Thirteen teams from universities across Lebanon competed at LAU’s 2nd Mathematics Tournament (LAU-MT 2018) on Byblos campus this month, which coincided with the annual Lebanese Society for Mathematical Sciences (LSMS) conference on May 11 and 12.

Organized by the Department of Computer Science and Mathematics, the two-hour tournament comprised three exams: algebra, analysis and combinatorics.

The questions were drafted by a 15-member scientific committee, chaired by LAU Associate Professor of Mathematics Chadi Nour and made up of faculty from LAU and participating universities.

The two-person teams included two from LAU, and 11 from other universities. Students from the Lebanese University took first place, Saint Joseph second and LAU third.

First-place winner Ayman Zein said the questions “pushed us to critically think about the solution and not just try to implement an equation. They show you how beautiful math is, and that it is more than just a set of equations.”

Second-place winner Mariam Abou Daher described the tournament as a “beautiful experience, because it allows us to meet students studying math but from other universities.” She said the tournament was also a platform to meet with math professors and discuss ideas and future plans.

“As for the exam itself, with the questions you have, it allows you to work as a team and to develop your critical thinking,” she added.

The tournament was the “ideal event to attend as a graduating student,” said LAU senior Christopher Antoun, “as it wrapped up the mathematical knowledge I've gained during my undergraduate studies.”

He said the contest pushed the students to “think of challenging questions on the spot and to collaborate with colleagues. It also gave me the opportunity to get to know students all around Lebanon who share similar interests.”

For principal organizer and Associate Professor of Mathematics Rony Touma, the tournament “is not meant to be a challenge between institutions; it’s a challenge between students. It’s an opportunity to motivate them and tell them more about recent studies in mathematics, and hopefully get them attracted to research.”

LSMS – a sponsor of the tournament – played a supervisory role “to ensure transparency in the entire process from writing the questions, through the grading to the generation of the results.” Touma said that its involvement also gave the tournament a nationwide credibility. “We see them as our partners,” he added.

At the end of the competition, all participants received an accredited certificate of participation endorsed by LSMS, while the winning teams also received gifts, which included tablets, smart watches and smart earphones.

Nour said the students were “better prepared compared to last year, and the reason was the availability of last year’s questions online on the LAU-MT website. This was reflected in the better grades obtained this year.”

Nour, who is also on the LSMS conference’s organizing committee, said, “It was a challenge to hold both events in parallel,” but added that both proved to be a great success.

The conference, sponsored by the National Council for Scientific Research and Byblos Municipality, featured speakers Giovanni Colombo from the University of Padua, Italy; Bernhard Lamel of the University of Vienna; Adélia Sequeira of Instituto Superior Técnico, Portugal; and Vera Zeidan of Michigan State University.

Proud middle- and high-school students marched across the stage at Irwin Hall Auditorium to cheers from their parents, teachers and friends at the Global Classroom Model United Nations Award and Closing Ceremony Saturday. LAU officially announced the end of this year’s GCI-MUN program with 263 awards distributed and hundreds of lives changed.

LAU has had a strong and successful Model UN program since 2005, and since 2016, the university has been running the Global Classroom International Model UN, sending middle and high school students from across Lebanon to New York to convene with their peers from around the world. LAU students in the MUN program act as trainers for the young model delegates and help them prepare for their simulation exercises.

“This culture of diplomacy continues unabated, full of vigor and very robust,” Assistant Vice President for Outreach and Civic Engagement Elie Samia, whose department runs the program, told the middle- and high-school students on stage.

“You have displayed intellectual density, intelligence and diplomatic prowess in terms of performance, knowledge, research, role-playing and public speaking, and for this, I congratulate you.”

After months of training and preparation earlier this spring, 3,200 delegates from 197 Lebanese schools underwent a final conference, in which they were graded according to a transparent and accurate system. The winners of that conference were granted Secretary General, Diplomacy and Position Paper awards at Saturday’s ceremony, some of which will be translated into scholarships, allowing the winners to enroll at LAU and join the 203 MUN members who trained them.

On behalf of LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra, Samia congratulated the student leaders for their hard work in the five MUN divisions: school relations, logistics and operations, public information, public relations, and educational development and training. He also thanked the school advisors, without whom, he said, the program would have been impossible.

Standing in front of a picture of LAU’s delegation at the UN General Assembly in New York, Samia explained that the university spends six days every year at the most prestigious venue in the world, representing the highest levels of diplomacy. “If we can make it there, we can make it anywhere,” he said, quoting a Frank Sinatra song about New York.

The program’s secretary general, final-year LAU engineering student Fouad El Kadi, took the stage to commend the delegates’ transformation from young students to young diplomats. “You were given the torch, the torch that carries your calling for change, peace, leadership, diversity and diplomacy. So, no matter what path you choose, no matter the hardships thrown at you, do not forget the torch,” he said, urging the winning students to continue fulfilling their responsibility toward their community, country and the world.

Finally, the Best Delegation awards for middle and high school were distributed to Saint Joseph School and Jesus & Mary School respectively. The ceremony also featured performances by MUN’s Got Talent winners and featured a video showcasing the life-changing experience of joining the prestigious international program.

Head of Outreach and Civic Engagement Elie Samia addresses the crowd

Middle and high school students with their LAU trainers

Students gather on stage to be honored at the ceremony

LAU’s Centre for Lebanese Studies (CLS) and the University of Massachusetts Boston’s Institute for International and Comparative Education (IICE) have been jointly awarded a $461,981 grant from the Dubai Cares Evidence for Education in Emergencies (E-Cubed) Research Envelope. 

The title of the project is Promising Partnership Models for Education in Emergencies: A Global-Local Analysis. It aims to understand the roles played by private actors in Syrian refugee education, in partnership with each other and with public institutions at the global, national and more localized level of educational programming.

CLS and IICE’s proposal was one of four selected for funding by Dubai Cares out of 86 that were submitted following a call by the United Nations General Assembly late in 2017.  

“We were among the first to conduct research on the educational response to the Syrian refugee crisis,” said CLS Director Maha Shuayb. Indeed, just a couple of years into the crisis, which started not long after Syria’s civil war broke out in 2010, Shuayb and fellow researchers published a report on the measures taken by key stakeholders to respond to rising numbers of refugee children in need of an education. Her efforts did not stop there, and culminated in a large-scale workshop held at LAU last August that helped teachers of disadvantaged Lebanese and refugees grow their professional capacity.

Shuayb will be one of three principle investigators into this study, alongside Zeena Zakharia and Francine Menashy, both from the University of Massachusetts Boston. “We have a rich profile on this topic, so this must have played a big role in us winning the grant,” Shuayb explained.

The study will be split into five key phases spanning two years, starting with mapping out the key players at the global level, conducting site visits in Lebanon, identifying potential partnership case studies, pursuing in-depth case study ethnographies, and finally gathering and publishing the research findings in 2020.

One of the key objectives is to develop a set of guiding principles for partnerships that can be applied widely in education emergencies. “Our hope is that clearly articulated mechanisms for, and shared understandings of, coordination and community participation in different locales will have a positive impact on how partnerships are experienced by refugee and host communities, with measurable impact on students’ lives,” added Zakharia.

The extended significance of winning this grant is in bringing LAU one step closer to achieving its strategic plan in “producing an increased quantity and quality of research, the cutting-edge innovation of its delivery strategies and its collective drive toward expanding its academic and professional footprint beyond Lebanon.”

Children at a refugee camp in Lebanon. CLS received a grant to study the impact of the educational response to the Syrian refugee crisis.

LAU’s own Lina Abirafeh, director of the Institute for Women's Studies in the Arab World (IWSAW), made waves when she was included on the world’s 100 Most Influential People in Gender Policy in 2018, the first-annual compilation by Apolitical, an international platform for governments that gathers and produces research on topics relevant to civil servants. According to Apolitical, “Drawing on nominations from dozens of gender equality experts and leading organizations in the field, we aim to celebrate the people making our societies fairer and better to live in.”

The list, released May 23, honors those fighting for gender equality by policymaking, research, advocacy or other means. Also named were UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed, Pakistani education-rights activist Malala Yousafzai, Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Margot Wallström and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau. Abirafeh was one of two Arabs to make the list.

Abirafeh joined IWSAW in 2015 after having spent much of her previous career working on gender issues in development and humanitarian settings. With various UN agencies, she has traveled extensively to work on combatting gender-based violence and formulating solutions to issues facing women and girls in challenging world settings.

She completed a master’s in international economics and development at Johns Hopkins University and a PhD at the London School of Economics, publishing her 2009 book Gender and International Aid in Afghanistan: The Politics and Effects of Intervention based on her research. She also gave a widely viewed TEDx talk in 2015 based on her experience working on gender-based violence in emergency situations.

Abirafeh said of her life’s focus on gender-based and development work, “I began to see the world through a gendered lens as a teenager and knew that remedying those inequalities was what I would do for the rest of my life.”  

When she first joined IWSAW, Abirafeh became the third generation of women in her family to work with LAU.

IWSAW was founded in 1973, making it the first such institute in the Arab world. The institute works at the intersection of academia and activism by advancing women’s empowerment and gender equality through education, research, development programs and outreach at the national, regional and international levels.

Recent IWSAW projects include supporting exploration of gender issues through art and music, training local social workers to better help at-risk women and girls, and lobbying to fix problematic laws in Lebanon’s Penal Code. The institute also publishes a regular interdisciplinary journal on gender issues called Al-Raida, which “amplifies the voices and sheds light on the lived experiences of women in the Arab region by promoting scholarship on and by Arab women.”

“Achieving equality for women is the greatest human-rights challenge of our time – and the issue to which I’ve dedicated my life,” Abirafeh said. “And in the Arab region, our challenge is greater than ever! That’s why the institute is so critical – it combines both academic and activist approaches to build a foundation for equality and human rights.”

Upon receiving news of her inclusion on the 100 Most Influential People in Gender Policy list, Abirafeh said, “Today, we have the benefit of global momentum and grassroots movements all speaking to the universality of our cause. There is no possibility of peace, stability or prosperity in our region without the full engagement of women. This is a call to action for us all. And it presents an opportunity for IWSAW to scale in order to position itself as a global leader in the fight for women’s rights. Our time is now!”

LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra said, “We are extremely proud of Lina Abirafeh and IWSAW for this major achievement. From its beginning as the first school for girls in the entire Ottoman Empire, LAU has always taken gender and inclusion as among its guiding principles. It’s a proud day for LAU and the institute to see Lina recognized at a global level.”

The entire LAU family wishes Abirafeh and her colleagues at IWSAW the warmest of congratulations.  

Lina Abirafeh, director of the Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World (IWSAW)

LAU’s School of Pharmacy (SOP) is home to diverse faculty conducting research in exciting areas. Recently, the Marketing and Communications Department sat down with Associate Professor Hani Dimassi, to get a better sense of what motivates his research and how SOP supports his efforts.

You are a biostatistician with a background in epidemiology. How are these fields related?

While epidemiology is the science of studying disease distribution and risk factors, biostatistics is the application of statistics in the field of health. Many contemporary research designs have been developed by epidemiologists to answer specific inquiries, and they need the support of biostatisticians to help them analyze the data generated.

Where has your research taken you lately?

I have been looking in depth at the work environment for community pharmacists. In parallel, I started my own line of research into youth consumption of electronic cigarettes [handheld electronic devices that deliver nicotine to the user but do not create smoke].

Can you tell us more about these lines of research?  What have you found so far?

First, I’ve been interested in how the introduction of the Unified Prescription (UP) – a standardized prescription put into use across medical fields in Lebanon – has affected the work of the pharmacist. My team spoke to 300 community pharmacists all over the country, and also conducted some in-depth interviews. We learned that pharmacists are open to the idea of a UP but have their reservations, such as over the amount of paperwork it entails. We concluded that the UP is useful, but needs to be implemented with more support from the Ministry of Public Health and physicians.

A second question is: What are the determinants of patients’ trust in pharmacists? After conducting a survey with 3,000 participants in rural areas of Lebanon, we found that 20 percent said they trust pharmacists more [than their physician] when it comes to their medications. If people are ill, they put all their trust in the physician, but when they are getting their medications, they’re more willing to listen to their pharmacist. We also learned that pharmacists intervene in about 25 percent of medication prescription cases – such as clarifying prescriptions with physicians for change of dose or medication, depending on the situation. The implications are very important: Pharmacists play a crucial role in the medication-use process and in educating patients about their medications.

As for e-cigarettes, I conducted a survey among students at LAU, and found that a very low percentage currently use them. About 10 percent have ever tried e-cigarettes, although 60 percent report knowing someone in their entourage who has used them. Their use was more common among smokers of regular tobacco than non-smokers, meaning that e-cigarettes are not necessarily gateways to tobacco for non-smokers. Also, the use of the e-cigarette may possibly lead to a decrease in tobacco smoking.  

What factors have inspired you to follow your research paths? 

As my career progressed, it became clear to me that there is a need to study the work environment of pharmacists in Lebanon, particularly because what we learn from these studies could help us give direction to our pharmacy students. As for e-cigarettes, there has been a global debate about their risks to public health, and in Lebanon especially this seemed an important issue to address, because even though e-cigarettes have been blocked from being sold in Lebanon, their use is increasing among young people worldwide.

Where do you see your research evolving in the near future?

We need more research to better understand the pharmacist’s work environment. The role of pharmacists is evolving quickly internationally, and Lebanon offers a unique opportunity for change. Lebanon and the Lebanese population are unique in their way, and they could also offer a gateway to the Middle East and the entire region in terms of advancing pharmacy practice. Pharmacists are the last and essential line of checks between the patient and medication safety and efficacy.

How does being a faculty member at SOP help you in your research? 

Being a faculty member at SOP gives me the credibility I need when conducting research on these issues. But the support goes beyond that: I benefit from colleagues who can answer my questions and help me optimally prepare my research plan. Also, I can enlist students to help me collect data. I am very proud to rank sixth out of all LAU faculty on Google Scholar with 1,749 citations for my scientific publications [as of press time]. This would have been impossible without the support of the school and the academic freedom to do my research.

In parallel with his research on the work environment of community pharmacists, Hani Dimassi has been looking at youth consumption of e-cigarettes.

LAU athletes had, quite literally, more than a hundred reasons to celebrate at this year’s two Athletic Dinners, one for each of the two campuses. Apart from their amazing 96 wins across 12 different sports this year, they celebrated new teams, increased female participation in athletics, and the advancement and expansion of LAU’s courts and gyms.

“This year was very successful in terms of results, teams and firsts,” said Director of Athletics Sami Garabedian. He credited the wins to the athletes first and foremost, and to the larger LAU community, which, he said, never fails to encourage his players. He also noted the unwavering support they receive from LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra, Vice President for Student Development and Enrollment Management Elise Salem and deans of students Raed Mohsen and Makram Ouaiss.

The Athletics Dinner has always taken place at the end of every academic year. During the event, LAU recognizes its student athletes, called the Sailors on Beirut campus and the Captains in Byblos.

Ali Mansour and Tamara Zein won Athletes of the Year on Beirut campus, while Joseph Lahoud and his sister Rashel Lahoud seized the same titles on Byblos campus.

In terms of firsts celebrated this year, there was Alumni Athletics Day, bringing back to campus more than 150 alumni-athletes. The department also established a new women’s handball team, which went on to win first place in the University Sports Conference (USC) Handball League. LAU athletes have also, for the first time, promoted sports off the court through co-organizing campus events such as the LAU Fit Fair and Fun Days.

“LAU has always been and always will be in the forefront of inter-collegiate athletics,” said Garabedian. To name a few, LAU was the first to organize its annual high-school tournament 19 years ago, the first to hire a physical therapist and to introduce athletic scholarships, currently benefiting 114 students across both campuses.

Looking to the future, “LAU is working on the blueprints for expanding the Byblos fitness center,” declared Director of Athletics on Byblos campus Joe Moujaes, explaining that this expansion will add 270 square meters to the facility to accommodate more students and classes.

As for athletic excellence, some particular achievements stood out on the long list. The Track and Field team took home second place at the Dead to Red Desert Race in Jordan, where they ran, in relay, 242 kilometers from the shores of the Dead Sea all the way to the Gulf of Aqaba on the Red Sea. With the Dead Sea being the Earth’s lowest point on land, the entire race was in fact a gradual ascent of 415 meters. With similar endurance, teamwork and calculated moves, the Byblos Men’s Football Team won first place at the USC, and the Women’s Futsal Team came in second at the same tournament, and went on to win the American College of Greece Tournament in Athens.

With our Sailors and Captains at the helm, the LAU Trireme’s next stop will be in Belgrade, where 56 students from Beirut campus and 58 from Byblos will compete in the Belgrade Sports Tournament (BEST 2018) this week. Shortly after coming back, the Byblos Men’s Basketball Team will face off for the USC cup.

Lebanon is adding special flavor to La Biennale di Venezia, an international exhibition of architecture that takes place on a bi-annual basis in Venice, Italy. This is the first time Lebanon is participating, with the support of the Lebanese Ministry of Culture, and the Order of Engineers and Architects in Beirut.

The curator of the Lebanese exhibition is LAU’s own Hala Younes, assistant professor at the School of Architecture and Design (SArD). Leading a team of faculty and researchers from LAU and other universities, Younes curated the Lebanese Pavilion exhibition, titled The Place that Remains, which correlates with the Biennale’s theme of Free Space.

The exhibit includes a 3D model of the Beirut River Valley, featuring a small replica of a 200 square kilometer area. It also includes audiovisual mapping, aerial maps, and surveys from 1956 and 2015, showing vast differences in land and water use, and urban sprawl and development. The work of six photographers, co-curated by Alain Leloup, and historical aerial photos from the Lebanese army’s Directorate of Geographic Affairs, are also on display.

According to Younes, the aim of the exhibit was to “raise awareness about the territorial challenges in Lebanese society, because our heritage is not only architectural but lies also in geography and landscape.” It focuses on un-built land, the cultural characteristics of development, the prospect of improving the built environment, as well as the architect's social and cultural role. “We’re highlighting the way this territory is being transformed,” Younes said. “Within this span of time, we’ve seen the tremendous evolution of territories.” Younes wants visitors to come away from the exhibit thinking about “better use of land in terms of architecture, people’s relationship with nature, as well as open spaces and agriculture.”

The exhibit was unveiled on May 25 in Venice in the presence of the Lebanese Information Minister Melhem Riachi, Parliament Member Nehme Tohme, LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra, President of the Order of Engineers & Architects Jad Tabet, Lebanese Ambassador to Italy Mira Daher (herself an LAU alumna), representatives of the Ministry of Culture, Staff Brigadier Moustafa Mousallamani of the Army Geographical Affairs unit, and SArD Dean Elie Haddad. Also attending were a number of prominent local and international architects, as well as LAU faculty.

“We hope that this exhibition will play a role in raising awareness of this important dimension in architecture, the landscape that sustains our environment and makes human habitation possible,” said Dean Haddad. “This exhibition is an important first step in the process of future interventions at the Biennale.”

In preparation for the event, the Department of Architecture & Interior Design – in collaboration with the Department of Urbanism at the Lebanese University, the Lebanese Landscape Association and the Arab Center for Architecture – hosted a conference on the same topic, held in March 2018. The proceedings of the conference are already posted on the SArD website. In addition, the School of Architecture & Design sponsored the catalogue of the Biennale exhibition, published by SKIRA.

The Place that Remains will stay on exhibit in Venice until November 25, 2018. 

From left: SArD Visiting Associate Professor Claudio Sgarbi, with President Jabbra and Dean Haddad.

Younes with Assistant Professor Roula El-Khoury, and Jina Obeid.

From left: President Jabbra, Nizar Younes, Hala Younes, Elie Haddad and Jad Tabet.

A perspective view of the Lebanese Pavilion.

Hala Younes expounding on the exhibit which included a 3D model of the Beirut River Valley, audiovisual mapping, aerial maps, and surveys from 1956 and 2015.

After years of hard work, 67 graduates of the University Scholarship Program (USP), funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), stood with pride as LAU faculty, USAID officials, parents and friends applauded in celebration of the class’s graduation. LAU bid farewell to the fourth cohort of USP graduates and prepared to welcome a new group of students. USP offers full scholarships to public school students to pursue higher education. Students are required to engage in volunteer work, attend leadership and career workshops, and complete internships to hone the skills necessary for successful careers after graduation.

USAID representatives in attendance included the USAID Mission Director Dr. Anne Patterson, Director of the Office of Education Bruce McFarland, Senior Education Specialist Zeina Farhat Salame, and Outreach Specialist Michelle S. Rustom.

USP, which started in 2010, “has brought about greener pastures, educational leadership and civic engagement,” said LAU’s Assistant Vice President for Outreach and Civic Engagement Elie Samia, who coordinates the program. He emphasized that the program’s three objectives – dedication to academic excellence, civic mindedness and productive employment – have been fully met thanks to LAU’s commitment to student-centeredness.

LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra thanked the American people for their generosity and congratulated the students: “As the moment of separation comes closer, I stand in awe of what you have been able to achieve.” Underlining the important role played by youth in rebuilding Lebanon, Dr. Jabbra added, “You will go out there either to pursue your studies further, to find a very successful job or to build a family, but most importantly, to respond to the needs of our beloved Lebanon.”

Jabbra noted that the graduates will be joining an extended network of 45,000 alumni across 43 chapters all around the world. Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations Abdallah Al Khal welcomed the new alumni and invited them to remain connected to their alma mater through a chapter specially established for USP graduates.

Two distinguished USP graduates gave their testimonials and agreed that their experience at LAU had been nothing less than life changing. “After applying for USP, I answered the phone call with excitement, since I knew that moment would change my life forever, and it did,” said Nay Awkar, a new graduate of the Nursing Program. Majd El Fakih gave his colleagues inspirational advice. “We are now at a stage when we are sculpting the future that we want. So do your best and never be satisfied with less than the best. And always give back and enjoy service.”

On behalf of USAID, Dr. Patterson expressed her pleasure and pride in celebrating the students’ graduation, hard work and commitment to their communities. “Today’s graduation is a testament of the power of education,” she stressed. “I am confident that with the solid foundation you received here at LAU, you will not only make important contributions to your communities, but you will help build a democratic, politically stable and economically strong Lebanon.”

Representatives from USAID and the US Embassy, along with members of the LAU family and graduating USP students

Innovation is growth. This is something LAU recognizes in its third strategic plan, which declares the need to “deploy an integrated program of pedagogical innovation.” In that spirit, the School of Pharmacy (SOP) Faculty Professional Development Committee (FPDC) and the Outreach and Civic Engagement unit (OCE) organized a workshop titled: The Power of Innovation, given by Assistant Vice President of OCE Elie Samia.

The half-day workshop kicked off with examples of well-known global brands that have constantly and consistently innovated as others fell short because they failed to do so. “Innovation is a mindset,” declared Samia at the start of the session. He went on to discuss the theory of leadership, explaining how innovative thinking is actually intuitive.

“It is granted to have a program accredited, but what makes a difference for an institution or individuals to stand out from the crowd is innovation,” said School of Pharmacy Dean Imad Btaiche. This is a core driver at LAU, he added, and the reason the university is investing in “pushing the envelope, generating well-rounded citizens in an environment driven by continuous quality improvement.”

The session quickly turned interactive, featuring significant examples from successful programs already in place at OCE, and shedding light on how these programs came to be by means of encouraging the audience to get their students involved. Attendees – full-time and adjunct SOP faculty and friends of the school, including pharmaceutical industry employees – joined the discussion and answered a series of “what if” questions posed by Samia, allowing everyone to imagine a more innovative framework for SOP and its programs.

“You have an amazing spirit. I can see the different political philosophers I dream about in your SOP team,” declared Samia in his closing note. He commended the participants on their openness to new ideas and looked forward to seeing SOP-OCE cooperation when launching the school’s full-scale co-curriculum in the fall 2018 program. In this context, he also suggested creating an interactive program called PHARMASIST to accentuate the quality of the field as a profession.

“The training was very beneficial. I drafted several ideas for the company, and for my team as well,” said Zeina Lahoud, sales lead at Algorithm, a prominent pharmaceutical company in Lebanon and the MENA region and a partner of SOP’s. She also hoped to be able to implement at the company what she learned at the workshop.

According to Tamara Abou Antoun, assistant professor and chair of the SOP-FPDC, a survey completed by full-time and adjunct SOP faculty indicated the need for more such workshops. Therefore, the FPDC is planning to organize intensive sessions on advanced skills in research and innovative active-learning techniques at least twice a semester.

With regular learning opportunities provided to members and friends of the LAU family, the university will continue to grow in line with its plan to embrace innovation and extend education.

Assistant Vice President of OCE Elie Samia, who conducted the workshop, explained how innovative thinking is actually intuitive.

The workshop was attended by full-time and adjunct SOP faculty and friends of the school, as well as employees in the pharmaceutical industry.

With a continuously growing and innovating institution comes a pressing need for infrastructure that can keep up. This is characteristic of LAU’s Information Technology (IT) Department, which joined four other prominent universities in drafting and signing the Technology Collaboration Agreement for Research and Education (TechCARE).

The aim, as stated in the agreement, is “to jointly define, fund, implement, operate and maintain shared IT services that support enhanced collaboration among themselves as well as among other local, regional and global institutions by negotiating and entering into collective third-party agreements and shared IT services.” This collaboration will, for instance, leverage the purchasing power of universities when it comes to acquiring technology products and agreements.

The signing ceremony, held at the American University of Beirut (AUB), brought together AUB President Fadlo Khuri, Rector of Saint-Joseph University (USJ) Salim Daccache, President of the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) Father Georges W. Hobeika, and the President of the Beirut Arab University (BAU) Amr Galal El-Adawi, as well as LAU Vice President for Human Resources and University Services Roy Majdalani, representing President Joseph G. Jabbra, who regretfully had other engagements abroad. The meeting also included heads of IT departments and staff from the five prominent universities.

TechCARE is the first large-scale inter-university collaboration that has potential to grow into a nationwide network of research and educational institutes, paving the way for a more formal national entity that securely interconnects universities and sources Internet connectivity at more economic prices to enable these institutions to provide faster Internet speeds to their students and faculty. Successful models are already in place across Europe, where each country’s network is a member of a larger European entity called GÉANT, and a similar model exists within the Arab world – ­the Arab States Research and Education Network (ASREN). With this agreement, the five signing universities will be part of GÉANT and ASREN.

In a commentary, Jabbra stressed the importance of collaborating with other universities in order to strengthen information technology – the cornerstone of innovation. “We can no longer grow and prosper in isolation,” he affirmed, and called for using this partnership to aim for the highest standards of tech-readiness.

Daccache shared the sentiment, adding that collaboration between universities is “not only important but also vital for maintaining high educational standards across all disciplines,” while El-Adawi expected it to “pave the way for further cooperation in other fields.”

For the Director of IT at USEK Ziad Eid, TechCARE was “a critical and bold cooperation at the largest scale yet, bringing together universities in Lebanon like never before.”

“This is further evidence of the spirit of cooperation evident in the not-for-profit private universities in Lebanon,” said Khuri, pointing out that TechCare will make life easier for students, faculty and staff, reflecting on the nation as a whole. He expressed his hope that “the day will come when the public university [the Lebanese University] will join the agreement.”

Assistant Vice President for IT at LAU Camille Abou-Nasr noted that the university “has long been an advocate of inter-university collaboration, due to its potential for serving teaching, learning and research at large.” One such global collaboration project, he added, is Eduroam, a secure, worldwide Internet roaming service accessible to LAU students, faculty and staff visiting any participating institution internationally, and vice versa.

(L to R) President of the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik Father Georges W. Hobeika, President of the Beirut Arab University Amr Galal El-Adawi, President of the American University of Beirut Fadlo Khuri, Rector of Saint-Joseph University Salim Daccache, SJ, and LAU Vice President for Human Resources and University Services Roy Majdalani, representing President Joseph G. Jabbra.

Can Lebanon-grown cannabis provide an alternative treatment for certain chronic ailments? Researchers want to find out.

To that end, LAU held an event on May 30 introducing its initiative to establish the Medicinal Cannabis Research Center, which aims to generate evidence-based knowledge on the potential medical value of Lebanon-grown cannabis.

Across the world, medical scientists and healthcare professionals have been exploring the potential therapeutic applications of cannabis. Currently, two cannabis compounds, THC and CBD, have been approved for the treatment of chronic and neuropathic pain, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in cancer patients, appetite stimulation in AIDS patients, muscle spasticity in Multiple Sclerosis patients, and for refractory epilepsy in children. CBD specifically has been approved for glioblastoma multiforme, a severe and aggressive type of brain cancer. Therapeutic uses are being investigated for other diseases, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Crohn’s and anxiety. In addition, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of cannabis may provide a neuroprotective effect and slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease.

Cannabis for medical use has been legalized in many countries around the world as well as about half of US states, which have amended their laws to allow its use for specific medical purposes.

There are currently 10 academic research centers studying medical cannabis in the world: six in the US, and the others in Canada, the UK and Australia. LAU’s center will be a first in Lebanon and the region.

The distinctive climatic and growing conditions in Lebanon give Lebanon-grown cannabis special characteristics. It is known for its resistance to drought and high temperatures, environmental factors that greatly affect the cannabis’ chemical content, hence its pharmacological characteristics. But so far, Lebanon-grown cannabis hasn’t been well studied or fully characterized, and any assessment of its therapeutic potential presents a unique opportunity for pharmaceutical sciences researchers.

During his speech at the event, held on the Beirut campus, LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra acknowledged the controversy inherent in the study of cannabis. He highlighted the university’s taboo-breaking history, starting with founder Sarah Huntington Smith’s journey from the US to Beirut to establish the first-ever school for women in the Ottoman Empire in 1835, which would become LAU. Like its founder, Jabbra said, LAU blazes new ground in the name of knowledge and advancement, and the Medicinal Cannabis Research Center will help break the social stigma surrounding the issue.  

Project spearhead Professor Mohammad Mroueh of LAU’s School of Pharmacy spoke to the audience about the major potential gains of pursuing the study of medical cannabis and eventually manufacturing pharmaceuticals with the beneficial compounds present in the plant. He and President of the Syndicate of Pharmaceutical Plants in Lebanon Carol Abi Karam outlined the medical importance, and economic and social benefits that pharmaceutical cannabis products could bring to Lebanon, including economic gains, reduced unemployment, and a reversal of the brain drain.

“We are awaiting the creation of a legal framework within which we can proceed, with the full support of the Ministry of Public Health,” he said.

On that note, Dr. Bahij Arbid, representing the ministry at the event, said that Lebanese law allows for the licensing of specialized centers to grow otherwise prohibited plants, within the framework of scientific or medical research. The license will have to be issued by and under the conditions of the Lebanese Council of Ministers. 

He also highlighted the advantages of this endeavor, especially in terms of turning the country into an “exporter of knowledge.”

Once established, the center will present opportunities for collaborative, interdisciplinary research between LAU’s schools of Pharmacy, Medicine, and Arts and Sciences, and universities and research centers in the country and beyond. It will also promote open channels of communication on scientific and regulatory matters with the Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Social Affairs and Drug Enforcement Bureau.

Researchers at the proposed center hope to study the chemical and biological characterization of the plant and cannabis/cannabis oil formulations. Also, in-vitro and pre-clinical studies are anticipated for the application of cannabis on medical issues including inflammation, cancer, neuro-protection, and its effects on proteins implicated in memory.

The center hopes to tap the expertise of medicinal chemists, pharmacognosists, pharmacologists, physicians and pharmacists.

Funding to establish and run the center will be generated through research grants, pharmaceutical companies, the World Health Organization, the European Commission and other agencies. As this is such a promising field, there is great interest from across the scientific and public-health communities.

With such intensive, interprofessional expertise involved, the project will yield scientific advances that will help researchers and patients across the world.

President Jabbra presented Dr. Bahij Arbid with a commemorative gift.

President of the Syndicate of Pharmaceutical Plants in Lebanon Carol Abi Karam outlined the medical importance, and economic and social benefits of pharmaceutical cannabis production.

While acknowledging the controversy inherent in the study of cannabis, President Jabbra highlighted LAU’s taboo-breaking history.

Professor Mohammad Mroueh spoke about the major potential gains of pursuing the research.

On May 24, LAU’s Center for Lebanese Heritage (CLH), in collaboration with the Lebanese Consulate General in New York, hosted a panel discussion on Kahlil Gibran at LAU’s NY Academic Center in Manhattan to celebrate the centennial commemoration of Gibran’s first English-language book, The Madman.

The event featured Henri Zoghaib, acclaimed Lebanese poet and CLH director; Dr. Philip Salem, president of the Salem Oncology Center; University of Pennsylvania Professor Emeritus Roger Allen; and Helen Samhan of the Arab American Institute and Arab American National Museum.

The evening was a condensed edition of the Third International Conference on Gibran titled Kahlil Gibran: Lebanon's Message to the World, which took place in Beirut in January of this year. To date, the CLH and the Gibran Chair for Values and Peace at the University of Maryland have organized three international conferences on Gibran, the first two at the University of Maryland, as well as January’s event in Lebanon.

The LAU NY panel discussion was attended by Consul General of Lebanon in New York, Majdi Ramadan, as well as a number of researchers, academics and members of the local Lebanese community.

Edward Shiner, director of alumni and special projects at the NY Academic Center, acted as emcee and moderated the panel. Shiner welcomed the participants, stating that the event was a definitive example of LAU NY’s mission to bridge the New York City community and Lebanon, since “our esteemed Gibran is the epitome of the intellectual melding of these two cultures.”

Zoghaib delivered the opening remarks, focusing on the continuation of the university's mission to revive Lebanese heritage at home and abroad.

Dr. Salem centered his keynote speech on the universality of Gibran’s message of love, encouraging the audience by stating, “Hatred makes you smaller, love makes you bigger.”

Samhan read out a presentation by May Rihani, director of the Gibran Chair for Values and Peace at the University of Maryland. The piece touched on the primary influences of Gibran’s literature, namely women who played a crucial role in shaping him as a man, writer and artist. Professor Allen concluded the evening with a presentation called Khalil Gibran and the Beginnings of the Arabic Short Story.

Gibran’s legacy is as relevant today as it has ever been, the speakers agreed, touching the hearts and minds of many generations across political, religious and national boundaries. Ideas such as his withstand the test of time, resonating in particular during periods of strife and conflict. As Zoghaib stated, “The intellectual resistance is much more resilient than the military resistance.”

From left: Roger Allen, LAU NY Director of Communications and Media Elida Jbeili, Henri Zoghaib, Edward Shiner, Dr. Philip Salem, Majdi Ramadan, and Helen Samhan.

Helen Samhan read out a presentation by May Rihani, director of the Gibran Chair for Values and Peace at the University of Maryland.

The evening was a condensed edition of the Third International Conference on Gibran titled Kahlil Gibran: Lebanon’s Message to the World, which took place in Beirut in January of this year.

Lebanon’s newest cohort of nurses was honored on May 29, when the Alice Ramez Chagoury School of Nursing (ARCSON) held its Recognition and Pinning Ceremony for the class of 2018.

ARCSON Dean Dr. Anahid Kulwicki addressed the graduating students, thanking them for their dedication and noting the achievements they’ve made over their years at the school. She advised them to follow their dreams of serving their communities, elevating the field of nursing, and working to make the world a safer and healthier place.

LAU President Dr. Joseph G. Jabbra took the stage to recount a meeting he once had with Gilbert Chagoury, in which the generous patron expressed his wish to donate funds for LAU to build a school of nursing named after his mother, Alice Ramez Chagoury.

“The School of Nursing has a very unique spirit: a spirit to serve each other, to serve society, and to do whatever we can to help our young people in the nursing profession,” Jabbra said.

He asked the new graduates to carry the torch of the nursing profession. “Believe in your dreams,” he told the crowd, “but believe more in your drive to realize your dreams.”

The keynote speaker for the evening was Dr. Naeema Al-Gasseer, a Bahraini native, United Nations World Health Organization Representative, humanitarian and pioneer in the nursing profession. She spoke of her hope that the next generation of nursing professionals would make a positive impact in the world. “Nursing is not only in the hospital settings. Go out into your community and serve, volunteer, be role models,” she said.

Al-Gasseer warned of the challenges facing the Middle East, particularly high levels of obesity and rising smoking rates. She encouraged the graduates to take the opportunity to involve themselves in dialogue with policy makers to focus more often on preventative rather than simply curative care, and to produce lasting change.

Each graduate was given a pin as a symbolic welcome to the field of nursing. As is customary for nursing programs, ARCSON designed the unique pin given to the students.

Students then took the Nightingale Pledge – named after the founding mother of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale – which upholds the principles of the profession and marks the graduates’ commitment to the welfare of their patients.

Ten graduates received awards, including the President’s Circle Award, the Dean’s Research Award and the Dean’s Inspirational Award for achievements during their studies, excellence in academics, spirit of practice and volunteerism. The awards were sponsored by the President’s Circle; Dean Kulwicki, who has focused much of her career on nursing research that contributes to the improvement of health in vulnerable populations; Dr. Shaké Ketefian, nursing professor emerita at the University of Michigan; Dr. Wassim Shahin, LAU professor of economics, who contributed to the awards in recognition of his aunt for her leadership in nursing; and Chady and Hiba Yazbeck Wehbe, who volunteer and financially support organizations that partake in cancer treatment, as well as educational facilities and programs.

Graduating class representative Joelle Abou Hamra thanked LAU faculty and staff, parents and her classmates for their continuous support. She encouraged her colleagues to find ways to use their skills to benefit the world around them, adding that learning opportunities never end: “Instruction does not finish in the classroom, and learning continues through life.”

A group of graduates with ARCSON faculty and keynote speaker Dr. Naeema Al-Gasseer.

Class representative Joelle Abou Hamra encouraged her colleagues to use their skills to benefit the world around them.

Dr. Kulwicki, along with Dr. Al-Gasseer, presented the graduates with the symbolic pin.

ARCSON faculty and staff with keynote speaker Dr. Naeema Al-Gasseer (5th from left).

Imagine, design, create. That is the process LAU Alumna Nadine Hajjar has used to turn a passion into a successful design career. Hajjar completed a BA in Interior Architecture at LAU in 2006 and an MA in Product Design at Domus Academy, Milan, in 2007. The artist, who mostly uses wood as her medium, has set up shop in Montreal. Though she has made it abroad, she comes back to her homeland regularly. 

Here, she speaks to LAU about her inspiration and going it alone.

What made you set up your own studio and choose wood as your medium?

I worked for a well-known designer in Lebanon for three years. They were great years, and I learned a lot. But I felt I needed to fly with my own wings and express my ideas, my feelings and my art. I always knew I wanted to build my own studio, but it wasn’t clear to me how and when. I also always knew I was skilled with my hands – the medium didn’t matter.

In Montreal it became clearer to me. While I was still looking for a job in design, I was passing by a woodworking school on my bike and I saw the big sign, and that’s where it all made sense – wood! That’s where I imagined myself carving, cutting and expressing myself.

What challenges did you face founding and running your business?

Wearing a million hats! When I started Nadine Hajjar Studio in 2014, I never imagined the amount of work ahead. Especially that it was built on a very low budget. My office is my home and my workshop is a COOP kind of working space.

I’m a one-woman show in this. I had to build everything from scratch. My daily tasks are very diverse, be it design, follow-ups with clients, delivering, installing, and all the administrative work. You name it!

What inspires your work?

Wood. The material itself inspires me. There’s a lot of exploration in my work. Many of my products have been designed by pure chance; a leftover piece of wood that came out beautiful, or the way I’d be carving plywood, for example, and discover it has amazing effects when it is carved round… I would love to explore more materials later, stone carving or ceramics.

The whole process of making my own piece inspires me too. Being a designer-maker and having experienced that thrill of carving have freed me!

How long does it take you on average to complete one of your pieces?

It could take me a month or so to complete a big piece (production only), but I can usually produce a series of 10 or so pieces of accessories (trays or plates) in about five days.

Do you believe that the LAU degree gave you a good foundation for your career?

Of course! It’s at LAU that it all started. My journey in design started with the exploration of a space (interior design) then downsizing to the object (product design) and finally to the essence, the material itself and the human hand and touch added to it.

I also met amazing professors with whom I am still luckily in contact. They taught me how to create a concept and develop it. And that’s the most important thing in design: the idea.

Do you think there are opportunities for artisans like you in Lebanon using peer-to-peer platforms (such as Etsy) in this economy?

I’m not sure. These platforms rely on home delivery and an efficient postal service, which might be difficult in Lebanon. Personalized delivery through private companies could be an option.

Any career advice you would like to offer to LAU students interested in owning their own business?

My advice would be to dream more and think outside the box. To enroll in activities that are different from the standard or the traditional. Try to imagine what you will be doing with joy and passion for the rest of your life. Don’t think about money and compensation, but what your daily life will look like. It’s more important than all the money in the world.

Hajjar will be coming to Beirut this month.

‘Théo Rolf & Walt dedans’, a sample of exquisite wood carving.

It’s a one-woman show in a COOP work space.

Hajjar believes in following one’s passion when choosing a career.

“Nine out of ten mental health patients do not receive the care they need in Lebanon,” according to an opening statement on Health, a morning program on Télé Lumière that recently featured an interview with LAU’s own Zeina El-Jordi, clinical instructor at the Alice Ramez Chagoury School of Nursing (ARCSON).

“Every two and a half days someone in Lebanon commits suicide, and every six hours there is a suicide attempt,” she said.

The staggeringly low number of mental health patients receiving proper care can be attributed to persistent social stigma and lack of public education on the topic, explained El-Jordi, who is also a board member of Embrace, a non-profit that helps inform and support people by dispelling myths around mental illness, and was the first to create a national suicide prevention helpline in Lebanon and the region. As an Embrace board member, El-Jordi runs awareness sessions regarding suicide at universities and in communities in collaboration with municipalities.

“Almost a quarter of the Lebanese population suffers from a mental health problem,” El-Jordi told the show’s host, pointing out that mental health illnesses such as depression can lead to suicide if left untreated. “That’s why it’s important to break stigma against mental illness.”

In a commentary, ARCSON Dean Dr. Anahid Kulwicki said that mental health is “one of the most commonly overlooked yet crucial issues that require our attention, as educators, as health experts and as Lebanese.” She noted that thanks to LAU’s Interprofessional Education (IPE) program, ARCSON is working with faculty and staff at the Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine and the School of Pharmacy to promote ways to identify and care for mental health patients. 

El-Jordi highlighted the low number of mental health patients in Lebanon receiving proper care.

Nearly a thousand graduates enthusiastically marched down the stairs of the Byblos campus, as the evening breeze blew through their tassels, emotional parents waved at them and cameras flashed to capture the end of their journey at LAU. 

Dressed in academic regalia, the LAU faculty, deans, vice presidents and President Joseph G. Jabbra marched closely behind the graduating class of 2018. At the very front of the processional were the graduates who have received special awards, carrying a length of ivy in line with a university tradition, which connotes the spreading of knowledge. They carefully placed it on stage, signaling the beginning of LAU’s 93rd commencement exercises.

Jabbra announced the event a dual celebration of the “achievements of the LAU family during the past academic year, and to share the joy of our 2018 graduating class.” He declared LAU an “academic powerhouse, taking its right place in the constellation of leading institutions of higher education in Lebanon, the MENA region and beyond.” Addressing the graduating students and their parents, he referred to LAU students as the “living personification of all that is beautiful about the university’s mission: from academic and professional excellence at the highest form of ethical standards, to love and care for others.”

A profound example of such academic excellence matched with high ethical standards is valedictorian speaker Hagop Wasken Jamkojian, a computer engineering graduate with a GPA of 4.0. In his speech, Jamkojian identified personal and professional credibility as being founded on “ethical behavior, integrity and honesty,” thus owning his well-earned introduction by Provost George Najjar, who described him as a “shining star with special radiance.”

Such stars were abundant among the graduating class this year, with six students having received the President’s Award, given to students who demonstrate high caliber leadership traits; another six who received the Torch Award, having shown high leadership and service spirit. Nursing graduate Farah Kamal Bou Said received the Rhoda Orme Award, presented to one female student every year on each campus who shows the most dedication and service to others, while international business graduate Alexander Charles Muller received the Riyad Nassar Award, having proven good academic standards and exemplary leadership skills.

The Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters was bestowed upon the Chairman and CEO of Choueiry Group Pierre Choueiry, who is a distinguished figure within the region’s media and advertising industry. With a career that encompasses over 25 years of intensive experience, he led the accelerated growth of his father’s media representation company into a topmost regional player in advertising and media.

In his address to the students, Choueiry gave the graduating class valuable and practical advice. “Equipped with your university degrees, you will also need to be creative, forward thinking and accept learning as an ongoing, life-long occupation.” He went on to highlight the importance of striking “the right balance between ambition and patience to reach new heights,” as even the most ambitious upcoming leaders could often fall into the trap of impatience.

Choueiry thoroughly thanked President Jabbra and the university, not just for bestowing him with an honor that “will serve as an ongoing source of pride and joy,” but also for having led the university from one success to the next, “cementing LAU’s place as a world-class academic institution for higher learning.”

Graduates from the Byblos campus’ seven schools then took to the stage, many adorned with stoles of white, green or gold, depending on their level of academic performance. They shook hands with the president, provost and dean of their respective schools before they were received with flowers, balloons and warm hugs from their proud parents and faculty.

Two more ceremonies will follow suit on Beirut campus this week for the graduates of the schools of Arts and Sciences and Architecture and Design on June 8, and the Adnan Kassar School of Business on June 9.

Distinguished guests, military dignitaries, friends of LAU and proud parents in attendance

Dr. Joseph Jabbra addresses the crowd at the Byblos commencement

Students pose at the LAU selfie booth ahead of commencement

An honor’s student receives her degree and shakes hands with President Joseph G. Jabbra.

Students, faculty members, LAU officials, and the US ambassador to Lebanon convened last week to celebrate graduates of the LAU-Middle East Partnership Initiative-Tomorrow’s Leaders (MEPI-TL) program. With pride and excitement, the young leaders received their certificates and rings and recalled some unforgettable memories from their journeys.

“Today is the day we celebrate together the culmination of your journey at LAU through a program that has challenged you to do more and be more,” said MEPI-TL Program Director Dina Abdul Rahman. Highlighting the diversity of the TL community, with students coming from 10 different Arab countries, she added, “I commend you all for learning the big lesson of acceptance, tolerance and communication. This is the biggest strength of any leader, and leaders you are!”

LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra thanked the American people for the MEPI-TL funding and congratulated the students on their hard work. “The hope in Lebanon and the entire region comes back to me, knowing that you are going to reform your communities and participate in nation building,” he told the graduates. He also highlighted LAU’s mission, which is inspired by service to its students and based on the pursuit of truth, respect for human dignity and gender equality. “Our students are judged by the caliber of their achievements, academic prowess, personal growth, individual maturity, and, above all, the content of their characters.”

US Ambassador Elizabeth H. Richard took the stage next to congratulate the graduates and ask them to constantly recommit themselves to being leaders. “Leadership is the ability to create a vision, the talent for motivating others, and the dedication to doing good in your communities, country and the world,” she said, urging the graduates to look back and see the progress they’ve made throughout the years spent at LAU.

Next, it was time for TL valedictorian Nouran Ben Moussa to give her testimony. She recalled how she fought difficult circumstances to make it to Lebanon from Libya, urging her fellow graduates to inspire positive and long-lasting change in our region. “One of the most important lessons that I have learned is to say ‘yes’ whenever the circumstances are pushing you to say ‘no,’” she said. “This experience has united us and allowed us to emphasize our commonalities rather than fight over the differences.”

Welcoming the graduates to LAU’s extended alumni family, Associate Director of Alumni Relations Ghada Majed enthused, “Your journey ends as students but starts as alumni. We’re here to serve you and keep you connected with each other.”

The bond between the young leaders is an unbreakable one, the graduating students agreed, held together by a passion for leadership and knowledge, and years of memories on both LAU’s campuses.

LAU’s Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine hosted its prestigious hooding ceremony for its graduating class of 2018, followed by the graduation of its residents, on Saturday, June 2.

During the ceremonies, held around the fountain area on the Byblos campus, both the graduates’ families and their School of Medicine faculty were there to offer encouragement and guidance as the new doctors prepared to take their next professional steps.

Master of ceremonies Dr. Nancy Chedid welcomed esteemed faculty and guests. Chedid noted that these ceremonies are sacred and rooted in academic tradition dating back to the Middle Ages, and so represent a rite of passage as students transition into the medical profession.

In his message to the graduates, LAU President Dr. Joseph G. Jabbra recounted how LAU’s School of Medicine was created with the mission to graduate a new breed of doctors who would be ready to provide patients with the best possible healthcare – and that night, he proudly congratulated the new doctors for achieving that goal. “[Our graduates] are ready to establish positive relationships with patients’ families, professional connections with their peers, and adhere to the highest standards of integrity, expertise and medical ethics.”

Dean of the School of Medicine Dr. Michel Mawad encouraged the graduates from his own experience. “You are entering an ever-changing, ever-expanding, dynamic field.” As daunting as it may seem, Mawad gave students ways to succeed in their future careers in the medical profession: “Continue to learn, develop your skillset, and explore new technological discoveries – be flexible, embrace it quickly, and adopt it.”

Mawad addressed more than the clinical aspect of a doctor’s job, stating that, aside from fixing a broken body, a doctor is responsible for caring for the soul and the spirit of the patient. “[You must learn] the art of compassionate listening, to be able to sympathize, to have a gentle demeanor and humbleness when talking to [patients’] families, and to respect human life.”

Keynote speaker Reverend Malek Boutanios personalized his message as he told the story of his own battle with illness and his realization of the fragility of human life. “Every person resembles his pain, and this pain can turn into darkness and isolation,” he said, “but doctors are the ones who can break the isolation and darkness they face.”

Graduates were then presented with their diplomas and hooded by Jabbra, Mawad, and associate and assistant deans of the School of Medicine. Dr. Zeinat Hijazi, associate dean for medical education, led the graduates in reciting the Hippocratic Oath – a declaration of devotion and commitment made by all doctors entering the medical profession.

Awards were presented to graduates who exemplified high achievement in the following areas: academic standing, leadership, communication skills, clinical skills, research and professionalism. Marie Louise Aoun, the 2018 valedictorian, delivered a speech on behalf of her classmates. She acknowledged that every student walked a unique path leading them to this point. “Everyone has a different story, but all are success stories. Today we are closing one success story and writing the chapter of another.”

Aoun expressed gratitude to her family, friends and colleagues for their support, as well as her School of Medicine family for their guidance, instruction and invaluable experiences. She said, “LAU invests a lot in its students – we do matter.”

In a powerful gesture, graduating residents and all medical doctors present for the evening were invited to stand and renew their Hippocratic Oath. A video of faculty reciting the pledge “on the job” was a visual reminder of the seriousness and responsibility that comes with practicing medicine.

Graduating resident Dr. Shady Saikali spoke on behalf of the residents. He reminded his colleagues that while the job may be demanding and require a multitude of skillsets, they must keep the three pillars of the medical profession in mind: passion, patience and perseverance. But he also noted that this graduation ceremony was simply the beginning, as he quoted another physician: “Residency is the end of learning what can be taught, and the beginning of learning what cannot.”

LAU leadership and faculty members share in the graduates’ jubilance.

Marie Louise Aoun, the 2018 valedictorian, spoke on behalf of her classmates.

Graduating resident Dr. Shady Saikali reminded his colleagues of the three pillars of the medical profession: passion, patience and perseverance.

In a powerful gesture, graduating residents and all medical doctors present were invited to renew their Hippocratic Oath.

Graduates and residents heed Dean Mawad’s message on the responsibility they bear as conscientious and compassionate physicians.

President Jabbra expressed his pride in the graduates whom he considered ready to provide patients with the best possible care.

The proud graduates pose with Dean of the Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine Dr. Michel Mawad.

As evening fell on Beirut campus, more than 1,100 graduates walked down from the upper gate area, striding under arches of white flowers that lined the stairs. Proud parents leaned in from the seating areas for one last pat on the back or photo op before their children officially became LAU graduates. 

LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra took a seat on stage, alongside faculty, deans and the provost, who marched behind the graduating class of 2018.

The 93rd LAU commencement exercises were split into three ceremonies, one that took place last Tuesday for all seven schools of the Byblos campus, and a second and third on the Beirut campus for graduates of the schools of Arts and Sciences and Architecture and Design, and the Adnan Kassar School of Business (AKSOB).

On stage, Jabbra wished the graduates great success in their future educational and professional endeavors, but also stressed on seeking happiness, comfort and balance in their careers and lives. He reaffirmed the board’s commitment to “support the university's Third Strategic Plan, with its three major pillars: strengthening of our intellectual capital, encouragement of pedagogical innovations, and promotion of LAU as an institution without borders.” 

Jabbra then announced the unexpected attendance of Chairman of the LAU Board of Trustees Philip Stoltzfus, whose grandfather, the late William Stoltzfus, was one of the first presidents of LAU, at that time known as the Beirut College for Women. Stoltzfus expressed pride in the graduating class, “in the knowledge that they will be agents of transformation, who will make our world a better place.”

In his speech at the June 9 ceremony, AKSOB valedictorian Majd El Fakih said he regards his university years as part of the cycle of giving and then giving back. “We are here today to celebrate the graduation of the people who will become the backbone of our beloved country,” he said. He called on his fellow graduates to give back and be “the stimulus, the soul and the spirit who will revive and give life to the cycle of giving.”

For valedictorian and computer science graduate Rana Haidar Mouawi, who spoke at the June 8 ceremony, “the most interesting byproduct of university is that it leaves its graduates with a sense of unfinished business.” Her words rang true in light of the common theme of giving back, and she said she hoped that the “next stage inspires us enough to produce yet another bundle of energy that carries us forward.”

A very distinctive example of dedication to giving is HE Farah Daghistani, executive director of the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD), who received LAU’s honorary doctorate on June 8 in the presence of Lebanon’s Ambassador to Jordan HE Tracy Chamoun.

Having worked to promote sustainable, rights-based human development initiatives in Jordan for the past 20 years, Daghistani had plenty of learning to share with the graduates and attendees. She pointed out that the “solutions to the many challenges we face regionally are not going to be found externally,” and that they will need to come through “a strong and dynamic platform, where civil society flourishes, and academic institutions and young people speak up and speak out, for inclusion, for injustice and for change.” With this said, she noted that LAU has a “crucial role to play” and thanked its leadership for their recognition of her work, which only goes to “reinforce the efforts being made on the ground and disproved the criticism that academia has become removed from the realities of the Arab world.”

Another profound example of giving is Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, honorary doctorate recipient and founder and chair of the organization that bears his name, who has made numerous contributions to art and scholarship in the Arab world. Abu-Ghazeleh listed his practical advice to the graduating class in the form of the ten “prescriptions for success” before turning to the LAU leadership to announce his offer to link the university to the Arab States Research and Education Network (ASREN) and the European network GÉANT. He also invited LAU computer engineers to ASREN.   

With a striking number of award recipients among this graduating class, LAU and Lebanon at large can certainly dream big. Biology graduate Riwa Samir Ibrahim, who will be joining the Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine soon, received the Sara Huntington Smith Achievement Award, which is donated by the Wadad and Said Khoury Foundation for Charitable Work. Three graduates received the President’s Award, given to students who demonstrate high-caliber leadership traits, while another three received the Torch Award, having shown leadership and service. Political science and international affairs graduate Narin Manoug Atamian received the Rhoda Orme Award, presented to one female student every year on each campus who shows the most dedication and service to others, while biology graduate Majd Zeid Khiami received the Riyad Nassar Award, having proven good academic standards and exemplary leadership skills.

“The merit scholarship and the honors program gave my daughter a dual incentive to maintain her academic excellence throughout her university years,” said Hrayr Keshinian, father of Shoushan Keshinian, political science and international affairs graduate who received the President’s Award. “The availability of both of these programs at LAU made our immense pride today possible.” Her mother pointed to her name in the commencement program accompanied by multiple symbols, noting with emotional pride that “she received every honor she possibly could.”

In his speech at the June 9 ceremony, AKSOB valedictorian Majd El Fakih said he regards his university years as part of the cycle of giving and then giving back.

Valedictorian and computer science graduate Rana Haidar Mouawi spoke at the June 8 ceremony.

Talal Abu-Ghazaleh receives his honorary doctorate from President Jabbra.

President Jabbra presents HE Farah Daghistani with her honorary doctorate in the presence of Ambassador to Jordan HE Tracy Chamoun.

Chairman of the Board of Trustees Philip Stoltzfus said the graduates were “agents of transformation, who will make our world a better place.”

LAU President Dr. Joseph G. Jabbra speaks at the first Beirut commencement on June 8.

LAU’s Institute for Migration Studies (IMS), in collaboration with L’Institut Français du Proche-Orient (IFPO), organized a three-day international conference on Conflict and Migration in the Middle East on the Beirut campus.

The conference is the third and final session tied to the three-year Lajeh Research Project, in which IMS is a main partner. The two prior conferences were held in Turkey and Jordan.

The Lajeh Project, which began in 2016 and was funded by the French National Research Agency, asks researchers and scholars to present their findings on migration and refugee movement patterns in Jordan, Lebanon, Europe and Turkey.

The IMS is the only institute in the Middle East specializing in migration studies, and dedicates time, scholarship and resources to an issue that has a deep impact on Lebanon, according to Dr. Paul Tabar, IMS director and chair of LAU’s Department of Humanities.

While there have been a number of studies from agencies across the world on the situation of refugees in the Middle East – particularly those currently displaced by the Syrian civil war – the Lajeh Project wanted to conduct wider and more in-depth research on migration and conflict in the region without focusing solely on forced population movements.

“Part of the institute’s research activities is to – of course – focus on refugee studies, but not exclusively. Refugee studies can be part of a bigger research agenda,” Tabar said.

“We wanted to try to connect several forms of migration and how they link to conflict in the region,” added Kamel Dorai, director of the Department of Contemporary Studies at IFPO.

Although each refugee situation and conflict is different, researchers noticed “trends that have been there for a long time,” said Dorai. For example, he cited a number of refugee camps in Lebanon that are more than a 100 years old.

“We developed a historical approach coming mainly from the mandate period to our time, with the aim of studying these trends of human movements from that perspective,” Dorai said.

The conference included two roundtables and an exhibition on The Architecture of Displacement, which featured work by architects from Jordan, Syria and France as well as by Dorai, who is a geographer. “It is based on a study that we did over the past three years in Jordan on housing inside and outside the camps,” he said.

Keynote speakers at the conference were Professor of Anthropology and Forced Migration Dawn Chatty from the University of Oxford and Professor Cathrine Brun from Oxford Brookes University.

Chatty’s presentation explored the contemporary approach to forced mass migration, offering a comparative overview with migration and movement 200 years ago. Brun spoke about revisiting the relationship between people and place in refugee studies.

LAU Migration Studies graduate students Manar Fleifel and Elie Khoury also presented findings based on their fieldwork of perceptions of Syrian refugees in Lebanon in order to bridge the gap in the literature on that topic.

Fleifel, who is a graduate assistant (GA) at the IMS, said the institute has provided her with an opportunity to present alongside PhD students and professors.

“Our program is very diverse and very multi-disciplinary, and provides exposure to international scholars. It is more hands on – as you can see, we do fieldwork,” she said.

For Khoury, pursuing an MA in Migration Studies and working as a GA at IMS proved to be a “major leap because it opened many doors for me with other universities and provided opportunities for fieldwork. It is a link between theory, fieldwork and academia.”

The MA in Migration Studies relies on an interdisciplinary approach, exposing students to an array of fields such as history, anthropology, political science, international relations and legal studies.

Tabar said that the IMS, in addition to organizing such international conferences, is also a hub for MA students conducting research on refugee issues.

“We should pride ourselves, as a university, for being a pioneer in hosting conferences on migration, in focusing part of our research on migration and in offering an MA in Migration Studies,” Tabar said.

From left: Agnès Favier, research fellow at Middle East Directions, Jalal Al Husseini, IFPO associate researcher, Kamel Dorai, IFPO director of the Department of Contemporary Studies and Géraldine Chatelard, IFPO associate researcher.

From left: IFPO Associate Researcher Jalal Al Husseini, Dr. Paul Tabar, Migration Studies graduate students Manar Fleifel and Elie Khoury.