Summer 2008 Vol. VI, No. 4

From the President

Dear Alumni and Friends,

It is an honor and privilege for me to address all of you as the incoming president of AUB. Although I am not an alumnus, AUB has been a palpable presence in my life for as long as I can remember. As a boy growing up in our family's home on Bliss Street, I came to think of the AUB campus-doubtless inappropriately!-as an extension of our own backyard, with magnificent trees to climb, places to explore, and hiding places where you could disappear for hours. The parents of many of my classmates at the American Community School were AUB professors and administrators, so the campus and its academic community seemed to be a natural extension of our home life.

Like all of you, I was deeply distressed by the tragic outbreak of fighting in Lebanon in May. Following developments from my home in Chicago, however, I was reminded of the critically important role that AUB plays in Lebanon and the region-in the best of times and in the worst of times-and that it must continue to play in the months and years ahead. Nor am I the only one who feels this way. An extraordinary number of alumni and friends of AUB have contacted me in recent weeks to express their support for the University and its mission, an outpouring that I have found both gratifying and inspiring. These men and women feel as I do: that AUB is a beacon lighting the way for those who believe in its mission, one even more relevant today, to "encourage freedom of thought and expression" and "to foster tolerance and respect for diversity and dialogue."

One of my highest priorities as president is to meet AUB alumni, to hear their concerns, and to encourage them to become involved with their University at this critical moment in its history. I am acutely aware and deeply appreciative of the important role that AUB alumni play at the University, and in fact know of no other alumni group that feel as strongly about their alma mater. I look forward to working with all of you and with the members of the AUB family around the world to build on the existing strengths of this University and to support Lebanon and its sister nations in the education of its young people. Although there are enormous challenges ahead, I am confident that we will not only overcome these challenges but that the University will prosper.

Peter F. Dorman
President, American University of Beirut