Appreciation to John Waterbury During Visitors' Bureau Celebration

Friends of the visitors' Bureau cut celebration cake

On the occasion of its 9th anniversary, the AUB Visitors' Bureau extended deep gratitude to its founder and "godfather" John Waterbury, who left his office as president of AUB at the end of June 2008. The anniversary event of June 26 also featured an art exhibit by AUB economics student Nermine Shatila.

AUB administrators, staff, and friends of the bureau attended the celebration, during which special tribute was paid to late Nabeel Ashkar, AUB's former honorary marshal who passed away on October 12, 2007, and had given the bureau constant guidance and unwavering support.

As a token of appreciation, the students of the Visitors' Bureau presented Waterbury with an album of photos dating back to the inception of the bureau in 1999. World-renowned photographer Roger Moukarzel, who was present at the celebration, gave him a signed copy of his latest photographic compilation of Lebanon entitled Wadi Qadisha.

Special thanks were given as well to Provost Peter Heath, to Director of the Office of Information and Public Relations Ibrahim Khoury for his direction of and assistance to the bureau, to Chief of Protection Captain Saadallah Shalak, and to Aliya Habli, an AUB alumna who has been volunteering in the bureau before and long after she graduated with a BBA in 2001.

The art exhibit by Nermine Shatila included a collection of oil and acrylic paintings on themes pertaining to AUB and relating to subsequent empowerment of students and Lebanon's and AUB's scenic beauty.

President Waterbury had originated the idea of a visitors' bureau in 1999 with the aim of maintaining good relations with the outside community by opening its doors to outside guests so they could attend a variety of cultural activities on campus. The idea was implemented by Public Relations Officer at the Office of Information and Public Relations Sana Murad.

Run entirely by almost twenty students under the supervision of Murad, part of the bureau's job is to greet visitors and help them find any information they may need about AUB. The most popular of the bureau's services is a 45-minute tour, which includes a brief presentation of AUB's history and a walk around the campus to see its principal sights.

Student guides undergo about two weeks of training, during which time they study AUB's history, learn all about the campus, how to handle visitors' requests for information, and how to reply to questions. Once the training is over, the new guides are given practice tours to check on their skills and build confidence.