Staff Profile: Ghaleb Halimi

Ghaleb Halimi

Ghaleb Halimi, like a number of other AUB alumni, returned to the university where he had been a student and where in 1981 he received his master's in agricultural economics from the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences. Halimi admits that he "forgot about agriculture" after he came back from New York University in 1983 with an MA in sports management and AUB offered him the post of director of the Athletics Department. He has held that position for the past 23 years.

Attending international conferences and enrolling AUB students in sports tournaments abroad have enabled Halimi to travel to over sixty countries in different parts of the world. He also represents AUB as the vice president of the Lebanese Federation for University Sports.

Halimi's love of sports goes back to his student days, when he was an active athlete on AUB's track team, as well as captain of the soccer team. Today, Halimi projects this passion on his students, placing high emphasis on sportsmanship and the ideals of sports. He feels pride when AUB athletes perform well on the international level. Halimi's relationship with his students has always been excellent; the only complaints they have had are about the University's inadequate sports facilities. But with completion of the Hostler Student Center in September 2007, those complaints are sure to cease.

Since 1986, Halimi has also served as the head resident of Kerr Hall, one of the male dormitories. He says that the dorm situation has changed a lot over the past twenty years. In the late 1980s, because of the war, commuting to AUB was not easy; as a result the dormitory buildings became overcrowded. Now, the situation is better and things are under control, as Halimi oversees the functioning of the building and the needs of the students.

The only times Halimi feels disappointment in his job is when he is not appreciated by superiors and students for the good results his teams achieve. Other than that, he is happy to have found what he is most passionate about in life and is pleased to be giving it all to his University.