All in the - American University of Beirut

There was an air of excitement and expec-tation among both alumni parents andincoming students as the AUB LegacyCeremony 2011 kicked into action.While the speakers exhorted studentsto seize the opportunities afforded toAUB undergraduates, parents noddedearnestly remembering the timewhen they themselves were embarkingon the remarkable journey that islife at AUB.Each speaker stressed AUB’s value-added components—its diverse educationalofferings and student body; the crucial benefitsof a liberal education; that the Universityis a place where lifelong friendships areformed and that its alumni network issecond to none.Addressing the audience in aDVD specially prepared for the occasion,HE Education Minister HassanDiab urged students—and his threechildren—to “Make use of AUB days toenrich your knowledge through faculty,colleagues, and friends.” He called AUB a“driving force in creating leaders” and addedthat AUB friendships last a lifetime. Speaking asmuch to his own children as to the other students,Salim Kanaan (BS ’77, MS ’79, PhD ’85),director of admissions and financial aid, advisedthe incoming class to “study hard, have a balancedlife, and enjoy AUB’s many extracurricularactivities.” He added, “AUB is the main gate togreat future connections in Lebanon, the MiddleEast, and the rest of the world.”—M.A.LEGACYCEREMONY 2011MainGate Fall 201151