College Hall Cornerstone is Laid in Ground

AUB held a special ceremony on Sunday November 8, to mark the reconstruction of College Hall and Jafet Memorial Library. The ceremony was held at the Assembly Hall under the patronage of President of the Lebanese Republic Mr. Elias Hraoui, accompanied by First Lady Mrs. Mona Hraoui, and in the presence of the Speaker of the House Mr. Nabih Birri. After the Lebanese National Anthem was played, Dr. Makhlouf Haddadin delivered a message from President Frederic Herter.

Deputy President Ibrahim Salti then spoke, thanking the President of the Republic for his presence on such an important day for AUB, a presence which came as a fulfillment of a promise made a year ago on the destruction site. Dr. Salti expressed his hope that the beginning of the reconstruction of College Hall will be a first step towards the reconstruction of the nation. AUB's contribution to Lebanon does not restrict itself to the studies and services, since six members of the Lebanese Cabinet are AUB graduates and especially since the Prime Minister is a member of its Board of Trustees. Dr. Salti concluded that special celebrations marking this event will be held in New York, London, Geneva and Paris under the auspices of UNESCO.

President Hraoui then gave a speech, pointing out that the future of AUB and that of Lebanon are "intertwined." It is no coincidence that the reconstruction of AUB comes with the reconstruction of Lebanon because AUB has always worked for Lebanon and helped it in various ways.

The President added: "AUB's responsibility is no less important today than what it was over a century ago when it first began its educational mission, because rebuilding a nation always starts with the individual. What is needed therefore is a cultural revolution that will end all wars. The war in Lebanon has ended, but the war for Lebanon has not."

After the ceremony, President Hraoui laid down the cornerstone of the new College Hall building. The ceremony ended with the audience standing up as the Alma Mater was played.

The event was widely covered by the local media as well as foreign news agencies, namely AP and Reuters. Present for this occasion were various political figures: Ministers Fares Boueiz, Hagop Demerdjian, Bishara Mirhij, Marwan Hamadeh, Michel Samaha, Michel Eddeh, Samir Mokbel and Fouad Siniora. In attendance were many members of the new Lebanese Parliament: Issam Nehme, Khatchik Babikian, Ayman Shoukair, Fouad Al Saad, Marwan Abou Fadel, Nassib Lahhoud, Khalil Hraoui, Ahmad Souaid, Joseph Moghaizel, Muhammad Kabbani, Ghassan Al Ashkar, Kamil Ziadeh, Samir Azar and Ms. Bahia Hariri. Also present were former ministers and members of parliament Elie Salem, Nazih Bizri, Albert Mokheiber and Rafic Chahine.

Foreign representation included the ambassadors of the USA, Russia, India, Venezuela, China and Tunisia, as well as Chargé d'Affaires of Italy, Jordan, UAE and Greece. The audience comprised a large number of AUB Alumni and representatives of Alumni chapters in Bahrain, Abu-Dhabi, Oman, Saudi Arabia, England, France, Egypt. The Bahrain delegation included Minister Khalifa Bin Salman Bin Mohamad Al-Khalifa.

In the evening, students spontaneously gathered at the site of College Hall carrying candles and singing the Alma Mater. They were joined by Deputy President I. Salti, Vice President G. Tomey and Dean of Students F. Hajj. Dr. Salti spoke to the students, thanking them for their support and their contribution to the College Hall reconstruction fund.