Dear members of the AUB community,
It is my pleasure and honor to announce this year's distinguished recipients of the American University of Beirut's highest recognition: the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. During our 157th commencement on June 5, 2026, we will celebrate three individuals whose work has shaped how we understand, document, and engage with the world around us: journalist Christiane Amanpour, architect and author Suad Amiry, and physician-scientist M. Amin Arnaout.
Spanning cultural heritage, medical science, and journalism, this year's honorands reflect the enduring relevance of knowledge that is both rigorous and engaged. Their contributions speak not only to excellence in their respective fields, but also to a sustained commitment to truth, human dignity, and the public good. Each of this year's honorands represents a form of intellectual and moral clarity that feels especially urgent today. Their work reminds us that knowledge is lived, contested, and carried forward through institutions, communities, and individuals willing to take responsibility for it.
Known for fearless reporting and incisive interviews, leading journalist
Christiane Amanpour, CBE, is CNN's chief international correspondent and TV host. Born in London and raised in Tehran, she studied journalism at the University of Rhode Island. Amanpour began her career at CNN in 1983 and became renowned for her front-line coverage of the Bosnian and Persian Gulf Wars, redefining the field of war journalism. In addition to winning four Peabody Awards, sixteen Emmy Awards, and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador recognition, she has advocated for press freedom through the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Suad Amiry (BArch '77) is a distinguished Palestinian architect, author, and cultural heritage leader. Founder of Riwaq centre for architectural conservation, she has led the documentation of over 50,000 historic buildings and the restoration of numerous sites across Palestine. Her work bridges preservation, community development, and cultural resilience. An internationally acclaimed writer, resident in Palestine, her memoir Sharon and My Mother-in-Law received the Viareggio Prize and has been translated into 17 languages. An AUB alumna, Amiry continues to advance heritage as a foundation for identity, dignity, and collective memory.
Physician-scientist, nephrologist, and mentor,
Dr. M. Amin Arnaout (BS '70, MD '74) is a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and principal investigator of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. At Massachusetts General Hospital, he directs the Leukocyte Biology and Inflammation Laboratory and the Structural Biology Program, as well as physician and chief emeritus of the Division of Nephrology and head of the Arnaout Laboratory. His groundbreaking discoveries have fundamentally changed the fields of immunology, structural biology, and nephrology, leading to new and safer therapies for a wide range of diseases. He has been awarded the Homer Smith Award, and elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in recognition of his outstanding work.
We are honored to welcome these inspiring individuals into the community of AUB's honorary degree recipients at a moment when their example matters deeply. In recognizing their work, we reaffirm the role of universities as spaces that not only generate knowledge, but also anchor it in purpose, responsibility, and a broader sense of humanity.