thinking about says, she has been approached by a construction waste in Syria as a civil like Aleppo...” contractor interested in implementing engineering master’s candidate. “I her solution. “He said he had political wanted to get a sense of how much connections. It was all under the [waste] there was,” she says. So she pretense of him dealing with logged into HDX, an open access stakeholders and us providing technical database of humanitarian information, Recycling concrete involves crushing it guidance.” where she found damage assessments down to its original aggregates—sand, for different parts of the country. She gravel, crushed stone, and cement—and She didn’t follow up: “He didn’t share called the Syrian Order of Engineers reusing those aggregates in new our environmental and sustainable and received municipal blueprints, concrete mixes. The primary efficiency values.” And so the team has decided to eventually gathering enough gains come from the amount of readily hold out for more transparent financing information to arrive at a rough available debris in destroyed cities, like from the government or an NGO, lest estimate of concrete waste produced in Aleppo, and from recent advances in their project be compromised. several Syrian cities. Aleppo, with an available technology used for distilling estimated toll of 35,926 destroyed buildings, had the most rubble by far. Discoveries Pursuits

Food, According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Countries sometimes weaponize food to achieve Deficient Food? Organization, the Middle East and North Africa foreign policy ends. “Turkish dams on both the region is facing a food crisis. The conflict-ridden Euphrates and Tigris rivers have, to some extent, countries of Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Libya, and Sudan deprived Syria and Iraq of their water supplies,” have been hit hardest, but long-term trends in Keulertz says. “And historically, the Americans demography, agriculture, trade, and geopolitics brought [Gamal Abdel] Nasser back into their threaten the entire region. orbit by essentially providing him with free wheat.” Yet Nasser continued to maintain Assistant Professor of Food Security Martin relations with the Soviets and at times openly Keulertz outlined the trends and challenges criticized American interference in Egyptian facing the region during the inaugural AUB-New affairs. York City Briefing this past December. “Everything starts with demography,” says Keulertz. “The Keulertz sees food prices as a potential source of region will grow to one billion people by the end political unrest and believes they played a role in of the century and they will need to be fed.” the Arab Spring. “If you don’t pay attention to your food supply, you might not survive in The problem is that Arab countries import the government,” he says. vast majority of their food. A dearth of arable land and water limits most regional production to Both Keulertz and Mohtar believe academia can three “food bowls”: the Jordan River basin, Nile play a role in supporting regional food security basin, and Euphrates and Tigris. through research and advocacy. Academics, they say, can help in the development of creative food Keulertz believes that the continued erosion of production solutions, like urban and dryland what arable land currently remains will push agriculture. Keulertz suggests countries promote more people into cities, which Rabi Mohtar, who plant-based, climate-smart diets that use less moved from Texas A&M University to become water and have a smaller carbon footprint, and dean of AUB’s Faculty of Agricultural and Food that Arab countries pool their buying power on Sciences in January, believes will create recycling the global food market. No matter what, Mohtar opportunities as waste aggregates in a single says, food security must be addressed holistically location. “Cities’ waste water can be used for food as a tripartite system of water, food, and energy production,” Mohtar says. production systems, since water, food, energy access, and pricing impact one another. Stable geopolitics are critical to addressing food security challenges as well, Keulertz says. 30 31

Quiz

What’s the Score? AUB has been moving up in several widely respected university rankings recently. See how much you know about what determines a university’s rank—and how AUB stacks up against the competition.

1. Did AUB rank higher in the 3. Three of these five categories 6. Three of the top 5 universities 2017/18 QS Arab Region account for 90% of the total in the 2017/18 QS Arab Region University Rankings, the 2018 score in the THE World University Rankings were Times Higher Education (THE) University Rankings. What are located in one country. Which World University Rankings, or the three categories? country was it? UAE, Lebanon, the U.S. News & World Report 4. AUB placed first among 1,000 or Saudi Arabia? 2016 Best Arab Region universities in the Arab world in 7. In the 2017 QS rankings by Universities? the 2017/18 QS Arab Region subject, AUB ranked number 1 2. AUB was one of only five University Rankings. Did it rank in the Arab world in two universities from the Arab highest in academic reputation, subjects. No other institution in world to rank among the top 10 employer reputation, or the Arab world was ranked in in all five categories (teaching, faculty-student ratio? these two subject areas. Which research, citations, 5. Which university placed second two subjects were they? Hint: international outlook, and in the 2017/18 QS Arab Region they are both taught in the industry income) in the 2018 University Rankings? American Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Times Higher Education (THE) University in Cairo; Qatar World University Rankings. In University; or king Fahd which of these five categories University of Petroleum and

did AUB rank highest? Mines?

y h p o s o l i h P d n a y g o l o e a h c r A . 7 | a i b a r A i d u a S . 6

s e n i M d n a m u e l o r t e P f o y t i s r e v i n U d h a F g n i K . 5 | n o i t a t u p e r r e y o l p m E . 4 | % 0 3 r o f t n u o c h c a e

y e h T . s n o i t a t i c d n a , h c r a e s e r , g n i h c a e T . 3 | g n i h c a e T . 2 | . g n i k n a r E H T e h t n i h t 7 d n a g n i k n a r s w e N  . S . U

e h t n i h t 5 d e k n a r t I . s g n i k n a R y t i s r e v i n U n o i g e R b a r A S Q 8 1 / 7 1 0 2 e h t n i – e n o r e b m u n – t s e h g i h d e k n a r t I . 1

MSFEA, FHS, the Johns Hopkins University A team of OSB MBA students reached the IN CASE Center for Bioengineering Innovation and semi-finals and earned top coach award at the YOU Design (CBID), and the Departments of 37 th John Molson MBA International Case Biomedical Engineering and International Competition (ICC) in Canada in January 2018. MISSED IT. Health at Boston University co-organized a unique three-week course on humanitarian GHI and Haykal Media signed a memorandum engineering at AUB in January 2018. of understanding in January 2018 to Arabize and contextualize global health knowledge. 32 Discoveries

Sports as Politics

Just around the corner from the as to link every major football and “When they transferred Neymar [the Commodore Hotel in Hamra, Beirut, basketball team to one of the two celebrated Brazilian player] to Paris sits a junk-strewn parking lot where primary political blocs: March 8 and Saint Germain [a football club, which children play football using old tires as March 14. Qatar owns], it was to push news of goal posts and bits of scrap metal to Saudi Arabia’s blockade [of Qatar] out delineate the playing field’s edge. of the headlines and that was Spectators crowd at the fences to watch successful,” Reiche says. He believes what they see as the future of Lebanese that Qatari efforts to keep themselves football, and what AUB Professor of “In Lebanon, in the sports headlines are rooted in Comparative Politics Danyel Reiche their fear of aggression on the part of sees as a kind of athletic grist for Reiche says, the larger neighbors, like Saudi Arabia. Lebanese politicians who, through country’s sporting “They looked at what happened to client-patronage relationships, wield Kuwait in 1991,” Reiche says, referring the country’s best athletes as tools of culture mirrors its to Iraq’s brief takeover of Kuwait that political influence. confessional led to the first Gulf War. While pundits mind the region’s system.” The Emirates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi battlefield wins and losses and have followed Qatar’s path, if to a parliamentary shouting matches, lesser degree; the Dubai Sevens, for Reiche focuses on a subtler form of example, has become, since its 1999 politics: sports. In fact, he’s fast inauguration, one of rugby’s most becoming a go-to expert on the sports- In Qatar, he finds sports are less about important international tournaments, politics connection, having spoken on domestic rivalries, and more a means and Abu Dhabi is set to hold the Special the subject with the WashingtonPost, to “punch above one’s geopolitical Olympics in 2019. Guardian,WallStreetJournal, and other weight.” Just as they’ve transformed publications. themselves into a media powerhouse “Every nation uses [sports] for its own through AlJazeera , the peninsula has purpose,” Reiche says, “whether it be MainGate spoke to Reiche to get a sense deployed its considerable financial national security, to affirm statehood, of how politicians in Lebanon and the resources to make a name for itself in or as a political, ideological tool of wider region are using sports in their global sports. The most powerful some other kind.” And in Lebanon, he agendas. In Lebanon, Reiche says, the example of this is Qatar’s winning bid says, sports stand as a healthy outlet country’s sporting culture mirrors its to host the 2022 World Cup. The for the release of political sectarian confessional system. “Almost all significance of that bid was such that rivalries and frustrations. professional sports clubs have clear some see it as having inspired the sectarian and political affiliations,” ongoing blockade against the country he says. In a paper published in Third by its Arab Gulf neighbors. WorldQuarterly , Reiche went so far Wellness Health and Medicine

Global Health 34 An idea whose time has come Institute

World Tobacco AUB invites experts to consider the state of global tobacco Conference 37 and how best to combat it

Check-up Dr. Fadi Sawaya discusses cardiac intervention and 38 pioneering procedures

The AUB-Lancet Commission gets high-profile support Lancet Commission 40 for its cause

Sahtein 42 Zaatar tart; Lamia Kawar’s fool-proof recipe for a savory treat Wellness

The Global Health Institute (GHI) What Vision, Leadership, and Synergy Can Do

It’s hard to imagine a large-scale Shadi Saleh, associate vice president for academic project materializing faster health affairs, as GHI’s founding than AUB’s Global Health Institute director. Asked why there is a need for a (GHI). Officially launched this past July, global health institution, Saleh GHI has been running at breakneck commented, “For decades, the Global speed since President Khuri first South has been at the epicenter of mentioned it as an aspiration in his health challenges. These include the January 2016 inauguration speech. Ebola outbreak in 2014, the one million While it can hold its own as a stand- cases of cholera in Yemen today, the alone unit within the University, GHI is intersection of conflict and health actually a component of the much more ambitious HEALTH 2025 vision, which will establish a Health Sciences Complex (HSC) at AUB to align all core “Geographically Professor, Associate Vice President for Health Affairs, and GHI Founding health units strategically and and in terms of the Director Shadi Saleh functionally within the University. exceptional resources Currently, these units include the it offers, AUB is well Faculty of Medicine and the AUB exceptional resources it offers, AUB is Medical Center, the Faculty of Health positioned to host the well positioned to host the first global Sciences, the Rafic Hariri School of first global health health institute to serve the MENA Nursing, and the Global Health institute to serve the region with its population of some Institute, as well as other affiliate units MENA region with 300 million people.” such as nutrition. However, this is not its population of an exclusive or static enterprise. The In its inaugural year, GHI launched its envisioned HSC will further comprise some 300 million programmatic work with three additional planned health units within people.” initiatives that are particularly relevant AUB. The ultimate aim is to position to the MENA region: the Conflict AUB to better serve the clinical and Medicine Program (CMP), the Nutrition population health needs of Lebanon, Obesity and Related Diseases (NORD) the region, and beyond. including the refugee crisis among program, and the Refugee Health many others. Yet, voices from Global Program (RHP). All have broad As an integral component of the South-based institutions are not being mandates to address pressing issues HEALTH 2025 vision, GHI is a university- heard. This underscores the necessity to related to these topics comprehensively wide platform that welcomes any foster ‘local’ health leaders and and holistically. The CMP, for example, qualified AUB unit seeking a central contextualize relevant knowledge and focuses on providing healthcare in resource for multi-disciplinary global tools that can effectively respond to conflict areas and the associated health projects. To lead this effort, imminent and long-term health threats. sociological and anthropological effects President Khuri appointed Professor Geographically, and in terms of the of prolonged conflict; NORD addresses 34 35

the many health risks associated with blended learning to provide diplomas obesity in the MENA region, including for refugees; and AUB Mobile for Health stroke, diabetes, and cancer; while the in collaboration with the Open Society RHP targets arguably the highest Foundations to build the professional concentration of refugees in the world. health skills of refugees using mobile The rapidly growing GHI team includes classrooms and distance learning. As faculty from FAFS, FM, FHS, and FAS. impressive as this is, the scale of the With strategic leadership from Executive challenges in the region are such that Vice President Mohamed H. Sayegh, the Saleh believes that fundraising will institute has already established a always be a priority for him and his reputation as an incubator for ideas on team. global health across the University. Keeping up with the demands generated The Consortium of Universities for by seemingly overwhelming, long-term Global Health (CUGH) recently elected regional instability requires even greater Saleh to its board of directors. This resources. To help meet this need, the consortium consists of approximately Global Health Institute Academy was 150 universities including Yale, Harvard, launched in early November to provide Johns Hopkins, and the University of individuals, organizations, and Edinburgh. Saleh, the first and only communities with knowledge, training, CUGH board member from the MENA and professional development. Wasting region, will lead the effort to give the no time, the GHI Academy organized the region and the Global South an active first Global Health Diplomacy workshop voice in the global health dialogue. with the Geneva Graduate Institute of Through its programs, collaborations, International and Development Studies and academy, GHI is already gaining and signed an agreement with the recognition as an institution that Humanitarian Leadership Academy to promises to advance the health agenda work together on an ambitious project of the Global South by promoting to Arabize and contextualize all existing evidence-based, sustainable humanitarian knowledge. interventions, and acting as an incubator for innovative, In only 18 months, GHI has created four interdisciplinary solutions for the portfolios which have generated region’s most intractable health external funding close to $5 million challenges. Based on a well-conceived through a home-developed approach, collaborative model, GHI is a Funding for Impact (FFI) model. cornerstone for the foundation that is Contributors include the Canadian being laid for AUB’s ambitious Health International Development Research Sciences Complex. Centre that provided foundational support; entities in the UK with funding to treat mental health and chronic diseases in conflict areas; and the electronic medical record software company, Epic, for the Sijilli project to provide mobile electronic health records so that refugees can keep their medical records with them wherever they go. The portfolio also includes funding for capacity building of humanitarian learning; research in conflict settings; Wellness

AUBMC News

Support for Local Sex Education

Nuffic, which funds projects on behalf of Dr. Zakia Dimassi, research associate in the Dutch Foreign Ministry, awarded the Medical Education Unit, Dr. Faysal AUB a 75,000 euro grant to support the El-Kak of the Faculty of Health Sciences, training of local sexual and reproductive and Dr. Mona Osman of the Department health staff in collaboration with the of Family Medicine will lead the project, Lebanese Ministry of Public Health which fits in with a larger trend to gather Primary Health Clinics Network and with and disseminate data on sexual and Syrian refugee relief organizations. reproductive health in the region. The long-term goal is to improve maternal health and family planning.

Empowering Breast Cancer Sufferers

This past October, the Lebanese Breast with a meditation session, which was Cancer Foundation held its second followed by a discussion on the annual patient empowerment workshop importance of a healthy, balanced diet in collaboration with the Breast Cancer and daily physical activity led by Center of Excellence at the Naef K. Basile Ms. Fatima Beydoun, an experienced Cancer Institute. The purpose of the nurse working closely with cancer workshop was to spread hope and patients. Ms. Rebecca El Asmar, an courage among women with advanced- adult oncology clinical nurse specialist, stage breast cancer. spoke about sexual intimacy.

The workshop shed light on the medical Director of the Breast Cancer Center of needs and quality of life issues facing Excellence Dr. Nagi El Saghir says: “This patients and included formal lectures workshop aims at empowering women and small group discussions among with education and courage to ensure doctors, nurses, psychologists, and other better living while getting the most specialists. Among the topics covered advanced and best cancer treatment were nutrition, exercise, sexuality, and with full dignity and support. The family dynamics. support of the patient’s family, as well as friends, volunteers, staff, nurses, Grace Khleif, a certified life coach and and doctors is key to hope, perseverance, hypnotherapist, opened the workshop and standing up against cancer.” 36 37

Putting the Plug in Waterpipe Smoking

This past November, AUB hosted the bodies on effective control measures to Third International Conference on curb this growing epidemic,” says Waterpipe Tobacco Smoking Research Associate Professor Rima Nakkash, who under the banner “Translating is the chair of the Tobacco-Free AUB waterpipe tobacco smoking research 2018 Task Force. evidence into practice, policy and regulation.” The conference brought “This knowledge hub is for assessing together experts on tobacco control, the situation, sharing knowledge, waterpipe smoking, public health creating platforms for exchanging advocacy, policy makers, civil society information, and holding workshops organizations, and media to strategize for regulators,” says Ghazi Zaatari, over the best way to curb waterpipe chairman of the Department of smoking globally. Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at AUBMC. “The situation here is very The conference’s major highlight was alarming,” he says, pointing to the the establishment of the World Health waterpipe as having “torn our Organization (WHO) Knowledge Hub for communities [apart] and seriously Waterpipe Research by AUB’s Faculty of harmed the well-being of our young Health Sciences and the Syrian Center generation.” for Tobacco Studies, with support from the National Institute on Drug Abuse in AUB has been a leader in the domain of the United States. The hub’s aim is to tobacco control in Lebanon. On January promote collaborative, impactful 1, 2018, AUB became the first entirely scholarship; it is the first such health tobacco-free university in Lebanon. knowledge-to-policy hub in the Middle “Making AUB fully tobacco-free is a East and only the third of its kind in transformative change leading to a more the world. beautiful and wholesome campus as well as a healthier campus community,” The hub’s launch comes as the pastime President Khuri says. The tobacco has spread from its traditional home in industry is prohibited from funding the Middle East and North Africa— research at AUB, recruiting students where it has been a fixture in through career services, or promoting restaurants and cafés for some 400 products on campus. years—to become a global practice despite a growing body of research While the experts commend the that shows its deleterious effects on establishment of the hub and the cardiovascular health. tobacco ban as important milestones, they concur that tobacco use in the “It is our hope that with the support of region remains stubbornly high. “Our all the concerned stakeholders, this cancer treatment center is overflowing” knowledge hub will meet its objectives says Alan Shihadeh, dean of the Maroun in assessing and disseminating Semaan Faculty of Engineering and knowledge on waterpipe smoking Architecture, “with the human through virtual platforms of collateral of the tobacco industry’s informational exchange, organizing decades-long campaigns to hook activities to share this information and more consumers, especially youth.” experiences, and advising regulatory Wellness

Check Up:

Fadi Sawaya, MD (BS ’04) Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine 38 39

Q. So, let’s start off with your Q. Then there’s the valve done six times in Europe, and a specialty. you’re an interventional replacement. If the valve has couple times in the United States, cardiologist. What does that significantly deteriorated, you but this was a first for Asia. involve? need to replace it, correct? A. I do stentings, that is, I put stents A. In the past, it was about cutting open Q. How often do you perform the in the arteries of the heart. I also the chest and exposing the heart. standard version of these change heart valves and close Now valves can be deployed through procedures, that is valve and stent holes in people’s hearts. Really, I do a catheter, like a stent. The valve, replacements? Who are the any procedure that’s heart-related. which is made of an elastic material candidates? I fix tight valves, also leaky ones. called nitinol, is sent through a large A. Stents I do every day. Valves, maybe I perform necessary cardiac artery. Once it’s expanded, it pushes once a week. A candidate for a stent interventions, but I don’t do bypass the old valve out of the way and the can be anywhere from 40 to 90, surgery. I do minimally-invasive tissue in the new valve takes over. It’s depending on risk factors: smoking, procedures. made of porcine tissue, from the pig, family history of cardiac problems. treated with formaldehyde, so there’s For valves, the population is older, Q. How does one go about inserting a no reaction, no rejection by the body. between 70 and 80. Valves become stent into someone’s heart in a This is a fairly new procedure; we’ve calcified with age. Yesterday I minimally invasive way? only been doing valve replacements replaced a 93-year-old’s valve. It A. Well, you put the patient on the in Lebanon for the past two or three took an hour and a half. He’s fine, table, clean everything up, sterilize. years and stents for the past 15 or 16 walking, going home tomorrow. Then you drape the patient, get the years. x-ray machine ready. You find the Q. How much do these procedures artery, whether in the arm or leg, cost? and enter it through the skin with a A. Stenting costs between $7,000 and catheter, which is a tube about two $8,000. All insurance plans cover to three millimeters in diameter. The “A candidate stenting. Cost can be an issue here patient, who isn’t sedated, feels a with replacement valves since localized prick. The tube winds its for a stent can be insurance doesn’t always pay. The way through the arteries until it valve replacement procedure costs reaches the heart. Through the tube, anywhere from 40 around $60,000 in Lebanon. The you pump a material called contrast to 90, depending valves are made outside Lebanon, medium. Then you take some x-rays mostly in the United States, so you of the patient. If the valves show on risk factors: have to ship them here. Around black [on the x-ray], if there’s a black smoking, family 50 percent of the patients I see are strip, that means they’re clear. The covered by national insurance; the black is blood. But if there’s some history of cardiac others are privately insured, or self- white, then there’s a blockage. problems.” funded.

Q. And how do you address the Q. How did you decide to become an blockage? With a stent? interventional cardiologist? A. Yes. We insert the stent, mounted on A. My dad is a cardiologist and he took a tiny balloon, inside the catheter Q. you were recently featured in the me everywhere with him when I was and push it along with a wire. The Lebanese media for a pioneering young, so it just felt natural that I patient doesn’t feel anything, as valve replacement procedure. Can become a doctor. I did my residency you’re moving inside the body where you talk about that? in the US and ended up doing there are no nerves. Once the stent A. So, sometimes you can’t pass interventional cardiology. I wanted reaches the location of the damaged through the legs, or groin, if the legs to come back to continue my father’s artery, the balloon expands, pushing are too small, diseased, or stenotic legacy. He’s been here for 40 years back the plaque and restoring blood (have narrowed arteries). So we use a now. He’s a professor at AUBMC, flow. Then the stent expands, vein instead, which is usually bigger. Jaber Sawaya (MD ’68). I wanted to forming a metal frame supporting You push the catheter through the help him out before he retires. the arterial walls. The balloon is vein until you reach a point where deflated and sucked back through you have to cross over into an artery. Q. Any advice for our readers as far the tube, while the stent remains The crossover is risky, and can lead as how they can avoid having to permanently. The procedure takes to death. If the hole created in the see you? about an hour. And the patient can system isn’t closed, the patient will A. Sure, the standard advice. Exercise, usually go home the next day. bleed internally. I did this procedure, don’t smoke, eat healthy. Get the the transcaval, on a woman who appropriate tests and follow-up needed a valve. It was her only done. It’s about not falling into bad option. The procedure had been habits, really. Wellness

Catching up with the AUB-Lancet Commission

It’s been a year since AUB and The Lancet journal partnered on the AUB- Lancet Commission on Syria, which aims to explore the myriad implications “We’re talking of Syria’s ongoing conflict for people’s with all stakeholders health and health systems in Syria and for global health more broadly. As it willing to share seeks to ferret out the ripple effects of a perspectives and give long war, the commission is looking at those implications through a wide- evidence...” angle lens. “We’re talking with all stakeholders willing to share 40 41

perspectives and give evidence,” Netherlands’ vice minister for Human Rights, who moderated the side says Commission Co-chair and AUB international development, commented event, said that monitoring systems Associate Professor of Public Health on the difficulty of extracting must develop at the grassroots level to Practice Samer Jabbour. standardized data on the conflict, capture realities most essential to local which makes implementing Resolution people. Ahmad Tarakji, president of the That wide-angle focus has led the 2286 and holding parties accountable Syrian American Medical Association commission to a specific issue, the more difficult. and a commissioner, said that war-torn deliberate targeting of healthcare countries often have limited tools and workers and facilities by military forces, know-how when it comes to monitoring or what commission researchers have and responding to attacks on coined “the weaponization of healthcare. He also said that many healthcare.” These researchers have “If you go to NGOs performing the gritty work of presented sobering statistics on the someone and say, war-zone data collection “feel isolated number of health workers killed and and exploited while analysts “sit facilities targeted since the conflict a war is erupting elsewhere and discuss.” started and reviewed evidence on the perpetrators of such targeting. here, give me Commission Co-chair and AUB money to start a Faculty of Health Sciences Dean Iman Major media outlets, like Reuters , Nuwayhid said that international BBC , and TheGuardian , have picked documentation organizations don’t begin to take up on those statistics and pushed them system, they conflict seriously until it’s already out to a wider audience. “Since it was spiraled out of control: “They want to released on the sixth anniversary of the won’t give you see people dead and bodies piled up horrific and ongoing conflict, there has anything.” first.” Only once a conflict has become been a lot of interest in the new concept quite serious, he says, will donors and of weaponization of healthcare,” funding agencies begin to take it Jabbour says. seriously. “If you go to someone and say, a war is erupting here, give me This past September, the commission Following the side event, panelists money to start a documentation followed up this research work with and others gathered at AUB’s New system, they won’t give you anything.” advocacy and policy reach and secured York Office to further plumb issues an even greater coup for its cause when of data collection, advocacy, and Moving forward, Jabbour indicates member states sponsored a high-level accountability. Johns Hopkins’ senior that dignitaries and panelists who side event during the United Nations scientist and chair of the Safeguarding participated in the side-event are General Assembly titled “Protecting Health in Conflict coalition, Leonard working on a joint comment, to be Healthcare in Armed Conflict.” Rubenstein, said that building published in TheLancet , that relationships with governments condemns attacks on healthcare and The side event brought together interested in this cause is key to calls for specific actions to strengthen ministerial and ambassadorial level success. Commission Co-chair and accountability. Nuwayhid is hoping delegations which recounted harrowing Professor at the Harvard FXB Center for a statement from presidents of anecdotes and statistics that spoke of for Health and Human Rights, Jennifer universities from around the world that the breadth and depth of attacks. They Leaning, spoke of the need for shows the commitment of academia to called for improved enforcement of UN “imaginative” data collection: “You ending the quagmire. AUB, he says, can Security Council Resolution 2286, have to figure out what categories and will be a strong global force for which provides a mandate and you’re monitoring, then you learn civic good, health, and dignity. mechanism to halt attacks against that one category is wrong and you health workers and facilities. “On have to fix it, or the situation changes, behalf of Canada, I stand here today to and you have to add something. It’s tell you that we are deeply concerned iterative.” She emphasized the need about what has been called, the to maintain a broad campaign that ‘weaponization’ of healthcare,” keeps stakeholders engaged and Canadian Minister of Health Ginette ready to act once the next crisis hits. Taylor said. Christiaan Rebergen, the Homer Venters from Physicians for 42 Wellness

Sahtein zaatar Tart Lamia kawar, Beirut

“This zaatar tart can be Preheat oven to 180 degrees C or 350 degrees F PREPARATION: made with either a ready- made or a homemade crust (pate brisee). This version INGREDIENTS FOR HOMEMADE PIE CRUST To prepare the filling: whisk milk, cream, eggs, is filled with fresh zaatar DOUGH (OR PâTE BRISéE): salt, and pepper and set aside. Layer the cheeses or thyme, cheese, milk, cream, salt, and pepper, and thyme or zaatar on the crust and cover with and served as an appetizer. • 375 g or 3 cups all-purpose flour milk mixture. Bake for approximately 40 minutes You may experiment with other fillings of your • 225 g or 1 cup unsalted butter or until golden brown. choosing.” • 1 egg yoke • 60 ml or ¼ cup milk Makes16servings – Lamia Kawar • ½ tsp salt If you are concerned about high fat and/or sodium content, substitute low fat ingredients PREPARATION: and use goat cheese in place of the Bulgarian feta. Goat cheese may be marginally higher in fat, To prepare the homemade dough: mix the flour, but it is significantly lower in sodium and higher butter, egg yolk, milk, and salt in a mixer until in calcium. combined. Place on a board and knead lightly to form dough. Cover and let rest in the refrigerator for one hour. Roll out the dough to fit in a 28 cm Serving Size 1 wedge: or 11” circular pie pan or dish. Prebake shell for 5 Calories (kcal): 330 to 7 minutes. Cool. Fat (g): 24 Saturated fat (g): 15 (Alternatively, you can use one ready-made sheet Protein (g): 9 of puff pastry) Carbohydrates (g): 20 Fiber (g): 1

A recipe from the WAAAUB Sodium (mg): 320 Cookbook, ABUNDANCE: INGREDIENTS FOR PIE FILLING Mediterranean Cuisine: Recipes by Alumni and Friends of the American • 240 ml or 1 cup milk Send your recipe University of Beirut. submissions to Proceeds from net sales • 240 ml or 1 cup whipping cream [email protected] support AUB student • 2 eggs scholarships. • ½ tsp salt Available at: • ¼ tsp ground white pepper Librairie Antoine: • 150 g or 5 oz Bulgarian feta cheese, crumbled www.antoineonline.com • 150 g or 5 oz Gruyère or Emmental cheese, Inquiries: shredded Email: waaaubphiladechapcook • 6 tbsp fresh thyme or fresh zaatar or 3 tbsp [email protected] zaatar mix Impact

Regional impact, advocacy, and policy initiatives

The new Penrose dorms 45 This old house gets a new lease on life

Graduate Employability 46 Why are AUB students so consistently employable?

IFI illustrates the problems facing Lebanon’s differently Better Access 47 abled population in seeking care

Vacant Towers 48 Why is AUB surrounded by largely empty skyscrapers?

EVP Mohamed Sayegh on leading AUBMC’s vision and the Bold Steps 50 future of medical care in the region

The Next Step Program 52 Towards a society that allows children with Down’s syndrome to reach their full potential Impact

AUB alumnus Fouad Maksoud (ME ’16) won the AUB received the Energy Ambassador Award in the IN CASE prestigious—and popular—regional scientific TV not-for-profit institution category at the YOU show StarsofScience on November 24, 2017 for International Beirut Energy Forum (IBEF) for NanoSkin, an electro-spinning nano-technology Sustainable Development 2017 for its solar electric MISSED IT. machine that transforms clothes into waterproof power plant that converts sunlight into electricity material and injects a nano-technology drug through photovoltaic modules. The plant on the delivery system that heals wounds, third degree AUB campus currently generates about one-third burns, muscle strains, and diabetes ulcers. of the electricity consumed in the Bechtel Building. AUB’s Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service (CCECS) has organized an In October 2017, AUB’s Suliman S. Olayan School English Teaching Program since 2014 to help of Business hosted the Multi-Stakeholder SDG Syrian refugees improve their English language Forum, which was created to provide a platform to skills. The program is targeted at university-aged discuss key issues related to implementation of the and working adults. Three hundred Syrians and 50 sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Lebanon. AUB volunteers participated in the program in The Global Compact Network Lebanon (GCNL) 2016-17. organized the high-level gathering that attracted more than 400 people from throughout Lebanon. The AUB Neighborhood Initiative (NI) is partnering with CCECS, organizations, and individuals in the AUB is now home to the Lebanese Linear Plasma Hamra neighborhood, and the Municipality of Device (LLPD), which will be used to conduct Beirut to make Jeanne d’Arc Street a model, research on plasma and fusion energy. It is the first accessible, and pedestrian-friendly street. of its kind in Lebanon and the region.

AUB’s Department of Education organized a two- Dozens of groups and individuals were recognized day conference in October 2017 on mental health during an event on campus on December 5, UN for disadvantaged youth and families in International Volunteer Day for Economic and cooperation with the National Institution of Social Social Development. Care and Vocational Training (NISCVT), better known as Beit Atfal Assumoud, with support from Learn about the misperceptions of students the humanitarian organization Norwegian Aid studying in the Middle East Committee (NORWAC). www.goabroad.com/articles/study- abroad/misconceptions-about-middle-east Dr. Huda Y. Zoghbi, AUB trustee and alumna, was awarded the National Order of the Cedar, Knight grade, by Lebanese President Michel Aoun at a ceremony on January 15, 2018 at the Presidential Palace in Baabda. 44 45

The Penrose Dorms; Past, Present, and Future

When it was built almost 60 years ago, Penrose Hall, named after AUB president Stephen B. L. Penrose, Jr. (1948-54), “competed in grandeur with Beirut’s most luxurious apartment houses.” One of two men’s residence halls on the AUB campus, Penrose Hall is located just off Bliss Street. The other men’s dorm is Kerr I, named for former AUB president Dr. Malcolm Kerr. Although many current and former students have fond memories of their times at Penrose, it is safe to say that it has been a while since anyone thought the accommodations were luxurious. In fact, some of their memories make The renovation of Penrose Hall is being quite the opposite point. Haytham done as part of a Campus Master Plan Kaafarani (BS ’99, MD ’03), for example, that includes the new Munib and “The new Penrose remembers “an aggressive buzzer” in Angela Masri Building on lower campus Hall . . . [is] one of his room that would alert him that he and the recently inaugurated Halim and needed to run “to the remote side of Aida Daniel Academic and Clinical several current AUB the hallway to pick up a phone call.” Center (ACC) at the Medical Center. projects that are Mohamad Ali Tfaily (BS ’16) remembers Director of Facilities Bassem Barhoumi “a mystery extra mirror in the room” says that the new Penrose Hall, which registered to receive that was left over from when the dad is scheduled to reopen in August 2019, Leadership in Energy of a fellow resident had lived at will include 106 single, double, and Penrose 25 years earlier. triple rooms for 266 students. Some and Environmental rooms are being designed to Design (LEED) There have been several initiatives over accommodate students with limited the years to upgrade the facilities at mobility. In addition to dorm rooms, certification.” Penrose and other student dorms. In Penrose Hall will also include a study 2012, for example, the President’s Club, hall, recreation hall, TV lounges, a which raises money to support a wide reception lounge, shared kitchen area, becoming only the 4th LEED certified range of projects to enhance student life laundry, outdoor seating and assembly project in Lebanon. at AUB, paid for the renovation of a spaces, and landscaped gardens. There student lounge at Penrose. Despite are also plans to improve internet AUB is hoping to secure the funds it these and other efforts, the University connectivity. has known for some time that Penrose needs to renovate other student residence halls to accommodate the was badly in need of a complete The new Penrose Hall will be growing number of students who want overhaul. It hasn’t been easy though to environmentally sustainable. This is to live on campus. “Many of our schedule this project in part because of one of several current AUB projects that students—especially those coming from the lack of affordable housing in Ras are registered to receive Leadership in outside Lebanon—prefer to live on Beirut. AUB’s Office of Student Affairs Energy and Environmental Design campus. It makes it easier for them to has helped students who would (LEED) certification. The Ray R. Irani- take advantage of extracurricular normally be living at Penrose to find Oxy Engineering Complex, which activities and also speeds up the alternative accommodation off- campus. opened in fall 2014, received the LEED adjustment period,” said Dr. Talal GOLD certification in April 2015 Nizameddin, dean of student affairs. Impact

Students and their Careers

This past September, QS (Quacquarelli during a hackathon. Omar Tantawi (BS Symonds) published its annual QS ’17) did too when he led a recycling Graduate Employability Rankings, which project in his village. addresses the questions: “Which universities are best at creating student- Yet for all their ingenuity, many students employer connections? Which claim the on entering university, and often well most impressive alumni outcomes, or into their studies, have only the vaguest have the strongest reputation among impressions of a future professional life. employers?” AUB came in 41st “I honestly had no idea what I wanted to worldwide, ahead of universities such do before I came to AUB,” Silvia as Brown, Carnegie Mellon, and Johns Ekzarkova (BFA ’15, MAEd expected ’19) techniques in recruitment. To maximize Hopkins. Part of that success is due to says. “I came to AUB because it was the their employment opportunities, AUB the rise of the global labor market, where thing to do. My father and uncle went to students should be involved in clubs mobile, multilingual, entrepreneurial university. I had to go to university, get and societies, attending seminars, students, like those at AUB, have a leg my diploma, then I’d figure it all out.” volunteering, taking on projects. up. And part of it is due to the quality of Nowadays, employers are looking for AUB’s educational and career services It wasn’t until she began working part- experiential learning—what impact do offerings. time for recently retired head of Career students have, what motivation, what and Placement Services Dr. Maryam are their passions? These are all major The Office of Career Services, Dean of Ghandour that she began considering factors in success.” Student Affairs Talal Nizameddin says, her job prospects and what applying “has managed to build relationships with for a job entails. “[Ghandour] taught me Both Ekzarkova and Itani agree that the regional and international companies,” professionalism, assertiveness. She put Office of Career Services should be through alumni who hold managerial me in charge of liaising with HR expanded and better advertised on positions at those places. These firms, managers and CEOs, and taught me campus. Itani believes students should including Apple and Google, rate AUB the ins and outs of resume writing.” be required to visit the office at least once highly as a partner institution. AUB hosts a year. Ekzarkova thinks the office can the Arab world’s largest job fair annually On the other end of the spectrum, help students make more informed in April, a highly prestigious affair you have students like Wael Itani decisions about their majors. “Everyone attended by roughly 140 major (BE expected ’18), who consciously wants to be a doctor or an engineer,” she employers. “We work with their human considered how his time at AUB might says, “but not everyone’s good at that. resources departments. Many fight to get best be exploited to benefit a future Why not go to Career Services and find a slot,” Nizameddin says. career before entering the university. out how you can maximize your “I got the catalog and skimmed through potential?” The office is always trying to stay ahead the courses,” he says. “I selected the of global market trends. Nizameddin major that had most of the courses I was acknowledges that many of the jobs interested in, which was more systematic The new AUB Alumni students will be angling for in the than usual, I think.” That led him to coming years don’t yet exist. “And mechanical engineering, which he feels Mentoring Platform companies know that too, which is why is broad enough to allow for multiple (AAMP) is off to a great start. they’re looking more for fundamental career options.

character traits—general analytical Hundreds of young alumni are Read more about Salim’s ability, emotional intelligence, attitude— Taking over this year from the benefitting from the insights of experience and that of recent than specific skills.” redoubtable Ghandour is former Dubai- seasoned AUB professionals. graduate, Hiba Doudar (BS ’17) based HR and recruitment professional Salim Bousleiman (BE ’91) has To register for the AUB Online Students like Joseph Matar, Tony Tohme, Melina Harb, who has ambitious plans to given multiple consultations, Community, visit the AUB alumni and has found the experience of web page: [email protected] Elie Lebbos, Fred Gebrael, and Johnny upgrade the service into a three/four-year giving advice to up-and-coming Toumieh (all of whom expect to graduate career engagement plan for all students. professionals very rewarding. If you’re already part of the Online Community, and are ready with BAs in 2018) showed those traits “It’s an advantage to come from that to explore AAMP, visit: when they created Foodbite, an app to world, speaking the same language and aubfirsthand.co/ encourage anonymous food donations, understanding the latest trends and 46 47

Improving Health Access for Persons with Disabilities (PwD) in Lebanon Together in Justice for Service Provision Impact

The Vacant Towers

Take a stroll along the Corniche and look up at the giant towers of glass and steel to the left of the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business. Are the lights on? Not likely. The vacant apartments form thousands of shadowy eyes peering across the Mediterranean. Keep walking, past Zeytouna Bay until you reach downtown. Not a soul peeks out from the small terraces clustered above the shops. The tan-colored stone reflects only the sun and bits of dust gathered in the streets below, not voices, or footfalls, or the spirit of the heart of the city.

But why? Why is it that so many buildings and apartments remain empty, especially those grand towers the kind that Krijnen says has been that loom on the edges of AUB’s skyline promoted through a series of laws in Ras Beirut? To answer that question, passed in the wake of the Civil War. MainGate spoke with Urban Planning These laws, lobbied for and in some and Studies Professor Mona Fawaz cases written by the Building Promoters (BArch ’95), Orient Institut Post Federation of Lebanon and its Doctoral Fellow Marieke Krijnen members, have eased the construction (MA ’10), and local developer Marc of high-rises, loosened restrictions on Geara. foreign ownership of real estate, and increased total permitted building At the heart of it, says Fawaz, is the volume per lot, known in the industry Ministry of Finance’s decision to forgo as exploitation factor. tax collection on apartments declared At the heart of “officially vacant.” This has encouraged Beirut’s real estate laws support mobile it, says Fawaz, is the wealthy members of the Lebanese foreign capital, as opposed to diverse diaspora to buy and hold real estate, local communities and their growth. Ministry of Finance’s and stands in sharp contrast to policies “Most of these Lebanese expat owners decision to forgo in other global cities, like Paris, which live either in Africa or in the Gulf where tax vacant apartments at a rate that is they actually cannot grow old,” says tax collection on 60 percent higher than owner-occupied Fawaz. “They know they want to retire apartments declared ones. in Lebanon,” which places large swaths of the city in a kind of time capsule as it “officially vacant.” There is a particular kind of apartment awaits the return of its lifeblood: that attracts pied-a-terre ownership: people. luxurious, seafront, centrally-located, 48 49

“Higher apartment buildings lead to minded, trading nation politically higher prices,” says Geara. Indeed dominated by a small class of developers stand to make far higher merchants; and the victory of laissez- profits selling luxury apartments to faire, pro-privatization capitalism in the wealthy expats who can pay the wake of the Cold War. These two forces average cost of $538,546 for an merged, as the merchant class could apartment in Beirut, according to now promote its policies as an GlobalPropertyGuide . extension of prevailing political economic wisdom. The Lebanese Central Bank helps facilitate those profits too. Real estate, To bring people back, to help revive says Fawaz, figured prominently in the city’s once cosmopolitan character, the Lebanese Central Bank’s post-war to safeguard its many architectural economic plan, as the bank made artifacts, Fawaz proposes a multi- driving foreign capital towards real faceted urban planning strategy. “Some estate a priority. “We needed constant properties in the city should be outside that “speak to our common heritage.” foreign direct investment to support the the market,” she says. Banks and A draft law sent to parliament last Lebanese pound [which is pegged to investors, she says, should not be October incentivizes landowners to the US dollar],” says Fawaz. “We call allowed to count the land value of preserve “sites of cultural significance” real estate the productive sector.” certain properties in accounting and by letting them sell development rights Consequently, the Lebanese Central financial statements, which means to large firms capable of preserving the Bank has been offering historically low “the price will dip and those plots site, while retaining ownership of the interest rates for loans released in can be used for affordable housing.” land. Lebanese pounds meant for the real estate sector. Ultimately, Fawaz says, Beirut needs a broad planning vision for the entire The current government seems to be city, “one that incentivizes builders to going in two different directions build in some areas, but not others,” regarding the sector’s future. Last April, Some properties takes a neighborhood’s character into a proposed measure called for an end to in the city should account, and assigns the cost of public the vacant apartment tax exemption, goods to those who profit from them. which the Lebanese financial monthly, be outside the “Here you have none of that. They sell Executive , panned as deterring market...” the view on the sea and then give tax “potential investors looking to place breaks.” their money in Lebanese real estate.” Meanwhile, the budget passed this The best view of the skyline is from the past October contains a provision that cargo ships a mile or so off the coast. allows developers to write down the “In the United States, they demand that From those bobbing ships the transition value of their assets to lower any tax developers make a certain percentage from AUB’s red-tiled roofs to towering burden on profits that might come of housing affordable,” she says. “Cities skyscrapers becomes stark; the with a sale. need to intervene in their markets to University now sits between grand produce this housing.” symbols of global wealth. During the Fawaz and Krijnen explain Lebanon’s day, the glass panels catch the sun and real estate sector through the lens of She adds that preservation laws must throw it back at the sky. During the Lebanon’s history as a business- be strengthened to protect buildings night, they go black. Impact

Many of AUB’s most illustrious returnees have an anecdote about what tempted them back to the University after years of achievement in far-flung places. Dr. Mohamed “Mo” Sayegh, executive vice president for medicine and global strategy, Raja N. Khuri dean of medicine, and AUB’s most cited researcher, is no exception, although his story is written more boldly than most. “I had little interest in coming back for many reasons—my career, family, the situation in Lebanon, the situation at the University. We lived in our history here and our legacy, not changing the post-war inertia by taking calculated risks.” However, at the peak of his career, four years into his occupation of an endowed chair in transplantation medicine at Harvard Medical School, Sayegh admits to having felt “a touch bored academically.” The challenge which presented itself was that of not just leading the faculty and Medical Center at his alma mater where he earned his MD in 1984 but to transform it.

“I put together a plan that was the basis of what became the AUBMC 2020 Vision and presented it to the search committee on January 18, 2009. It was very simple but ambitious—to be the Bold Steps best Medical Center not only in the Middle East but to compete with our peers in the US.” Instead of being told his vision was a pipe dream, as Sayegh expected, the committee, chaired by A Man Trustee David Bickers, was enthralled by the prospect and Sayegh was offered the job. Nine years later, the 10-year, $400 million plan is on track and the of Vision 2020 Medical Complex is a dream no more.

Given the challenges of realizing complex projects in Lebanon, Sayegh says the key has been a three-tier oversight regime. An engineering team working closely with the contractor to monitor progress; a multidisciplinary projects team of engineers, physicians, directors, budget and finance representatives meeting weekly to solve obstacles promptly; and close liaison with internal auditing and purchasing 50 51

to conduct second- and third-level Internally, Sayegh has found, people overnight. This is the key: Change.” negotiations to gain extra savings. like “ the change,” but they don’t like Sayegh is reluctant to take credit for These tight mechanisms are being “to change.” Offering a doctor a top- the revolution that characterizes his adopted for major AUB projects on the floor corner office in a state-of-the-art leadership. His motto, appropriately, is horizon. new building is one thing but sending “Leadership is about creating leaders.” them to temporary accommodation in His team has doubled patient numbers, “We have focused on the delivery of a basement for six months in order to with 404,958 attending outpatient medical care, recruited more than 180 build it is quite another! “The most clinics, 55,789 emergency cases seen, new faculty, two-thirds of them from important thing is to continue pushing and 42,230 hospital admissions last North America, and expanded our forward. As we delivered one project year. Objective criteria include multiple facilities. For those doctors to return, after another, the Sawwaf building, the accreditations, including JCI for AUBMC they wanted proof they could practice Medical Administration Building, the as an academic Medical Center, Magnet North American- or European-type renovated medical school, more people for nursing, and several specialized medicine. I believed if I could recruit started believing. Of course, you never laboratory accreditations. The medical the best physicians, we would be able have complete buy-in, but I do accept a school has ranked first in the Arab to attract patients. We opened several 99 percent approval rating,” he adds world and has been chosen among the centers of excellence, and they are with a chuckle. 300 elite universities worldwide based working at full capacity. But the 2020 on the QS rankings. For Sayegh, this Vision was just the beginning!” answers any criticism of corporatizing The focus is moving to include AUBMC at the expense of academics. population health under President “If you focus only on education and Khuri’s 2025 Initiative, with all health “When I talk research, you would be bankrupt. units aligning to deliver patient care, But how can you be accused of education, research, influence, policy, to our students, corporatization if for three years in a regional and global health issues. The row you are number one in QS, based establishment of the Global Health I tell them: ‘One predominantly on publishing and Institute with Dr. Shadi Saleh as the of you will academic reputation?” Excellence in founding director, will further enhance medical education brings us full circle, AUB's leading regional position and its come back as the as we see ever larger numbers of newly global prominence in health. future Mo.’” AUB-trained doctors follow their dean’s former path onto the global stage, to Sayegh’s approach to major change is practice medicine and become leaders to build multi-stakeholder confidence themselves. “When I talk to our by delivering on an inspiring vision. students or residents, I tell them: ‘In 20 “When we got the first big gift, the $32 years one of you will come back as the million Daniel gift for the Halim and Sayegh’s first six- or seven-figure future Mo.’” Aida Daniel Academic and Clinical donation vindicated his scrupulous Center (Daniel ACC), there was a lot of one-to-one engagement with supporter Given his specialism in the immunology skepticism—and rightfully so—because and skeptic alike. In mid-2009, a lady lab, it is tempting to think of Sayegh as AUB had never delivered such a big emailed him unhappy about the cancer an enabler in the transplantation not project before. But last week, Jamal treatment her dying mother had just of human organs but human [Daniel] was here. He looked at the received. They exchanged talent—he sees it from a surprising, ready-to-move in building and was correspondence, and Sayegh invited fresh angle. “My research focused on captivated. Donors have to see a vision, her to come and discuss what had developing immunologic tolerance to a plan, and credible delivery. We cannot transpired. A few months later, he fool the immune system to accept a take people’s money without showing discovered she’d become a donor. foreign organ as one that is not foreign. we have transformed something, “When I saw her, I said, ‘This is The link to transplantation is tolerance, something that is their passion. Donors unexpected! How do you shift from and Lebanon is a diverse country that have different passions. Some have the being a critic to becoming a donor?’ needs human tolerance. So my real urge to see a building up and running; She told me it was a bet. Her friends dream is to be a contributor to make others seek satisfaction through had told her that AUB would never AUB the model institution of human helping a patient, while some others answer her email. She challenged them tolerance—AUBMC is only one prefer to educate a student. We need to by pledging to donate if they ever did. component of this dream!” understand their passions and deliver She saw that there was going to be on that.” change, which turned her from a -MA disgruntled complainer to a donor 52 Impact

Everyone Can Help

The Next Step Program is now in its Salem sees Next Step as offering a first- International Baccalaureate program,” second year at AUB. Part of the of-its-kind model for Lebanon and the says CEC Director Ziad Shabaan. Continuing Education Center (CEC), region. The program spans three years: The classroom inside the Regional which caters to learners from all walks a foundation year covering basic External Programs building of life, including those coming from literacy, math, and English, mixed with accommodates 11 students and features outside the AUB community, the weekly sessions of computer literacy, a variety of audiovisual equipment. program aims to teach students with art, and drama therapy; and second Teachers have master's degrees, either intellectual disabilities the skills they and third years covering home and in special education or educational need to enter the workforce and to help money management, food, health, and psychology. them explore professional options. citizenship. “An apprenticeship should also come in the third year,” says Tuition for the program stands at The program’s founder, Hana Abu Salem, “though that’s theoretical at $7,900 for two 16-week semesters, Khadra Salem, education committee this point.” which, Salem acknowledges, is beyond coordinator at the Lebanese Down the reach of many parents already Syndrome Association, took inspiration In terms of pedagogy, the program burdened by the extra costs associated from the Cambridge, Massachusetts- adheres to the Universal Learning with caring for a young adult with based Lesley University’s Threshold Design (ULD) framework, which special needs. Program to create a kind of mini- emphasizes students’ unique learning university and vocational training patterns and ways of expressing Outside the classroom, Salem is center for people with severe learning knowledge. “Some learn best by considering disabled rights and social disabilities. hearing, others by seeing, and the inclusion more broadly. For her, it’s as same goes for expression. Some much about marshalling available Her interest in bridging the gap to students may draw a concept, while resources as it is about making sure no employment for the intellectually others may speak it out loud.” one gets left behind. She works with disabled comes from her experience the UN’s Global Compact Network to with her 27-year-old daughter Zeina, a This thinking lines up with the current connect with businesses interested in Next Step student with Down Syndrome pedagogy at elite progressive schools. employing those with special needs. (DS). According to Salem, Zeina is one “It’s close to the model followed by the “So far, we’ve gotten good responses of a handful of people with DS in from Bank Audi.” Lebanon who holds down a job; she works in catering at a diet center three “We were contacted by people from days a week. Over many years, Salem Saudi Arabia and Jordan about sending says the only employed people with DS children to us,” Salem says. “We are she has met have been “a waiter, an hoping to open doors to many young office worker, and there’s one other adults who have potential and are person who works at the diet center waiting to find a way to use that with Zeina.” potential.”

From the outset, Salem says, she was determined to see her daughter realize her full potential, which meant avoiding institutionalization or a homebound existence. She hoped to educate Zeina in an integrated school environment. “I took her to the American Community School, thinking they would follow the American system of educating special needs children, but they said, ‘we’re not ready.’” Eventually, Zeina went to Heritage School in Beirut’s southern suburbs, that, she says, “was willing to try.” AUB Everywhere

Alumni lives in action around the globe

The literature of Emily Nasrallah (BA ‘58) explores one Alumni Profile 54 of Lebanon’s most central narratives, migration

StandingOUTstanding Nabil Bukhalid (BE ’81, EMBA ’05) on bringing the 56 Internet to Lebanon

WAAAUB’s new leadership 57 Newly elected Interim President Hisham Jaroudi

WAAAUB Around Chapter events the Globe 58

Class Notes 60 Where are they now?

In Memoriam 65 AUB Everywhere

Alumni Profile Telling the Migrant’s Story

Lebanon, the country whose diaspora nostalgia for a simpler time. The notion anecdotes of his courage, she told population is double or triple the of time, or history, features of how he saved his wife and many size of its in-country one, has always prominently in the novel, conferring on stranded children before ultimately needed an artful writer to tell the villagers a sense of identity and roots succumbing to the sea. immigrant story in all its forms. Since that is lost on migrants. 1963, when she published her first What pushed Emily Nasrallah, the self- novel, BirdsofSeptember , Emily She did spend significant time outside described “peasant woman, ” to break Nasrallah (BA ’58) has filled that role. Lebanon to accompany her parents with custom, leave the village of Kfeir, She’s written of her village, Kfeir, its during their visit to Canada to see and write its history in novel form? The wheat fields, rolling hills, and of the their grandchildren. That experience answer may be as simple as ambition. great birds that signal winter’s coming, produced FlightAgainstTime , whereby “I always wanted to be the best,” she who, in their departure, symbolize the an older couple suffers the effects of says. So precociously bookish was she f昀light of the village’s own people. She’s loneliness and social alienation that she hid out in classrooms during written too of the struggles facing brought on by immigration. The high school picnics to study. “I was immigrants in unfamiliar lands and protagonist, Radwan, finds himself coming from a place where the cities, and of the particular challenges in a state of perpetual loss in the face standard of education was very low, facing women who choose to break of technology and customs he can’t and I wanted to rise.” with tradition and pursue their comprehend, and ultimately abandons ambitions beyond the confines of the his immigrant life and returns to As a young girl, she picked olives and home. Lebanon. “My father kept saying grapes in the predawn hours until she ‘God keep the country for its people.’ bloodied her hands. One of her earliest For her many works, at times poetic, That’s the essence of the book.” memories is of sitting under the autobiographical, but mostly fictional, window of Kfeir’s Russian-built school she received the Goethe Medal in 2017. where the teacher let her audit from When her grandmother, in the middle of the age of five on the condition that she the last century said that Lebanon is abscond when the local inspector made “the land that does not hold its people,” his rounds. “One day, the students she inadvertently foreshadowed a “My father kept said, ‘the inspector is here!’ I ran home central theme in Nasrallah’s oeuvre, saying ‘God keep and cried, thinking the inspector might migration. She herself, however, has kill me. My father slapped me and told made a point of staying in the country the country for its me to be courageous.” It is perhaps through its many trials. people.’ That’s those years of early hardship and Old World discipline that reveal themselves BirdsofSeptember was born out of the the essence of in her manner. pain of her brother’s departure to the book.” Canada in the early 1960s. “Tears fell Her brilliant uncle, a writer and editor on the page as I wrote,” she says. From consigned to the family home by those tears, she wrought a novel that Parkinson’s disease, encouraged her captured the universal elements of her literary ambition. “He asked me to village, Kfeir, as she knew it as part of In her later years, she recreated the describe the trees, the houses,” she Greater Syria under the French story of her husband’s uncle Nicola’s says. But the village, as she saw it in Mandate. In capturing those elements— final hours on board the Titanic childhood only offered so much particularly the pace of life—she in a book of short stories titled Days intellectual grist. She repeated the coaxed her readers into a warm Recounted . Drawing on family third grade, the highest grade level 54 55

taught in Kfeir, three times, before another To achieve a sustained literary output, she lists, tweets, and short posts supports surface uncle living in the United States agreed to set aside at least two hours daily for writing. level reading, rather than deep reading, which pay her tuition at the elite high school, “Once I start a book, I can’t stop. I write every literature requires. Add to that the poor state International School of Choueifat. single day until it’s finished.” Only after the of Arabic language pedagogy and you have a sum of her thoughts finds expression on the recipe for literary crisis. “I don’t see a lot of On graduating, she worked as a journalist page does she begin the editing process. promise for the future. My grandchildren don’t for the women’s magazine, SawtalMar’a , and Why fiction? “It gives a better taste than read Arabic. They haven’t read my books.” for the political magazine, AlSayyad , before reality.” And how did she hone her craft? Fortunately, her books have been translated coming to AUB. There she experienced for the Through trial, error, and lots of reading. She into many languages. Her largest readership first time collegial relationships with male loves Khalil Gibran, Naguib Mahfouz, Tawfik may be in Germany, a country she has visited peers, and yet she insisted on passing through Al Hakim, Tolstoy. several times for literary conferences and Main Gate unaccompanied by men, lest she be seminars. Thus the Goethe Medal comes as a spotted by someone from Kfeir and reported She laments the current state of literature in symbol not just of recognition, but of gratitude on. Thus were Kfeir’s conservative mores, the Arab world. “The readership has for revealing in the form of literary sketches which she, as one of the first women of her disappeared and publishers are suffering.” the contours of a land and a life otherwise lost village to leave for her education, felt the need She believes that new media in the form of to history. to uphold.

She soon began work at another literary magazine, where she met her husband Philip, a Stanford-educated chemist and poultry farming pioneer, whose mother served as editor-in-chief. “He would take my articles to her.” He was also her biggest supporter, encouraging her to write freely and always telling her, “you can do better.” AUB Everywhere

StandingOUTstanding The Man who Brought the Internet to Lebanon

Q. Nabil Bukhalid (BE ’81, EMBA ’05), communication, digitization, and the you led the AUB team that was internet. In my opinion this was a responsible for bringing the critical miscalculation which put internet to Lebanon—and the Lebanon at risk of being left behind region. What were some of the in the global economy. So, in challenges? bringing the internet to AUB and • Born and raised in A. Naturally, experimenting with fast Lebanon in 1993, we had to be Bhamdoun, Lebanon • Biomedical Engineer, evolving technologies in the late pragmatic and creative to work AUB (1981-90) 1980s in virgin territory like Beirut around the various obstacles. We • Director, Computing was very challenging, but also believed that the internet would and Networking extremely exhilarating. AUB contribute significantly to the Services Department, established its Computing and development of Lebanon and create AUB (1990-2011) • Founder and Registrar Networking Services (CNS) tens of thousands of smart jobs. In of the Lebanese Top Department in 1989 with the contrast to the government ethos, Level Domain Registry mandate to introduce and deploy our guiding principles were (since 1993) leading-edge computing and openness, transparency, • Co-founder, the communication technologies collaboration, and inclusiveness. Lebanese Academic and Research Network throughout the University. So, very (1994) early on we knew we had to • Co-founder, the aggressively take risks with Q. There’s the peril and the promise Lebanese Internet unfamiliar emerging technologies of the World Wide Web. Any Exchange Point (2007) and be prepared to change course thoughts about net neutrality, free • Co-founder, Lebanese Broadband Manifesto when better technologies/solutions speech, and digital security? (2008) materialized. CNS embraced an open A. The Digital Revolution is still in its • Co-founder and ex- culture and encouraged team infancy and as such it holds many officio president, members to develop their surprises and challenges. But, the Internet Society competencies, contribute to the overall, I would say that I’m Lebanon Chapter (www.isoc.org.lb), strategic vision, and ideate in ways optimistic. I believe in its unique a nonprofit that were aligned with the promise to create a more democratic, organization (2010) University’s mission. It is worth inclusive, innovative, and resilient • Chief Enterprise mentioning that CNS enjoyed direct society. Civil societies, businesses, Architect, AUB access to the best talent source in the and policy-makers have a critical (2011-12) • Co-founder and CEO, region—AUB’s students, graduates, role to play in sustaining internet the Lebanese Internet and faculty members. neutrality, driving its innovation Center, public-private and investments, and solidifying its partnership (since Some of the biggest challenges security, while protecting freedom 2014) connecting Lebanon to the internet of speech, human rights and privacy, • Board Member, Lebanese Canadian were barriers imposed by the and being engaged in its governance. Tech Hub Ministry of Post Telephone and The synergy between digital (www.lctechhub.org) Telegraph (MPT), a government-run technologies (the internet, Big Data, (2016) monopoly providing substandard blockchain technologies, 3D • Mentor, Confideo local and long-distance telephony printing, artificial intelligence, and Venture Mentoring (www.confideo- services at exorbitant rates, a badly the internet of things) are disrupting vm.com) (2017) damaged and obsolete public and redefining traditional • Inducted into the telecom infrastructure, and archaic production mechanisms and Internet Hall of Fame telecom regulations and policies that transaction channels in the same (2017) levied outrageous taxes on telecom way the World Wide Web disrupted services to fund the treasury’s and redefined content production chronic deficits. In 1993, the post- and delivery and social interactions. conflict economic restructuring plan Combined, they are fast becoming for Lebanon, “Horizon 2000,” the engine of change throughout all concentrated exclusively on the sectors of the global economy. rehabilitation of the physical telephony infrastructure while completely sidelining data 56 57 WAAAUB Events and Announcements

WAAAUB Interim President Hisham Jaroudi

The Worldwide Alumni Association of the American Men’s Basketball Championship 14 times (most University of Beirut (WAAAUB) is developing a new recently in 2016-17 for a record 27 th title), and was vision and governance structure to meet the needs crowned Arab Champion five times and Asian of its expanding and inf昀luential alumni community. Champion twice, in 2011 and 2017. Jaroudi is the In early November, President Fadlo R. Khuri recipient of the Lebanese Order of Merit at the appointed AUB alumnus Trustee Hisham Jaroudi rank of Knight. (BAR ’66) as WAAAUB’s interim president. Jaroudi has served on the AUB Board of Trustees since 2015 President Khuri commented “Mr. Jaroudi has a when he was elected to the board by the alumni at challenging mission leading the AUB alumni large. association during this transition. He is more than up to the task, as an accomplished, gracious, An architect, engineer, and developer whose large- determined, and dedicated son of AUB.” Jaroudi scale residential, commercial, and public projects says he is looking forward to working with the AUB can be found throughout the Middle East, Jaroudi Board of Trustees, the University’s administration, is well-known for his philanthropic works and and the AUB alumni leadership and chapters to civic engagement. The founder of the Izzat Jaroudi make the most of one of AUB’s “most precious Foundation and the Beirut Heritage Foundation, assets—its devoted alumni.” he has served as the president of the Sporting Stay tuned for news about upcoming alumni elections which will Club (Al-Riyadi) of Beirut since 1990. Under his occur after the new structure for the alumni association is in leadership, the club won the Lebanese National place.

Newly Elected Chapter Leadership

Abu Dhabi Chapter Ohio valley Chapter Houston Chapter President : Elias Assaf President : President : Tania (BEN ’88) Hind Moussa Shaheen (BS ’94) VicePresident : (BS ’99, MD ’03) VicePresident : Imad Fouad Richani VicePresident : Hala Alfred Maksoud (BEN ’83) Zahreddine (BS ’99, (BS ’84, MS ’86, Treasurer : Imad MS ’01) MD ’89) Elias Assaf, William Khalil (BS ’93) Hind Moussa, Treasurer : Bassam Tania Shaheen, Treasurer : Shereen President Secretary : Mohamad President Abu Jawdeh President Soubra Ghaoui Abu Dhabi Hassan Mneimne Ohio Valley Chapter (BS ’99, MD ’03) Houston Chapter (BS ’90) Chapter (BS ’03) Secretary : Ahmad Secretary : Mona Malli (BS ’06, MD ’10) Maalouf Duna (BS ’87) OutreachOfficer : Grace Khouri Zoorob (BS ’86) MediaOfficer : United kingdom Central and North Florida Christelle Chacar Chapter Chapter (BS ’05, MD ’09) President : Christina President : Bilalian, MD (BS ’06) Ahmad Jalloul (BS ’89, MD ’94) After the passing of VicePresident : Ayman Dr. Talal Farah, Koteish Christina Bilalian, Dr. Bilalian was Ahmad Jalloul, (BS ’90, MD ’94) President promoted from vice President Treasurer : Hala Pharaon United Kingdom president to president Central and North Dafterdar (BA ’89) Chapter of the UK Chapter. Florida Chapter Secretary : Noura Ghalayini (BBA ’09) AUB Everywhere WAAAUB Around the Globe For event details and photos, visit the alumni website: alumni.aub.edu.lb

North America Baltimore British Columbia

DINNER DANCE MEETING AND LUNCH Dean Nadia El Cheikh (third The Coffee fromright) Bar/Bridges Trustee Marwan Restaurant Muasher (farleft) Vancouver, BC Country Club November 11, of Maryland 2017 Towson, MD October 14, 2017

Dallas Houston

HALLOWEEN HALLOWEEN BRUNCH HARMONy Zatar Lebanese First gathering Tapas & Bar post-Hurricane Dallas, TX Harvey October 29, 2017 Fadi’s Banquet Hall Houston, TX October 27, 2017

North Northern Carolina California

FALL PICNIC HOLIDAy LUNCH Ritter Park Cary, NC Il Fornaio October 29, 2017 Burlingame, CA December 2, 2017 58 59

www.flickr.com/photos/aubalumni/

Toronto Washington DC

MIx AND CHRISTMAS MINGLE PARTy

JOEY Eaton Maggiano’s Centre Little Italy at Toronto, ON Tyson’s November 10, Galleria 2017 McLean, VA November 30, 2017

Africa Cote D’Ivoire Lebanon Mount Lebanon

vISIT OF ANNUAL DINNER PRESIDENT FADLO Gala Dinner R. kHURI Hilton Habtoor Home of Hotel chapter member October 26, 2017 October 17-20, 2017

MIDDLE EAST Cyprus Qatar

CHAPTER QUIz NIGHT vISIT TO AUB CAMPUS AND City Center CITIES IN Rotana Hotel LEBANON November 23, 2017 November 10-11, 2017 AUB Everywhere

Class Notes

Tarub Shubaylat (BA ’58) writes, “I raises the hope for heritage to be never thought the day would come protected in the future.” Helga has been when we would join the ranks of those an AUB professor of archaeology at the celebrating their 50th anniversary. So Department of History and Archaeology nostalgic! No words can express my since 1991. She has served as the editor 1950s love and gratitude to AUB. It inf昀luenced of the international peer-reviewed my entire life. Bless you all!” journal Berytus since 1987.

ziad S. Rafii (BS ’60, MD ’64) has Mohammed Raja Alhussaini Alsharif retired from practice. He was director of (BA ’68) is currently retired. Formerly, Children’s Medical Services, a pioneer he was Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to in early detection screening for children Canada and the Republic of Turkey, and in Tripoli, Lebanon. ambassador from the League of Arab States to the United States. He worked as senior diplomat or Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) at the Saudi embassies in Manila, Caracas, and London; and as head of mission in Bamako as well as Musa Nazer, PhD (BS ’58, MS ’60) head of the Saudi consulate in Houston, writes, “In spite of the armed conf昀lict in Texas. Ambassador Alhussaini Alsharif Lebanon in 1958, the commencement 1960s earned a master’s degree in political ceremony was held at Marquand House. science from University of the I followed my BS degree with an MS in Philippines and a PhD in international chemistry under the outstanding relations from University of Houston in mentorship of Costas Issidorides. In Texas. 1964, I went on to Harvard University for a PhD, and found myself with a distinguished group of AUB alumni, among whom were the Raja Khuri and Sayfuddin kassir (BA ’68, MA ’71) After Raja Tannous families. A memorable earning her master’s degree in history, event then was the birth of the Khuri’s Sayfuddin did her military service in son Fadlo, the current president of AUB. Syria until 1974 when she returned to I went back to Jordan in 1965 and joined AUB as a doctoral student in Arab the University of Jordan. Upon my Helga Seeden, PhD (BA ’63, MA ’67) history. After two years her studies were retirement from there 50 years later, I writes, “Fifty-seven years after arriving interrupted by the Lebanese Civil War. received the King Hussein Medal for in Lebanon, I am still at AUB! She then joined the Ministry of Distinction, First Order. My academic Graduation in 1963 was a memorable Education in Syria as a history teacher career included many sabbaticals that I event. Except for several career-related at a secondary school in Raqqa. After 30 spent at AUB teaching and doing periods abroad, I continued to be part years of service, Sayfuddin retired and research. This sustained association of the University. I taught even during joined HE Aga Khan's institutions in with AUB enriches my days as I step the civil war, when AUB remained open Syria as a volunteer in several different into my eighties.” [email protected] despite the tremendous odds against it positions, the last of which was as a at that time. Many of my students member for six years of the encountered the secrets of archaeology International Conciliation and for the first time in class and in the Arbitration Board. Sayfuddin now field. I am convinced that awareness of works as a translator in conjunction cultural resources instilled early in life with the Institute of Ismaili Studies in 60 61

London. She has a son, two daughters, award-winning architect of major and six grandchildren. public works including sports arenas, [[email protected]] housing projects, and monuments. He also has a presence in the art world with a calendar of solo and group Amin I. kassis, PhD (BS ’68, MS ’71) shows. An active member of the recently received the Scientific and Armenian community, John is married Technological Achievement Award from with two daughters. Takreem (www.takreem.net), an organization that honors Arabs who have excelled in their fields. Born in Aleppo, Syria of Armenian heritage, Fouad Mostapha (DIPL ’73) lives in Amin received his PhD from McGill Orlando, Florida. He writes, “I University. He is an emeritus professor remember my 21 multinational of radiology at Harvard Medical School L-R: Gabriel Nicolaou (BBA ’66), Tony Soleas, classmates (nine nationalities). I will Helen Kittidou (BS ’68), Andreas Polemitis (BA ’64, in Boston, and was the director of the MBA ’66), Michel Peppis (BS ’65, MS ’70), Nicholas never forget my dedicated professors Experimental Radionuclide Therapy Xyttas (BBA ’68). and instructors. May the souls of the and Radiobiology sections at the departed rest in peace, and blessed are Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Nicholas xyttas (Xitas) (BBA ’68) those who are still alive.” Amin is cofounder of two startup writes, “It is unbelievable that half biotechnology companies: a century has passed since the BBA OncoTherapeutica, Inc., which graduation in 1968. We recently had develops EMCIT cancer imaging and a small reunion with some AUB Sami Pharaon (BBA ’73) has lived in therapy technology, and OncoCell MDx, graduates from North America in Dubai for the past eight years. In 1992, Inc., which develops the SNEP cancer Cozumel, Mexico, at the home of Dan he founded Devine SARL in Paris, a and other indications detection blood Tschirgi. I am semi-retired with three building materials and supplies assay. He holds 46 issued and 106 sons and a grandson. I live in Cyprus company with distribution in the pending US and world patents. and occasionally visit Beirut. Last Middle East. Today Sami works in summer AUB graduates in Cyprus Dubai as a construction consultant for “We are the luckiest organized a visit to a mountain winery wood and steel doors, ironmongery, and met up with old friends who marble, and stone. He writes, “I students in the Rosalie Sadakian Kalebjian (BS ’68) graduated in the 1960s. I welcome graduated in 1973 with friends that I am world for having earned her master’s degree as a clinical contact from AUB classmates or friends. still in contact with all over the world. attended such a specialist in gerontology from the [[email protected]] That year in Lebanon was considered great university, University of California, San Francisco the last of the golden years . . . AUB was and we are forever in 1981. She and her husband Henry our second home. I wish new graduates proud to be on the Kalebjian are enjoying family life with success in their lives.” roster of AUB their three children and four [[email protected]] graduates.” grandchildren.

Haigaram Toroyan (BS ’68) Haigaram Toroyan (BS ’68) writes, “I 1970s would like to add the following note 50 years after graduation. To my AUB: You were a fountain of incessant knowledge and experience. To the class of ’68: We were lucky to have graduated during 1980s AUB's centennial (something that happens only once every 100 years). To Sawsan Halabi Ezzeddine , PhD (BS my physics classmates: I miss the good ’80, MA ’83) As a student at AUB’s old days we had together. And finally, to School of Nursing in 1977, my all alumni: We are the luckiest students classmates and I were taught by a in the world for having attended such a pioneering nursing faculty to whom I great university, and we are forever am eternally indebted. We learned to proud to be on the roster of AUB accept and appreciate diversity and, graduates.” [[email protected]] most importantly, we loved each other. john Guevherian (BAR ’73) writes, I never thought I would be the director “Forty-five years have passed and our of a nursing school one day, but I found memories of AUB are still so fresh.” myself assuming this responsibility John lives and works in Cyprus. He is an only six years after graduation. I joined AUB Everywhere

the Federation of Nursing Associations Health Northridge Hospital since 1994 as a member in 1988. Again, I never where he is currently chief of staff. He thought I would become a national is the recipient of numerous awards for leader for nursing, but eventually I was his life-saving work from local, city, elected president of the federation for county, and state agencies, including two consecutive terms 1992-2000. The one from former president Bill Clinton. challenge was overwhelming. We His wife Teresita is also a physician. carried out media campaigns; lobbied The couple has two daughters. MPs, ministers, and presidents; and reached out to nurse experts to help us draft the law, approved in 2002, that established the Lebanese Order of jamil Soucar (BE ’83) writes: “Mazen (BS ’83) has Nurses. As dean of the College of Samar Noureddine Majzoub from the engineering class of practiced nursing in Saudi Arabia and Nursing and Health Sciences at 1983 started a “WhatsApp” group and in at AUBMC. She moved to the United Makassed University, I am proud of less than two weeks over 100 contacts States to do a master’s degree at the what I have achieved, and proud to be were made. Names that we hadn’t heard University of California, Los Angeles an AUB alumna. At AUB I learned in over 30 years suddenly popped back (1994) and a PhD at the University of scholarship, professionalism, ethical into our lives. This group has been Michigan (2001). Returning to AUB practice, leadership, perseverance, and actively chatting, reconnecting with old Faculty of Medicine in 2001, Samar critical thinking. I developed lifelong friends and former classmates, and rose through the ranks to professor. friendships with my classmates and even inviting each other to visit. A She is currently assistant director for lifelong alliances with HSON faculty, reunion dinner took place in Beirut last academic affairs at the Hariri School of which I will always appreciate and month. There are talks about another Nursing. She has been an international treasure. This is the AUB legacy that Beirut reunion soon and one in Brazil or fellow at the American Heart will continue as long as there are the United States in 2018. The people Association since 2011, and a member devoted faculty and staff who will carry who joined were from all over the of the American Academy of Nursing the f昀lame for generations to come. world: the United States, Brazil, Dubai, since 2014. Samar writes, “No matter [[email protected]] Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, England, and where I go or what I do, something Australia—all talking as if they were in always pulls me back home to AUB.” the same room. The instant bond was [[email protected]] amazing. It felt like the intervening 35 years never happened. It was also a pleasure to see that all our old friends are successful in their work. Some stayed within their majors and others changed paths. The photos that were shared were the scary part. I could not recognize half of them, but some still had the same old features I remember.” Jamil lives in Los Angeles, California.

Adib kouteili (BE ’83) is the managing director of PEB Steel. He writes, “At the age of 56, I received an EMBA degree Shawki D. Saad (BS ’79, MD ’83) earned “AUB taught us to from Université du Québec à Montréal his bachelor’s degree in medical think critically and to while still managing my business in sciences with distinction at AUB. He adapt to change. This Southeast Asia. I feel proud that most of completed a residency in general is proving increasingly my 1983 classmates have achieved great surgery at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, crucial in our Artificial and a fellowship in vascular surgery success in their lives. . . AUB taught us Intelligence Age.” to think critically and to adapt to at St. Mary's Hospital, Long Beach, change. This is proving increasingly California. Shawki is proud to be an crucial in our Artificial Intelligence AUB alumnus and will always think of Adib Kouteili Age.” Adib lives in Ho Chi Minh City, his experience there as an important (BE ’83) Vietnam. chapter in his life. He is presently in private practice specializing in general, vascular, and endovascular surgery. In addition, Dr. Saad has been the medical director of trauma services at Dignity 62 63

Supérieure des Affaires in 2006, and products ranging from high-end returning to work as a quality, health, computer servers to low-power mobile safety, and environmental manager at SoCs (system-on-a-chip). He designed what I refer to as my second family, the and led the development of several SoC facilities management company interfaces including memory, camera, Maintenance Management Group. In and display IPs. An avid supporter of 1990s 2006 I traveled to Lisbon, Portugal for local science fairs, Jihad has served as a stem cell surgery for my spinal cord grand award judge in several local and injury, which was only marginally national science fairs—most notably the successful. In 2007, I vacationed in International Science and Engineering Cyprus, Italy, Jordan, and Turkey. In Fair in Phoenix, Arizona. When not 2008, I met my wife Sahar Hanna, a working, he enjoys spending time with math teacher. We fell in love and his family, watching sports, and married in 2010. Our lovely daughter exercising. Adriana was born in 2011. In August “I believe that 2017, I published my first book, The the logical, DeceptiveTruth . It is now in libraries analytic thinking and bookstores throughout Lebanon, I gained from my and online at Amazon.com, Apple’s engineering iBooks Store, goodreads.com, and (BA ’91, MA ’02) and school education Sally kaya Fouad antoineonline, among others. I believe Najjar (BBA ’87) After finishing a at AUB gave me that the logical, analytic thinking I master’s degree in philosophy, Sally gained from my engineering school the strength began working at the AUB Office of to face any education at AUB gave me the strength 2000s Communications where she is currently to face any challenge squarely, not challenge publications director. Fouad held accept defeat, and stand up for life.” Fady Hocheimy (BBA ’01, MBA ’03) is squarely, not several positions abroad after obtaining [[email protected]] the owner and managing director of accept defeat, his CPA and CFE certificates in the MFH Group in Gambia, West Africa. The and stand up United States. He is currently based in MFH Group is a holding company that for life.” Lebanon as CFO of MTC Group. On acts as a distributor for a number of September 28, 2016, Sally and Fouad Rafka Bou Habib (BS ’93, MD ’97) After international consumer products and became the proud parents of twin boys. Michel Madi earning his MD, Raf昀ka did a residency services including LG Electronics. They are particularly grateful to the (BE ’93) at AUBMC in obstetrics and gynecology. doctors of AUBMC who stewarded He has two clinics and works in six Sally’s pregnancy and delivered two hospitals, including Clemenceau. healthy babies, Elie and Alexander Married with two children, Raf昀ka Raghid Bitar (BS ’98, MD ’02) Raghid (held by Sally in the photo). reports that he is very fulfilled. did a general surgery residency with a “Twenty-five years after earning my fellowship in minimally invasive biology degree at AUB, it feels like only surgery at the University of North yesterday. I have many good memories Carolina (UNC), Chapel Hill. He is and even nostalgia for the good old currently an assistant professor of days. I am so fond of my alma mater surgery at UNC’s School of Medicine, and would be happy if my kids made it and chief of medical staff at Chatham to AUB, like I did. I feel that AUB has Hospital. Raghid lives in Chapel Hill contributed a lot to the person I am with his wife Sherene Wehbe Bitar today.” Raf昀ka lives in Rabieh, Mt. (BS ’99, MPH ’01) and children Leen Lebanon. [raf昀[email protected]] (12), Abdallah (10), and Jude (4). He has been involved with the WAAAUB North Carolina Chapter since its inception.

jihad Abbas (BE ’98) graduated with a degree in electrical engineering. He was Michel Madi (BE ’93) writes, “After my the recipient of the Penrose Award, the Hassan Abou jerji (BS ’03) writes, “It graduation from AUB, I remained in Charlie Korban Award, and the has been 15 years since our graduation Lebanon working in the electrical Distinguished Alumni Award. He from AUB! I have settled in Canada and contracting field. In 2003, I had a earned a master’s degree at the work in the field of risk management serious accident at work—a two-story University of North Carolina, Charlotte and internal audit at TD Bank Group in free fall that made me a paraplegic. in 2000. That same year he joined Intel Toronto.” Since then, I have been in a wheelchair Corporation in Chandler, Arizona, but fully independent, using my own where he lives today. As a design car, earning an MBA from École engineer, Jihad worked on several AUB Everywhere

Wadih Haddad (BBA ’03) After Tania Tarraf (BA ’08) writes: “I believe to pursue a fellowship in reproductive graduation, Wadih worked for a that the years that I spent at AUB are endocrinology and infertility at multinational logistics company. He what allowed me to have a versatile Université de Montréal. His current later founded The Box, a self-storage career which included work in research, challenges are researching novel risk company in Dubai, that now has public relations and policy, the news factors for ectopic pregnancy in assisted locations in Beirut and Qatar. He has industry, and international reproduction and surviving the frosty been married for six years and has a humanitarian aid. In the heart of the winter of the city. four-year-old son. Wadih has lived in Middle East, AUB offers its students a Dubai since 2003. plethora of ideas, unforgettable [[email protected]] experiences, and an unbreakable bond [www.theboxme.com] with its alumni. AUB has historically Salam Salem (BS ’13) writes, “Looking played a pivotal role in shaping the back I always thank AUB for making me minds of the region and it will continue the strong, independent woman I am to do so. My favorite pastime includes today. Thank you for preparing me for Charbel Rameh (BS ’99, MD ’03) writes, walking around campus with my son the good and the bad. AUB, I am forever “AUB is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and a good cup of coffee.” grateful.” that should not be missed. Fourteen years after leaving, I still miss its classes, its outdoors, my post office box, West Hall, and the Green Oval—all Ward Wehbeh Christofi (BE ’08) is ziad yamut (BA ’14) Although Ziad these corners with memories—AUB, currently working as a financial enrolled in AUB in 1986, it wasn't until thank you for those great days.” accountant and international financial 2014 that he earned a degree in public Charbel is an otolaryngologist. reporting standards audit coordinator administration. Forced to abandon his for an offshore group of companies. AUB studies to help his family during She is a member of the Institute of the civil war, the hardships he Mayssa Shaaban (BA ’03) graduated Chartered Accountants in England encountered did nothing to dampen his with a bachelor’s degree in elementary and Wales, Associate Chartered spirits. Working as an MSFEA library education. She taught at Brummana Accountant (ACA) and the Cyprus assistant is only the beginning for Ziad, High School in Lebanon for four years Institute of Internal Auditors. Ward lives who devotes as much time as he can to before she got married and moved to in Nicosia, Cyprus with her husband his passion for the arts. “The fine arts Saudi Arabia in 2007. Mayssa has two Giorgos Christofi and their two children: and performing arts refine your being. children: Omar, age 7; and Mia, age 3. Eva (7); and Athanasios (3). When you sing, draw, sculpt, and She lives in Toronto, Canada where she [[email protected]] photograph, you find yourself continues to pursue a teaching career. connected with creative ideas that take you away from the physical, materialistic world.” His motto is, “Be yourself no matter what they say.” Lama Tassabihji (BA ’03) writes, “Wow! [[email protected]] 15 years already :) Time does f昀ly when you are living your adventure! I still remember my first day as a freshman at AUB like it was yesterday! Sitting at the 2010s Green Oval and sipping Abu Naji coffee! After graduating from AUB I moved to “AUB has historically Dubai where I started teaching; a job so played a pivotal role in emotionally fulfilling and exhausting at shaping the minds of the same time. I can fully relate to our the region and it will teachers back then! I left teaching two continue to do so. My years ago and am now back to a passion that started at AUB, and that’s writing! favorite pastime includes KeepSmiling,it'scontagious!” walking around campus with my son and a good cup of coffee.”

Maryam Fahd (BBA ’08) is currently the TaniaTarraf protocol assistant to the US ambassador Serge M. Mattar (MD ’13) is training to (BA ’08) in Lebanon. She also works as a be an infertility specialist. After earning freelance event planner. his medical degree, he completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at AUBMC. He then moved to Montreal 64 65

In Memoriam

Abdul Mohsen Al-Qattan (BBA ’51), passed on to found and manage several successful Alumni away on December 4 in London, England. companies operating in the Middle East and Born in Jaffa, Palestine in 1928, Al-Qattan’s Europe. Deeply committed to education and family was forced to f昀lee during the Nakba, supporting the Palestinian people and while the 20-year-old Abdul Mohsen was culture, Al-Qattan founded the A. M. Qattan enrolled at AUB. He went on to become an Foundation (London, Ramallah, and Gaza) in internationally successful businessman and a 1993. Today, the foundation is one of the distinguished philanthropist dedicated to his leading charitable institutions in the region. homeland and to promoting education in the It focuses on development efforts for Abdul Mohsen Al-Qattan Arab world. He was a member of the AUB children, teachers, and young artists. A great (BBA ’51) Board of Trustees from 1995 to 2003 and was believer in the power of education to subsequently elected as a trustee emeritus. transform and uplift, Al-Qattan generously After graduating from AUB, Al-Qattan worked supported Birzeit University and his alma as a teacher in Jordan and then moved to mater, establishing an endowed scholarship Kuwait where he was controller general of the at AUB and supporting the rebuilding of Ministry of Water and Electricity. In 1963, he College Hall, among other contributions. He founded Al Hani Construction and Trading is predeceased by his wife Leila, and survived Company, which grew to become one of by his four children, Najwa (BA ’77), Hani, Kuwait’s largest construction firms. He went Leenah, and Omar.

Lutfi Najib Diab , PhD (BA ’51) was born in Edwin Terry Prothro, who was his colleague Jdeidet Marjeyoun and passed away in Beirut in psychology and with whom he on September 29 at the age of 88. He served co-authored the book, ChangingFamily AUB with high distinction for over 40 years PatternsintheArabEast , in 1974. In 1985, at and helped shepherd the University through the height of the Civil War, Dr. Diab became turbulent times as dean of the Faculty of dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Arts and Sciences and as acting president. remained in this post for 12 years, serving Dr. Diab graduated from AUB with a BA in under four AUB presidents. This was at a time psychology and received his PhD from the when AUB presidents worked from the New Lutfi Najib Diab University of Oklahoma. He returned to AUB York Office, leaving the daily running of (BA ’51) in 1957 to serve as an instructor in psychology affairs to the deans and acting presidents in and soon moved up the ranks to assistant, Beirut. During this period, Dr. Diab also associate, and full professor, first in the served as acting president of the University Department of Psychology and later the (1986-87), first under Calvin Plimpton and

Notices for Department of Social and Behavioral then under Frederic P. Herter. After serving as In Memoriam Sciences. He became assistant dean in 1968 acting president, he remained as dean until may be sent to and, one year later, associate dean of the 1997 and as a professor until his retirement [email protected] Faculty of Arts and Sciences under Dean in 1999. Dr. Diab is survived by his wife In Memoriam

Salwa Makdah (BA ’68, MA ’70) and five University and its Medical Center against Alumni children—all graduates of AUB: Rula (BA ’92, enormous odds remains an inspiration to us MA ’96), Najib (BBA ’93, MBA ’95), Samar all. The entire AUB community owes Dr. Lutfi (BA ’95, MA ’99), Dima (BS ’98, MD ’02), and Diab a debt of gratitude for his exemplary Dalia (BA ’01). President Fadlo R. Khuri service and dedication. We have lost a pillar commented, “His steadfast determination to of the University.” maintain the integrity and high ideals of the

Frances Elizabeth Shultz Skory (BA ’51) was Switzerland, Germany, and Saudi Arabia. In born in 1928 and passed away on October 14. Danville, Pennsylvania, she was nominated As an AUB student, she was an active member Woman of the Year for her volunteer work of the AUB Drama Club where she made with the Red Cross blood donation effort. In life-long friends and met her husband, later years, Mrs. Skory volunteered at the David. Mrs. Skory was born in Philadelphia, Branigan Library in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Pennsylvania; grew up in Port Arthur, Texas; She is predeceased by her husband David and traveled extensively with her husband, an and her son Michael, and survived by her Frances Elizabeth international lawyer, and their growing family children David, Elizabeth, Sulaf, Carol, Shultz Skory of six children. Always civically minded, Mrs. and John; six grandchildren; and seven (BA ’51) Skory received honors for her leadership of step-grandchildren. the Girl Scouts in the United States, Italy,

Mona Chemali khalaf (BA ’61, MA ’64) Khalaf generously donated her exceptional passed away on January 6, 2018 while visiting energy, expertise, and leadership to her alma her family in New York City. After earning her mater. She joined AUB’s President’s Club in bachelor’s degree with distinction, Khalaf 1992 and became its chair in 2011, working became the first woman to obtain a master’s tirelessly to build on its philanthropic mission degree in economics at AUB. She went on to to improve the student experience. Under her become a faculty member at Beirut University visionary guidance, the President’s Club College, which was renamed Lebanese renovated student social spaces; equipped Mona Chemali khalaf American University (LAU) in 1994. A lifelong smart classrooms, computer labs, and fitness (BA ’61, MA ’64) advocate for women’s rights and areas; sponsored international sports empowerment, Khalaf was a renowned tournaments; supported social and cultural intellectual and activist in gender and social activities, and produced a number of stellar development issues in the Arab world. She exhibitions and publications highlighting served on numerous boards and commissions, different aspects of AUB’s storied history, with including the Advisory Board of the Gender research and archival assistance from the Economic Research and Policy Analysis University Libraries and its Archives and initiative (GERPA) established by the World Special Collections Department. Khalaf is Bank and the Center of Arab Women for survived by her son, Dr. Amin Khalaf (BA ’90), Training and Research, the Lebanese NGO and her daughter Nada. She is predeceased by Commission for the Preparation of the 1995 her husband, Dr. Nadim Khalaf, who was a Beijing World Conference on Women; the longtime professor and former chair of AUB’s National Commission for Lebanese Women Economics Department. (NCLW); and the Board of Trustees of the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women. From 1997-2005, Mrs. Khalaf was director of LAU’s Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World. She served on the editorial board of the institute’s journal, Al Raida(ThePioneer) , and authored numerous publications. 66 67

Talal Toufic Farah , PhD (BA ’62, MA ’70) University of London, on a British Council Alumni passed away on September 20, in London. He scholarship, and completed his doctorate in was born in 1939 in Baghdad, where his father history in 1977, the same year he married Leila Dr. Toufic Farah, an MD from Hamat, Batroun Zakharia. He later worked as a lecturer at District in North Lebanon, had a medical SOAS and founded Talis House, a research practice. Educated at the Tripoli School for and consultancy firm in London. Dr. Farah Boys, Talal enrolled at AUB in 1958 earning was an indispensable member of WAAAUB’s his BA in political science and public UK Chapter, having served as its chairman administration. Following graduation, he from 2006 until his death. He is deeply Talal Toufic Farah worked for the Ford Foundation and ARAMCO mourned by the chapter and a wide network (BA ’62, MA ’70) in Saudi Arabia. He obtained a Rockefeller of AUB friends. He is predeceased Foundation scholarship that enabled him to by his wife, his brother Elias, and his sister earn a master’s degree while teaching at IC. Najwa. His siblings Umayma and Farah In 1971, Dr. Farah enrolled in The School survive him, along with his two sons, Toufic of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), and Elias.

Raghid kazem El-Solh , (BA ’64) was born in contributor to Al-Hayat (UK) and Al-Khaleej 1942 and passed away on February 1. He was (UAE) newspapers. He participated in various buried in his beloved Beirut in February 2017. local and satellite TV political programs and He earned a master’s in political science, lectured on and produced working papers for University of London (1978) and a doctorate conferences on international and Arab in politics/international relations, University regional issues. He authored several books, of Oxford (1986). His consultancy work for most notable of which are Britain’sTwoWars the UN and other organizations covered Arab withIraq and LebanonandArabism1936-1945 . regional affairs, democracy and governance, He was also editor of TheSultanateofOman Raghid kazem El-Solh justice, and human rights. In one of the many ArchivalSeries1914-1945 . Dr. El-Solh is (BA ’64) obituaries honoring his life and achievements, survived by his older siblings Hana and he was lauded as a “a model of moral human Khaldoun, his Egyptian/Irish wife Camillia, elegance.” Dr. El-Solh was a regular daughter Lina, and two grandchildren.

Mari Ishii Darghawth (BA ’75) Mari returned to Kuwait and worked at Japan The following memorial tribute was Airlines Regional Vice President’s Office for 14 written by Mari’s husband and daughters: years. Due to the 1990 invasion of Kuwait, the It is with great sorrow that we announce the family moved to England, where she worked peaceful passing of Mari Ishii Darghawth with Mizumi UK Corporation until moving (BA ’75) on July 21, 2016, in Mississauga, back to Beirut, Lebanon in 1994. The family Ontario, Canada, at the age of 64, surrounded decided to immigrate to Canada in 1996 and by her family. She was the cherished daughter settled in Mississauga, Ontario. Mari worked of Fumio and Noriko Ishii, beloved wife of 37 at the Head Office of Air Canada from 1997 Mari Ishii Darghawth years to Bashar Darghawth, (BS ’72, MS ’75), until 2016 as a corporate accounts analyst. (BA ’75) and devoted mother to Maya Darghawth- We will forever miss her innate calmness, Sequeira and Rasha Darghawth. Mari was quiet self昀lessness, and biting sense of humor. born in Japan (1952) and moved to Kuwait in 1966 where her parents resided and worked. “When you are sorrowful look again in your She attended high school at the American heart, and you shall see that in truth you are Notices for In Memoriam School of Kuwait, Leysin American School in weeping for that which has been your may be sent to Switzerland, and then to AUB for her delight.” – Kahlil Gibran [email protected] university studies. After graduating in 1975, In Memoriam

Talaat Mohammed khalil (aka Todd Kaleel) medical professional was chief medical officer Alumni (BS ’73, MD ’77) was born in 1950 and passed at Bay Pines Veterans Hospital where he away after a long battle with lung cancer on served US veterans. He will be remembered September 28 at his home in Sand Key, for his passion for history and world cultures Florida. He completed a fellowship in surgery and for his work helping people suffering at Alexandria University, Egypt and received from disease and oppression. Dr. Khalil is board certification in family medicine at the survived by his wife Marilyn; six siblings, University of Texas Medical Branch in Ibrahim, Gamal, Mohammed, Hamdi, Ahmed, Talaat Mohammed Galveston, Texas. Dr. Khalil had a private and Samia; stepchildren Michelle, Heather, khalil medical practice in the Tampa Bay, Florida Sean, and Matthew; and six grandchildren. (BS ’73, MD ’77) area for many years. His last position as a

Amal Abu Shakra (BA ’79), the daughter of Guildford, UK. From 1987-93 she completed the late Mohammad Abu Shakra (MD ’31), post-doctoral appointments at the National passed away in Durham, North Carolina on Institute of Environmental Health Sciences August 26 at the age of 61. Born in Chiyah in and at the US Environmental Protection Beirut’s southern suburbs to a family from Agency, both in Research Triangle Park, North Ammatour, in the Shouf District in Mount Carolina. In 1994, she joined North Carolina Lebanon, Abu Shakra studied at the National Central University in Durham as a professor College of Choueifat, now known as The of biology and biochemistry. Abu Shakra is Amal Abu Shakra International School of Choueifat. After survived by her husband, Dr. Wittold Winnik (BA ’79) earning her BS in agriculture and a Diplomaof (who works at the US Environmental IngenieurAgricole , Abu Shakra received an MS Protection Agency), and her siblings Eyad, in food and management science from the Maha, and Hassan, all of whom are AUB University of London, UK, and a PhD in alumni. Her brother Eyad, is an active biochemistry from the University of Surrey, member of WAAAUB’s UK Chapter.

Charles D. Adwan (BA ’98) After earning a wife Kelly and three-year old son, William master’s degree in public administration from Charles. Charles also leaves behind his the Harvard Kennedy School, Mr. Adwan parents, brother Najib, and sister Carla. worked as a governance and anti-corruption specialist at the World Bank for the Middle He is remembered by one of his professors, East and North Africa (MENA) region. He Dr. Charlotte Karam, associate professor of quickly established himself as an emerging organizational behavior and associate dean leader in the field of governance, social of programs at the Olayan School of Business, Charles D. Adwan development, and political and economic “Full of life, deep commitments, and dreams (BA ’98) reform. He led work on governance and for a better Lebanon, Charles was a anti-corruption in Lebanon and on game-changing strategist who loved smooth governance dialogue in Syria. Mr. Adwan whiskey, Time-Out, Wittgenstein, and Cuban was the founding executive director of the cigars. At AUB he was involved in the Student Lebanese Transparency Association (the Representative Committee elections and in the Lebanon chapter of Transparency lively political debates on campus. With his International) and played a substantive role passion and vision, Charles mobilized many in the establishment of several national, AUBites (and others), leading them toward regional, and global networks such as the significant impact through models and Arab Region Parliamentarians against mechanisms of better governance, Corruption (ARPAC) and the Lebanon transparency, and policy reform. Throughout Corporate Governance Task Force (LCGTF). it all, he was a witty, optimistic, and kind His published research focused on pluralism human being; a proud AUB FAS alumni –one and civil society, freedom of information, who left us far too early.” nepotism, electoral reform, and corruption in post-war reconstruction. He is survived by his 68 69

Insights from Researchers on the Ground in the Arab World

AUB’s New York Office has launched a social media age. Other programs series of events entitled AUB New York featured Assistant Professor Martin City Briefings: Research Knowledge and Keulertz and incoming FAFS Dean Rabi Insights from the Arab World. This Mohtar discussing food security threats initiative pairs faculty, experts, and in the region, and a discussion of the students in Beirut, the MENA region, impact of climate change with Professor and the United States to address Nadim Farajalla, director of IFI’s cutting-edge issues in a live, video- Climate Change and Environment linked briefing and roundtable. Program, with Dr. Anders Jägerskog, a senior water resource management On December 8, 2017 internationally specialist at the World Bank. syndicated columnist and journalist in residence Rami Khouri; media analyst For information on AUB’s upcoming and WashingtonPost columnist David New York-Beirut Briefings, contact: Ignatius; and AUB Director of Media [email protected] AUB Assistant Professor of Food Security Martin Keulertz and Studies May Farah addressed how US FAFS Dean Rabi Mohtar (on journalists cover the Middle East in the screen)

Washington Post Columnist David Ignatius, AUB Director of Communications for North America Alison Freeland, IFI Senior Fellow Rami Khouri Return Address

American University of Beirut 3 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza 8th Floor New York, NY 10017-2303

Artist’s impression of the Center for Advancement in Science and Engineering (to be located in the lower northeast section of campus) as proposed in the Campus Master Plan by the Dar Group.