Commencement Fairleigh Dickinson University

Enan Galaly
Doctor of Humane Letters
For the ancient Greeks, hospitality was a sacred act —
so important that it was under the protection of Zeus.
Hosts were expected to welcome strangers, offer them
protection and guide them to their next destination.
Throughout your career in the hospitality industry,
you have brought new meaning to the word, treating
not only your guests, but your employees, with respect
and dignity.
Driven by a desire to see the world, you left your
native Egypt as a young man for Vienna, surviving by
selling newspapers, while living on the streets. With
10 English pounds in your pocket, you then moved to
Denmark, washing dishes in exchange for meals.
You believe in the power of experience because that is
what propelled you, climbing the ladder from dishwasher
to hotel tycoon. With little money and no formal
education, you learned the hospitality business
working many different jobs, and supplementing your
training through college classes in hotel and restaurant
studies, business and economics.
Just 10 years after leaving your homeland, you took
over as managing director and board member of the
Hvide Hus Hotel chain in 1977. Five years later, you
founded Helnan International — now a leading international
hotel management and development company
with luxury hotels in major cities around the globe.
Today, you are regarded as an international entrepreneur
with a socially meaningful vision. Helnan is
known for supporting cultural affairs and educational
training programs. You have represented Denmark’s
hotel and tourism industry by serving on numerous
delegations, earning recognition as a “Knight of Dannebrog”
— one of that nation’s highest honors.
Fluent in four languages, you easily communicate
with various nationalities during your travels and as a
senior adviser to the International Association of University
Presidents. You’ve earned international praise for
your efforts to enhance intercultural understanding
between Arab and Western peoples and Muslims and
non-Muslims.
For your enduring commitment to learning and your
support of cultural and educational initiatives worldwide,
and by virtue of the authority vested in me by
the Board of Trustees of Fairleigh Dickinson University,
the faculty concurring, I hereby confer upon you the
degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa,
with all the rights, privileges and responsibilities thereunto
attached, and cause you to be invested with the
hood appropriate to that degree.
5
Steven R. Rothman
Doctor of Humane Letters
You entered the political arena with the noble dream
of making a difference in the life of the common man
— a goal that you have faithfully executed throughout
your career. For more than two decades, you have
served the people of New Jersey in the courts and in
public office as mayor, judge and statesman. You have
risen through the congressional ranks to become a
member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee
and subcommittees dealing with defense, state
and foreign operations and homeland security.
As a private-practice attorney, you won awards for your
pro bono legal service to the poor, the disabled and
the elderly. As a seven-term representative of the Garden
State’s Ninth Congressional District, you have
been a strong and independent voice, championing the
environment, affordable housing and benefits for military
veterans.
When you campaigned for re-election last fall, The
Record declared you “ethical and effective” with “a
strong reputation for integrity.” The Herald News called
you a “hard worker for the district” who has “proven
his dedication.”
Environmentalists credit your leadership as vital to
saving New Jersey’s precious Meadowlands and Hackensack
River watershed from further pollution and
development. You helped secure more than $10 million
in federal funds to turn the wetlands into an environmental
park. You also led the fight against aircraft
noise at Teterboro Airport, prompting The Leader
newspapers to write, “Lots of political muscle is behind
the cause, but Congressman Steve Rothman is proving
to be the MVP.”
You have dedicated your efforts to other critical issues,
including improvements to overcrowded local roads
and commuter rail for Bergen County. You are a
powerful voice for working families and individuals,
fighting for funds to improve the quality of education,
supporting policies to improve working conditions and
benefits, and supporting tax cuts for those who need
them most.
For your tireless efforts to serve the citizens of New
Jersey with honor and compassion, and by virtue of
the authority vested in me by the Board of Trustees of
Fairleigh Dickinson University, the faculty concurring,
I hereby confer upon you the degree of Doctor of
Humane Letters, honoris causa, with all the rights,
privileges and responsibilities thereunto attached, and
cause you to be invested with the hood appropriate to
that degree.