News Highlights
Author:
Rima Cortbawi,
Office of Communications,
rgc01@aub.edu.lb
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AUB legacy ceremony reveals paths crossing across generations
Dorman addressing the audience |
For the first time this year, the AUB legacy ceremony took place between 5:00-7:00pm on September 29 at Bathish Hall, to welcome AUB alumni parents and their children, who were admitted to the University for fall 2009-2010. Following the ceremony, a reception in the West hall Common Room gave alumni parents and their children the chance not just to meet with the university administration, including their deans, and ask them question but also to get to know each other. "It was amazing how many alumni attendants turned out to have been classmates, and now their children are. Only a university like AUB has such a legacy, with paths crossing across generations in such frequency," commented Director of Alumni Relations Arabia Mohammad Ali Osseiran.
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Organized by the Worldwide Alumni Association of AUB (WAAAUB) together with the Admissions and Students Affairs Offices, this new event earned five times more attendance, compared to other AUB alumni events, according to Osseiran. "It was based on recommendations from alumni parents of AUB students. And these people deserve special privileges, at least when it comes to having more insight into the governing body's objectives towards their children's educational future," continued Osseiran.
However, it would not be feasible to include all AUB alumni parents of students in one ceremony. Considering the fact that "10 percent of the 1600 or so new students admitted to AUB each year are children of alumni, and they remain in the university for at least four years, there would be thousands of invitees. So it was decided to focus instead on the alumni parents of new students as a start," continued Osseiran. |
The ceremony included five-minute talks by WAAAUB President Khalil Makkawi, Director of Admissions Salim Kanaan, Dean of Students Affairs Maroun Kissirwani, and President Peter Dorman. Closing remarks were given by lawyer Munir Shehadeh, the alumni grandparent of one of this year's new students, with numerous alumni family members, as is a common occurrence "at AUB."
Another objective from the ceremony was "to find a group of enthusiastic alumni parents ready to start an AUB alumni parents committee that could follow up on developing better alumni parents relations and engaging in more popular activities," added Osseiran. |
This new event is only part of much greater initiative towards more alumni privileges underway this year, especially for new graduates who are in a "transitional stage." Students who graduated in 2009 can now get membership to Charles' Hostler sporting club with 50 percent reduction, for one year. More plans towards a revised library policy for better alumni use have also been proposed.
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