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For only the second time in 35 years AUB awarded honorary degrees to distinguished individuals. This year's recipients were Sir Michael Atiyah, world renowned mathematician; Vartan Gregorian, educator, academic, and philanthropist; Peter Jennings, long-time anchor and senior editor of ABC's Evening News; and Yo-Yo Ma, world-famous cellist and musician.
President Waterbury first called on BOT Chairman Richard Debs, who announced that AUB had just received news of its accreditation by the United States-based Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Then, in a short introduction, the president urged both students and faculty to "reflect on the honorees" and to "manifest the same will to explore and demonstrate the same sense of purpose." With a short citation, the president then conferred an honorary doctorate in humane letters on each candidate, following which the provost placed the doctoral hood on the shoulders of each recipient, who in turn responded with a short acceptance speech. President Waterbury presented Sir Michael Atiyah as one of the most distinguished mathematicians of the twentieth century, having "received the equivalent of two Nobel prizes." In his acceptance speech Sir Michael underscored the importance of universities as a base for social and economic development. He expressed his pleasure at his association with AUB's Center for Advanced Mathematics, which will, he hopes, "be one of the ways in which AUB will maintain and enhance its position as the leading educational establishment in the Middle East." Educator and philanthropist Vartan Gregorian was next. The president paid special tribute to his triumph over adversity and said: "Once having turned the tables on his personal misfortunes, he gave back many fold . . . with exuberance, zest, humor, and wisdom." In his acceptance speech, Vartan Gregorian said that colleges and universities should continue to prove that "a college education is a valuable investment not just for four years, but for a lifetime." The next awardee was Peter Jennings, renowned TV journalist, and senior editor and anchor for ABC's World News Tonight. In his citation President Waterbury recalled Jennings' history as a reporter in the Arab world, and described him as "a voice for quiet and reasoned understanding." In his response, Jennings stressed the effect AUB and the region have had on his career, emphasizing how much he learned from talking with members of the AUB community. He said that Americans and Arabs who've taught at AUB prove that there is "something nuanced and optimistic, not just pessimism, to be learned on this campus." In introducing cellist Yo-Yo Ma, President Waterbury traced his extraordinary career from four-year-old child prodigy to mature musician generally considered to be the world's greatest living cellist. He emphasized the musician's insistence on simultaneous teaching and learning, and quoted him as saying that "music can act as a magnet to draw people together." After a brief introduction, Yo-Yo Ma graced the Assembly Hall with the unique sounds of Bach's music rendered through his incomparable playing. The recessional of the president and his party of distinguished guests followed the playing of the "Alma Mater." Full coverage of the honorary degree ceremony is available on the AUB website.
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