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| AUB sends graduates forth into world for 134th time | ||
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| Noor Shoufani Special for The Daily Star The American University of Beirut (AUB) sent out another batch of young hopeful graduates into the world on Saturday, in its 134th annual distribution of degrees. In the AUB tradition, the graduation ceremony took place in the Green Field on campus, but differed slightly in organization this year, with each faculty having its own degree ceremony. In addition to the actual degrees given, the Penrose Award, an award made on the basis of scholarship, character, leadership, and contribution to University life, was given to one student from each faculty. The recipients were Lea Hakim (Arts and Sciences), Ziad Masri (School of Business), Zeina Maalouf (Agriculture and Food Sciences), Ayman Kichly (Engineering and Architecture), Fadi Makari (Health Sciences), Rafika Zaatari (Nursing), and Marwan Refaat (Medicine). AUB president John Waterbury gave the introductory address in which he welcomed parents and congratulated the graduates, commenting that they are graduating at a hard time for the region and the world. The guest speaker was AUB trustee Kamal A. Shair, who addressed many issues facing graduates, intending to provoke a questioning of their future and ways of belief. He spoke of the decline of Arab scientists from “a position of leadership” and of the marginalization of Arab intellectualism. He also denounced the “progressive erosion” of Arab societies’ intellectual sphere, and urged the graduates to redress this decline, and for AUB to continue to enrich the minds of the following generation. The student speaker this year was graduating MBA student and University Student-Faculty Committee member Melhem Hamdan. Hamdan was enthusiastic and powerful in his address, taking the opportunity to mention critical issues concerning not only the graduating students, but the audience and Arab region as well. While claiming “previous experience of old graduates leaves much to be desired,” he stressed the important role AUB graduates play in the region, and urged them not to become “passive accumulators of knowledge.” Hamdan tackled the issue of employment, the exporting of minds and intellect that enriches other societies, and the dilemma that young people face when they decide to leave their own country to secure a good life for themselves abroad. His heavily politicized speech also touched on internal problems in Lebanon, saying degrees are “rendered worthless in the face of prejudice and favoritism.” He placed emphasis on the solving of the Arab-Israeli conflict and in finding a solution that “does not sacrifice people’s freedom and dignity in return for economic well being.” Afterward, Khalil Bitar, AUB’s dean of Arts and Sciences, presented the candidates for degrees after urging them to “always search for the truth and try to expose it.” The degrees were then distributed to the students. As for the graduates themselves, they screamed excitedly and waved their mortarboard caps in the air while cheering each other enthusiastically as they approached the podium to receive their degree. A reception was held after the ceremony for the students and their families. |
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