The President's Annual Report
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THE PRESIDENT’S ANNUAL REPORT TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES November 2008 American University of Beirut Beirut, Lebanon TABLE OF CONTENTS President of the University....................................................................................3 Provost ....................................................................................................................5 Vice President for Facilities ..................................................................................8 Vice President for Finance ..................................................................................17 Vice President for Regional External Programs...............................................20 Vice President for Development & External Relations ....................................24 Vice President for Human Resources.................................................................39 Vice President of Medical Affairs and Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center...........................................................42 Dean, Faculty of Arts and Sciences ....................................................................56 Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture ...............................................60 Dean, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences.............................................63 Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences........................................................................66 Dean, Olayan School of Business........................................................................69 Dean of Student Affairs.......................................................................................74 Center for Advanced Mathematical Studies .....................................................76 Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy ..............................................................79 Office of the Registrar .........................................................................................83 Director of Admissions ........................................................................................85 Director of Financial Aid.....................................................................................87 Computing & Networking Services……………………………………………89 Director of Academic Computing.......................................................................92 University Libraries.............................................................................................95 AUB Museum .......................................................................................................98 Office of Institutional Research & Assessment...............................................101 Office of Grants & Contracts............................................................................104 Director of Internal Audit.................................................................................108 Institutional Planning & Process Improvement..............................................110 Appendix A (Admissions)..................................................................................111 Appendix B (Financial Aid) ..............................................................................116 2 PRESIDENT The last months have shed interesting light on the extent to which Lebanon occupies a unique political and financial niche in the Middle East. Recent meetings between Lebanese leaders of internal political movements of all stripes have given rise to cautious optimism here that the recent tendency to resolve issues by show of force, as exemplified by the May events of last spring, has begun to yield to a determination to achieve a degree of outward calm in advance of national elections, which are to take place in May 2009. Only more time will tell whether such rapprochement proves to be truly effective, widespread, or long-term, yet such signs are embraced as positive progress, with the hope frequently expressed that the elections themselves will prove to be less prone to violent demonstrations than in the past. AUB can feel especially proud that, during a reception at West Hall on October 24, hosted by the WAAAUB, in honor of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and ten other government ministers (all of whom are AUB alumni), the sense of camaraderie and common roots among these politicians from different segments of the political spectrum were prominently on display. Meanwhile, in this land of contrasts, and in the context of worldwide sinking markets and global financial meltdown, Lebanese banks are among the few pillars left standing. As the academic year opens, both student enrollment and faculty numbers have remained roughly as projected, and the beginning of classes has been observed without any indication of discontent on the part of students at the higher cost of tuition for 2008-09. Budgeting will remain a major preoccupation for us in terms of this year’s financial crisis, but it is satisfying to note that the Development Office has ended its most successful year ever, bringing in over $30 million. Two searches are presently very much at the forefront of my mind, one for Provost and the other for Dean/VP for Medical Affairs. Both are well underway, with a preliminary short list already in hand for the Provost’s job announcement and candidates to be interviewed during the November meeting of the Board. The search process for the Dean/VP for Medical Affairs is about two months behind the former, with applications and nominations now being received, but no formal committee action as yet. As part of an effort to familiarize myself with this complex institution, I have begun a series of meetings with all University faculty, in order to connect with departments on campus and to learn more about the issues that are of primary concern to individual faculty members. Due to the importance of the search for Dean/VP for Medical Affairs, I have started with the Faculty of Medicine and will move on to Arts and Sciences, moving initially through the two largest faculty bodies. One of my concerns in these sessions (but by no means the only one discussed) has been to learn more about faculty recruitment, faculty retention, and the promotion process, issues that shed light on AUB’s commitment to the future of its academic programs and its ability to mentor junior scholars in a manner most productive to their research profile and their service to the community. These discussions have been enlightening, candid, and of great importance to my own education. 3 The accreditation process through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education proceeds apace, with the advance visit of Dr. Tim Sullivan, the team leader, occurring during the October meetings of the Board in Beirut. His preliminary comments following that visit will be most helpful to us during the task of finalizing the draft of the Self-Study Report, now being revised under the supervision of Acting Provost Waddah Nasr. The final version will be posted on the AUB web site from November to early December and will be open to comments from all members of the AUB community; remarks from the Board of Trustees will be especially welcome. By mid-January all additional feedback will be incorporated and the final Report sent to the full accreditation team, whose visit is expected the first week in March. We have high hopes at this time that the accreditation process will be conducted in person by the usual team of eight or nine members, rather than by teleconference. I draw your attention to three other highly anticipated accreditation processes, which reflect the aspirations our Faculties have for recognition by prestigious accrediting agencies: ABET for the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture; the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business for the Olayan School of Business; and Magnet status by the American Nurses Credentialing Center for the School of Nursing. One theme that I realize has consumed a good deal of trustees’ time this year--and is likely to do so for much of the coming year--is strategic planning. We are presently at work on combining the campus and medical center plans into a single strategic document that, I trust, will be couched in language broad enough to encompass the goals of the institution as a whole, yet can take into account the specific goals and needs of the hospital operations. The second major strategic question is how best to position AUB in the context of newly established universities in Lebanon, the region, and especially the Gulf, where huge financial resources have spurred the founding of schools and programs, occasionally in partnership with prestigious American institutions, that can and will compete with AUB in important ways. The success of our own positioning will, I believe, depend very much on the extent to which we are able (or are allowed) to replicate our mission and our unique qualities outside of a Lebanese milieu. Peter F. Dorman President 4 PROVOST The resilience of the American University of Beirut as an institution and its ability to cope with adverse external conditions have been frequently tested throughout its history, and academic year 2007-08 is no exception. Regional tensions and unresolved internal conflicts in Lebanon, which peaked in Beirut on May 7, 2008, posed additional challenges to our efforts to continue to recruit and retain students and faculty. That recruitment at both of these levels has been quite successful is further evidence that the good reputation and prestige of AUB continue to attract high quality students and faculty. However,