Laila Baroody Awarded for Outstanding Service

President Waterbury (right) handing Laila Baroody the President's Medal for Outstanding Voluntary

President John Waterbury awarded Laila Baroody, the chairperson of the AUB President's Club, the President's Medal for Outstanding Voluntary Service during a fundraising gala dinner held on October 26 at the Bristol Hotel. The award granted Baroody has only been given twice by the University.

Waterbury thanked the hundreds of friends of AUB who attended the fundraising dinner for their continuous support and delivered special thanks to the club's members for all their efforts in serving the University's needs. The dinner was sponsored by Byblos Bank and the Safadi Foundation and co-sponsored by Dar al-Handasah and INDEVCO. All its proceeds will be used to fund AUB student activities and student-related projects.

Baroody extended thanks to the supporters of the club for organizing the event, and briefly outlined the club's inception, mission, and accomplishments for the audience. Among the Lebanese dignitaries attending the dinner was Huda Siniora, wife of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora.

The President's Club was established in 1981, thanks to the efforts of two members of the University's Board of Trustees: Ali Ghandour, who proposed the idea, and Myrna Bustani, who acted on that idea. The club's purpose is to raise an annual sum of money for projects to be used for improving student life on campus by the enhancement of facilities both inside and outside the classroom.

So far, the President's Club has funded many major projects at the University, most recently refurbishing and equipping an on-line exam room in Bliss Hall, Bliss 203, refurbishing Mary Dodge Hall with a reading and activity room and equipping two student lounges in the Diana Tamari Sabbagh Building.

The club has been a constant supporter of music and art at AUB. It helped purchase equipment and materials for the AUB Art Club and funded soundproofing installations in the Music Room, a practice room for the AUB's Music Club in West Hall. The President's Club also equipped some of the "Smart Classrooms" of Nicely Hall with state-of-the-art facilities.

An ongoing fundraising effort run by the club, is its "Adopt a Bench" campaign, in which donors permanently inscribe their names on the benches of the AUB campus. So far 35 benches have been adopted.