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AUB Celebrates Freedom of Expression and Free Intellectual Discourse
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| President John Waterbury handing Randa Adra her prize |
Promoting freedom of expression and free intellectual discourse were
the two prominent themes that marked AUB's 141st anniversary during the
annual Founders Day ceremony held on December 3 in Assembly Hall.
"It [is] indeed a source of pride that despite the past few years
of war, political stalemate and economic stagnation, the University has
been able to carry on its mission and to honor the great responsibilities
the founders passed on to us," said AUB President John Waterbury
in his opening remarks. "I am sure that the struggles going on outside
our walls are reflected inside our walls in the ranks of our faculty,
staff, and students. But so far, all members of the AUB family have demonstrated
remarkable maturity and not allowed their feelings to interfere with their
duties and their work. Daniel Bliss would be proud."
Among those attending the ceremony were Board of Trustee member Farouq
Jabre, Trustee Emeritus PM Salim Hoss, and former ambassadors Khalil Makkawi
and Nadim Demashkiyeh, as well as a host of faculty members and students.
Inaugurated with a formal procession of faculty members, the ceremony
also included the announcement of the student essay contest winner, senior
economics student Randa Adra. This year, the topic of the annual student
essay contest was "Do AUB's politically active students share the
institution's values or do they share the values of their political mentors
off campus? Is there a difference?" The winner received a $500 cash
prize, in addition to having her name carved on a plaque in Assembly Hall.
Winner Adra argued in her essay that the fact that AUB promotes diversity,
freedom of expression, and tolerance, it has succeeded in teaching politically
active students to respect each other, despite their diametrically opposed
views. As a result, AUB students have not resorted to violence or fist
fights to prove their political arguments, in spite of the politically
charged atmosphere of the country that, more often than not, is reflected
in students' discussions.
"As a university that has embraced diversity and boasts students
holding flags of every color, it has also succeeded in implementing a
system of mutual respect and understanding," said Adra, reading from
her winning essay.
Keynote speaker Professor Samir Makdisi, a former economy and trade minister,
overviewed AUB's strengths and weaknesses as an institution. A member
of a through-and-through AUB family, Makdisi was introduced by Waterbury
as a member of one of those families who are the "guardians of the
flame." Indeed, Makdisi's father, Anis, was a dominant figure at
the University and its Arabic studies program has lent his name to the
Anis Makdisi Program in Literature, an interdisciplinary program that
was established in 2002.
Now, Samir Makdisi's son Karim is an active member of the Department of Political Studies and Public Administration, teaching international relations. Samir Makdisi was also deputy president of AUB from 1993 to 1998, welcoming Waterbury to his post.
In his speech, Makdisi lauded AUB's liberal arts education, noting that it is exposure to the humanities and the ideas of great thinkers across the ages that can teach students the various notions of justice, freedom, morality, and social responsibility.
Makdisi added, however, that human freedom as manifested in democracy is not an end in itself, but a requirement for human development. "Democracy is not only an end in itself, but gives people a voice and a constructive role in shaping values and norms," he said.
Makdisi also commended AUB's espousal of freedom of expression and free intellectual discourse, while conceding that on a few occasions the University had to curb some of this freedom to protect itself from the chaotic and violent political environment it found itself in. He added that AUB has a role to play in promoting such free intellectual discourse.
"In our region of the world, where democratic practices and governance are, to say the least, wanting, and where a major regional conflict continues, universities such as AUB have a crucial role to play in fostering the intellectual discourse that helps bring about desired change," he said. "Maintaining a free intellectual environment clearly would strengthen AUB's role as a center for discourse on public policy issues as well as encourage students to develop their own minds on matters of great import to the development of their societies."
Makdisi prodded AUB to ensure that all forms of discrimination on campus be abolished. He also asked administrators to work hard on keeping AUB education competitive in the region, by recruiting and maintaining highly qualified faculty. Finally, Makdisi encouraged AUB to expand its role as a cultural bridge between East and West, by forging "more systematic links with select Western academic institutions, especially those with their own Arab or Middle East programs."
He also noted that AUB owes part of its success to its location in Lebanon, which acts as an enabling environment. "Were this country an autocracy, it is doubtful that liberal education could have flourished in it," he said.
The ceremony ended with the AUB Choir, led by Professor Paul Meers, singing the Alma Mater. The choir had also performed Claude Debussy's "Dieu qu'il la fait bon regarder" during the ceremony.