vol. 44, No. 1/2
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Summer
2002, vol. 44, No. 1/2 |
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| A general view of the ceremony | |||||||||||
| Commencement 2002 | - Commencement commitee members 2001-2002 | ||||||||||
| AUB's one hundred and thirty-third commencement exercises were held on July 5 at the University Athletic Field, where diplomas were awarded to 1,384 graduates. A number of ministers, MPs and university presidents attended, including Minister Asaad Diab, representing President Emile Lahoud; MP Adnan Arakji, representing House Speaker Nabih Berri and Minister Fouad Siniora, representing Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. Other dignitaries in attendance were trustees Ghassan Tueni, Ali Ghandour, Kamal Shair, Laila Sharaf, Mounib Masri, Myrna Bustani, Othman Aidi and Mohammad Mashnouk. Several government administrators were also among the audience. AUB President John Waterbury began the commencement ceremony by addressing graduating students, parents and colleagues. He called students the center of the ceremony and warned them that the world they are engaging in is not very pretty but is full of promise and potential. He hoped that AUB has given them the skills to deal with it and the maturity to transform it. He lauded the parents for their sacrifices, and the faculty for their quality and hard work. The president then introduced guest speaker Abdlatif Y. al-Hamad, director general/chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development and former minister of finance in Kuwait. Mr. al-Hamad pointed out that the Arab countries at large have been outperformed by most countries in other regions in the last two decades, and Arab contribution to science and technology remains meager, while the Arab share in world trade and financial flows was exceedingly small. He then listed a number of key factors that will influence the future of the region, such as political tensions, paucity of resources, rapid population growth and rising expectations. He said the graduates' generation is strongly aspiring for justice and equity and demanding more freedom, equitable distribution of income, better social services and participation in the decision-making process. Mr. al-Hamad agreed that the conflicts in the area are indeed a real threat to economic | and social progress. He said peace and security are essential conditions for growth and prosperity, but the need remained for far-reaching reforms to achieve an acceptable degree of democracy, accountability and transparency in Arab economic and political systems. He called on the graduates to be free in their thinking and never submit to dogmas or restrictions. In order to achieve their objectives, he said they need hard work, dedication and focus on their objectives, as well as open-mindedness, willingness to change and team-work. Graduate student Fawzi Melhem was last to speak, dedicating his speech to his father who could not attend the ceremony, and addressing his fellow graduates and their parents. He said that AUB has bestowed upon the graduates the skills and experiences that will remain a cornerstone for them to build on, and called on them to act as cultural translators. He warned that the new world order is one where the perception of the fact is more important than the truth, and that the world village, and the speed at which it communicates, waits for no one. Melhem also warned that a serious effort at nation building was truly needed, and that the vibrant Lebanese society should begin to deal with the country's ills. He pointed out that those nations which have succeeded had the courage to reflect on past mistakes and communicate future vision, and as such that the same mistakes were not repeated.Melhem concluded by reflecting on AUB's ever increasing cost of tuition, which keeps many who have great potential from joining the university simply due to their financial capacity, depriving AUB of its zeal. He said that the University Student and Faculty Council has contributed $50,000 to the financial aid fund known as the Fingerprints Project and urged his colleagues to match this figure by donating $25.00 each to immortalize their name on the campus trail of honor. The distribution of diplomas then began. The graduates were called by name, stepping forward one after the other to receive the diploma from the president. The ceremony was concluded with the Alma Mater |
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