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From Foundations to Renovations:
A Year of Groundbreaking Efforts at AUB
This has been a milestone year of transformation for AUB, marked by the extraordinary donor support that will forever alter the landscape of the university campus and its academic facilities. Here are some of the 2004-05 highlights.
A Dedication to Business Education:
The Suliman S. Olayan School of Business
On June 24, 2005, AUB broke ground for a new building to house the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business. Being constructed on AUB’s lower campus, the building will be named for cherished friend and former AUB Trustee Suliman S. Olayan, who passed away in 2002. Olayan was the recipient of the University’s Medal of Honor in 2000 and a member of AUB’s Board of Trustees from 1979 to 1985.
At the ceremony, Mr. Khaled S. Olayan recalled how his father “...was not one to broadcast his achievements, and he disliked anything that smacked of ego gratification.” He went on to say: “My father believed deeply that any success he achieved would not have the same meaning if it did not contain some lasting benefit for future generations of businessmen and business women. The project we celebrate today serves that mission.”
Promising Possibility:
The Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs
On December 14, 2004, the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs was established at AUB. At the groundbreaking ceremony, former Deputy Prime Minister of Lebanon Issam Fares announced that “in laying the foundation stone for this institute, we are symbolically laying the foundation for a new Lebanon in a new region, open to promising possibilities.” The goal of the institute is to inform and enrich debates on public policy and international affairs, and to promote good governance in Lebanon and the Middle East. The Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs is scheduled for completion by fall 2007.
Taking Architecture to New Heights:
The Dar Al-Handasah (Shair and Partners) Architecture Building
In December 2004, AUB received a gift of $1.5 million from Dar Al-Handasah (Shair and Partners) to upgrade the architecture building of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture. “I am honored and privileged to support the American University of Beirut,” said AUB Trustee and Chairman of the Dar Group Dr. Kamal A. Shair. “The Faculty of Engineering and Architecture has produced many of the world’s finest engineers and architects. AUB must continue to draw top academics to instruct students and facilitate research, as well as provide a cutting-edge facility that will enhance learning and creativity. That Dar Al-Handasah can assist in creating such an environment is an investment in the future of engineering and architecture at the University and in the region.”
Faculty of Engineering and Architecture Dean Ibrahim Hajj remarked: “Dar Al-Handasah has greatly advanced the faculty’s infrastructure, research efforts, and scholarship, while encouraging the ingenuity of students and faculty alike.” In honor of its ongoing commitment to AUB, the building will be renamed the Dar Al-Handasah (Shair and Partners) Architecture Building.
A House of Antiquities Preserved:
Renovations to the AUB Archaeological Museum
AUB’s Archaeological Museum, which is the third oldest such museum in the region, houses an impressive collection of artifacts, ranging from Cypriot pottery of the Bronze Age, coinage from the fifth century BC, glass from Syria and Palestine dating from the Phoenician era to the early Islamic period, and much more. After 137 years of the museum’s existence, the elements of nature—water damage, inadequate climate control, and humidity—have conspired to endanger the preservation of these priceless artifacts.
In 2005, AUB received a gift of $2 million from Dr. Artemis Joukowsky and AUB Trustee Dr. Martha Sharp Joukowsky to fund critical renovations at the museum and establish the Joukowsky Endowment Fund. The Joukowskys have been deeply committed and involved with the museum for many years. Dr. Martha Joukowsky received her MA from AUB and has been a member of AUB’s Board of Trustees since 1982.
Building Community:
The CCC Scientific Research Building
Established in 1952 by AUB alumni Mr. Said Khoury (FS) and Mr. Hasib Sabbagh (BE ’41), the Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) is ranked as the number one contracting company in the Middle East and the 14th worldwide. Behind the success of this company are the core principles shared by its two co-founders; compassion, modesty, self-knowledge, research, and a keen sense of responsibility to their employees and to their community.
Khoury and Sabbagh have applied those same values to their philanthropic activities—funding universities and centers worldwide to advance cultural education, humanitarian efforts, and a greater understanding of the Middle East. This year they supported AUB with an extraordinary gift of $2 million to establish the CCC Scientific Research Building. The new 4,400-square-meter building, to be constructed on the lower campus, will provide for laboratory needs in engineering, computer science, and basic scientific research.
The CCC Scientific Research Building will be a remarkable addition to the campus and an exceptional show of the dedication of Khoury and Sabbagh to the AUB community.
A Family Affair:
The Abu-Haidar Neuroscience Center
The story behind the establishment of the Abu-Haidar Neuroscience Center is a story rooted in the history of the Abu-Haidar family. Ibrahim Abu-Haidar graduated with an MD from AUB in 1904. He married Marie Farhat in 1915 and had nine children, five girls and four boys. All four boys attended AUB: George Abu-Haidar (MS ’39), Fuad Abu-Haidar (BA ’41), Najib Abu-Haidar (MD ’48), and Munir Abu-Haidar (BA ’49). The Abu-Haidar Neuroscience Center is a testament to the hard work and success of the Abu-Haidar family. It represents the bond that exists between them and the AUB community and reaffirms the important role the University has long played in Lebanon and the Arab world, particularly in the field of medicine. The center, which will be the first in the region to provide comprehensive treatment in the area of neuroscience, will concentrate on a wide variety of neurological specialties, including strokes, neuro-oncology, Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, epilepsy, and pediatric neurology.
Building Community:
The CCC Scientific Research Building
Established in 1952 by AUB alumni Mr. Said Khoury (FS) and Mr. Hasib Sabbagh (BE ’41), the Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) is ranked as the number one contracting company in the Middle East and the 14th worldwide. Behind the success of this company are the core principles shared by its two co-founders; compassion, modesty, self-knowledge, research, and a keen sense of responsibility to their employees and to their community.
Khoury and Sabbagh have applied those same values to their philanthropic activities—funding universities and centers worldwide to advance cultural education, humanitarian efforts, and a greater understanding of the Middle East. This year they supported AUB with an extraordinary gift of $2 million to establish the CCC Scientific Research Building. The new 4,400-square-meter building, to be constructed on the lower campus, will provide for laboratory needs in engineering, computer science, and basic scientific research.
The CCC Scientific Research Building will be a remarkable addition to the campus and an exceptional show of the dedication of Khoury and Sabbagh to the AUB community.
A Family Affair:
The Abu-Haidar Neuroscience Center
The story behind the establishment of the Abu-Haidar Neuroscience Center is a story rooted in the history of the Abu-Haidar family. Ibrahim Abu-Haidar graduated with an MD from AUB in 1904. He married Marie Farhat in 1915 and had nine children, five girls and four boys. All four boys attended AUB: George Abu-Haidar (MS ’39), Fuad Abu-Haidar (BA ’41), Najib Abu-Haidar (MD ’48), and Munir Abu-Haidar (BA ’49). The Abu-Haidar Neuroscience Center is a testament to the hard work and success of the Abu-Haidar family. It represents the bond that exists between them and the AUB community and reaffirms the important role the University has long played in Lebanon and the Arab world, particularly in the field of medicine. The center, which will be the first in the region to provide comprehensive treatment in the area of neuroscience, will concentrate on a wide variety of neurological specialties, including strokes, neuro-oncology, Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, epilepsy, and pediatric neurology. |