American University of Beirut

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American University of Beirut الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت
Motto:	That they may have life and have it more abundantly.
Established:	1866
Type:	Private
President:	Peter F. Dorman
Provost:	Peter Heath
Staff:	586
Students:	7,289 (2005-06)
Undergraduates:	5,779
Postgraduates:	1,511
Location:	Beirut, Lebanon
Campus:	Urban, 73 acre
Website:	www.aub.edu.lb

The American University of Beirut (AUB; Arabic: الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت‎) is a private, independent university in Beirut, Lebanon. It was founded as the Syrian Protestant College by American missionaries (Dr. Daniel Bliss) in 1866. The name was changed to the American University of Beirut on November 18, 1920. It has been fully accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education since June 25, 2004. The University is registered with and recognized by the Department of Education of New York State since 1863. Many professional degrees are also accredited by the respective accrediting bodies in the USA, Lebanon and internationally as well. AUB's current president and provost respectively are Dr. John Waterbury and Dr. Peter Heath. On July 1, 2008, Dr. Peter Dorman of the University of Chicago will become AUB's 15th President. He is an international leader in the field of Egyptology and presently chairs Chicago's Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations.

At the end of July 2002, the number of degrees and diplomas awarded since June 1870 totaled 66,107.^{[citation needed]}

Contents 1 History 2 Campus 3 Faculties and schools 4 Development 5 Violence on campus 6 Alumni 7 Notable Faculty 8 Former Students 9 References 10 External links

[edit] History

In 1862, American missionaries in Syria, under the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, asked Dr. Daniel Bliss to withdraw from evangelistic work and missions in Syria (under Ottoman rule, modern-day Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine were part of Greater Syria) to found a college of higher learning with an American educational character, self-maintained and administered independently from the Mission, that would include medical training.

Dr. Bliss traveled to the United States in the summer of 1862 to solicit funds for this new enterprise. By August, 1864, he had raised $100,000. However, because of inflation during the Civil War, he raised a sterling fund in England to start the operations of the college, leaving the dollar fund to appreciate. After collecting £4,000 in England, he traveled to Beirut in March, 1866.

On April 24, 1863, while Dr. Bliss was raising money for the new school, the State of New York granted a charter under the name of the Syrian Protestant College. The college opened with its first class of 16 students on December 3, 1866.^[1]

The cornerstone of College Hall, the first building on the present campus in Ras Beirut, was laid on December 7, 1871, by the Honorable William E. Dodge, Sr., then Treasurer of the Board of Trustees. At this ceremony, President Daniel Bliss expressed the guiding principle of the college in these words:

“

This college is for all conditions and classes of men without regard to color, nationality, race or religion. A man, white, black, or yellow, Christian, Jew, Muslim or heathen, may enter and enjoy all the advantages of this institution for three, four or eight years; and go out believing in one God, in many gods, or in no God. But it will be impossible for anyone to continue with us long without knowing what we believe to be the truth and our reasons for that belief.

”

College Hall and the first medical building were completed and put to use in 1873, and the bell in the tower of College Hall pealed for the first time in March, 1874. However, College Hall was extensively damaged by an explosion in the early morning of November 8, 1991, and the building had to be demolished. It was later rebuilt, and the new College Hall was inaugurated in the spring of 1999.

Since its earliest years the University has continually expanded and developed new faculties and programs. In 1867, the University started the School of Medicine. Four years later, in 1871, both the school of pharmacy and a preparatory school were added. The latter became independent in 1960 and is currently known as International College. In 1900, the University established a school of commerce which was later incorporated into the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. When the hospital (currently the American University Hospital) opened in 1905, a school of nursing was also established. In 1910 the University opened a school of dentistry, which operated for thirty years. In the early years of the 1950s, several program expansions took place. The Faculty of Engineering and Architecture was established in 1951; the Faculty of Agriculture, now the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, opened its doors in 1952; and, finally, the School of Public Health, now the Faculty of Health Sciences, was started in 1954.

On November 18, 1920, the Board of Regents of the State University of New York changed the name of the institution from the Syrian Protestant College to the American University of Beirut after the establishment of the state of Greater Lebanon in August 1920; other charter amendments expanded the functions of the University. All presidents of the University have been in residence at Marquand House, which was completed in 1879.

At the end of July 2002, the number of degrees and diplomas awarded since June 1870 totaled 66,107.

[edit] Campus

The 73 acre AUB campus is on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean Sea on one side and bordering Bliss Street on the other. Bliss Street has many restaurants and is popular among university students. Since AUB's campus is a closed campus, it is only possible to enter the university through gates, namely Main Gate (facing Bliss Street), Medical Gate (near the American University Hospital), and Sea Gate (at the foot of the hill) in addition to the peripheral gate (near the men's residence buildings) and another small gate near the women's residence.

The Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences' Agricultural Research and Education Center (AREC), a 247-acre (1.00 km²) research farm and educational facility, is located in the Beqaa Valley.

Famous landmarks on campus include College Hall, West Hall, the Oval, Nicely Hall, Assembly Hall (church) and the Green Field.

[edit] Faculties and schools

• Faculty of Agriculture & Food Sciences (FAFS)
• Faculty of Arts & Sciences (FAS)
• Faculty of Engineering & Architecture (FEA)
• Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS)
• Faculty of Medicine (FM)
• Suleiman S. Olayan School of Business (OSB)
• School of Nursing (SoN)

[edit] Development

In 2003, Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal donated US$ 5.5 million to set up the Center for American Studies and Research (CASAR). The center holds lectures and workshops on American issues and offers, as of September 2004, a minor in American Studies.

In 2002, former US Diplomat and AUB Alumnus Charles Hostler donated US$ 11.7 million to build the Charles W. Hostler Student Center, a state-of-the-art sports facility. It is currently under construction and is expected to be completed by September 2007 (however, the war with Israel in the summer of 2006 delayed the opening of the center).

Also under construction is the new home of the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business on the lower campus of the university. It is slated for completion in 2007.

The Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs which was made possible by a US$ 5.2 million donation from Issam Fares, a former Deputy Prime Minister of Lebanon, will be built on middle campus replacing the Gulbenkian Infirmary. The building was designed by AUB alumnus and world renowned architect Zaha Hadid.

AUB has recently relaunched its PhD programs in Arabic, Middle Eastern Studies, Biology, and Chemistry for the first time since they were suspended during the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990). Its masters degree in Middle Eastern Studies which is offered by the Center for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies (CAMES) is considered one of the best in the world.

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education accorded AUB accreditation on June 25, 2004 after an extensive institutional self-study. It was also the first time that the Middle States Commission conducted a peer team visit to an institution by video conferencing.

By May 2007, AUB's Campaign for Excellence had already surpassed its goal of US$ 140 million by its 140th anniversary 31 December 2007. While relatively modest by US standards, a campaign of this magnitude and success sets a new standard for higher education fund raising in the middle east.

In February 2008, AUB launched its YouTube Educational Channel, following in the footsteps of universities such as UC Berkeley and MIT. Visit the AUB Channel to view the numerous videos available.

[edit] Violence on campus

• On June 19, 1982, "the president of the American University in Beirut, David S. Dodge was kidnapped. Foreign special services are believed to be behind this abduction and that of most of the other 30 Westerners seized over the next 10 years."^[2]
• Dr. Malcolm Kerr, the ninth president and father of Steve Kerr, was assassinated on January 18, 1984.
• On November 11, 1991, AUB's main administration building, College Hall, was the target of a bomb that demolished it. The bomb toppled its famous clock tower, which, for a century and a quarter, had been the symbol of the institution. It was rebuilt and re-inaugurated in 1999.^{[citation needed]}
• Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture (Raymond Ghosn) and the Dean of Student Affairs (Robert Najemy) were assassinated on February 17, 1976 by an irate student, Najim Najim. The Engineering building now carries the name of Dean Ghosn.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Alumni

AUB graduates are known worldwide, and many alumni have attained high position in almost every field: Government, Science, Economics, Business, Medicine. AUB graduates are part of the Lebanese political scene: Former Prime minister Saeb Salam and former Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Adil Osseiran, who were leaders in the independence movement after the french mandate, were AUB graduates. Other famous politicians include Prime Ministers Selim al-Hoss, Najib Mikati, and Fouad Siniora, in addition to an endless list of ministers and members of parliament. AUB also boasts being the breeding ground for Arab thinkers such as Constantin Zurayk, and Antun Saadeh, the founder of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party. Other famous politicians include Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, former minister in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Abdul Rahman Shahbandar, the anti-French nationalist of the 1920s and 1930s, along with former president Nazim al-Kudsi and prime minister Faris al-Khuri, who was also an instructor at AUB.

The Syrian poet Omar Abu Risheh is an AUB graduate, and so is the novelist Ghada al-Samman. When the UN was founded in 1945, the Lebanese and Syrian delegations were made up of former AUB students. In fact, with 19 alumni among the delegates for the founding of the United Nations, AUB was the most represented university in the world in that meeting.[1]

Notable Alumni

• Abdulrahman Mohammed Jamsheer, Leading businessman and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security of the Shura Council in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
• Mohamad Noah bin Omar, First speaker of Malaysian Parliament (Dewan Rakyat), also the father-in-law of the second and third prime minister of Malaysia.
• Barakat Ahmad, Indian diplomat and Muslim Scholar.
• Nazih Taleb, Founder of Dar Al Handasah which later split into Dar Al-Handasah Consultants (Shair & Partners) and Dar Al-Handasah Consultants (Nazih Taleb)
• Emile Haddad, Chief Investment Officer, Lennar. Largest homebuilder in the US.
• Emile Bustani, Businessman, Entrepreneur, Politician, Philanthropist
• Walid Chammaa, Co-President, Morgan Stanley
• Ghassan Tueni, Journalist, Politician, Ambassador, Editor of the Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar
• Zalmay Khalilzad, American Diplomat,US Ambassador to the UN, former Ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq
• Nazim al-Kudsi, Former President of Syria
• Nabeel Jabbour, author, professor and lecturer
• Hanan Ashrawi, Palestinian Legislator
• Afif Ayyub, Ambassador
• Ray R. Irani, CEO, Occidental Petroleum
• Charles Malik, Philosopher, Diplomat, Lebanese Ambassador to the US and the United Nations, contributed in drafting the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• Basil Fuleihan PhD, IMF & World Bank Economist , Minister of Economy and Trade (killed in Hariri assassination)
• Kamal Salibi, Lebanese Historian, AUB Emeritus Professor of History
• Leila Fawaz, Director of the Fares Center of Eastern Mediterranean Studies at Tufts University, Professor of History and Diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
• Riad Salameh, Banque du Liban Governor
• George Habash, Palestinian activist
• Mahmoud Hessaby, Scientist
• Selim al-Hoss, Economist, Former Prime Minister of Lebanon
• Hrayr K. Shahinian, world-renowned Skull Base Surgeon & Director of Skull Base Institute in Los Angeles, California U.S.A.
• Charles Hostler, Ambassador
• Abd al-Rahman Shahbandar, Anti-French nationalist
• Walid Jumblatt, Progressive Socialist Party Leader
• Costantine Zurayk, Historian, former AUB Professor and President
• Philip S. Khoury, Associate Provost and Ford International Professor of History MIT
• Said Khoury, Co-founder of Consolidated Contractors Company
• Widad Kawar, Internationally renowned collector of Jordanian and Palestinian ethnic and cultural arts
• Najib Mikati, Billionaire co-founder of Investcom, Former Prime Minister of Lebanon
• Taha Mikati, Engineer, Investor and Billionaire, founder of Investcom
• Nabil W. Nassar, Nassar Engineering (Former Senior Partner and No.2 of Dar Al-Handasah Consultants)
• Nabil Matar, Distinguished professor, and world authority on Anglo-Islamic studies
• Adel Osseiran, Parliamentary Speaker
• Shoghi Effendi Rabbani, The Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith
• Elias Saba, Cabinet Minister
• Faris al-Khury, Prime Minister of Syria
• Hasib Sabbagh, Co-founder of Consolidated Contractors Company
• Saeb Salam, former Prime Minister of Lebanon
• Ziad Matar Lebanese Civil Engineer and founder of Binaa Engineering
• Mounir Aoun, Famous story teller
• Lea Rustom, Founder of the Alba tayeb charity organization
• Serene Husseini Shahid, Palestinian writer
• Ghada al-Samman, Syrian novelist
• Kamal Shair, Founder and Senior partner of Dar Al-Handasah
• Ja'afar Touqan, Architect
• Fawwaz Ulaby, electrical engineer, and winner IEEE Edison Medal
• Salah D. Salman M.D., former head of the ENT department at AUH, former minister, authority on Sinus Surgery
• George Makhoul PhD, Regional Head, Middle East and North Africa, Morgan Stanley
• Hassan Kamel Al-Sabbah, Inventor and holder of 43 US Patents
• Zaha Hadid, Iraqi Architect
• Kamal Salibi Emeritus Professor and Honorary President of the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies in Jordan.

[edit] Notable Faculty

• Albert Hourani one of the most prominent scholars of Middle Eastern history for much of the second half of the 20th century.
• John Waterbury, President of the university and Professor of Political Science, former chairman of the department of Political Science at Princeton University
• Malcolm Kerr, political scientist
• Elias Khoury , novelist and historian, author of Gate of the Sun
• Tarif Khalidi , author and renowned Islamic Studies scholar, holder of Sheikh Zaid Chair of the Center for Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies (CAMES)

[edit] Former Students

• Elias Furzeli Member of the Lebanese Parliament and former Deputy Parliamentary Speaker
• Imad Mughniyah Hezbollah member formerly listed on US Most Wanted Terrorist List

[edit] References

• http://www.aub.edu.lb/news/archive/preview.php?id=81340

[edit] External links

• American University of Beirut
• AUB Medical Center
• Middle States Commission on Higher Education
• Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy
• Center for American Studies and Research
• AUB Accreditation
• Washington Post correspondent Amar Bakshi interviews students at AUB
• AUB student discusses her conflicted feelings about America after the July War of 2006 with Washington Post correspondent Amar Bakshi
• ProfessorHunt.com