"The alumni were so happy to include their work in the exhibit because it was the first alumni event of the Fine Arts department in some 30 years," said Rached Bohsali, chairman of the Fine Arts and Foundation Studies department.

"I didn't like to refuse people, but the space is less than 90 square meters and we had to chose works that fit together harmoniously."

The exhibit featured works from three generations of LAU graduates, all of whom are renowned artists. It includes a cross section of media - painting, ceramics, photography - and is thematically diverse. Most of the pieces hail from graduates of the Fine Arts department, but the fields of interior design, business management and business marketing are also represented, among others.

"The first event we did to promote the achievements of our alumni was a book exhibit. Last year, we did a film festival for alumni that are producers or directors, and this year we thought, why not do an art exhibition," says Abdallah El Khal, executive director of the Alumni Relations Office.

Lebanese Dutch visual artist Shirine Osseiran lives in London and had three of her digital prints in the exhibition.

"The pieces I submitted were my latest work, and I had just showed them in London, so it was an intuitive decision to submit them to the LAU show as well," she said.

"My major was interior design but I have been painting since my childhood and aspired to become an artist. Art is my love and passion and Mozart's words were always in my head: 'Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.'"

LAU comes from a position of strength in fine arts, with a tradition of artistic excellence in theatre, fine arts and film.

Many of the artists flew in from overseas to attend the opening event on May 7, during which President Joseph G. Jabbra honored them.

"This exhibition speaks volumes about the many talents of our graduates, the varied ways they see the world, their approach to the challenges we all face in a globalized and complex world, one in which we all need art to keep us civilized," he said.

The annual events organized by the Oman, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai and Northern Emirates alumni chapters in February and March brought together several hundred LAU alumni and friends.

Saad El Zein ('89), president of LAU's Dubai and North Emirates Chapter, said the success of the galas demonstrated an enduring commitment by LAU's past students to those of the future. "Education is a noble cause that builds great nations and today, more than ever, we need to support young people in getting a proper education," he said. The money will provide scholarships to academically gifted students at both the Beirut and Byblos campuses.

Oman Chapter President Carla Khalil ('97, '03) said alumni events were going from strength to strength as LAU's reputation for excellence spread across the region. "We are particularly encouraged because more non-alumni are supporting these events and showing interest in sending their children to LAU," she added. "Being a part of the alumni chapter has also been emotionally rewarding and I have forged many new friendships in it."

The scholarship funds will help LAU maintain its commitment to academic excellence and student diversity, said Naim Stephan ('91), president of the Abu Dhabi Alumni Chapter. "We are very proud of the transformation of LAU taking place under President Joseph G. Jabbra's leadership," he said.

Abdallah Al Khal, executive director for Alumni Relations, said alumni events not only provided excellent networking opportunities, but also deepened the spirit of community among LAU graduates and friends. "If well engaged, alumni can play a decisive role in student recruitment and in helping fellow alumni with their careers," he said. "On a financial level, their contributions are pivotal to LAU's development. The extraordinary figures raised at the recent galas demonstrate that LAU's alumni remain dedicated to their alma mater long after they graduate."

The Dubai gala dinner also saw the Governor of Lebanon's Central Bank Dr. Riyad Salameh honored for his role in shielding the Lebanese banking sector from the global economic crisis. Accepting the award, Salameh noted the Lebanese Central Bank had "taken all the measures" necessary to ensure stability among the Lebanese banking sector.

LAU has 36 alumni chapters across the world nine of which  are in the Gulf.

If you would like to get involved with or start an alumni chapter in your area, visit http://alumni.lau.edu.lb.
 

Orchestrated by the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, the Young Alumni Competition gives State Alumni between the ages of 17 and 25 the chance to devise, design and implement a community service project that exhibits their leadership skills in their communities.

It all started a few months ago when Dr. Ramy Harik, assistant professor in the Department of Industrial and Mechanical Engineering, informed Njeim about the competition, encouraging him and his colleagues to submit a seemly proposal.

"The original idea we came up with addressed corporate environmental responsibility, and what we finally ended up working with somewhat deviated from that," recalls Njeim.

By employing system dynamics -- a computer-aided approach that helps to decipher and understand the behavior of complex systems over time -- the quartet constructed a dynamic model that aims to decrease the negative environmental effects of various industries, also subbed subsystems. These include, but are not limited to, municipality waste and taxation, industrial waste, traffic pollution, reforestation, and water pollution.

"It's not as simple as it sounds," stresses the ever-feisty Njeim. "What we're interested in the most is the impact that government investment has on various factors within these subsystems: we learned that by increasing this investment, traffic volume and CO2 traffic emission, among others, decrease, thus decreasing overall pollution."

Under the advisory wing of Dr. Marc Haddad, assistant professor in the Industrial and Mechanical Engineering department, the quartet resorted to Vensim -- a simulation software pitched at finding an optimal solution for situations that need analysis, while précising the various possible results of a certain decision -- in order to design the project.

The students' very first exposure to, and subsequent proficiency in, the software materialized in a course taught to them by Haddad himself. "Vensim played a pivotal role in this project, and we used LAU's computer lab in order to construct the model; we couldn't have completed this project if it weren't for Dr. Haddad and his class," says Njeim.

The system dynamics approach the group adopted to tackle this issue allowed them to model the interaction between the industrial causes of the pollution problem and its societal effects, and to test the impact of potential solutions on both, says Haddad. "This work is of great practical value and can be built upon in future studies. We are very proud of the hard work and dedication that our students demonstrated throughout this project," he adds.

The group would like to thank the coordinator of the Young Alumni Competition Nancy G. Stephan, and LAU professors Dr. Marc Haddad, Dr. Ramy Harik, and Dr. Jean-Paul Arnaout for their immeasurable help and guidance during the developmental phase of this project.
 

Each year, Microsoft Partners in Learning, orchestrates an extensive global competition that seeks to identify and award innovators in education from all corners of the world.

This was the first time Chediac participated in the four-day competition and she happily took home the third place prize in the category of knowledge building and critical thinking. The accolade was bestowed in recognition of Chediac's development of the highly acclaimed the Warak Warak method, which is an innovative and original teaching method.

Chediac acknowledged the role that former inspiring teachers at LAU played in her pursuit of a teaching career. "My experience at LAU made a huge impact on my decision to pursue excellence in education," she explains with palpable pride. "I look forward to pursing a master's degree in education in the near future."

According to the founder, the Warak Warak method is a customized teaching blueprint that is proven to build and enhance students' subject knowledge and skills, increase their engagement and keep momentum beyond the classroom. Essentially, this method empowers students to be responsible for their own learning by stressing critical thinking and peer-to-peer collaboration.

The cutting-edge curriculum she has developed is highly inclusive of technology; indeed, much of the material is found online and utilizes social media and other forms of current technology.

In fact, much of her inspiration in developing this teaching method has stemmed from the years of observing students in the classroom. Chediac has been a biology teacher and coordinator for the secondary classes in Gebran Andrawos Tweini Public School in Beirut since 2004. Her accumulated experience has given her a unique perspective on education and spurred her to find innovative ways to engage students and impart on them a thirst for learning.

"I am so thrilled at this win, this is the first time a Lebanese teacher has gone this far," enthuses Chediac. "It is wonderful being able to represent both your country and your alma mater on a global stage."

A prominent international panel of educators served as judges for the competition using a 21st century skills rubric. Lebanon has been participating in this competition since 2009 and this year marked the first time the national flag was proudly displayed on the winning stage.

"This achievement makes the LAU community very proud," says Dr. Tarek Na'was, associate professor of biology and pharmacy at LAU Beirut. "It is very gratifying to see how well our graduates do when they leave the gates of the university," he continues.

"We wish her luck in all her endeavors."

Microsoft Partners in Learning hosts national and regional events throughout the year that recognize innovative educators and school leaders. These competitions culminate in the Partners in Learning Global Forum that, this year, brought together more than 500 competitors and government officials from 75 countries.
 

Five prominent LAU alumni -- Joe Hawa, Rana Zeitouny, Chadi Nehme, Carine Baroudi Barakat, and Christian Manoukian -- moderated the discussion, shared their own experience in the job market, and addressed engineering students' questions and concerns regarding the Lebanese marketplace.

"This is an excellent opportunity for SOE students to congregate and make the most of our alumni's experience and candid words of advice," said Dr. George E. Nasr, dean of the School of Engineering, at the onset of the discussion.

Reminiscing about his olden days as an undergraduate at LAU, President of the Chapter Hawa heartily recalled receiving a call from Abdallah El Khal, director of Alumni Relations, asking him to join the LAU Alumni Association. "It was quite an unexpected phone call -- I had graduated almost ten years ago!" said Hawa in jest, "But it was certainly a pleasant surprise," he then warmly added.

Hawa stressed the momentousness of forging a strong and resilient network of alumni, as it allows to do much more than simply stay in touch with one's former classmates -- it helps to establish healthy and fruitful work connections, as well.

"Many people try to work in other Arab countries right after they graduate, but when they come back to Lebanon, how can they find a job? How can they get an idea of what the job market is like? This is where the Alumni Relations Office comes in," he said.

Carine Baroudi Barakat, recipient of the BLC Bank "Woman Entrepreneur of the Year" award for the year 2012, shared her entrepreneurial venture at Entotox Public Health, a company she acquired in 2000 and is still running today. Speaking highly of the university's teachings and scholarship, Barakat said "I couldn't have gone this far without my alma mater, my family, and my fellow classmates," all of whom provided her with both the skills and self-confidence she needed to make it this far.

"When we are in contact with one another, we can open doors to each other. LAU alumni are one family, and we support each other any way we can," she added.

El Khal called the event a success, hoping it will foster closer ties among students and between alumni. "We aimed to reconnect SOE alumni with their school, and to allow the students to benefit from their experience," he said. "It was the first encounter of its kind and we encourage all schools to follow suit."

According to Maurice Sehnaoui, chairman and general manager of the BLC bank this award is the first Lebanese banking award designed to honor entrepreneurs who have achieved excellence and demonstrated personal commitment to the business and the community.

"It is truly a great honor to receive recognition for all those years' hard work," says Barakat who holds a BE in Industrial Engineering from LAU. "It gave me -- and the entire Entotox Public Health team -- a sense of fulfillment. This company wouldn't be where it is today without their devoted efforts."

The criteria for winning encompassed creativity, sustainability, and corporate social responsibility, all of which Entotox Public Health fulfilled with flying colors. The company provides both pest control and disinfection services to various kinds of premises, from hospitals, hotels and schools, to restaurants, plants, and apartments.

"It [Entotox Public Health] was a preexisting company at the time, and the owner wanted to sell it," says Barakat, recounting her acquisition of the firm in 2000. "I was a fresh graduate back then, and didn't know if I wanted to run my own business so soon. But I studied the company's potential and came to realize it was a great opportunity. Sometimes you just have to trust your gut."

Doubtless, being born into a family of entrepreneurs gave Barakat a leg up. "My father headed one of the biggest agricultural companies in Lebanon -- I looked up to him greatly, and was raised with an entrepreneurial frame of mind," she says.

A hard worker and meticulous businesswoman, Barakat prides herself on delving into the various departmental operations of her company. Running her own business was not always an easy ride, Barakat recalls, but Entotox Public Health has come a long way since its humble beginnings and shy metamorphosis 13 years ago.

Having started with just one employee and one car in 2000, the company employs more than 100 employees today, servicing all provinces in Lebanon, four cities in Saudi Arabia (Jeddah, Mekkah, Al Medina and Dammam), and has recently opened a new branch in Doha, Qatar.

Under Barakat's administration, Entotox Public Health has become one of the major pest management and control companies in the Middle East, using cutting-edge pest management techniques. Moreover, as part of the company's continuous effort to promote green energy, Entotox Public Health is responsible for helping Lebanon's reforestation by both backing up non-profitable organizations, and operating as a green company.

Speaking highly of Barakat's success story, LAU's Director of Alumni Relations Abdallah Al Khal says, "We are very proud of our fellow alumni and their achievements. Carine's triumph is a pride to other alumni and an inspiration to LAU students."
 

It was LAU’s love for its alumni that took it to Ghana this week, where it formally inaugurated the university’s first ever alumni chapter in Africa.

“Our alumni matter to us because although they have graduated, they are still a part of LAU’s close-knit family,” said LAU President Dr. Joseph G. Jabbra upon his return from Accra. “We make an effort to keep in touch and to ensure that the university responds to their needs.”

Famed for its cocoa beans, gold and beautiful beaches, Ghana is home to a significant number of Lebanese expatriates. According to some estimates, Lebanese business counts for up to 40 percent of the Ghanaian economy. It was thus a natural step for LAU to open its first African chapter there, said Executive Director of Alumni Relations Abdallah Al Khal.

The chapter was the culmination of two years’ work, with LAU alumni Kassem Odaymat, Lana Captan Ghandour and Ahmad Farroukh playing “instrumental roles,” Khal noted. “Their passion and dedication to reaching out to the LAU community and establishing the Ghana chapter was phenomenal. I can only imagine how active they will be once they are a fully-fledged chapter.” 

Jabbra likewise paid tribute to the efforts of alumni in Ghana. “They reflect the very spirit of LAU, which is the ability of our faculty, students and alumni to devote themselves to serving others so that others may have a better chance in life.”

According to Captan Ghandour (BA ’96, MA ’00), the enthusiasm of alumni to initiate chapter activities has been incredible. “We started with a list of eight alumni and have been able to engage with some 60 more. With time I expect the number to at least double. We have made a strong statement from the start that aside from enhancing inter-community relationships, the chapter will support the community in liaising with LAU.”

During the trip, the LAU delegation met with University of Ghana Vice-Chancellor Professor Ernest Aryeetey to explore the possibilities of linkages between the two universities. LAU Director of Admissions, Beirut, Nada Hajj hosted an open day so that students and school principals could learn more about studying at LAU. “The University aspires to attract students from Africa, especially the children of our alumni,” said Jabbra. “Trips like this teach us important lessons in how to bring people together and to use differences for positive gains.”

The LAU delegation also met with officials from the scholarship organization Finatrade Foundation, as well as Lebanon’s Consul in Accra, Ahmad Soueidan. Prominent Lebanese businessman Fida’ Halawi and his wife Doha hosted a reception for the Ghana chapter and members of the Lebanese expatriate community.

With over 33,000 alumni, LAU has active chapters in most corners of the world, including major cities like New York, Montreal, London, Geneva and Athens. With so many Lebanese living and working in Africa, further alumni chapters are being planned across the continent, said Jabbra.

You could say that Beirut has its very own harlequin guardian angel, its unique Batman of the arts: a group of predominantly LAU alumni under the name Dihzahyners who paint the capital’s copious stairways and help turn Beirut into a friendlier, more colorful city.

Dihzahyners’ latest artistic endeavor took place on October 27 when over 50 people armed with brushes and goodwill converged at the Daraj el-Beera stairs in Mar Mikhayel and got down to painting.

The event, dubbed Paint Up! V.5, marked the ensemble’s fifth stair-painting venture, and drew many eager newcomers to the venue.

Painting stairs was customizable this time around; the Dishayhners squad put a miscellany of stencil patterns together, and people could choose which of them to paint on the stairs. The result was a colorful, eclectic mix of motifs and designs that brought vigor and congeniality to the area.

“I learned about the event from Facebook,” says Léa Yammine, a recent graduate from the University of Leeds, U.K.. “I used to walk by some of the painted stairs in the neighborhood and think, ‘What a brilliant idea!’ When I knew I could be part of this initiative, I just couldn’t wait to do it.”

If you’re wondering how it all began ,“It all started with the click of a ‘Like’,” says LAU alumna and designer Lana Chucri, co-founder of Dihzahyners. “A simple inspirational image we saw on Facebook of artists painting stairs in Germany with vibrant colors.; the possibility of executing this in Beirut started there.”

Indeed, the idea drew its first breath on April 8, 2012, when over a dozen LAU designers congregated at the stairs of Sakiet el-Janzir and got down to painting.

“We realized that we could add energy and vigor to our city by simply painting certain locations that needed it – and where else to start but with the stairs? They are plentiful in Beirut!” says LAU alumnus and Dihzahyners co-founder Jubran Elias.

As beautifully astonishing and heartwarming as the end product may be, painting Beirut’s stairs is not an easy task. “We have to get the approval of the municipality, as well as that of the neighboring residents,” says Elias. “We inform them of what we're doing, and make sure everyone is on board and supporting our initiative.”

As the saying goes, ‘life imitates art,’ and Dihzahyners’ ultimate goal transcends the confines of estheticism for that reason. “Our initiatives aren't about painting stairs for the sake of it,” says Chucri. “We want to change the city’s landscape and embellish the communities that people live in. Our visual surroundings affect our moods and behavior. We want people to walk down those colorful stairs feeling happy and refreshed.”

Doubtless, Jubran and Chucri’s hopes have long ago ceased to be sheer aspirations, and passers-by are far from being oblivious to the sanguine effect that Dihzahyners’ painted stairs have imparted on the city – and themselves.

“I like the fact that the saturated colors stand out and don't blend into the rest of the scenery,” says Samer Nakfour, a computer engineering graduate from the American University of Beirut, as he walks by the Mar Mikhayel stairs. “Maybe it's a metaphor that represents those who think differently in this country, the outliers and game changers.”
 

“Here at LAU we are very proud of our communication arts students — both past and present — and it is important for them to get exposure beyond the gates of the university and have a platform to test their product,” says Dr. Mona Knio, chair of the Communication Arts Department.

“Seeing how audiences react to your work is the most important thing for an artist,” she adds.

LAU communication arts students made quite an impression at Masrah al-Madina's Mishkal festival - that showcases young talent in the domain of music, theatre, and cinema - where they directed and exhibited three playwrights: Chairs by Ranim Halabi; Crime in the Hospital by Mazen Saadeddine; Women in War by Rami al-Rabih.

Additionally, LAU made an impressive showing in the music component of the four-day event with a crowd-pleasing performance of the BLOK Laptop Orchestra, a music group composed of talented LAU students who boldly push the boundaries of electronic music.

"Mishkal gave me great motivation to pursue my artistic endeavors," says LAU third-year communication arts student and BLOK member Firas Bou Zeineddine. Indeed, Bou Zeineddine and his seven other band mates were unexpectedly approached by a local production company who offered to produce a future show. This surprise offer comes on the heels of BLOK’s international exposure—the group performed recently in front of a rapt audience in Alexandria, Egypt, during the Backstreet Festival. Some LAU communication arts students participated in several workshops organized during the event that focused on art in non-traditional spaces.
Earlier in the summer LAU also made a strong showing at the 10th Lebanese Film Festival.

The event evoked nostalgia for LAU alumna Tamara Stephanyan who made her film debut in 2005 at the festival. Stephanyan majored in communication arts with an emphasis on radio/TV and reflects fondly on her time at LAU: “I began my film career at LAU.”

This year she showcased her film  —a contemporary reflection on the dynamics of Lebanese and Armenian society. The film received wide acclaim and Stephanyan received the highly coveted “Best Fiction Film Award.” A native Armenian, Stephanyan reflects on the importance of her experiences in Lebanon to her work: “Lebanon is living in a complex temporality, where there is no real beginning, middle, or end. We as filmmakers are influenced by this particular rhythm and tempo.”

LAU alumna Amanda Homsi Ottoson also received special mention for her documentary Jasad and the Queen of Contradictions—chronicling the life of activist, writer and LAU instructor Joumana Haddad.

The festival opened with part-time LAU faculty member Wafa’a Halawi’s film We Might as Well that traces women’s lives within one of the few preserved historical buildings in Beirut.

“Partly whimsical and partly true—this film is a collaboration of dance, stop motion and time-lapsed cinematography and architecture,” explains Halawi. We Might as Well originally premiered at the Cinedans Film Festival in Amsterdam—one of the most prominent dance festivals in the world.

“I was very happy and proud of the LAU alumni on their success at the festival!” exclaims Halawi.

“This shows the impressive pool of talent we have here at LAU,” she adds.
 

Founded in 2008, ACAP uniquely rewards artists for their sheer proposals for brand new artworks, rather than completed works of art. Winners then go on to work collectively with a single international curator to produce these artworks, which will be unveiled in March of the following year at Art Dubai, the leading international art fair in the MENASA region.

Avakian was granted a sum of $100,000 to bring his proposal to fruition: an installation that builds on his previous work on urbanity and patriarchy.

“ACAP has given me the chance to produce one of my bigger installations,” says Avakian. “This is a great opportunity for me to complete one of the projects that I never thought I would be able to achieve.”

The winners’ artworks, which cannot be disclosed until their unveiling at the Art Dubai fair in March, will subsequently become permanent additions to the Abraaj Capital Art Collection.

A communication arts graduate with an emphasis in both film and theater, Avakian’s zeal for building installations dates back to his years as a student at LAU, where he worked on designing sets for various student productions. He later went on to study architecture and urban culture at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and the Centre de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona, Spain.

Avakian’s interests go beyond installation design, however. His multidisciplinary approach also draws on video and photography, with urbanity and consumer culture being the common theme and denominator across all three media. In particular, the political formation of cities and identities has become a focal point in Avakian’s creations.

In fact, Avakian’s work examines the urban environment as a social construct, investigating its flaws and weaknesses, and concentrating on aspects of performativity – the construction of identity or position through active expression – in the construction of public space and the creation of public figures.

In Avakian’s work, ambiguity and humor act as means of deconstruction of dominant perceptions, demonstrating the “cultural malaise of a generation in perpetual transition.”

“It is in this constantly changing fabric of cities that I find the source material for my practice, especially in the formation of various senior figures – father, leader, hero – and how they manifest themselves in the construction of monuments and public imagery,” explains Avakian.
 

Atwi, who earned her bachelor’s degree in graphic design, launched Celeste last year. The line offers a wide range of trendy tops, party dresses, daring accessories and other stylish pieces.

A fashion enthusiast from her student days, Atwi set out to bring a graphic designer’s eye to the fashion designer’s art, and by 2011 had managed to do with the launch of Celeste.

It is still nearly a one-woman operation, with Atwi herself doing all pattern-making, art direction, garment assortment for photo-shoots, and branding for the label.

"What makes my designs unique is that you can't define my style," says Atwi. "I would call myself daring and edgy, but I design according to my mood, sometimes using crazy colors and sometimes minimalistic classic pieces.”

Atwi makes imagining fashion-forward concepts seem simple. The real challenge, she says, lies in execution, especially given the lack of variety of textiles and tools in Lebanon.

“Sometimes, I don’t find the fabric I need, and it’s very costly to ship it from abroad in small quantities,” she explains.

Since the launching of her line, Atwi's success has relied heavily on the Internet. On her own website and through accounts on Facebook and other social media sites, she displays her designs for people to view and order, giving them the chance to alter items according to their taste. Celeste's Facebook page also offers tips on how to best wear the pieces.

Atwi also displays the collections in her own showroom, in addition to various design houses and trendy boutiques around Lebanon, Bahrain, Dubai, Egypt and Belgium.

Indeed, Facebook gave Celeste a great push, admits Atwi.

"It was through Facebook that people knew about Celeste and started ordering pieces,” explains Atwi. “It was also through Facebook that different boutiques inside and outside of Lebanon started contacting me, offering to showcase my collections."

The huge success of Celeste came as a surprise for Atwi, who now designs dresses and other pieces upon requests from clients.

"Clients come to me with an idea of what they want, and I make it happen," she says.

Atwi plans on collaborating with a website in London, which will allow her to sell her products online to an even wider clientele.

The Daily Star, with additional reporting by LAU staff.

The designer's cerebral leanings are clear--she prefers to read existential literature over fashion magazines in her spare time; in fact, the first line of Bird on a Wire was inspired by French philosopher Michel Foucault's idea of "heterotopia" and Lois Greenfield's photography of ballerinas.

Both of these highlight the idea of an imaginary space, such as the make-believe world of small children or the imagined scenes deftly conveyed through ballet choreography.

To be sure, Morcos designs have a kinship to the architectural sensibility that she developed while a student at LAU. "I construct clothes," she explains.

"I think in 3-D."

Unlike most artists who work in typical two-dimensional sketches in a notebook, Morcos works in 3-D, with Play-Doh and crunched up paper. She sews preliminary versions of her designs in cheap cotton, sending this rough prototype and patterns to a local atelier who turns the designs of her imagination into wearable clothing. "The man at the atelier suffers a lot because of me, I owe him some happy pills," she says, laughing.

For the  LAU alumna (B.S.'03), fashion has always been a part of life. Growing up, her mother, a Fine Arts graduate of LAU (then called BUC) infused her life with creativity and inventiveness. "My mother's eccentric style was my early source of inspiration," she says.

Her mother and father also inspired her decision to pursue higher education. "My parents wanted me to have a strong background before going into an 'uncertain' field such as fashion, so I chose to obtain a degree in interior design from LAU," she explains.

She also cites the "dynamic classmates and encouraging professors" she encountered at LAU as important sources of inspiration that motivate her work.

Now an instructor herself at Esmod Beyrouth, she preaches what she practices. In the classroom, Morcos' asks the next generation of Lebanese fashion designers to throw away their magazines and try something completely new, says former student Maryz Abdel Massy.

"She basically taught us to play and experiment ways of coming up with new volumes and prints, like thinking outside the box and forgetting everything we see in magazines and on TV," Abdel Massy continues.

Moving forward, Morcos is going to launch a new line in September and she is also busy perfecting a necklace line built from dozen of copper or wooden pieces that fit together like the bones of a reconstructed dinosaur.

A full version of this article was originally published in The Daily Star on July 18, 2012 (click to view) and is here posted with additional reporting by LAU staff.
 

The week of celebration and gathering kicked off with the Alumni Dinner that was organized at the Phoenicia InterContinental Hotel in Beirut.

“Our Alumni Chapters all over the world play a vital role in strengthening the ties between the alumni and their alma mater,” said LAU President Dr. Joseph G. Jabbra at the dinner, adding that the university is taking bold steps toward providing the community with the future it deserves.

Alumni Relations Office Director Abdallah Al-Khal seized the opportunity to thank committee members of alumni chapters for their hard work and commitment to LAU.

That night, two prominent LAU alumni, Lamis Alami and Ahmad Farroukh, were presented with special awards.

Alumni around the world were asked to nominate fellow alumni who have accomplished noteworthy achievements in their respective fields for these awards, earlier this year. Then, an Alumni Relations Office committee selected the candidates.

The Recognition Award went to Lamis Alami (BCW, ’64), an exceptional alumna who dedicated her life to teaching, Palestinian refugee women in particular. Alami has also worked at various NGOs and human rights organizations, and is currently the Minister of Education and Higher Education in the Palestinian Authority.

“I believe in the continuous relationship and collaboration between LAU and civil society,” said Alami, before adding “I am proud and honored to be a graduate of this prestigious educational institution.”

The Achievement Award was granted to Ahmad Farroukh (B.S.’83/M.B.A.’90), who is currently group chief operating executive and vice president of the West and Central Africa region at MTN Group Limited. Farroukh is also the founder and owner of Starbow, a regional airline focused on the West African market.

Praising LAU’s history and notable achievements, Farroukh extended his gratitude to the university’s teachings, attributing his successful career to his years at LAU.

On July 12 and 13, both campuses hosted all-class reunions. This year, the classes of 1962, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002, and 2007 were presented with jubilee pins for their 5th to 50th graduation anniversaries.

The following days, alumni enjoyed the annual President’s Forum Brunch organized at LAU-Beirut and an excursion to the Northern city of Douma before the LAU Alumni Association Board honored the 50th Anniversary Graduates at the President’s residence on July 16.

In the presence of chapter representatives in Lebanon and around the world, an LAU Alumni Association Board meeting was called to order by its president Leila Saleeby Dagher the next day.

The meeting aimed to discuss issues related to the welfare of the alumni, and encourage more participation from the community.
 

The concept of transactional analysis originally developed in the field of psychology, but has become a ubiquitous tool in management and communications. Neo-Freudian in its foundations, it emphasizes that life patterns begin in childhood; aims to intervene and modify these patterns to release the full potential of adults. Safa stressed that transactional analysis is a communications theory “pragmatic in its approach,” positing that the self arises through interactions with others.

Hady, who holds a Ph.D. in talent management and is the founder of Standard Human Resources Consultancy, has given guest lectures in a wide range of institutional settings, from multinational corporations to universities to the civil service sector.

Alumni, students, and faculty members in attendance were intrigued by Safa’s explanations of the “games people play” in their interactions with others. Safa also delved into the “Parent-adult-child” model for understanding personal growth and change in the “ego state,” which is foundational to transactional analysis as originally developed in the 1950s by the Canadian-born psychiatrist Eric Berne.

Safa’s entertaining anecdotes emphasized how life experience can help us to face the realities of the workplace and to “achieve our dreams.” Safa acknowledged, however, that at times we must “take a step back and recognize we are not always in control of our situation.”

The crowd was clearly charmed by the lighthearted approach to a serious subject. Deftly fielding audience questions, Safa had participants questioning their own interactions with others, reflecting on the “games” they themselves play in the pursuit of professional and personal fulfillment.

Safa emphasized that if we don’t “take the clutter out of our lives, we won’t get new things in our lives.” This notion in particular resonated with Alia Hmeidan, an 1988 LAU graduate in English, who described the lecture afterwards as “profoundly impressive,” praising Safa’s understanding of human relations.

“Everything in life is a pleasure,” said Safa by way of closure. “It is just a matter of how you see it.”

Pleased by the high turnout, Executive Director of Alumni Relations Abdallah Al Khal described LAU alumni as distinguished by their “eagerness to learn and continue their education.” The next lecture in the “Keep Learning” series is scheduled for June 1st.
 

“Networking, getting alumni together, promoting LAU, these are all important outcomes of these annual dinners,” Abdallah Al Khal, director of Alumni Relations, said. “But most importantly, they raise needed funds for student scholarships.”

In recent years both chapters have introduced new themes and entertainment to attract larger crowds. This year, the Abu Dhabi chapter flew in violinist Hanin Ghareeb and singer Wael Jassar from Lebanon. The dinner, themed “From LAU to the World” and held at the Rotana Beach Hotel, honored four prominent supporters of the university: Amal Hourani, Kameel Sarieddine, Salim Zyr and Salim Sfeir.

“Year after year more people are learning about LAU and what we stand for, and they believe in what we are doing,” said chapter president Naim Stephan. “We used to have a couple hundred attendees at our dinners, and we now have 650 because we have built such a strong reputation in the United Arab Emirates.”

Promotion of LAU through local chapters' dinners and activities has been crucial to spreading word of the mission and goals of the university in recent years, but Stephan is quick to point out that these efforts were largely made possible through the vision and leadership of Dr. Joseph G. Jabbra, president of LAU since 2004.

Jabbra, who attended both the Abu Dhabi and Dubai galas, was caught by surprise when Stephan — along with other chapter committee members — summoned him to the stage to receive an award for his service to the university.

“We felt it our duty to honor him for the achievements he brought to LAU over the past few years,” Stephan said, pointing out that Jabbra’s tenure has witnessed the establishment of the medical and nursing schools, the purchase of Rizk Hospital, NEASC accreditation and the accreditation of many degree programs.

The Dubai and Northern Emirates dinner took place at Al Bustan Rotana Hotel, and centered on a mother's day theme. “From our mothers we learned how to love, how to care, and most importantly, how to give,” said chapter president Saad El Zein, toasting the hundreds who attended. “These values — along with passion and commitment — have grown in us over the years into a bottomless devotion to assisting others.”

The chapter specifically honored Leila Solh Hamade, former Lebanese Minister of Industry, describing her as “personifying the values of the dearest person to our heart.” Solh Hamade also serves as vice president of the Alwaleed bin Talal Humanitarian Foundation which has donated generously to LAU over the years.

El Zein explained that the gala’s ultimate objective is to give back to LAU by helping students in need of financial assistance. “It is our mission to raise scholarship funds to help them fulfill their ambitions, goals and dreams,” he said.

For the evening’s entertainment, organizers hired Lebanese singers Maya Diab and Joseph Attieh.

For the first time, local high-school principals from the UAE were invited to attend the galas, both as a token of appreciation for their support of LAU over the years, and to offer them a better sense of what the university stands for.

“This reinforces and personalizes the relationship we have with these high schools,” said Abdo Ghie, assistant vice president for Enrollment Management. It was the first time Ghie, along with Nada Hajj and Michel Najjar, directors of admissions in Beirut and Byblos respectively, attended such galas as part of their outreach effort.

According to Ghie, parental interest in LAU far exceeded organizers’ expectations. “I discovered very quickly that attendees were committed to LAU — they love it and speak extremely highly of it,” he said. “They are eager to send their kids to us — in many cases, it wasn’t even something to discuss. Their questions were simply of logistical nature.”

He added that Hajj and Najjar deserve credit for “cultivating personal and friendly” relationships with high schools in the UAE.

Both events were sponsored by the Bank of Beirut.
 

LAU’s Communication Arts program — which prepares students for careers in journalism, publishing, filmmaking and other media — is one of the region’s oldest and most renowned. Films by recent graduates have shown on Al Jazeera, featured at Doha Tribeca Film Festival and won prizes at Cannes.

“The goal here is to promote our graduates through LAU and to promote LAU through our graduates,” says Abdallah Al Khal, executive director of alumni relations. “These are artists of global reputation, moreover, whose success sets an example for our current students.”

The Alumni Relations Office has indeed been bustling with activity in recent years. The 2011 Alumni Book Exhibition, a kind of precursor to the AFF, showcased the works of 40 alumni writers, and drew in prominent university alumni like the Lebanese-Armenian talk show host Zaven Kouyoumdjian.

“The arts are key to keeping a society civilized,” said LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra at the festival’s opening ceremony. “If you want to understand the challenges a society is facing, you have to go to the theater, watch films, and read literature.”

The festival screened a total of 17 films, including full-length features as well as shorts, all produced and/or directed by LAU alumni. These included prominent and rising figures in regional and world cinema such as Dima El-Horr, Zaid Abu Hamdan, Walid Fakhreddine, Khalil Dreifus Zaarour and Mahmoud Kaabour.

Super. Full, a short film by Niam Etani, who teaches screenwriting at LAU Beirut, tells the story of a poor worker who promises to take his newlywed to dinner in a lavish hotel on her birthday, all the while chronicling the cordial routines of their married life.

The film has screened at several international film festivals, including the Seattle International Film Festival and the CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival, and won the MAISHA & DFI Screenwriting Lab Zanzibar award.

“We are thrilled to see our graduates excel and compete for key positions in the media industry,” said Dr. Mona A. Knio, associate professor of theater and chairperson of the Department of Communication Arts, at the festival’s opening ceremony.

While some films were light and witty, others centered on serious issues such as sexual harassment.

The Adventures of Salwa, a three-minute animated short produced by Liliane Hanbali, a part-time instructor of film editing at LAU, follows its titular character in various situations. Salwa was originally written and directed by Amanda Abou Abdallah as a PSA for sexual harassment, and gained popularity through an online campaign meant to raise awareness about domestic violence, pedophilia and sexual harassment in the workplace.

“Alumni film festivals such as this one can really motivate current students to work to have their own films screened in the future,” said Hanbali, who graduated from LAU in 1996.

The Alumni Film Festival also screened films produced and/or directed by Sabine El Chamaa, Sawsan Darwaza, Merva Faddoul, Elie Habib,Wafa'a Halawi, Farh Al Hashim, Remi Itani, Lina Matta, Rakan Mayasi and Noura Sakkaf.

"The notion of service is in right now," Jabbra told the crowd, referencing recent memories of American billboards spotlighting the benevolence of Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and President John F. Kennedy.

"Service is key to personal success and satisfaction in life," Jabbra said. “Providing value, help, and support to others will provide more spiritual, psychological, financial, and other benefits than any self-improvement concept out there.”

He intimated “serious obstacles” that prevent us from realizing our human potential. Determining a “crystal clear” purpose in life, he advised, is the most common stumbling block on the “daunting” road to altruism.

“Purpose requires us to share our skills, to be successful and help others to be successful,” he said. Not one to seize the day, Jabbra revealed that adherence to a progressive “personal roadmap” is his yardstick of success.

Individuals without a sense of purpose can descend into “stagnancy,” he said, but working harder "to be better human beings" can help enable us to serve others as well as ourselves.

Jabbra also made clear that his commitment to helping others in his personal and professional life has only continued to grow at LAU, where “the notion of service is one of the pillars, not only of the philosophy, but also of the mission” of the institution.

“What made the lecture special is the fact that it perfectly reflected Dr. Jabbra’s personality,” says Abdallah Al Khal, executive director of LAU’s Alumni Relations Office. “The flow of words was so smooth that it seemed as if he was evoking his life experience.”

Indeed, the topic really resonated among the attendees, some of whom said they felt compelled to act more philanthropically in the future, while others appreciated confirmation that charity could boost their personal success.

“A lot of people think they have to give just because it’s the right thing to do, but it is important to realize that [giving] builds your character and makes you a better person,” says Robert Hollback, assistant vice president of Development for North America at LAU.

“The lecture highlighted how to turn the idea of service into a tangible reality,” says Abbas Sibai, a 2008 finance and social work graduate who currently heads an educational NGO. “It’s not just about moving garbage from the street or helping an elderly person, but how to do this service passionately and professionally,” he adds.

Widely known for her lavish evening and bridal gowns, Sarieddine presented her “Sensual Lines” Spring Summer 2012 collection at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in Manhattan on September 16.

The Amal Sarieddine show featured 17 dresses, characterized by fine embroidery seamlessly mixed with elaborate embellishment shaped in rigorous geometrical lines flowing around the body.

“This is the third time I’ve taken part in the event, and the feedback I’m getting is better each season,” she says.

Sarieddine’s growing name in the business has caught the attention of industry professionals, who are coming to her shows in growing numbers.

“I launched my first collection in 2004, and in just a few years have managed to make my mark,” says Sarieddine.

She says the key to her success stems from the distinctive sewing, embroidery and embellishment techniques she learned from her mother, Nawal Sarieddine, who opened her own fashion design house some forty years ago.

“I use the traditional and authentic techniques of older generations of tailors,” she says, “in contrast with the new reliance on assembly-line production and outsourcing of embroidery and assembly to China or India.”

Sarieddine’s workshop is preserving this heritage, with trained tailors — many of whom began their careers under her mother — passing their knowledge on to a younger generation.

Sarieddine has presented her collections in Los Angeles, Paris and various fashion capitals in the Middle East. She now has prominent clients in the U.S., Europe, Lebanon and the Gulf countries, where royal family members are her main customers.

“My main challenge today is to branch out from my career in fashion into the world of interior architecture and home collections,” she says, adding that her time at LAU fostered her ambition and creativity.

“LAU opened my eyes to the world. I was taught by the best professors how to turn my ideas and vision intro a creative reality,” she says.

Sarieddine also expressed enthusiasm about LAU’s initiative to establish a degree program in fashion design next fall.

“Until now students who wanted to specialize in fashion had to pursue their studies abroad,” she says, adding that the “brain drain” afflicts designers as it does other professionals in Lebanon.

“The new program may help to keep their talent and industry at home, and their work closer to their culture,” she concludes.

“Saloua Raouda Choucair: the Retrospective,” which features some 380 of the artist’s works, was curated by her daughter Hala Choucair Gharzeddine, in collaboration with the Agial Art Gallery. The show opened in late September and continues until November 13.

From early paintings to more recent sculptures, the exhibition presents work from every phase of Choucair’s career. It includes sketches, photographs, rugs and other daily-use art pieces like jewelry and furniture.

The show is divided chronologically, with each section revealing a new wrinkle in the artist’s evolving story, a new dimension of her vision. Throughout, Choucair’s modernity and avant-gardism make decades-old pieces look timely, even timeless.

Work from every phase of her career shows an enduring fascination with science, philosophy, Islamic art and poetry.

“My mother was very creative, and highly optimistic about the modernity of Arab culture,” says Gharzeddine. “She believed in progress and was very curious about science. She wanted her work to be a synthesis of all these elements,” she says.

According to Gharzeddine, Choucair defines her art as pure abstraction but an abstraction inspired by Islamic art. “She was moved less by the visual aesthetics of Islamic art than by its desire to express the infinite and the indescribable, by its circles and the lines and by its use of mathematics,” she says.

Choucair has used a large range of materials for her sculptures over the years, from wood to plexiglas, brass, ceramics and nylon threads. These she fashions rigorously into polished circles, spirals, waves and other geometrical shapes, sometimes fitted over each other in “duals” or “poems,” visual traces of her meditation on and fusion of science and Arabic poetry.

Born in Beirut in 1916, Choucair graduated from American Junior College for Women (as LAU was then known) in 1936 with a degree in biology. She began her painting career in the studios of prominent Lebanese artist Mustafa Farroukh while still a student.

In an autobiographic article written in the early 90s, Choucair describes her college years with enthusiasm, recalling the publication of her caricatures — of classmates, teachers, and other campus figures — in the annual Trireme publication and on the college’s posters, which she designed.

“She loved her years at AJCW,” says her daughter. “She found an audience there who appreciated her style, who would laugh at her depictions.”

She went on to graduate school at the American University of Beirut, graduating with degrees in philosophy and Arabic sciences.

Her career led her to Paris, where she graduated from the Ecole des Beaux Arts and worked with some of the most prominent artists of the time.

Choucair’s last major exhibition was in 1974, when the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism displayed some 100 pieces in its glass exhibition hall in the Hamra area. The event marked the first time that gallery — the ministry’s most prestigious — had showcased the work of a Lebanese artist.

“In her early career she was badly treated and at best ignored. She was bitter,” Gharzeddine recalls, adding that “later she was rewarded in many ways and she felt much better. She now lives blissfully.”

Choucair has received several distinctions from the Ministry of National Education, and was awarded the highest national honor, the Cedar Decoration (Knight and Officer Grades).

In 1975 LAU (at that time BCW) honored Choucair by acquiring and displaying one of her sculptures in the university gardens.

“Saloua Raouda Choucair: The Retrospective” continues through November 13 at the Beirut Exhibition Center. For more information visit:
www.beirutexhibitioncenter.com. 

LAU alumni Nisreen Mohtar, Danny Khoury and Dalia Baassiri each designed and painted two of six new benches on Beirut’s Hamra Street on October 4 and 5. They were selected as part of a painting competition in the Maraya 2011 Hamra Street Festival, which took place from August 30 to September 1.

Ms. Najwa Baroudi, the organizer of the festival, was delighted with the contributions of the three LAU alumni, saying the point of Maraya is to celebrate the spirit of Hamra, which she describes as “the center of intellectual activity in the city.”

“Dalia, Danny and Nisreen are fine artists. Their work is diverse and broad in its meaning, and their energy and enthusiasm are exemplary,” she says. “We are very happy with our choice —and LAU should be proud,” Baroudi says.

Baroudi hopes more benches can be installed in Hamra, as well as in the rest of the Ras Beirut area.

“We’re encouraging a high standard of varied cultural and artistic activities to draw in the diverse local and foreign communities that converge on Hamra,” she explains.

Khoury, a 2002 graphic design graduate, expressed pleasure in using his design skills to enliven the much-needed resting space on his favorite street.

“Benches were always a missing part of Hamra,” says Khoury, who published his first book, At the Edge of the City  in 2010, “This project is part of an attempt to revive the street,” he adds.  

Khoury was inspired by — and set out to capture — the distinctive spirit of the iconic Ras Beirut street.

“One of my benches is rather abstract in its design,” Khoury comments, “but I felt its elements reproduce the lively soul of Hamra.”

2003 graphic design graduate Baassiri is currently working as a freelance graphic designer. She took her cue from local pedestrians in her approach to the project.

“I watch different people’s faces and get inspired,” she explains, adding that. “I am also interested in illustrating human cells and features.”

Baassiri — who is set to continue her graduate education at Chelsea College of Art and Design in London — was also motivated by her emotional attachment to a neighborhood she’s lived in for ten years.

Mohtar, who graduated in 2003 with B.S. in Interior Design and a minor in Fine Arts, initially had misgivings about painting on a busy street like Hamra.

“At first I was terrified,” she admits. “It’s definitely different from painting in a studio alone. I doubted whether I would be able to reflect my ideas smoothly while passersby watched me.”

Ultimately Mohtar’s extensive experience with exhibitions — at LAU, AUB, and the International School of Choueifat — served to calm her nerves, and her work was very positively received.

“I had comments from famous artists,” she says, “as well as a number of requests for future painting work. I think this kind of work is good marketing for us.”

The award-winning journalist, blogger, social commentator, and LAU alumnus (’03) even encouraged them to mention him if tweeting from his lecture, titled “The revolution behind the revolution: The role of social media in the Arab spring.”

“Things are changing,” said Abbas, explaining that though revolutions have occurred throughout history, the 2011 Arab revolutions were distinguished by a domino effect facilitated by social media.

Abbas summarized the common causes behind the revolutions, and highlighted the central role of fellow bloggers both in assisting locals and informing the rest of the world about unfolding events. He cited the Egyptian Wael Ghoniem as an example of a blogger whose reach and impact were profound.

“‘To those in power,’” he said, quoting Ghoniem’s words from an interview earlier this year, “‘you are facing a generation which communicates in a way you don’t understand.’”

Abbas spoke about the importance of the Internet in disseminating information, arguing that while traditional mainstream media is biased toward established consensus opinion, social media levels the playing field for a multiplicity of voices.

“People now don’t just watch a story on TV or read about it in a newspaper” after the fact, he said. “They have instant and on-demand access” to events as they unfold, and can even participate in the shaping of the story.

Referring to questions about objectivity in social media, he said the “better argument will always win.”

Abbas blamed dictators for attacking journalists and blocking communication, but noted that the deposed governments contributed to their own downfalls as their tight censorship of the media helped trigger the revolutions.

“A free media diffuses the anger,” he explained. “When you censor media, it stimulates a revolution.”

He argued that the attention on the Middle East in the news has helped this region’s journalists thrive. “The Middle East is suddenly back in the spotlight. It’s a good time to be a journalist here.”

“One thing is certain,” he added. “We never know what to expect next.”

Abbas earned his B.A. in marketing with a minor in communication arts from LAU and his M.A. in marketing communications from the University of Westminster. Based in London, he is known primarily for his column on the popular U.S. website The Huffington Post, which he began writing in 2008.

Abbas has worked for the pan-Arab daily Asharq Al Awsat, Al Hayat Newspaper in Saudi Arabia, Future Television in Lebanon, Leo Burnett in Saudi Arabia and Ink Publishing in London. 

Twenty-one students from universities across Lebanon competed in the Farra Design Center-sponsored “Divine Details” competition, created in 2004 with the objective to encourage youth participation in design. Farra Design Center is a furniture store in Mkalles with one of the largest imported collections in Lebanon.

“I went for the most basic element to design — a module,” says Naja, a third-year architecture student, who created a series of cubes that could easily be unified or separated to serve a variety of functions: a coffee table, TV stand, book shelves, desk, etc.

“This modular system allows users to create their own furniture that doesn’t otherwise exist or goes beyond what you see at a regular furniture store,” Naja adds.

The participants were free to design and submit any full-scale piece of furniture they wanted as long as it could fit into a two-meter by two-meter box.

Sabbah, a 2010 interior architecture graduate, designed an oriental-style lamp that doubles as a mop and bucket. She designed it over a year ago for one of her classes, but never expected it would earn her a cash prize and recognition.

“Our department at LAU told us about this competition and encouraged us to participate,” Sabbah explains. “So in May we submitted our projects. About 20 of us were shortlisted for the competition. Soon after they announced that we had won.”

Naja and Sabbah were awarded $2,000 and $1,500 for their designs, respectively, during a ceremony on June 3.

"I always wanted to rediscover what I have missed during my time away from Lebanon," says Robert Shafie, who graduated from LAU in 1984 with a master's in business administration, and resides in Boston, United States.

"To be in touch with my old school and attend the reunion in Beirut has been a wish of mine, and this was a great opportunity for me to meet with former classmates and faculty," Shafie says.

Sentiments like Shafie's could be heard throughout the week of the 2011 Alumni Homecoming and Reunions, as hundreds of alumni returned to both campuses to revisit their pasts and share their current lives with old and new friends.

Held from July 13-17, the five-day extravaganza included an alumni dinner, all-class reunions on both campuses, a homecoming brunch, and a trip to Ehden Village in the northern mountains.

"Don't forget that this institution comes from humble origins," LAU President Dr. Joseph G. Jabbra said during the alumni dinner on July 13. "Now, thanks to you and all those who believed in LAU, we have two major campuses and over 8,000 students."

Bank of Beirut supported the week's events, as it has in previous years.

Alumni dinner

The week began with an alumni dinner held at the Phoenicia InterContinental Hotel in Beirut. LAU board members, faculty and staff gathered with alumni to enjoy live entertainment, acknowledge the work of the 32 alumni chapters worldwide, and present two alumni with special awards.

Here, Lebanese violinist Vanessa Nassar entertains the attendees.

The Underground Fiesta Band got the crowd ready to dance during the alumni dinner.

At the alumni dinner, Rima Daniel Hourani ('70), 2nd from right, received the Alumni Recognition Award from Abdallah Al Khal, director of the Alumni Relations Office; Leila Saleeby Dagher, president of the Alumni Association Board; and President Jabbra. The annual award goes to an alum who has made outstanding contributions to LAU and the community.

"I am honored by this recognition," says Hourani. "I believe strongly in education and that is why we are committed to LAU."

From left: LAU alum and popular television personality Ricardo Karam ('96) receives the Alumni Achievement Award from Dagher and Jabbra at the dinner. The award is given to an alum who has had significant accomplishments in his or her professional life.

"My dream was to make a difference, and I have tried to do so," says Karam.

All-class reunion (Beirut)

At all-class reunions on July 14 and 15 at the Byblos and Beirut campuses, respectively, different generations of alumni mingled with former professors, LAU officials, and each other.

Attendees browsed through yearbook-style posters from different graduation years to find themselves and old classmates.

Jabbra addressed a large assembly of alumni at the all-class reunion at LAU Beirut. He welcomed them back to a place that serves as a "home away from home."

Dagher greeted the crowd of alumni and their families outside the Safadi Fine Arts Building.

Alumni paused from socializing to take group photos with President Jabbra during the Beirut-campus reunion.

Al Khal welcomed first-time and seasoned reunion-goers.

"The numbers attending these annual events have increased considerably from previous years," he says.

At the end of both the Byblos and Beirut reunions, alumni were treated to a screening of the award-winning documentary Teta Alf Marra (Grandmother, 1,000 times), written and directed by LAU alumnus Mahmoud Kaabour (shown right at LAU Beirut's Irwin Theatre).

All-class reunion (Byblos)

LAU Byblos alumni gathered on July 14 to catch up with old friends, and make new ones.

Ghada Majed, assistant director of the Alumni Relations Office; Dagher; and LAU alumnus and film director Kaabour, in front of posters for his internationally acclaimed film Teta Alf Marra at the Byblos reunion.

At the all-class reunions on both campuses, jubilee pins were distributed to the classes of '06, '01, '96, '91, '86, '81, '76, '71, '66 and '61.

Here, Jabbra hands out a pin to an LAU Byblos alumnus.

Former LAU President Dr. Riyad F. Nassar (4th from left) with Jabbra, Al Khal and a group of alumni who attended the Byblos-campus reunion.

All-class homecoming brunch and trip

During the all-class homecoming brunch held on July 16 at LAU Beirut's courtyard, generations of alumni and their families enjoyed a relaxed morning outdoors with university officers and staff.

Alumni during a hike, part of the July 17 all-class trip to Ehden.

Alumni stop to take a group photo after a short hike near Ehden Village.

Rizk’s 12-minute film was screened under the category of “Short Film Corner.” It was not a competition, he says, but rather an opportunity to rub shoulders with prominent figures in the film industry.

“You wouldn’t believe what happens in Cannes,” Rizk says. “For 10 days, you think you are dreaming. You get on the plane, land, then go to the festival and the first person you run into is Robert De Niro.”

While in Cannes, Rizk had the chance to attend lectures and workshops about film production, including one led by British actor Malcolm McDowell who played in A Clockwork Orange.

Rizk’s film is about two grade-school students who stay at school after class one Friday afternoon and plot to steal an exam. A simple story, Rizk says, but with a very artistic touch.

The two main characters in the movie locate the exam and scramble to photocopy it before anyone catches on. Suddenly, someone opens the door of the copy room and the worst fears of the panicked students begin to cloud their imaginations.

One student imagines they had just gotten busted by the school principal. The film makes viewers believe the scene is reality when in fact they are merely witnessing a manifestation of the boy’s paranoia. That scene ends and the camera then captures the imagination of the other student, who plays out a scenario that involves his teacher entering the copy room.

Most viewers can identify with one of the two kids, Rizk says. “If they didn’t steal an exam when they were in school, they tried to, or at least wanted to.”

The Examination was previously screened at the Notre Dame University Film Festival (where Rizk won a prize), Nadi Lekol El Nass, Ehdeniyat festival, FICMÉC festival (organized by Université Saint-Joseph), and the European Film Festival — all held in Lebanon.

Rizk says the film took about eight months to complete, including five months of pre-production preparation, three days of shooting, and over two months of post-production work.

He says the film’s success would not have been possible without the dedicated efforts of his production team, which he handpicked after reviewing previous movies they worked on.

“At the end of the day, it’s the work of the team that counts. The music played a very important part of the movie. The art director did a great job with decor,” he says. “They all understood the mood of the movie.”
 

A 2007 communication arts graduate with honors, Jamal introduced the audience to his novel, which reflects the relatively free lives of two ladies, Aisha bint Talha and Sakina bint Al Hussein, during the late Islamic period.

One of Jamal’s principal aims was to identify and reveal the wealth of the Arab culture while contesting the stereotypical image of women in the Islamic era.

“Our societies have drawn a false image that women were oppressed in the late Islamic period whereas all trusted references point out that the truth is contrary to that suggestion,” Jamal said. One of the characters of the novel, Sakina bint Al Hussein, “had her own literary council and different poets were interested in her work,” he added.

Jamal first wrote his ideas as a script treatment, but he eventually changed his mind and wrote a novel, which took him around three years to complete, including two years of research.

His hard work has paid off. Dr. Vahid Behmardi, associate professor of Arabic and Persian literature and chairperson of LAU Beirut’s Department of Humanities, praised the novel, comparing its quality to that of renowned cultural books.

“This excellent novel is a non-fiction. Jamal took real events of the past and added value to these with his creativity to create the novel,” Behmardi said at the book-signing ceremony. “The novel, hence, has two levels; one is strictly related to history and the other side of it is fictional and artistic,” he added.

Behmardi was amazed with Jamal’s knowledge of the Arab culture when the two first met years ago in the professor’s Beirut-campus office.

“Years ago, I saw Jamal looking at the list of Arabic teachers as he wanted someone to edit his script for his final play,” Behmardi said. “I read his script and we edited it together but I never thought that, in a couple of years, that same student would be signing his first book,” he said.

Speaking at the event, Dr. Dima Dabbous-Sensenig, assistant professor of communication and director of LAU’s Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World, congratulated Jamal, noting that he was a unique student with an unmatched enthusiasm for learning.

Dabbous-Sensenig also pointed out the importance of the novel in helping Arabs understand their cultural heritage and build on this knowledge a quality future in which they can recall their past accomplishments.

“The best way for us to go forward is to know our past and to understand that women had rights before in this area. They lost these rights and are now trying to regain the rights that were theirs long before,” Dabbous-Sensenig said.

Jamal emphasized LAU’s key role in developing his personal and professional skills, saying: “The environment of LAU helped me to understand arts and literature. I took the basics and the tools from LAU from which I could begin my professional career.”

Jamal also read two pages from his novel to a standing ovation.

The event was organized by IWSAW, the Department of Humanities, and the Department of Communication Arts.
 

Visitors discovered everything from children’s books to works of poetry, history and science.

Throughout the three-hour evening exhibition, passers-by who visited the table of Henry Matthews, a 1980 fine arts graduate, picked up a copy of his Encyclopedia of Lebanese Comic Books (2010) and reminisced about their childhood days reading comics. “You brought me back 30 years,” said one man.

When asked how it made him feel to see the nostalgic reactions of so many visitors, Matthews said: “It’s a bittersweet feeling. Bitter, because our history is being destroyed and we can’t do anything about it.”

Salpi Simitian, who received a B.A. in communication arts two years ago, recently published her first children’s storybook, The Little Cedar Tree. She says it talks about history and the environment, but is neither a history nor environment book. Rather, it blends the two to somehow encourage engagement in and raise awareness of environmental issues.

“It encourages children to become better citizens,” she said. After being confronted by a skeptic who asked her if she really believed children would understand the message, she responded: “If they love the book, it will drive them to action.”

Danny Khoury, a 2002 graphic design graduate, exhibited At the Edge of the City: Reinhabiting Public Space Toward the Recovery of Beirut’s Horsh Al-Sanawbar, edited by Fadi Shayya. Horsh Beirut is one of the last green public spaces in the city, though it has for a long time been closed off to the public. (Read more.)

Khoury wrote one chapter of the book, though his greatest contribution came in the form of design.

His designs were not created merely for aesthetic glamor, he explained, but rather contained symbolic elements. The cover, for example, gives an illusive impression. Why? “Because when we used to ask why Horsh Beirut is closed, they never gave us an answer,” Khoury said. “It was always unclear.”

The event marks the beginning of an annual effort by the Alumni Relations Office to promote the achievements of LAU graduates.

“This is your university and your second home,” Abdallah Al Khal, Alumni Relations Office director, told the graduates in his opening speech.

In a follow-up address, Ghada Majed, the office’s assistant director, said: “This event is important not just for the participants, but also for the students here who are witnessing today that no dream is impossible.”

Check out this booklet for more information about the exhibitors.

Chaker is also the founder and managing director of Middle East Consultancy Agency (MCA) People Solutions, which helps equip professionals with leadership skills.

He lectured to a packed auditorium of alumni April 29 at LAU Beirut, explaining that his tips can be applied in both professional and personal settings.

Chaker said the rules of etiquette are staples of all religions that have adopted some form of the golden rule that tells us to treat others how we would like to be treated.

“I think this is obsolete,” he said. “With globalization, it’s changed. I can’t treat a Japanese the way I treat a Lebanese or Syrian.”

Rather, he said, people should follow the platinum rule: treat others like they want to be treated. “How do you know how they want to be treated?” he asked the audience. “Learn their culture.”

Chaker listed a number of points that help people achieve professionalism in the workplace. The first and most important among them is punctuality, he said. Others include speaking and writing clearly, apologizing for errors or misunderstandings, accepting constructive criticism and feedback, presenting yourself pleasantly with good hygiene, choosing attractive (but not distracting) clothes, and avoiding even the smallest lies at all costs.

“If you lie once, you lose your credibility,” he said.

First impressions, he continued, are lasting impressions. It’s a point to keep in mind for your appearance, punctuality and attitude when meeting new people, but it shouldn’t be used to form judgments.

To leave a positive impression, he said, stand with a confident posture, make eye contact, keep body movement to a minimum, wear clean clothes and polish your shoes. Perhaps, above all, have pleasant expression.

“Smiles make miracles,” he said. “People tend to trust a smiling face.”

Chaker introduced what he called the rule of 13 for personal props and accessories. People should not wear more than 13 items, he said, including two earrings, a watch, bracelet, belt, buckle, shoes, adornments, pins, scarves, rings, purse, briefcase and other things.

Try to meet someone new every day, Chaker explained, because every person you meet offers the opportunity to learn from him or her.

When you go out with people, he said, don’t spend all your time on the phone, talking or sending messages to others.

Finally, he said, “be yourself and be proud of it. Remember, our goal is to build relationships.”

The event was the fourth installment of the “Keep Learning” Alumni Lecture Program organized by the LAU Alumni Relations Office.
 

Among those in attendance were Lebanon’s Ambassador to the United Nations Nawaf Salam (honored at last year’s gala), AMIDEAST President and former U.S. Ambassador to the UAE and Syria Theodore Kattouf, noted financial expert and author Nassim Taleb, renowned Lebanese journalist May Chidiac, and Lebanese Consulate General in New York Antoine Azzam. The event was emceed by television journalist and LAU alumna Octavia Nasr.

This year’s gala honored members of the community for public service, including educator and humanitarian Suad Juffali, managing director of the Ahmed Juffali Benevolent Foundation; and business giant Ray Irani, chairman and CEO of Occidental Petroleum. Both were presented with the Sarah Award for Excellence, named after Sarah Lanman Huntington Smith, the American woman who in the 1830s founded the school that eventually became LAU.

Suad Juffali, a 1954 graduate of Beirut College for Women (as LAU was then known), has been committed for nearly 60 years to issues related to social welfare in the Middle East and beyond. In Saudi Arabia, she established and organized the Women’s Welfare Society and the Al-Faisaliyah Women’s Society, both dedicated to helping women and children, as well as the Help Center, an organization designed to help children with special needs.

“My alma mater was the guiding star of my life,” Juffali said. “It prepared me to pursue my dreams and aspirations, and it taught me the value of education and how to invest in human beings. The university provided me with a passion to make things happen and never to give up.”

Ray Irani is best known for his role at Occidental Petroleum (Oxy), having transformed the chemical production company during his tenure there, as director in the 1980s and later chairman and CEO. Under his leadership, Oxy has become the fourth largest oil and gas company in America. Irani, who has also been active in causes ranging from strengthening ties between the United States and Lebanon to waging the battle against cancer, said he was “thrilled to be honored by Lebanese American University.”

“Under Dr. Joseph Jabbra’s remarkable leadership,” Irani said, “LAU continues to be a beacon of educational excellence in Lebanon, providing a world-class curriculum and outstanding cultural programs for all of its students.”

Also in attendance were LAU Board of Trustees members Wadih Jordan, Paul Boulos, Eva Kotite Farha, Fred Rogers, Mike Ahmar, Ghassan Saab, Hana Shammas, and Peter Tanous.

Richard Rumsey, LAU’s vice president for University Advancement, said his division’s goal this year was “to build this gala into something more than just an event.”

“We wanted to let the widest possible audience know about the good work that LAU does,” Rumsey said. “LAU has become an important part of the landscape of Lebanon and the Middle East.”

Other LAU officials concurred.

“We were exceptionally pleased with every aspect of this year’s gala,” Ed Shiner, LAU’s director of Alumni and Special Projects. “We hope to keep building on the accomplishments of these last two events, and make next year’s gala even bigger and better.”

The packed house of alumni, students and faculty at Irwin Theatre nodded and laughed in approval as Mohsen presented tricky scenarios that many couples encounter.

One of the lecture’s sub-headings was “Are similarities a must to become a couple?” Mohsen listed values toward education, money and religious beliefs; differences in academic level and educational style; age difference; and socioeconomic background as things to consider when choosing a partner.

“The answer to the question is yes and no. Sometimes similarities aren’t a must, but you should consider the consequences of your differences,” he explained.

He asked attendees to consider whether they were dating the right person. “Conflict is inevitable but is it out of control?” he said. “Ask yourself: ‘More often than not do I go to bed sad or happy?’”

Mohsen also addressed the following questions: Do you both have similar expectations of the relationship or the marriage? What are the main tips for a wedding reception? Are your honeymoon expectations realistic? How important are trust and respect?

Mohsen has specialized in human communication and marital and family therapy throughout his career. Before being appointed Dean of Students in October 2010, he was the chairman of LAU Beirut’s Communication Arts Department and ran a clinical social work practice, counseling adolescents, couples and families. He also had a tri-weekly morning television segment addressing social, marital and familial issues.

The lecture was part one of a two-part series titled “Relationships: Managing Life Partnerships,” organized by LAU's Alumni Relations Office as part of its “Keep Learning” lectures program for alumni and the rest of the LAU community.

“‘Relationships’ is an attractive and popular topic, and very much demanded based on our alumni surveys,” says Ghada Majed, assistant director of Alumni Relations.

“Our main goal is for alumni to benefit from these lectures both in their social and professional lives,” she adds.

Mohsen will present the second part of the series on Friday, February 25, at Irwin Hall Theatre, Beirut campus, from 6:30 till 8:00 p.m. Learn more about the second lecture.
 

In return, LAU is dedicating its electronic information classroom inside LAU Beirut’s Riyad Nassar Library after Chaaban’s late father, Salah Chamma.

“I’m doing this for the sake of my father; this is how I wanted to pay him back,” Chaaban said.

LAU President Dr. Joseph G. Jabbra received Chaaban in his office to thank her for the gift. “You are a role model to us all,” Jabbra said.

A former LAU Alumni Association Board member, Chaaban graduated from the university — when it was still the Beirut College for Women — with a B.A. in Political Science.

Chaaban is a former president of both the Parents’ Committee of International College and the Rotary Club of Chouf.

DTFF featured a selection of the most acclaimed Arab and international films, and offered a range of activities from panel discussions, informal VIP events, Q&As with the audience, and a Family Day with live entertainment.

LAU alumni were a big presence at the festival — some traveled from Dubai and Beirut, and others are based in Qatar.

Niam Etany, who received her B.A. (2000) and M.A. (2005) from LAU and an M.F.A. in Screenwriting from Hollins University in the United States, successfully screened her short film Super. Full., which she wrote and directed, during a side panel outside the festival's competition.

In this self-described “feel-good” film about a deaf and mute couple, a disabled Indian worker promises to take his newlywed wife for a birthday dinner in the fancy hotel across the street from their one-room house in Doha. However, when his bicycle gets stolen, he has to choose between buying a bike to save his job and fulfilling his promise to earn his wife’s love.

When asked what sets Lebanese filmmakers apart, Etany, who will be releasing her debut feature film Shadow of a Man in 2012, says: “I think Lebanon is a country rich in wounds and beauty, which makes it a fertile soil for creativity and various art forms.”

“What we lack in Lebanon is financial support, which makes us go abroad looking for funds. But when it comes to professional staff and crew, I have total confidence and trust in Lebanese hands,” Etany adds.

An independent screenwriter and filmmaker, Etany recently relocated to Lebanon from Qatar, where she had been active in LAU’s Qatar Alumni Chapter since 2006. She also spent the past five years at Al Jazeera’s Doha Satellite Network in TV production and documentary filmmaking.

Etany says she considers herself a beginner when it comes to directing narrative films, but credits the Doha Film Institute — the festival’s organizer — for its support of young and aspiring filmmakers in Qatar and the region. Super. Full. was shot and edited with the help of DFI crew members.

Another alumnus, Mahmoud Akhal, who graduated from LAU with a B.S. in Business in 2002 and an M.B.A. in 2006, worked as an assistant director of photography on Super. Full.

Mahmoud Kaabour, who studied at LAU (B.A. in Communication Arts) between 1995 and 1998 before moving to Canada where he graduated from Concordia University in 2000, won the DTFF’s Audience Award for Best Documentary for Grandma, A Thousand Times (Teta, Alf Marra), a personal documentary designed to commemorate the many worlds of a feisty grandmother from Beirut struggling to cope with the changes around her.

The film, which made its world debut at DTFF, also won a Special Jury Mention in DTFF’s Arab Film Competition.

“The audience (including Teta herself) and the filmmakers loved it and gave him a long and well-deserved standing ovation,” says Etany.

LAU alumna Reem Saleh, who graduated in 2003 with a B.A. in Communication Arts, works as a content producer for DFI and provided daily coverage for the DFI website during the festival. “I was mainly interviewing stars on the red carpet and did the Adel Imam (a renowned Egyptian actor) tribute video at the closing ceremony,” Saleh says.

Both Saleh and alumna Wafaa Celine Halawi were selected to pitch their film ideas to the public and to industry professionals during the pitching sessions, according to Etany.

Alumnus Chadi Zeneddine also played a major role during DTFF, as a resident filmmaker with DFI and one of the festival’s programmers for Arabic films.

DTFF is held in association with the Tribeca Film Institute, a non-profit organization founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff that puts on the annual Tribeca Film Festival in New York.

The two-hour event, titled “Awaken the Leader in You,” was led by Elie Samia, executive director of Outreach and Civic Engagement at LAU, who began by acknowledging that there is no magic recipe for leadership, but certain tactics can surely have an impact on strengthening characters.

“The first thing is to know thyself. You need to know what your weaknesses are and turn them into opportunities,” Samia said.

“If you are too pretentious, if you don’t accept constructive criticism, if you don’t recognize your weaknesses, you will never be a leader,” he said.

He added that individuals should control anger, project confidence in their voice, make a good first impression, and maintain eye contact.

Then, assisted by Sarah Bou Ajram, coordinator of Leadership and Civic Engagement at LAU, Samia hit on 11 other aspects of leadership, using examples to illustrate each one.

“The most important thing a leader has to do is to project confidence … to the team, not just alone,” Bou Ajram said, adding that a helpful trick to use when you feel discouraged is to tell yourself that you are confident.

She later talked about the importance of humility and dismissed the notion that humility shows weakness.

“Humility is not being weak. It is being confident enough about your character that you don’t have to boast,” she explained.

The spirited atmosphere Samia created with his lively presentation offered a seamless transition to his next point: passion.

“I don’t like dull spirits. I like spirits animated by visions, by missions, by goals. If you bore me, I will die!” Samia said.

Another point Samia brought up is that successful leaders draw plans with objectives that are “realistic, down to earth, and smart, while always looking at the big picture.”

The lecture was organized by LAU’s Alumni Relations Office as part of its “Keep Learning” alumni lecture series.

“We chose the topics based on alumni surveys and on the most popular and attractive topics during the year,” says Ghada Majed, Alumni Relations assistant director.

This long journey took LAU’s Vice President for University Advancement Richard Rumsey and Director of Alumni and Special Projects in North America Edward Shiner to LAU alumni-sponsored events in 10 cities across the United States and Canada in just over a two-week period this month.

LAU President Dr. Joseph G. Jabbra and Alumni Relations Director Abdallah Al Khal joined some of the events along the way.

Starting with a cruise in Tampa Bay, Florida, on November 6, and ending on November 22 in San Francisco, California, Yalla! 2010 connected hundreds of alumni and friends at various dinners and receptions in Boston; Detroit; Los Angeles; Montreal; New York; Toronto; Washington, D.C.; and even a bowling alley in Ottawa, Canada.

The goal was to invigorate the university’s alumni as vital members of the university’s family, create awareness of LAU in North America, and help kick off a fundraising campaign to rally support around student scholarships.

“We had a genuine opportunity to connect with hundreds of alumni and friends of LAU from all over North America, and truly understand and respect what a global institution we are,” Rumsey says. “That really was our main goal for Yalla! 2010 and by every measure it turned out to be an overwhelming success.”

Conceived by members of LAU’s New York office, in conjunction with the university’s alumni chapters throughout North America, Yalla! 2010 was promoted with photos, alumni profiles, articles and announcements using the university’s various social media outlets including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

During the two weeks, thousands of people also visited Yalla! 2010’s dedicated blog, where they could see photos and watch videos of the events as they happened as well as read blog posts about the journey.

Yalla! 2010 was such a galvanizing event that it stimulated New York-based LAU alum Khalil Kanaan to provide a generous $10,000 gift that he has called a “challenge grant” to help encourage other alumni of the university to support scholarship programs.

“We’re looking forward to the energy of Yalla! carrying over into the [fundraising] campaign for the rest of the year,” Rumsey says. “Khalil Kanaan’s generous gift has helped us make Yalla! 2010 into something more than simply a collection of events, and that’s exactly what we were hoping for when we conceived of this idea.”

Kanaan says he was impressed with the Yalla! campaign and wants to continue its momentum while investing in education. He adds: “It is something that I truly believe in and I hope others will join me.”

Ahmad suffered from a rare bone disease that caused continuous fractures and kept him disabled for most of his life, but that illness did not stand in his way.

Ahmad graduated with an A.A.S. in Business Management in 2003. During his four years at LAU, he made many friends who truly loved him for who he was, and to this day he is missed and remembered well in the hearts of all who knew him.

“LAU is a fruitful land and Ahmad was one of its fruits, and LAU equally was proud to have him as one of its graduates,” says Mohammad Finj.

What set LAU apart from other universities was how it did not go by the book for Ahmad, Mr. Finj adds.

He says he is forever grateful for the physical changes and exceptions made by LAU to help his son continue his studies smoothly and earn his degree, including changing the rooms of Ahmad’s classes to make sure they would be on floors that were reachable for him.

LAU also built a ramp around the Beirut campus for Ahmad, something that has helped a good number of disabled people join LAU and study here after him.

LAU “would also have someone assist Ahmad during his exams, to read questions for him and help him record his lectures because of his poor eyesight,” Mrs. Finj remembers.

“This was a way to show that disabled people also have the chance to succeed academically,” she adds.

Ahmad was a very bright student, a great listener, and many say he was quite a comedian. People remember him as always telling jokes and making others laugh, not to mention how great he was at helping his friends overcome their personal issues.

Regardless of his medical complications, Ahmad considered his university studies as highly important and he always wanted to go to his classes even if he was feeling ill.

He also enjoyed working at his father’s company, and wanted to eventually open up his own business.

“He loved life so much and never wanted to miss out on gaining knowledge and having fun!” Mrs. Finj says.

Ahmad passed away in 2006 after being in and out of hospital for so many times.

In July 2010, his parents named a bench after him. It is located on the upper gate area of the Beirut campus, a place where Ahmad preferred to hang out with his friends.

“Ahmad’s name shall live at a place so dear to his heart, at LAU, and he will continue helping people [through the endowed scholarship fund] even while being far away. He is to this day … our inspiration to be patient, to love, and to always give,” says Ahmad’s mother.

Social media, also known as digital or new media, includes such online platforms as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and blogs. And according to Nasr, not only is this new medium here to stay, but it also has a vital role to play in stirring up the status quo.

“I’m seeing social media as an opportunity to bring change, to energize people, to inspire people,” she told the crowd of mostly students. “I don’t know where it’s going, I just know it’s going somewhere and I’d like to be in the driver’s seat. I want to play a role in telling traditional media how wrong they are about being scared of new media.”

Organized by The Institute for Media Training and Research at LAU, Nasr’s lecture drew around 150 people, in addition to hundreds of web viewers. LAU Social, a digital media class, was responsible for setting up a live broadcasting platform that streamed video, pictures and tweets to members of a wider online community.

“We had around 250 viewers from outside the university, mostly people from Lebanon, since Octavia Nasr is very well-connected with the online community” in the country, says Ayman Itani, LAU Social instructor, who is a digital media strategist and a three-year Twitter user.

The atmosphere in the auditorium was uncharacteristic of a traditional academic lecture. A group of LAU Social students tweeted and blogged live updates from their laptops for the duration of the talk. Many others could be seen tweeting and taking video on their smartphones.

Nasr too checked her BlackBerry for tweets throughout the session and encouraged students to tweet her questions. “That’s how people get my attention,” she said.

She challenged everyone in the audience to become responsible “citizen journalists.”

“Go beyond the headlines and go to the really meaty news about what’s happening in the world today,” she added.

Nasr started exploring Twitter in 2008, looking for a more dynamic alternative to traditional media. She grew tired of “the same people recycling the same sound bites on different TV stations,” she said. “I wanted something new.”

“People on Twitter are smart — they don’t sit there in front of their TV sets and … accept the news as delivered by channel A and then B and then C,” she said. “They look for the news themselves.”

An audience member asked if Nasr no longer had faith in traditional media.

“No one should even think of giving up on traditional media,” she answered. “But you can’t apply traditional media rules to new media — it just doesn’t work; it’s a different animal.”

She added that traditional media would remain the cornerstone of journalism. “We cannot depend primarily on citizen journalists. They’re not trained. … It takes years to become someone with a sense of editorial judgment,” she explained.

Dr. Yasmine Dabbous, TIMTAR director and an assistant professor of journalism and media studies at LAU, agrees: “Social media can’t be sustained unless you have trained journalists to sort out what’s right and what’s wrong, as well as to publish and distribute the news to a large audience.”

But both Nasr and Dabbous believe that the future lies in a marriage between social and traditional media, and hopefully, they say, a happy one.

Born and raised in Lebanon, Nasr has lived in the United States for almost half her life.

Throughout her 20-year career at CNN, the last 10 of which as the senior editor of Middle East affairs, she won numerous awards for her coverage of war zones.

As of last month, Nasr has been heading up Bridges Media Consulting, a company she founded to help media organizations and individuals bridge the gap between traditional and new media. She is also the editor of OctaviaNasr.com.

The lecture was part of TIMTAR’s Distinguished Journalists Lecture Series that was launched in January.

The Allied Academies is a non-profit federation of 14 affiliate academies that publishes 17 different journals in various fields of business.

Nasr, 25, graduated in the spring of 2010 and now works as an executive assistant in the Dean’s Office at the School of Business (Beirut campus).

“When my advisers and I were picking the topic in the beginning, I knew I wanted something that would be published or at least that someone would be interested in reading,” she says.

She decided to focus on determining what type of workplace commitment is more vulnerable to stress and what type leads to a longer career path.

“What kind of commitment does a person have to his job? Is it for the money? Is it for the culture of the organization he’s working for? Or is it out of loyalty to the organization? How is each type affected by stress?” Nasr explains.

The paper, titled “The Relationship between the Three Components Model of Commitment, Workplace Stress and Career Path: Application to Employees in Medium Size Organizations in Lebanon,” took Nasr a year to write.

She was surprised by the lack of literature on the subject, not just in Lebanon, but also in the Middle East.

Her primary research came from the results of 100 survey questionnaires with full-time and part-time employees working in medium-size organizations in Lebanon.

After getting positive feedback from Dr. Silva Karkoulian, her adviser and an associate professor at LAU’s Business School; Dr. Leila Messara, project reader and an assistant professor; and Dr. Tarek Mikdashi, the school's dean in Beirut, Nasr sent a manuscript to the Allied Academies.

“Her paper stood out because of interesting and creative findings in her research,” says Karkoulian, who has known Nasr since 2007, as her teacher and co-author of another paper.

After the Allied Academies accepted her paper, Nasr was invited to present at the organization’s fall 2010 international academic conference last month.

“I was already delighted with the idea that my paper had been accepted. But one day before traveling, I found out that I had also won the Distinguished Research Award,” she says.

Nasr’s paper will be published in the Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict.

The competition, titled “A Snapshot for Development,” challenged young photographers across the country to capture in a single photo one of the eight MDGs — eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary education; promoting gender equality and empowering women; reducing child mortality; improving maternal health; combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability; and creating a global partnership for development.

During a ceremony held at UNESCO palace in Beirut on October 22, awards were given to the photos that best represented each MDG, in addition to a grand prize and a People’s Choice Award.

LAU alumna Abir Ghattas received the top honor for her photo of a young girl, Nada, picking peas in the northern district of Hermel. Ghattas entered the photo, called “The Girl with the Green Eyes,” under the MDG 1 category, to “Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger.”

“The focus [of the photo] should be on the fact that as a child Nada is not living how she is supposed to live,” says 23-year-old Ghattas, who graduated in 2008 with a B.S. in Computer Science.

Bassam Lahoud, who has been teaching photography at LAU for 23 years, helped coordinate the competition for Lebanese youth aged 15–24 on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme–Lebanon. He promoted the event through the internet and in universities, and asked some of his LAU students to participate.

From September 1–October 15, 203 young photographers from around the country entered the competition by submitting their pictures on the UN Photo Competition website, and more than 6,000 people cast their votes for the People’s Choice Award, according to the UNDP–Lebanon website.

Lahoud also served as the competition’s lead jury member on the five-member judges’ panel, which had specific criteria when choosing the winners.

“First, you have to look at the photographic technique and creativity. Secondly, it should show the idea, the [Millennium Development] Goal itself,” says Lahoud.

When asked what stood out in Ghattas’s winning photo, Lahoud said: “The eyes, the look — it’s a National Geographic picture; it’s high-standard photography. At all levels it was a very nice picture.”

Sahar Khatib, another LAU alumna, took home the top prize in the seventh MDG category, to “Ensure Environmental Sustainability,” for her photo titled “Tree of Life.”

“I took this photo in Amiq, west of the Bekaa, trying to catch the sunrise, but it was misty all day, and humid. I stumbled onto the dry lake area to find this scene of dead fish, birds and trees,” Khatib says.

Khatib, 23, graduated in 2009 with a B.S. in Graphic Design and took photography classes at LAU.

“This is the first competition I’ve entered and I am amazed at winning one of the prizes,” she says.

LAU graphic design student Nadine Khoury kept the university’s winning streak going, walking away with the award for the best photo under the MDG 3 category, to “Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women.”

In her photo titled “Home Scary Home,” Khoury depicted a woman who is a victim of domestic abuse.

“I took the picture with a manual camera and developed it here in the university’s darkroom,” Khoury says.

The award ceremony came on the heels of September’s UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals in New York, which brought together world leaders to boost progress against poverty and commit to a concrete action agenda to achieve the MDGs by 2015.

Ghattas won a NIKON DIGITAL SLR D300S camera, while Khatib and Khoury each received a NIKON COOLPIX P100 camera. All 10 prizewinners are invited to a workshop at Lahoud’s place in Amchit the weekend of November 13–14.

Mrs. Hourani and her husband Amal have contributed generously to various endeavors at LAU since their first donation in 1993. Recently, after realizing that some prospective students interested in studying at LAU could not afford the costs, the couple decided to offer financial assistance to three students from the School of Nursing and one from the School of Pharmacy.

Mrs. Hourani, who is herself of Palestinian descent, has found a way to pay homage to her roots, while giving back to her alma mater, by offering other Palestinian students the chance of education.

“It is always important to give to others, so those who are less fortunate can have the chance of a better life,” she says. “We chose to give financial aid to nursing and pharmacy students because the students graduating with degrees in those two fields will gladly be able to work and be of help in the ever-demanding health care sector. These are professions that heal people,” she adds.

During the October 25 event held at LAU Beirut, President Jabbra said: “To provide these opportunities is part of our mission and we feel strongly about giving anyone and everyone the chance to receive a higher education. It is our essence at LAU to welcome people who can afford this education, as well as equally welcoming those who cannot.”

Over the years, Amal and Rima Hourani have made several important donations to LAU. Following the establishment of the Byblos campus, the couple donated a sizeable amount toward naming the Rima Hourani Exhibition Room there in 1993. Then, upon hearing word of plans to build a new School of Business on the Beirut campus, they generously gave a large sum that went toward naming the Amal Issa Hourani Lounge in 2008.

While such donations speak volumes about the Houranis’ spirit of philanthropy and commitment to furthering education at LAU, their contributions will be best measured by the opportunities and new horizons their generosity opens up for future generations of students in Lebanon.

Besides his contributions to the education sector in Lebanon, Amal Hourani has also been contributing to the rapid growth and economic development of the Emirates over the past four decades, through ALGECO, the prosperous UAE-based contracting company he co-founded in 1963. Originally comprised of 20 employees, ALGECO now employs over 5,500 staff members who work at the forefront of design and construction in the UAE and throughout the Middle East.

Alongside his professional commitments, Mr. Hourani sits on the advisory boards of LAU’s schools of Engineering and Business.

Shot in the Bekaa, Chaque Jour est une Fête tells the story of three women, unknown to one another, who are on a bus traveling to a men’s prison, each for a different reason. A stray bullet kills the bus driver before they arrive, forcing the women to go through a tumultuous journey toward their destination.

“The film was written for the Lebanese,” El-Horr says, explaining how the characters embody the fears and anxieties of Lebanese people.

“It deals with death. Lebanese have a close proximity with death, and feel that death is always following them,” she adds. “You feel like these characters are always entrapped in danger, like something bad is always going to happen, catastrophe is going to fall on them.”

The 87-minute film (in French and Arabic) is a joint Lebanese/French/German production, though only the governments of France and Germany provided financing.

El-Horr graduated from LAU (then BUC) in 1994 with a B.A. in Communication Arts (radio/TV/film). Later, she received a Master of Fine Arts in filmmaking from the Art Institute of Chicago.

She returned to LAU in 2001 as a part-time film instructor, where she taught till 2008, and has since lived in France.

Chaque Jour est une Fête first premiered in September 2009 at the Toronto International Film Festival, in Canada. It has since been selected to show at festivals in Italy, the Netherlands, France, the UAE, Germany, the United States, Turkey, Estonia, Slovakia, Morocco, Grenada, England, Tunisia and Chile.

In Lebanon, the film will be showing in select theaters only, including Espace in Kaslik, Sofil in Ashrafieh, and Sodeco in Sodeco Square.

Watch the trailer or check the film’s Facebook page for more information.

Those interested in learning more about the film can attend the presentation El-Horr will give at LAU Beirut’s Gulbenkian Theatre on October 4, at 5:00 p.m.

Different generations of LAU alumni came back to their alma mater and reconnected with old friends and professors during the 2010 Alumni Reunion and Homecoming events organized by the Alumni Relations Office from July 14-17 on and off both campuses.

The four-day program was full of entertainment and networking for the over 800 alumni, and their families and friends, who attended the different events, including a dinner, all-class reunions on both campuses, and an all-class homecoming brunch.

Alumni dinner

During the first event, alumni enjoyed dinner with their families and friends on July 14 at le Particulier Restaurant in Sodeco, Beirut.

A live violin performance entertains attendees.

During the dinner, H.E. Dr. Selim El Sayegh (2nd from left), Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs who is an LAU graduate ('83), was granted with the Alumni Achievement Award for his significant achievements in his professional life. From left: Abdallah Al Khal, director of the LAU Alumni Relations Office; LAU President Dr. Joseph Jabbra; and Alumni Association Board President Leila Saleeby Dagher.

LAU alumna ('56) Emily Abi Rashed Nasrallah (2nd from left) -- a novelist, teacher, and women's rights activist -- receives the Alumni Recognition Award for her outstanding contribution to the community and to her alma mater.

Read more about the 2010 alumni awards recipients.

All-class reunion (Byblos)

Louaize, Amchit and Byblos graduates gathered at the Byblos campus on July 15 for the all-class reunion.

Attendees get together around the fountain.

During the reunion, Dr. Joseph Jabbra presented LAU's latest achievements. Specifically, he talked about the new schools of Medicine and Nursing and the NEASC accreditation LAU earned recently. "But what is really important about this institution is its spirit," which includes a "commitment to academic excellence and excellence in everything we do," the notion of service, and inclusiveness, said Jabbra.

Referring to the third component, Jabbra explained: "It doesn't really matter who you are, it doesn't really matter from where you come from, it doesn't really matter what your religion is, what your political stripe is, what socio-economic status you happen to have. As long as you are qualified and you are willing to work very hard and to earn an education ... we welcome you with open arms."

During the outdoor cocktail reception, attendees enjoyed a live concert by "Chill" jazz band, featuring performances by Thomas Hornig (saxophone), Elie Chemaly (bass), Wissam Sawaya (drums), and Alain Oueijan (guitar).

All-class reunion (Beirut)

On July 16, it was the turn of Beirut and Sidon graduates to come back to the Beirut campus for the all-class reunion.

It was the first time Dr. Hana Itani, who graduated from LAU in 1999 with a B.S. in Biology, was attending the reunion. She came from the United States -- where she had earned her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology in 2008 from the University of Iowa -- to attend the Summer School on Biomedical Informatics held at LAU earlier this month. The reunion gave her the opportunity to "meet again with friends, to see what they are up to, and to connect with them."

She adds: "LAU has been a home for me. It has provided me with opportunities and ambition. All the faculty that were my undergraduate mentors were the ones who encouraged me to be what I'm today."

In his address, Abdallah Al Khal, director of Alumni Relations, said: "The Alumni Association Board, with the help and support of over 30 chapters around the world, has been very active in comprising a network which is well-valued and that can be extremely beneficial for all."

He added: "The Alumni Relations Office has also been keen on providing alumni with continuous educational opportunities. Several lectures were organized throughout the year on topics as different as marketing for non-marketers, emotional intelligence, body language and so on."

This year, jubilee pins were distributed during both the Beirut and Byblos reunions to the classes of 2005, '00, '95, '90, '85, '80, '75, '70, '65 and '60 for their respective graduation anniversaries.

Layla Saleeby Dagher (pictured above), president of the Alumni Association Board, celebrated her 50th graduation anniversary.

In her address during the Beirut reunion, she said: "Today, when I was searching my papers, I found coincidentally a poem that I saw was very much related to this event. It says (translated from Arabic): "My age is measured according to my soul and not in the years I live. I'll mock tomorrow the age of 90. ... My age is approaching 70, but my soul is still stable at the age of 20."

Dr. Jabbra with a group of alumni at the Beirut reunion.

All-class homecoming brunch

On July 17, alumni enjoyed the warm summer morning on the Beirut campus, during the all-class homecoming brunch.

Dr. Jabbra chats with alumni during the get-together.

Over the decades, Matthews, a local artist and writer who is now in his early 50s, has collected about 14,000 American comics alone, and thousands more in French and Arabic, describing the latter as the “jewel in the crown.”

Regarding Lebanese comics as an emblem of the country’s vanishing and forgotten history and cultural heritage, Matthews has been trying for years to secure financing for a project to preserve their legacy through an encyclopedia.

“I hate for things to disappear in the mists of time, especially when some projects have had so much love and passion and hard work, and so much creativity, put into them,” Matthews says.

The opportunity came last year after the Ministry of Culture, in light of the Beirut World Book Capital 2009, began calling for project proposals.

Matthews submitted his proposal, received approval, and after many sleepless nights, unveiled the fruits of his labor, the 240-page Encyclopedia of Lebanese Comic Books.

“You really have to be a nut case to do what I did,” he says, describing the painstaking process of single-handedly cross-checking information, scanning images, and designing the layout — all within a small time frame he was given to complete the project.

The encyclopedia includes the cover art and a synopsis of every single known comic book series published in Lebanon — both local comics and foreign comics that were translated into Arabic.

“I was exhausted in the end when I delivered the book in May, but I’m glad I did it,” he says. He officially launched the book with a signing on June 21, at the RectoVerso bookshop in Beirut.

A common reaction to the encyclopedia, he says, was amazement and surprise by the number of comics that had existed in the past, but that are completely unknown today.

“When they started in the 1950s, Lebanese publishers were very prolific and very ambitious. They did a lot, but nothing remains. All the publishers are gone and no public library cares to preserve those comic books,” he says, with a tinge of frustration.

Matthews graduated from LAU (then Beirut University College) in 1980 with a degree in fine arts, a major he chose to pursue because of the “life changing” cover art of a 1962 issue of Lebanese comic Bissat El-Reeh that depicted Aladdin riding a flying horse.

Matthews hopes to hold a book signing and exhibition at LAU soon. He last held a comic book exhibition in 2007 at the American University of Beirut, where he works in the Office of Communications.

Matthews says one of his future goals is to establish a heritage center for Arabic comic books, children’s publications, and recreational publications for adults, which would include thousands of translated suspense and adventure novels such as Tarzan, Arsène Lupin and Sherlock Holmes that have been published in Lebanon and Egypt since the 1920s.

“I want to preserve history, not just comic books,” he says, explaining how magazines and even children’s books have simply been tossed out for decades with no regard for their historical and cultural value.

“Why do we keep newspapers that are hundreds of years old, but not bother with magazines,” he says. “Pop culture is a part of our heritage — It should be preserved [too].”

“People believe the body more than words,” he said, his face giving away his pleasure at presenting the talk organized by the Alumni Relations Office.

During an interactive exchange of ideas with around 150 audience members made up mostly of LAU alumni, Mekahal, a body-language consultant to various public figures, offered advice for improving work and social exchanges.

Beginning with a quiz, he asked the audience a series of questions about body language. Most agreed that eye contact is crucial, people playing with their hands are nervous, and sitting higher than someone else shows dominance.

Other tricks were less common. “If you’re trying to sell something, put a cup of coffee in front of the client,” advised Mekahal. “You know you have an advantage and they’re convinced when they move this barrier aside.”

If you want to make a good first impression, maintain eye contact for at least three seconds straight, he advised, and do not hold onto anything — be it keys, a cell phone or worry beads — as this demonstrates a lack of confidence.

Showing a video of former U.S. President Bill Clinton being cross-examined about his then-alleged affair with Monica Lewinsky, Mekahal pointed out the telltale signs of a liar.

Mekahal then played a video by Howcast.com called “How to Detect a Lie.” This illustrated eight giveaways: face-touching, erratic eye behavior, unnatural speech, a half-smile, defensive positioning of the body, discomfort caused by pauses in speech by the questioner, hyper-specific fabrication such as mentioning someone’s full name, and the elation at having the topic of conversation dropped.

These tips impressed Natalie Mussallem, a senior education student at LAU. “Now I can be a better judge of character,” she said.

Alumna Eghar Al-Khadra was happy to learn that sitting at an angle to someone rather than facing them across a table is the best way to reach agreements, and intends to use this in future business meetings.

“I learned that if I want someone to open up to me I need to imitate their actions without them noticing,” said alumnus George Melhem, referring to Mekahal’s suggestion that breathing, moving and speaking in the same way as the other person will build a rapport within three minutes.

Abdallah Al Khal, director of LAU’s Alumni Relations Office, was pleased with the presentation. “We want to help our graduates stay up-to-date,” he explained. “If you can master body language, you can send out better messages and better understand people’s gestures. It could help you decide what direction to take in a meeting or help close a business deal.”

Co-organized by LAU’s Alumni Relations and Guidance offices, the event served as an informal venue for graduates to meet with company representatives, swap business cards and discuss job markets and career opportunities.

Most of the companies represented at the reception were also present during the career fairs at LAU’s Byblos and Beirut campuses on May 10 and 12, respectively.

“The reception was partly held to thank them for participating in our career fairs,” says Abdallah Al Khal, director of the Alumni Relations Office.

“Many of our graduates got job offers during this reception although it’s not meant to be a recruitment event,” Al Khal adds.

Vahe Bernardi, senior project manager at Al Jaber Energy Services, was one of the many company representatives who used the cocktail gathering as an occasion to scout for potential recruits.

“We are looking to encourage fresh graduates in engineering, both civil and mechanical, to come and join us,” he said.

Khaled Chehab, a 1995 LAU computer science graduate who later earned an M.B.A. from the University of Bradford in the U.K., took advantage of the event to meet employers after being forced to leave his work in Dubai due to the financial crisis.

“This is the first time I attend [the reception], and it’s very promising,” Chehab said. “I am planning to stay here [in Lebanon] and hopefully revamp my career.”

LAU President Dr. Joseph Jabbra addressed the crowd where he spoke about recent LAU achievements, while assuring company reps that they can be confident when hiring LAU graduates.

The recruitment, training and development manager of Farouk, Maamoun Tamer & Co, Samer Touma, an LAU alumnus, spoke about how the Guidance Office helped him get recruited as a fresh grad and how now he, in turn, has the pleasure of recruiting LAU graduates.

Rana Sakr, career guidance officer on the Byblos campus, said, “This event is a great way to show some of our appreciation to the companies who have been supporting our students and graduates over the years.”

“It’s a very joyful event,” said Dr. Tarek Na’was, Dean of Students at LAU Beirut. “It’s a chance not only to see the old alumni and the companies that we cooperate with, but it’s a very nice thing to see everybody so happy, meeting each other and communicating freely. ... It’s becoming more successful every year.”

The only female among the contestants, El-Fadl has attracted much media and industry attention for her achievement and website. The site is the first regional online networking site dedicated to creative talent -- including music, fine arts, design, film, theater, architecture, writing and all other "creative" fields -- and offers both companies and individuals a platform to share work, find the right talent for projects, and connect with fellow creative individuals and professionals.

The idea for tasmeemME started after El-Fadl had been freelancing for over five years in the Middle East, she says. "It was difficult to market myself as a creative and to find freelance jobs. ... When I needed to hire other freelancers, I didn't know where to start looking for them. I felt it was necessary to bridge the gap between service providers and service seekers in the region, facilitating both outsourcing and freelancing, pushing them forward as concepts."

With a booming creative industry across the Middle East, tasmeemME is designed to fill a gap to support freelancing and outsourcing. It brings unique and exclusive features to creatives across the region, including the opportunity to promote themselves through a free profile and portfolio, as well as networking, recruiting, messaging and advertising services.

"The internet is a fascinating tool, and when used productively can help bring so much opportunity," explains El-Fadl. "There is plenty of potential to do new things in the Middle East -- we're such a fresh and untapped market in many fields."

ArabNet 2010 was the first international conference for the Middle East and North Africa web industry, and was produced in collaboration with a number of strategic partnerships, including the Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship and the Syrian Young Entrepreneurs Association. The event also featured many high-profile sponsors such as Microsoft, Google and Aramex, as well as some of the biggest names in the region, such as Bank Audi, Maktoob, and Souk.com.

The ArabNet conference aimed to give promising young and new entrepreneurs a chance to gain exposure and build their business.

tasmeemME was co-founded last year by El-Fadl, who has established herself as a prominent graphic designer in Jordan, and Tamam Mango, a well-known business consultant in Jordan.

The site will be launching new services soon, including project bidding, a forum, and an online marketplace to promote internet trade and more. The site, which is currently in English, will also be launched in Arabic this year.

"The creative sector in the Middle East is booming," says El-Fadl. "We wanted to build a regional platform that brings the creative and the business worlds closer together."

Ghada Majed, the assistant director for Alumni Relations at LAU, says El-Fadl's success is a testament of her adapting her skills, with the market's needs. "Noor [El-Fadl] is a young alumna who combined her design talents with today's technology and was able to make a difference and achieve success," says Majed.

Read more about El-Fadl's achievement and the ArabNet conference in this CNN article. You can also watch this video on YouTube.

“When you work with your heart, you come across a lot of surprises,” Karanouh told the class of about 20, as she explained how she decided to pursue a photography career despite her academic background in international economics and advertising design. “I turned my passion into my work,” she added.

The event marked the beginning of a long-term series of visits by notable LAU graduates, organized by the Alumni Relations Office.

According to Ghada Majed, assistant director of alumni relations, the series was designed with an objective of allowing students to meet with and benefit from the experiences and expertise of prominent alumni.

The office is working closely with faculty members and various department heads to secure spots for the alumni during class hours.

“What we are trying to do at the Alumni Relations Office is bring back our very successful alumni to share their experiences and help you later on in your futures,” Majed — who attended university with Karanouh — told the students during a Q&A session.

Karanouh brought along several photography books she has published over the years. In 2001, she published Et le Sourire Survit (And the Smile Survives) with dozens of photos of South Lebanon shot after the Israeli withdrawal from the area in 2000.

Other books she has published include La Passion de Lire (The Passion for Reading), La Passion de Football (The Passion for Football), and most recently La Passion de Khalil Gibran (The Passion for Khalil Gibran), which features photographs that try to capture the essence of the poems from Gibran’s The Prophet.

Currently based in Beirut, Karanouh has shot photos across the world and spent a significant amount of time working in New York, France and Spain.

“I work with what’s happening around me,” Karanouh said, after a student asked how she comes up with ideas for projects.

The trio worked hard to establish offices in Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates as well as in France and Singapore, and such was the fruit of their labor, that ReportEdge was recently bought by industry heavyweight Ernst & Young.

Abi Nader says a few things motivated him to start ReportEdge so early on in his career: “I was working in one of the big four [financial] companies in France. On one of my projects — about Business Performance Management (BPM) — I was working with a team of 30 people. The project was very successful, and myself and two of my other associates decided that since it was a success, we would open our own consulting firm, assisting clients on projects connected with reporting and consolidation, business intelligence and business performance management offers.”

“I was [into the] technical [aspects] and the other two were [into] functional and managerial respectively, so it was a recipe for success. It was a bit opportunistic and it was also a bit crazy — but it was something new we wanted to try, as BPM is a new concept,” he says.

Clearly the firm’s understanding of local markets where it has offices was attractive for Ernst & Young France, which acquired 100 percent of the shares of ReportEdge France and Lebanon. The Lebanese office will be an offshore service entity for Ernst & Young Fralux. Separately, BI Continuum acquired 100 percent of the shares of ReportEdge Asia Pacific Japan.

Abi Nader explains that the appeal of a firm like ReportEdge to Ernst & Young was simple in terms of what attracted Ernst & Young to the firm: “They bought it because of the company’s assets which were its people.”

He summarizes Ernst & Young’s interest in the firm as being based on their recognition that ReportEdge would offer an “enrichment of its [Ernst & Young’s] offer in BPM, enlargement of their team, and acceleration of growth by creating synergy between IT and PI (Performance Improvement).”

Dr. Iyad Ouaiss, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at LAU, recalls Abi Nader’s diligence and drive as a student. Abi Nader did his final-year project under his supervision, and kept in touch with him afterwards. Ouaiss says that Abi Nader struck him as “one of the few students who are not focused only on achieving high grades but also on understanding well the material. In his senior project, he and his partner implemented a novel camera-mounted robot design controlled through the web.”

He adds that Abi Nader “went to great lengths finding information from several sources, synthesizing ideas, building a working prototype, and doing a great job at coordinating the work with his partner as well as demonstrating their achievements.”

Dr. George E. Nasr, dean and professor
at LAU’s School of Engineering, is proud of the achievements of one of his school’s recent graduates. He says Abi Nader was a very good student, “ambitious, with high aspirations to succeed as an engineer.”

He adds: “We really instill in our students, in addition to technical knowledge and being exposed to social sciences and humanities, a commitment that hard work, focus, determination, and perseverance are the keys to bringing a project to successful completion.”

Chammas first exhibited her work in Faqra last summer, followed by another exhibition in December 2009 at Saifi Village in Beirut. She has been featured in several magazines and newspapers including Time Out Beirut, Layalina, Elle Oriental and Al-Balad, as well as on TV.

The boutique, aptly named “Over The Rainbow,” also features lines from three other local up-and-coming designers. Chammas says the boutique will also sell the work of more Lebanese designers — as well as painters.

Having already sold several pieces to Sudan and Jordan, Chammas says she “would love to expand [her line] to other countries.”

An opening party at the boutique was held on March 15, gathering close to 150 friends, supporters and media.

Each piece of jewelry Chammas makes is made by cutting colored glass into small pieces and using a special oven that combines the colors and shades — never using paint or other materials to enhance the accessories.

Sometimes she makes colorful funky rings, other times stylish brooches. She also recently began making cufflinks for men.

“My inspiration comes from the music I listen to. I always put music on when I’m working and depending on the mood I’m in and the music I’m listening to I think it inspires what I do,” explains Chammas.

After working in graphic design for two years, Chammas — a graduate from the Byblos campus in 2007 — decided to pursue a different kind of career. She studied glass jewelry making in the U.K. and France, and returned to Lebanon shortly after to purchase the required materials and start her creative business.

Chammas plans to pursue her master’s degree in marketing and communications at École Superieure des Affaires in Lebanon.

Organized by LAU’s Alumni Relations Office, the event celebrated Marthiyat Taer Al Qata, the newest book published by Rifka, who taught philosophy and cultural studies at LAU for over 30 years.

“I am proud to stand on this platform as graduate of this university to honor my teacher,” said LAU alum Sleiman Bakhti, publisher of Rifka’s new book.

“Fuad Rifka is one of the most important contemporary poets and innovators,” he added. “He knows how to mix poetry and philosophy.”

LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra said that “Rifka is breaking the boundaries of the country,” before going on to list some of his most notable achievements.

Despite the wide praise Rifka received, he insisted that the event was held to honor not him, but rather poetry itself.

“What is this evening honoring?” Rifka asked the audience. “No bravery was achieved by me … nor have I fulfilled anything supernatural,” he added. “The evening is dedicated to honoring poetry.”

Following the remarks, a three-member ensemble, which included Bakhti, actor Refaat Torbey, and singer and actress Yvonne El Hashem, took the stage to read, sing and act out passages from the book.

While most of Matthews’ works focus on his primary inspiration — women and the female nude — his work is colorful and vibrant and includes work that features scenes from the Civil War, among other things.

What inspired him to open the door to his studio to the public is the fact that some planned exhibitions with local galleries fell through. “I had talked to several galleries and all seemed interested and everyone gave dates — but they changed their minds or cancelled for different reasons later,” he explained. So Matthews decided to take the matter into his own hands and opened his studio.

The works on exhibit reveal Matthews’ love of the female form. He admits that while women are his most profound inspiration, other factors have influenced his relationship with painting over his life, both positively and negatively, such as the Lebanese Civil War.

“The Civil War changed my mood completely. When the mood was gone I felt I didn’t want to touch a brush anymore. But something kept tugging at my heart and I got this studio.”

“People sometimes ask me, ‘Why don’t you paint nature or Lebanese houses?’ But I follow my heart, which is all about women. They are at the center of everything I have done.”

A fine arts graduate (1981) from the Beirut University College (now LAU), Matthews has painted in this studio in Ras Beirut, near AUB, where he works as a writer and editor in the Office of Communications, since 2003. However, his path into art began as a child when he started producing comic strips — most of which he still has in his personal archive.

In fact, his love of comics and his native Lebanon is currently being merged into his grand current project — the first-ever encyclopedia of Lebanese comic books, being produced in cooperation with the Lebanese Ministry of Culture. And it is something that he says he’s putting his entire heart into.

Such a book would be a fantastic push into the spotlight of Lebanon’s largely alternative, yet long-running culture of comic books, which is little known outside certain art circles.

Henry Matthews welcomes members of the public who are interested to view his works at his studio on Makhoul Street, Ras Beirut. He can be reached at 03/754425.

The lecture, which was organized by the Alumni Relations Office, was presented by Dr. Michel Chalhoub, associate professor at LAU’s School of Business, who introduced listeners to the concept of emotional intelligence before explaining how to apply it in the workplace.

“When you reach a certain level in senior management, there is a great deal of delegation,” Chalhoub said. “So you need to learn to work with other people.”

Emotional intelligence seminars became popular during the mid-1990s to help people in the workplace interact with colleagues and clients. They train individuals to manage their emotions when dealing with a situation by learning to understand that situation from the other person’s perspective.

“Emotional intelligence is not about acting emotionally,” Chalhoub explained. “Rather, it’s about perceiving, understanding and managing emotions to support sound, rational decisions.”

Chalhoub noted that the CEOs of some large corporations such as McDonalds and Walmart have been perceived by their colleagues and subordinates to be very open and perceptive toward emotional intelligence. Others, like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, the CEOs of Microsoft and Apple, have been perceived to have a very low willingness to apply the concept and were known to walk out on meetings when they felt tension — yet they have been very successful.

The point led to a debate among alumni over the need for business leaders, managers, and those working in technology-related fields, to use emotional intelligence.

“This is the same exact debate that is going on outside,” Chalhoub said, explaining that there is no consensus over the role of emotional intelligence in the workplace.

Chalhoub ended the lecture by reminding audience members that emotional intelligence alone does not guarantee success. According to him, successful business plans require passion, ethics and logic.

“If you don’t have that passion, you’re not going to succeed,” he said.

The awards ceremony, to be held on March 25 in Beirut, will honor Arab achievers, and celebrate Arab intellectual contributions in various fields and categories such as science, youth, culture, philanthropy, advancement of peace, women, education, environment, corporate leadership, technology, and international contribution to Arab society.

According to the awards organization, “The Takreem Arab Achievement Awards ceremony was envisaged to revitalize Arab consciousness and help to rebuild Arab pride in the region.”

Last fall, LAU signed an affiliation agreement with Olive Branch, by whom the Takreem awards have been developed. As part of the agreement, LAU has become an affiliate member of Takreem Arab Achievement Awards.

For more information about the Takreem awards or to find out more about how to nominate someone, visit the awards website.

Having introduced his first lotion in 1995 to stimulate hair growth, Rabaa today has his own line of about 20 hair care products under the name “Rabel,” which includes specialized shampoos, a conditioner and gels.

“Lebanese hair is too dry, too thick, and is totally damaged due to chemicals,” Rabaa says. “So I provide the solution.”

In 2008, Rabaa opened up one of Lebanon’s largest pharmacies, also called “Rabel,” in Hazmieh’s Taala Square, which is currently being retrofitted to accommodate a new lab to mix his products.

The products are sold at hair salons across Lebanon with plans to export to countries throughout the Arab world.

Rabaa was first inspired by the thought of producing cosmetics at a young age as he observed his father working with herbal products. During his undergraduate years at LAU (then called Beirut University College) in the late-1980s, he began to formulate a plan with the support of his professors.

“He’s a true a chemist,” says Rabaa’s former teacher Dr. Samira Korfali, LAU associate professor of chemistry and chair of the Department of Natural Sciences at LAU Beirut. “He chose to study chemistry because he had a dream to make a difference, and he fulfilled it,” she adds.

After graduating from LAU in 1991, Rabaa quickly got to work in the lab, mixing chemicals that he knew to target certain conditions, while poring over chemistry studies and reports in order to develop a more thorough understanding of the work.

“It took years of experimenting in the lab and going through a process of trial and error before the first product was ready to be sold,” he says. “Many professors used to help me by encouraging me to work more seriously and analyze.”

Until now, Rabaa’s products have been designed exclusively for hair, although he says new facial creams are in the works.

The facial products being developed are to treat conditions such as dark spots, acne-like scars and peeling.

“I will never stop,” Rabaa says. “Chemistry is like an addiction — you can create anything with chemistry, and I create a product to solve a problem.”

The lecture, which gave a thorough overview of reiki, was the first activity organized by the Alumni Relations office for this academic year.

Khizam, a pharmacist and reiki practitioner, said that reiki, which means “spirit of life,” originated in Japan thousands of years ago. It is a method of natural healing that uses electromagnetic fields in and around the body to stimulate the body’s energy channels and improve health, she explained.

According to Khizam, reiki helps relieve stress; build immunity to fight illnesses; reduce pain; overcome addictions; fight insomnia; promote wound healing; reduce blood pressure; aid pregnancy, childbirth and lactation; and enhance personal development.

Addressing the skeptics, Khizam explained, “It’s not a religion and it’s not a dogma. It’s a health practice that enhances and is complementary to medical treatments.”

Khizam believes that conventional medicine should definitely be used in certain cases. “However, I also think that [mainstream] medicines have a limited role in stress-related illnesses,” which are considered to be 80 percent of diseases, she adds.

When possible, Khizam encourages that we should “listen to our bodies … look into what is going wrong rather than suppressing the pain [with medication].”

In a typical session, Khizam speaks to clients and asks them to fill out a questionnaire to familiarize herself with their goals for the session. When the client lies down, she places her hands on or above the body’s seven chakras, or energy centers in the body that are situated on the seven endocrine glands, stimulating energy flow.

For people with insomnia, “I would work on their crown chakra, because it responds to the pineal gland, and the pineal gland secretes a hormone that tells us when to wake up and when to go to sleep,” Khizam explained.

“It’s your body regulating itself. All I’m doing is facilitating that process,” she said. “You are relying on your body’s own mechanisms to heal itself.”

Sometimes reiki is used for deep relaxation, and often clients go into alpha sleep — the semi-awake state before falling asleep.

Khizam holds a pharmacy degree from the University of South Australia. She also has a master’s level in reiki and practices at Lifestyles Health Club & Spa in Beirut, as well as writes for local publications.

The Alumni Relations office has at least three more lectures planned for this academic year.

One has been on display at "Saint Helena," an exhibition about the island of the same name featuring five women artists. The second work is featured in "Glasstress," a collection celebrating the use of glass in contemporary art. Both events started in early June and continue until the end of this month and late November, respectively.

Kazoun's work is characterized by challenging subject matter combined with a lush, pretty aesthetic.

"My pieces look very nice and fluffy, but when you get close to them, it's like, 'Oh. This is weird,'" the artist explained to her audience during a lecture at LAU's Sheikh Zayed Gallery on July 29. Kazoun returned to her former place of study to talk about her trajectory since graduating from LAU at a lecture organized as part the LAU International Theater Festival.

Mommoth, Kazoun's piece for the "Saint Helena" exhibition, is the name of a magical creature invented by the artist. The work features two performers dressed in bodysuits literally covered in white feathers.

"There is always a story in my pieces," the artist told her LAU audience. "Often, I find myself writing a screenplay."

The piece from "Saint Helena" revolves around a narrative in which the island and its inhabitants are saved by the Mommoth, a magical white creature who gathers up breast milk from the island's mothers as an offering.

The Mommoth is represented by a giant structure made out of diverse materials, while the two performers represent the creature's arms. During the installation, they gather up glass globes filled with real human breast milk, collected by Kazoun and her associates from contemporary islanders.

Habitat, the installation Kazoun created for the "Glasstress" exhibition, features the same Mommoth creature. This time Kazoun has created what she imagines to be Mommoth's home, a fluffy white cave with a lot of glass balls dangling above.

"My works display an unconscious fear of the advancing climate change," Kazoun says. "The environment now is so fragile, like a bubble."

Kazoun, born in Lebanon but now living in Italy, was rapturously received by her audience at LAU. During a question-and-answer session after Kazoun's presentation, many audience members spoke up to express how much they admire her work.

"I feel you are conquering your demons," said one lady. "Compared to your early work, you are transcending the darkness and coming to a place of light."

"I'm giving voice to myself as a five-year-old child," Kazoun explained. "During the war [in Lebanon], I saw such horrible things, but I couldn't express myself. Now, as an adult, the fear and pain are still here. But now I can try to domesticate them."

"Although our research was not related to cancer, I was able to develop as a researcher and broaden my horizons," Abbas wrote.

Abbas "was doing way above and beyond what was required of him," Houri said. Impressed by his student's devotion to work and skills as an "independent worker," Houri helped him to apply to graduate programs, including The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, which Abbas calls his "dream school."

Abbas was accepted at M.D. Anderson. Getting to the U.S., however, proved to be full of obstacles as the July 2006 war erupted, and Abbas and his family fled their home in southern Beirut, which was under constant bombardment.

To get the visa, he risked his life to go back to his home to retrieve papers. He also traveled--in vain--an unsafe road to Syria (where he was told the processing of his visa application had been transferred). He finally got the visa a day before his extended school admission deadline.

At his new university, he's been studying the role of a gene called p53, which regulates hematopoietic stem cells that are responsible for the replenishment of the blood. "More than 50% of cancers alter the p53 gene or pathways," Abbas explained, adding that an increased understanding of this gene may be "an avenue to shed light on its importance in leukemia initiation."

His persistence and hard work were rewarded on February 5 with the 2008–2009 Floyd Haar, M.D., Endowed Memorial Research Award.

Abbas hasn't decided yet on his plans after he graduates. Going to a medical school, or working in the U.S. or Lebanon, are among his options. Houri said he'd "love to have him as a colleague because his work is of such high caliber."

Abbas is sure he wants to return to his homeland one day, and help build Toufoula's "Dream Center," envisioned as a facility that will provide treatment and entertainment to cancer patients, and promote research.
 

Through her art, Jabbour said she wanted to rise above the confines of space, time and culture. "Sometimes you want to connect to the world around you, so you create another world," she said. Her exhibition was called "Transcending Boundaries," which "is about going beyond ordinary stereotyped ways of doing or seeing things," according to the event card.

The theme of the exhibits revolved around Lebanon's past, present and future.

Jabbour experimented with various motifs, textures, and colors initially without planning to showcase her works. She said it was an ongoing process during which she spent "some crazy moments" of doubt about what she was producing, "but that just kept me experimenting," she said.

The two forms of printmaking she used helped Jabbour be spontaneous and inventive. She produced similar patterns on subsequent prints (monoprints) by using etched plates, and unique prints (monotypes) resulting from clean-surfaced plates.

Jabbour developed these techniques in London and New York, where she continued her education after graduating from then-BUC with a B.A. in fine arts in 1984.

Having returned to her home country, Jabbour started teaching at LAU in 1999. She thinks a teacher's role is to help students' talents "come out in a natural way and not to stereotype what their students are doing."

"If you're a teacher and an artist you don't want the students to imitate your style and to become copies of you," Jabbour said. "So one of the most difficult things in life is to be a good teacher, because I think it's very complex to bring out the [other] person's voice in art, sensibility, artistic character, strong points," she added.

From her experience in various countries, Jabbour said, here, unlike abroad, art has stereotypes. "The circumstances in Lebanon and overall politics are so much part of our lives [that they] waste a lot of our energy. Abroad, people...don't have that as an obstacle. Art has gone beyond," she said.

Jabbour said she loves travelling to experience new developments and trends. "Here, things are very static compared to abroad," she said, adding that it's important to remain self-motivated.

Rudy Hachache '05 competed among 34 heavyweight judokas at the Beijing Olympics, reaching ninth place. The experience has prompted him to make judo his full-time job.

"My goal is a medal in the next Olympics," he said. He plans to sell his pharmacy and dedicate all his resources to that goal. Before the next summer games, he is likely to be seen in upcoming competitions such as the U.S. Open; the 52-country Jeux de la Francophonie in Lebanon; the World Championships in the Netherlands; and the Asian Games in 2010.

Hachache found out he was going to China one week before the games began. He qualified because last spring he came out third in the Asian Championships, which he entered after becoming the Lebanese national champion, following a seven-year break from the sport he had practiced since childhood.

"I trained two weeks, I played the Lebanese championship, and a week later I was in Asia," he said. "When I got the confirmation [about the Olympics] I was ecstatic. I couldn't believe it. I called the president of the federation twice just to confirm that I'd be going," he said.

What with the flurry of preparations that ensued, and the rush of the competition, he didn't grasp the impact of this turn of events until it was over.

Unlike the millions of spectators, he explained, "the athletes don't get to see the Olympics."

"I was maybe the only athlete with just my coach," he said, compared to the entourages of most other competitors.

The five-time Arab champion got started in judo at age 12. Later, as an LAU student and alum, he excelled at rugby. For seven years he played with, and briefly coached, the famed LAU Immortals and was also on the Lebanese national team.

But the Olympic experience rekindled Hachache's passion for judo.

His trainer, Fadi Saikali, says Hachache has done well despite the lack of adequate training facilities in Lebanon. "With a little more help, I'm sure he can take a medal," he said.

Hachache says conditions for Lebanese athletes have improved little in recent years. He would like the government to provide training grounds abroad.

In a small country, he said, it is difficult to find peers to practice with. "In Lebanon I haven't got anyone above 100 kilos to play with," he said.

But "we've got really good players from Lebanon that have a lot of potential," he said. He encourages young people to take up judo because it's a non-aggressive sport that builds character and self-discipline.

Hachache recalls how LAU helped him when he had to compete abroad during classes, and how it recognized his achievements with the Immortals. He says LAU creates a friendly atmosphere that is good for training, and his fellow rugby players are now his best friends.

He was one of six Lebanese athletes competing in Beijing.

"Women's issues are neglected from the debate," said Dr. Dima Dabbous-Sensenig, acting director of LAU's Institute for Women's Studies in the Arab World (IWSAW), during a daylong forum as she pointed to stereotyped role models in the media, where physical attributes surpass mental qualities.

She stressed the importance of networking, adding that women needed to overcome their power illiteracy, be self-confident, hone their leadership skills and be mentored by women who had made it, as she had, thanks to her education at LAU.

Dabbous-Sensenig, a communication assistant professor at LAU, was one of six alumnae speakers at a forum on the "Role of Higher Education in the Empowerment and Achievements of Arab Women" organized by the Dubai chapter December 3, 2005.

Mrs. Jeannette Mufti, a one-time parliamentary candidate in Jordan who has been active in academia and charity work for years, joined her on the first panel.

Mufti explained how Jordanian students of her generation had chosen to attend then Beirut College for Women, as LAU was known. "Many chose the field of education for work," she said, adding that BCW graduates proved highly motivated.

On the business front, Dr. Hissa Al-Sabah, Vice President of the Committee for Women's Affairs in Kuwait, said despite a high female literacy rate in her country, political involvement was not widespread.

Sheikha Hissa, daughter of Kuwait's crown prince, who has helped create the Council for Arab Businesswomen, said the answer was to focus on women's education and on involvement of the media to raise awareness of such issues.

"We need training in economics," she said, and disclosed that she would work closely with LAU to help train entrepreneurs.

An equally enterprising contemporary of Sheikha Hissa, Mrs. Taline Avakian, helps run an internationally renowned family jewelry business. As a member of LAU's Board of Trustees, Avakian said alumni were always high on the Board's list of priorities.

"Women have become an equal part to men in education," she said quoting statistics on the Arab world. But she noted that the effects of culture and certain attitudes had become a barrier to women's development.

Any system that privileges men from birth is bad for the men, she said. "One of the greatest values is a culture of tolerance, since it builds trust and is a foundation of entrepreneurship."

Novelist and researcher Emily Nasrallah acknowledged LAU's role in empowering women in education to empower others.

Speaking on the socio-cultural context of women's empowerment, Nasrallah lauded the early educators for their pioneer work that extended beyond Lebanon's borders.

"No civilization can be complete without a university," Nasrallah argued. "LAU has made a difference in advancing our society."

The founder of the Maha Kaddoura Scholarship at LAU said the progress of society related to the progress of its women. "Educated women symbolize society," she said, adding that the Prophet Mohammad's wife was a businesswoman.

Educating women could be the solution to social ills since educated women make social improvements, she concluded.

Lebanon's Consul-General in Dubai, Mrs. Donna Turk, referred to the centrality of higher education in the future economic well being of communities.

"Lebanon has established itself as the main center of education in the region," she said, adding that Lebanon had historically been referred to as the pioneer of the alphabet and that the first post-independence ministries established in the country were of education and higher education.

LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra opened the forum with a salute to Arab women's steadfastness and their struggle for just causes across the region.

He said it was necessary to bring down the walls of separation between men and women in the Arab world and to consider everyone as human beings.

He also announced that alumna and speaker Mrs. Maha Kaddoura had set up a scholarship to help pay a Palestinian student's tuition at LAU amounting to $10,000 per year.

Mrs. Adalat Nakkash, President of the Dubai and Northern Emirates Chapter, welcomed guests and thanked sponsors and speakers at the event. She said Arab women in the past decade had come a long way towards advancing their role in society.

Also on hand was chapter vice president Mr. Saad El Zein whose indefatigable efforts helped make the forum and gala dinner the night before a great success.