"Since LAU is an institution that has made its mark as a pioneer in women's causes, it's only natural that we would be involved in this event," says Joseph Kanaan, project management coordinator at the LAU Outreach and Civic Engagement unit (OCE).

The university is encouraging school participation by waiving entry fees -- worth LL22,000 -- for the first 100 registrants. Joining hands with OCE, the Marketing and Communications Office designed striking posters and banners promoting the event on campus and throughout the city, while the Alumni Office is summoning its vast network to run with LAU. On race day, a horde of LAU volunteers, males included, will hand out water to runners and cheer them on.

"We have all worked hard and it wasn't in vain," says Assistant Vice President for Development Nassib Nasr before adding, "We are really proud that the 'friends of LAU' have shown so much enthusiasm for such a noble cause."

Keeping in line with LAU's ethos of giving back, the Beirut Marathon Association will allocate LL5,000 from each of the university participants' entry fees toward a special scholarship for gender studies.

"This idea came to me on the spur of the moment, and when we met with the organizers, they applauded it," says Anita Nassar, assistant director at the Institute for Women's Studies in the Arab World, who is thrilled with the concept of a women's race. "It synthesizes the idea that such projects can and should be undertaken for the empowerment of women."

IWSAW has pitched in by reaching out to the legion of non-governmental organizations they work with, encouraging them to run, or participate in some capacity.

"The way we see it, education plays a very big role in empowering women," says Lilliane Alame, NGO coordinator and assistant race director at the Beirut Marathon Association. "LAU believes in education for all, a basic human right, and we believe in sports for all, so it's a winning partnership."

On another level, she adds, "Volunteerism is a critical part of life education. Giving students the opportunity to be part of this national day teaches them to serve the community."

The slogan of the Women's Challenge is "3anjad Awiyeh", or "she is really strong," and organizers plan to make it an annual event.

"It's very important for women to participate in the race because it's symbolic of women in leadership, of gender equality and of female emancipation," says Elie Samia, executive director of OCE. "We encourage all LAU females to take part because LAU is a pioneer in women's education, it's home to the preeminent Women's institute in the region, and it is dedicated to gender equality."
 

Dr. Rabab El Mahdi, an assistant professor of political science at the American University in Cairo, visited LAU Beirut on May 10 to explain the challenges of democratization in the Arab world, and to talk about why Egypt's uprising is unlike any in history.

Audience members listened intently as she spoke about the shortcomings of the initial protestors, and what they failed to foresee when demanding democratic change. Their lack of organization, and complete inexperience in managing political change, were, in her opinion, why the Muslim Brotherhood was able to easily rise to power.

A self-proclaimed 'leftist' who was active in the revolution, el Mahdi explains why demonstrators were at a disadvantage.

"The way regimes developed in Egypt and in the Arab world, (exercising complete and total control), affected peoples' ability to organize," she said. "Elections or media were always bought off in one way or another, so it was a totally new experience for Egyptians." Bringing about political, social and economic change is no simple task, she warned, and leftists should learn from the Muslim Brotherhood, who started making inroads with the public long ago.

"Don't let leftists chalk up their failures to lack of support from Qatar or Saudi Arabia. The Muslim Brotherhood as we know it now was built through the university movement in the 1970s and 80s, and through reaching out to unions. Secularists need to work as hard as they did to relate to the people. They need to 'do the homework'."

Dr. Bassel Salloukh, associate dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and associate professor of Political Science, who organized the lecture, enthusiastically agreed with the notion that the Arab uprisings of the past two years are unique in history.

"The beauty about periods of extraordinary politics is that they make us re-think our theoretical models and paradigms," he said. "We need to make sure Arab revolutions contribute something to history, and that we as political scientists do not just apply existing theories to them."

Fourth year student Elsa Saade was inspired by el Mahdi's talk, saying it showed her that "that the voice of one woman can be more influential than the many voices we've heard for the past decades from politicians and leaders," adding that it was "an honor to have been in the same room with a woman who was part of the revolution."

Students agreed that they are the agents of change in the Arab world, and that it is important to take lessons from Egypt.

"We are proud to bring people together to celebrate the best that Italy has to offer," said Ambassador Giuseppe Morabito.

Organized by the student-run LAU Hospitality Club and overseen by the Institute of Hospitality and Tourism Management Studies (IHTMS), the event enchanted participants of all ages.

"Our mission is to be part of society and to give people around us the opportunity to express themselves, to live, to laugh and to enjoy life," said LAU President Dr. Joseph G. Jabbra.

According to Dr. Said Ladki, head of IHTMS and chair of the Hospitality and Marketing Department, the event proved a successful test for the students. "Every year we explore different aspects of hospitality and tourism. This time we delved into new venture that seems to be a winner. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive."

With live music playing in the background, some wandered around the pasta or Italian tapas stations, while others, sipping nothing less than a limoncello-Arak mix, learned more about unique resorts where they could spend their next vacation.

"For me this is so surprising and exciting," said first-year banking and finance student Nadine Keraidieh who attended with a friend. "It shows that this university is not only about studying, but also about offering opportunities to discover other cultures, to network, to grow."

Serving pasta at one of the stands, Fawzi Aidi, a third-year management major who takes a course in hospitality, agreed: "This is all about PR, marketing and exposure, and it is extremely motivating for us to know that our university is doing what it takes to be the best."

While the buzzing students' faces started to fade with fatigue, their eyes showed overwhelming excitement. "We really worked hard for three straight days to prepare, but it was worth it. Look how happy people are!" said Charlotte Rabbath, an economics student taking a cooking course.

No one put it better than Vice President for Student Development and Enrollment Management Dr. Elise Salem. In an e-mail sent to Dr. Ladki, Salem expressed her profound admiration for the event organizers. "Thank you for transforming our campus last night into an Italian movie set. We felt like privileged actors eating, drinking and socializing with our colleagues while being introduced to the Italian culture."

Salim and Hanneh Zakhem, who Jabbra described at the ceremony as healthily "obsessed with education," passed their commitment to serving others on to their children. "Those values are reflected in a magnificent way in the relationship between the Zakhem family and LAU," Jabbra said.

A successful engineer and businessman, George Zakhem has a long and storied history with the university. In the early 1980s, while the Beirut University College (or BUC, as LAU was previously known) fought to remain open as violence engulfed much of Lebanon, Zakhem had a vision. After taking up chairmanship of BUC's Board of Trustees in 1984, he posited that having only one campus in war-torn Beirut hindered efforts to reach all of the country's young scholars.

The early years of Zakhem's tenure were important for LAU, noted Jabbra, as it came at a time when BUC was struggling with financial difficulties, war and its strategic vision for the future. As chair, he played a critical part in steering BUC along the right path, and overseeing the college's transformation into a university. His family's subsequent donation of 100,000 square meters of land in Blat, near Byblos, was instrumental in making LAU what it is today. George Zakhem had already made generous donations to establish two scholarship funds for students who could not otherwise afford to attend BUC.

It was, as Jabbra described it, "the will of a family and a university that made a difference in the lives of so many young men and women." That difference is indeed considerable: today almost 3,000 of LAU's 8,273 students are based on the Byblos campus.

The architect of LAU's expansion, Zakhem fondly recalled the challenges the board faced in convincing the Lebanese Government, the university's Board of Regents in New York and even its own members to embrace the idea of having two campuses. "It's with great satisfaction and humility that I look on those years of trouble," he said.

Tears came to Zakhem's eyes as he described the efforts the board undertook to finance LAU's growth.

"With a strong will, we have turned this idea into one of the most beautiful universities in Lebanon," he said.

Reflecting on the enduring relationship between his family and LAU, Zakhem said of the Byblos campus: "This achievement proves beyond any doubt that those who dream can do, and we dreamt and we did."

WorldMUN is an annual MUN conference that takes place in a different international city every year, luring thousands of students and faculty from more than 60 countries. It combines highly sophisticated UN simulation sessions revolving around hotbed international and geopolitical issues with high level lectures and seminars. Policy challenges underlying global governance, democratic globalism, conflicts, foreign policy and development are tackled in a multidisciplinary perspective. The conference is run by students from Harvard University and from the host university with this year's dual hosts being Monash University and RMIT University.

"I experienced this conference through the students' interpretive frameworks, their eyes, their worries, and their excitement," says Dr. Tamirace Fakhoury, assistant professor of political science. "It felt great to embrace their vision, to wait for them in the faculty lounge, to hear them deliver their speeches."

As this year's group faculty advisor at WorldMUN, Fakhoury was heavily involved in monitoring the students' position papers. "The trip from Beirut to Melbourne and back unraveled a voyage into a pleasant unknown," says Fakhoury. Described by the students as "life changing," and "empowering," the trip indeed unlocked discoveries that only a mix of academia, international policy debates, social events and ventures could make possible.

Graduate assistant Khaled Kabbara, who was also actively assisting Fakhoury in overseeing the students' work, says that WorldMUN is one of the biggest youth conferences in the world. "By taking part of it, students are getting introduced to different cultures, forging professional connections while discussing topics of international dimensions."

Rigorous arrangements for WorldMUN started to transpire as early as September 2012. Dr. Marwan Rowayheb and Dr. Jennifer Skulte-Ouaiss, associate and assistant professors of political science, respectively, organized the preparatory measures from which students from the Beirut and Byblos campuses were selected to attend the conference, providing administrative and logistics support to the delegation along the way. The challenging and vigorous nature of this process meant that only la crème de la crème made it to Melbourne.

"One cannot but accentuate the importance of this activity where students get to appreciate the work and importance of the United Nations and learn the techniques of diplomacy and conflict resolution," says Rowayheb.

Political science student Tala Kayed agrees: "WorldMUN showed us the practical aspect of what we've been studying, from negotiating our positions to maintaining a stance. Not to mention the wonderful friendships we made from all over the world."
 

Following the introductory remarks, Dr. Elizabeth Super, APSA fellow and associate director, kicked-off the panel discussion by offering a detailed explanation and analysis of how electoral rules sharply impact democratic outcomes.

"There are general trends, but as political scientists collect a greater amount of data they see that there are exceptions and outliers," said Super. For example, one general theory is that rich countries tend to be democratic, yet the petroleum-rich Arab states are an exception to this rule, she explained.

"To get a better understanding of those exceptions it becomes imperative to understand the context of those political systems," she stressed before she outlined and compared various electoral differences and the likely scenarios they would produce.

An interesting comparison was also made to Latin America as Dr. Micheal Coppedge, professor of political science from Notre Dame University joined the panel via Skype videoconferencing. "Single-party regimes in some parts of Latin America mimic systems seen in the Arab world--where you have a proliferation of "clientelist" policies," Coppedge said. He went on to add that such policies significantly affect the transition to democracy and are a consequence of resource dependency."

PhD candidate at Saint Andrews Ahmed Morsy, associated with the APSA-MENA Workshop Program, discussed the anxieties that have been raised in a post-Mubarak world. He went on to point out that Egypt has a long road ahead and that the country's political landscape is still volatile.

"This is one of the rare events that bring together international political science experts in a roundtable to discuss critical disciplinarily topics," said Dr. Imad Salamey, associate professor of political science at LAU.

"Having this roundtable at LAU and organized by the American Political Science Association, the world largest and most prestigious political science organization, highlights LAU's growing disciplinary relevance," he continued.

A lively Q&A session allowed students to take part in the discussion.

Economics student Ines Zredete attended the panel to have a better understanding of politics in the Levant.

"Understanding the context is particularly pressing in the Lebanese case since there is a hot debate about reforming the electoral laws in the country," she said.

"It is important to understand how the history of the country directs the political trajectory we see today--especially sectarian politics," she added.

The American Political Science Association (APSA) and the American University in Cairo (AUC) announce a call for applications from individuals who would like to participate in a workshop on "Varieties of Democracy." The two-week workshop will be held on September 8-12, 2013 at AUC. Program information, eligibility requirements, and a web link to the online 2013 application form can we found at: www.apsanet.org/menaworkshops.
 

The institute aims at involving students, academics, and business executives in an exchange forum and ongoing dialogue that bring business practices and university teachings together. It also offers a dynamic communication platform that fosters synergy, active learning, academic research, learning excellence, and practice-based knowledge sharing.

The presentation kept in line with the institute's mission to keep pace with business paradigm shifts in global communities while highlighting the role of human resources as an essential part of organizational management. Indeed, Bardawil's discourse underscored the importance of maintaining an unwavering sense of shrewdness in times of crisis, and the significance of making managerial decisions with aplomb.

In 1979, the San Francisco Chronicle published an article about MEA, labeling it the "airline that refuses to die." MEA was 33 years old at the time. Now in its 66th year, the ordeals that the airline has endured have doubled, said Bardawil, but "the MEA saga is not an account of these difficulties, but rather, of the decisions and actions that its management has taken to overcome them."

Bardawil explained that any given organization is an open system that interacts with a constantly changing environment, both politically and economically, thus shaping -- or occasionally tampering with -- its equilibrium.

"For an organization to thrive, it needs to be flexible and capable of introducing novel interventions whenever needed," said Bardawil. "These interventions can be organizational development interventions -- which include operational changes in focus, and modifications at the "action" level -- or they can be organizational transformation interventions, which could mean changing the vision of the organization as a whole."

In 1968, an Israeli attack on Lebanon left MEA 16 airplanes short, but what would have been a tragedy for any other airline gave MEA a chance to shine: within a mere 24 hours of the airline losing most of its fleet, it resumed its regular flights by borrowing aircraft from Morocco and Jordan. This incident also marked MEA's embarkment on its most capital strategic decision regarding its fleet: to operate using only one type of aircraft, Boeing.

"Every misfortune can be an opportunity," stressed Bardawil. "You have to be prudent and judicious -- you can't leave everything in the hands of fate."

Dr. Philippe Zgheib, assistant professor of management and head of IHR, says he hopes the institute will continue to host such prominent figures who deliver thought-provoking and inspirational lectures. "More than anything, the institute aims to bridge the gap between business practice and academia," he said. "And there is no better way to do that but to introduce our students to pioneering practitioners in the field of human resources."

All pictures used in the story are courtesy of MEA website.
 

"This event isn't only for the architects and designers among us, but for anyone hoping to make an impact in an urban setting," said Reine Azzi, TEDxLAU curator and instructor of moral reasoning at LAU Beirut.

As eager participants filled the Irwin auditorium, students, faculty and alumni could interact and meet other like-minded people in a social space specially set up by the organizers.

"There is this sense of familiarity among the participants here -- it's as if we are all part of the same club," said LAU alumna Nathalie Karam.

The buzz of the lobby gave way to a hushed silence as the salon was kicked-off by a screening of the soothing sounds of composer and conductor Eric Whitacre's Cloudburst. The spectacular performance coordinated live 32 choir singers over Skype to join the chorus with the performers on stage.

The choral show set the mood and captured the do-it-yourself and anything-is-possible attitude the organizers intended to encourage during the event. From the onset, an important link was made between changing the city and changing one's own life. The screening of David Kelley's talk, "How to Build Your Creative Confidence" picked up this parlance and highlighted the relationship of change to risk.

"This talk made me realize that if we want to change our cities we have to change ourselves first; and we can't do that unless we are willing to take risks and give our opinions without being judged," said AUB student Eric Reddy.

To encourage creative collaboration, Azzi asked participants to work in groups and come up with creative solutions to some of Beirut's most pressing problems. An exercise in which participants enthusiastically engaged with a remarkably low level of inhibition -- the very atmosphere TedxLAU sought to promote as a catalyst for change, intervention and innovation.

Continuing in this vein was a question-and-answer period on stage with LAU architecture instructor Dr. Ayssar Arida.

Trained as a professional architect, Arida refers to himself as an 'urbatect' and makes the controversial claim that architecture is simply obsolete. Arida uses the concept "quantum cities" to describe a new paradigm in understanding and relating to the city.

"We build cities in the way we imagine the world," he stressed, driving home the importance of creativity and urban intervention.

TedxLAU partnered with Beirut Colors and Lamba Labs to make this event possible.




 

With "Partners in Development" as a theme, the fair drew a total of 78 NGOs that set up informational booths on campus, briefing the students on their objectives and projects, and calling for their much needed and anticipated participation in their activities.

In his opening address, OCE Executive Director Elie Samia expressed the hope that this year's fair would allow LAU students to understand what these organizations stand for, and to learn how gratifying giving back to the community can be.

According to Abou Faour, more often than not, Lebanese NGOs act as a substitute for -- rather than a complement to -- the Lebanese Government. "We are all immensely thankful for all that you do," he said, addressing the NGOs. "If it weren't for your great accomplishments, the Lebanese community as a whole would have suffered."

This year's fair set itself apart from the previous years' through LAU's unshakable partnership with the Ministry of Social Affairs; the Lebanese Association for Development, Al Majmoua; the European Union Delegation to Lebanon's Sustainable Development Section; the International Finance Corporation; Save the Children; and USAID's Office of Education, Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance.

By placing LAU at the very heart of these invaluable partnerships, the university builds a crucial nexus of correspondence with these organizations, allowing all the parties involved to benefit from -- and to network with -- one another.

This is the ethos of OCE's mobile application "LAU NGO," that was officially launched at the event. The application provides a list of all the NGOs located in Lebanon, including their contact info, mailing address, objectives, and upcoming events. It aims to encourage students to keep close ties with the organizations they wish to volunteer with, keeping them up-to-date with what civil society has to offer and how they can help.

"If we work together, we can achieve miracles," said LAU President Dr. Joseph G. Jabbra. "Union makes strength," he added, "and there are no limits to what humankind can accomplish if we collaborate and cooperate together to serve common good."

LAU student Ziad Naboulsi's NGO, ALEF, was among the participating organizations in this year's fair. ALEF seeks to strengthen the respect and fulfillment of human rights as a cornerstone of social, economic, and political development. "We care about human rights education first and foremost. We want to help Lebanese youth -- university students, in particular -- to be seamlessly incorporated in civil society through social work and volunteerism," said Naboulsi.

Sarah Ghandour, a business student at LAU, said she was delighted to see such a big number of NGOs participating this year. "I've always wanted to volunteer, but it's one of those things you have to find the time and passion for," she says. "It's not about adding a line or two to your CV -- this is something that could change the way you view the world and the people around you."

Several members of Haydar's family also attended the event, which was organized by the School of Arts and Sciences' Department of Humanities in collaboration with the Friends of Jawdat R. Haydar Organization.

Often referred to as "the prince of poets," Jawdat Haydar is one of Lebanon's best-loved Anglophone poets. Born in the Bekaa in 1905, Haydar lived to the age of 102, publishing his last anthology of poems just a few months before passing away. In 1925, he graduated with a B.S. in education from North Texas State University, a place fondly remembered in his poetry. He spent most of his working life in Lebanon, writing poetry that demonstrates a deep love of nature, other people, Lebanon and literature. His poem "The Temple in Baalbek" has been incorporated into the Lebanese high school curriculum, and a copy also hangs at the entrance of the Baalbek museum.

Haydar's poetry appeals to a universal audience because it is as much global as it is local, said his great granddaughter Dr. Ghia Osseiran. The centenarian used "poetry as a platform, not merely to compose verse, but to put forward ideas that addressed contemporary issues," she said. "His intention was not to impress with eloquence, but to advocate for real change on the ground."

LAU President Dr. Joseph G. Jabbra likewise paid tribute to a man who "exhorted humanity to put aside conflict." Living through times of growing cultural and ideological polarization, Haydar "wanted to be a bridge between civilizations, not an instrument in the clash between civilizations," he said.

Indeed, the poet's humanitarianism earned him a number of accolades, including Lebanon's Order of the Cedars, the Ninth Medal from Pope John the 23rd, and France's Croix de Grand Officier.

Haydar, who learnt English from conversing with British troops stationed in the Bekaa, had a "malleable sense of nationalism," said keynote speaker Dr. Jayson Iwen, assistant professor of writing at University of Wisconsin and editor of Haydar's 2006 anthology 101 Selected Poems.

Although his poetry vividly demonstrates pride in his Lebanese identity, Haydar was a citizen of the world foremost. "From his example, we can learn to engage meaningfully and respectfully with the cultures of others and to adopt them as our own without fear of severing previous attachments," said Iwen.

In 2011, Haydar's family made a generous donation to establish the Jawdat R. Haydar Memorial Study Room at Riyad Nassar Library on the Beirut campus. The room offers students an atmospheric place to study, surrounded by the works and mementos of the late poet.