NDU Spirit, a periodical bulletinabout campus life at

Notre Dame University - Louaïze,issued by the Public Relations Office

February 2004 - Issue N° 30

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Consultative CommitteeDeans of Faculties

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Editor-in-ChiefGeorge Mghames

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English EditorKenneth Mortimer

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ReportingGhada Mouawad

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WithRepresentatives of Faculties

and Student Clubs

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LayoutTechnopub s.a.r.l.

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PrintMeouchy and Zakaria

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Notre Dame University - LouaïzeZouk-Mosbeh Tel: (09) 218950/1/2/4/5Barsa Tel: (03) 749402 - (06)416101/2/3

Shouf Tel: (05)511202-4-5-6

email: nduspirit@ndu.edu.lb

OUTLINEA WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT 2

I- ACADEMIC AFFAIRSNDU Office in Washington 3Trip to USA 4Agreement with Commercial Insurance 9The Colombians' Return 10NDU and Colombian University 11Alumni Association of Jeddah 11Admissions in Action!!! 12Historic Day for NDU 15Memoranda 15

II- STUDENT AND ACADEMIC ACTIVITIESAward for Dr. Ameen Rihani 16Dr. Ameen Rihani at Yale 16American Studies - Cairo 173rd Millennial Lecture Series - Orientalism 18Student Union Elections 20Hotel Labs at NDU 21Fulbright for FAAD Student 22NDU Mechanical Engineering Student receives $1000 Award 23NDU-Microsoft .Net Club 24Translation Students Get Ahead 25Role of WEERC by Ministry Director 25North News 26Shouf Campus Shorts 31Communio 33Honouring Youssef Younes 33Saïd Akl Award to Father Comair 34Work at FPSPA&D 34NDU Students' Free Trip to Messina Conference 34Model US Election Debates 35Debate Club and Auxilia 36Sports Office News 37Nutrition Fair for Healthy Diet 39G. Corm blames Sectarianism 40Dr. Hindi: Rely on Democracy 40Boulos Salameh - Minister Aridi's Appeal 41Hermit and Apostle - Fr.Antonios Tarabay 42Spiritual Retreat 42Iftar - NDU for all 43Chili Dinner, hot not chilly 43Christmas Dinner 43Christmas at NDU 44Keep us Informed 44Christmas Fiesta 45

III - OPINION AND CULTUREDiscovering Saïda with Dr. Karam 46Leaders Authors of Leadership - Fr. Roger Chikri 49Punctuation Problems 50Le Rapace capturé - Antoine Y. Sfeir 50Prosperity, Governance & Economic Development - Dr. Rashid V. Saber 51Something for your Grey Matter 53

Official Photographer: Mr. Abdo Bejjani

The "consumer society" wants to allow no brakeon human appetite. It simply wants to sell. Ithas no concern for human health. Hamburgersare advertised as giant or "whopper" while inwestern countries one third of the population isnow clinically obese, laying itself open to anexcess of cholesterol in the blood and heartdisease. Delicacy and refinement of tablemanners are practically a thing of the past.

But all three revealed religions have insisted onperiods of fasting and abstinence, for exampleLent for Christians and Ramadan for Muslims.Even those whose faith is weak must admit thatbehind these prescriptions lie long humanexperience and wisdom. If a child, instead ofsitting down politely at table, simply receivesmoney to gorge itself on whatever food anddrink it has seen cunningly presented ontelevision, and never learns control of itsappetite, how in later years will it resist theappeal of drugs, addictive smoking, alcohol andthe unbridled sex outside of holy marriage thatmodern society is taking for granted, particularlyin the mass media? Children grow up! Pleasurein itself is not wrong but it has its place, andmust be submitted to the will.

With the approach of Lent, we are glad that somany of our staff and students follow theprecepts of their respective religions wherefasting is concerned. But we urge those whohave charge of children to teach them by preceptand example some self-denial in waysappropriate to their age. We know the case of aCatholic priest, director of a school whereMuslim pupils were in the majority, who himselffasted Ramadan as an encouragement.

All of us have a mission in this world to do God'swill and to help our fellows. John the Baptistprepared himself for his mission of makingstraight the ways of the Lord by fasting in thedesert (Matt. III, 1-4) and so did Our Lord himselfbefore starting his public preaching (Matt. IV, 1,2, Luke IV 1, 2). Their example was followed bythe Apostles (Acts XIII, 3 and XIV, 22, II Cor. VI, 5and XI, 27) and by the Church, clergy, monks,nuns and laity, down to the present time. In thisway we work not for our own self-satisfaction,but in a spirit of humility, knowing that good inthe world can come only through the grace ofGod.

Reverend Boutros TarabayPresident

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A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT

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NDU OFFICE INWASHINGTON DC

December 1st, 2003 marked a deci-sive step forward in the develop-ment of NDU with the opening ofNDU Office in Washington DC,after it had been earlier blessed byNDU President Father BoutrosTarabay during his visit to the UScapital. In all this Father RogerChikri played an important role.This office, which may be consid-ered one of the most attractive exec-utive office suites in DC, is locatedon 1717 K street, Suite 600. It isunder the direction of Mr. RayRichards, who has an MA in PublicAdministration with in additionseven years of practical experience.It is foreseen that all the facultiesand departments of the Universitywill contribute towards making the

Office a centre of vital activity.

Among its various functions will bethe following:

1. Following up on contacts andprojects already discussedbetween NDU and universities inUSA.

2. Receiving book orders from NDUand publishing ads. for teachingvacancies.

3. Following up with research insti-tutions already contacted byresearch centres of NDU.

4. Contacting between the threeChapters of the American Friendsof NDU, namely Washington DC,Michigan and Connecticut.

The address is as follows:

NDU Office, Suite 600, 1717 Kstreet, N.W., Washington DC20036.

Tel.: (202) 349-1705Fax: (202) 331-3759Email: dcoffice@ndu-usa.orgIf an email is sent to the DC Officeand there is need for the Office ofResearch and Development to fol-low up, the appropriate emailshould be transmitted to the latterOffice (cc).

Information kindly supplied by Dr.Ameen Rihani, V.-P. for Sponsored

Research and Development. N

Father Boutros Tarabay, NDU President, leaves the new NDU premises

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I. NDU in Washington D.C.Oct 27 - Nov. 10-14 & Nov. 19-21:

Mr. Patrick Lang, President ofGlobal Resource Group (GRG), invit-ed Dr. Ameen Rihani to attend theannual convention of the Knights ofthe Holy Cross Sepulcher ofJerusalem (U.S. Catholic Church),where he gave an address introduc-ing NDU, its role and its mission to adistinguished audience of some 500prominent businessmen from D.C.and other districts and States.Meanwhile, Fr. Roger Chikri wasmaking arrangements for the newNDU office.

Senator Ray LaHood (Chicago)received Dr. A. Rihani and Fr. R.Chikri to discuss the role of NDU inLebanon and the Middle East and toconfirm his visit to NDU for theGraduation Ceremony of July 2004,to be preceded by a one-day pro-gramme on the campus.

While negotiations continued withGRG, other university contacts tookplace, principally with the CatholicUniversity of America (CUA) andGeorgetown University. AMemorandum of Agreement wasreviewed and completed with CUA,signed subsequently by the twoPresidents. A degree program forreligious studies was discussed withthree CUA administrators, namelythe Dean of International ProgramsDr. John Kromkowski, the AssociateDean for Graduate Studies Dr. JohnS. Grabowski, and the head of theCouncil for Research in Values andPhilosophy Fr. George McLean (videIssue N° 27, p. 6). Recommendation was

made for a follow-up between theNDU Dean of Humanities and theCUA Dean of Arts and Sciences,together with the CUA Dean ofInternational Programs and theNDU Director of InternationalAcademic Affairs.

Contact was made for the same pur-pose with the Chairperson ofReligious Studies at Georgetown

University Dr. Chester Gillis, whoreferred the case to the Dean of Artsand Sciences, who was then out oftown.

A visit was made to the Institute ofInternational Migration (IIE) to meetDr. Susan F. Martin, Director of theInstitute and Dr. Elzbieta M.Gozdziak, Research Director. Therewas discussion about future possible

TRIP TO USAOctober 27 - November 21, 2003

This visit to the USA by officials of our University, which includedthe setting up of a permanent office in Washington, takes animportant place in the history of NDU and will therefore bedescribed in some detail.

From left to right: Mr. Ramzi Rihani, AFN President Washington DC, Mr. Nadim Salti, CPA, Father Boutros Tarabay,President NDU and Mr. Albert Mokhaiber, NDU lawyer in USA.

From left to right: Dr. Ameen Rihani, Fr. Boutros Tarabay and Mr. Ray Richards, Office Administrator in Washington DC.

5NNU SPIRIT

cooperation between LERC/NDUand IIE, with participation in eachother's conferences and an invitationfor LERC scholars to publish in theIIE research journal.

There were basic changes in the AFN(American Friends of NDU). Mr.Dana Pratt resigned from his post asPresident (vide Issue N° 29, p. 9) for per-sonal reasons and the Associationelected Mr. Ramzi Rihani to replacehim. Suggestions were made for therecruitment of new members.

Upon the arrival of NDU PresidentFather Boutros Tarabay inWashington there were meetings inthe new NDU office, including anofficial inauguration of the newpremises. Among the participantswere the NDU lawyer in USA Mr.Albert Mokhaiber, the new AFNPresident Mr. Ramzi Rihani, OfficeAdministrator Mr. Ray Richards andCPA Mr. Nadim Salti. Papers forthe bank account were signed byFather Tarabay at the Citibank, inthe same building as the NDUOffice. Father Tarabay also attendeda reception offered by Citibank to itsnew customers, during which hemet the bank's Vice-President, Mr.Caesar R. Montrose.

Father Tarabay and Doctor Rihanialso visited the Catholic Informationand Publication Center inWashington, three blocks from the

NDU Office, where the Director, theReverend Father John McCloskey,invited the NDU delegation to abook signing by a former Protestantminister converted to Catholicism, aunique event. The author describedhis experience as a "celebration ofabsence" and confirmed that "God isin nowhere in the universe as clearas He is in the Catholic Church."Father Tarabay suggested the trans-lation of some of the Catholic booksand the sending to the Center ofcopies of NDU's English Catholicpublications. This was to be dis-cussed further with the Director ofthe Center's library, Ms. ElizabethSzollosi.

On his last day in Washington,Father Tarabay invited severalguests to a business luncheon at theMayflower Hotel in ConnecticutAvenue, two blocks away from theNDU Office. Guests included theabove-mentioned Mr. Patrick Lang,Mr. Ramzi Rihani, and Mr. AlbertMokhaiber, and also Mr. WilliamWagner, GRG Vice-President.On leaving Washington DC after such abusy schedule, NDU administrators couldrightly feel that NDU was now well estab-lished in the leading world capital and hadentered into relations with the icons ofhigher education, think-tanks, research cen-ters, libraries, publishers and American-Lebanese communities all over the conti-nent.

II. NDU in MichiganOct. 17-30, Nov. 1-11:

After Father Chikri had made thenecessary contacts on his arrival atAnn Arbor, the Chapter of theAmerican Friends of NDU (AFN)was re-established and there wasdiscussion about a plan of action. Ameeting was fixed for mid-December which was to elect thenew Executive Committee of theMichigan Chapter.

Father Chikri also made the neces-sary arrangements for a meetingwith the Lebanese Community at St.Charbel's Church in Warren,

The NDU President in the new office. Dr. Nabil Chalhoub from the American Friends of NDU,Michigan, giving his presentation.

From left to right: Cynthia Pollard, Gary Zamuda, Nouf Abou-Dib and Nabil Chalhoub, with Father Chikri behind.

Michigan. This took place onSaturday, November 8th, whenFather Chikri, Doctor Rihani andDoctor Nabil Chalhoub spoke intheir different capacities to introduceNDU, its mission and its role inLebanon as a unique CatholicUniversity in the region adoptingthe American system of higher edu-cation. After this a 10-minutePowerPoint presentation was givenand Ms. Theresa Michael fromPetersburg, Pennsylvania sharedwith the audience her experience asa former student of NDU. Dinnerwas offered by Chorbishop MichaelKail, who had officiated at the cere-mony, where more than 75 partici-pants had taken part in the discus-sion.

The contacts of Father Chikri withthe Institute of Thom Monahan ledto the re-occupation of the office pre-sented by Mr. Monahan himself.This office is furnished with a com-puter set, printer and telephonefacilities. It is now at the dispositionof our clergy in Ann Arbor and of theExecutive of the AFN MichiganChapter.

One full day was spent at theUniversity of Notre Dame, SouthBend, Indiana, three hours' drivefrom Ann Arbor. Doctor MichaelKenney of the Ave Maria School ofLaw and Mr. Gary Zamuda from theAve Maria Foundation accompaniedFather Chikri and Doctor Rihani.Meetings took place with DoctorJohn Affleck-Graves, Vice-Presidentand Associate Provost, DoctorDebbie Maslowski, Senior Assistantat the Office of International StudentServices and Programs, Doctor HalCulbertson, Senior Director of theJoan Kroc Institute for InternationalPeace Studies, and Mrs. GayDannelly, Associate Director forResources and Collection Services(University Library).

It was agreed to follow up with theKroc Institute in order to discuss aproposal involving the Faculty ofPolitical Science at NDU. DoctorRihani received a letter from Vice-President Affleck-Graves encourag-

ing future cooperation betweenNDU of Lebanon and the Universityof Notre Dame of Indiana.

The University of Notre DameLibrary agreed to support NDULibrary with regular donations ofbooks and suggested a memoran-dum of agreement in this connec-tion. The draft of the memorandumis under preparation and signature isexpected by the New Year.

A meeting also took place with theSouth Lebanon community inDearborn, Michigan, at the invita-tion of Mr. Joe Baydoun, the

Assistant of Mr. Guido, Mayor ofDearborn (site of the famous Ford automo-bile factory. For the visit of Mayor Guido toNDU, vide Issue N° 29, p. 8). FatherChikri and Doctor Rihani addressedan audience of more than fifty, intro-ducing NDU, its mission and its rolefor the rising generations ofLebanese at home and in the UnitedStates. Contacts were also madewith the East Michigan University(EMU) through the intermediary ofFather Ziad Fahd which are to be fol-lowed up from the AFN Chapter inMichigan as well as from the Officeof Research and Development atNDU, Lebanon.

The Lebanese community inMichigan were thrilled with the visitof the NDU authorities and mademany excellent suggestions, such asregular visits and special contacts

with Catholic high schools hostingAmerican/Lebanese students atgraduation level.

III. NDU in Connecticut:November 14-19

The NDU Connecticut schedulebegan on Saturday, November 15th

with the Lebanon Day Ceremony atthe Waterbury Town Hall in thepresence of the Mayor theHonorable Michael Jarjoura andincluded an opening invocation byFather Tarabay and a closing bene-

diction. Among the speakers werethe Honorable Thomas Dunn,Mayor of Wolcott, Mr. JosephCarrah, President of the EhdenLebanese-American Club, Mr.Thomas Saadi of the Council of theLebanon Club in the city ofDanbury, Mr. Salim Noujaim, StateRepresentative, and MonsignorDavid George, Pastor of Our Ladyof Lebanon Church.

In the afternoon, Father Tarabay cel-ebrated Mass in St. Anthony'sChurch, Danbury. A flyer was pre-pared and distributed among thecongregation by Mr. George Hajjar,NDU Visiting Lecturer at CCSU(Central Connecticut StateUniversity). Father Tarabay intro-duced NDU and its mission and apresentation was given by DoctorRihani.

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From left to right : Dr. Ameen Rihani, Fr. Boutros Tarabay and Mr. Michael Jarjoura, Mayor of Waterbury, Connecticut .

7NNU SPIRIT

On Sunday, November 15th FatherTarabay celebrated Mass togetherwith Monsignor David George in thechurch of Our Lady of Lebanon. Hethen addressed the congregation,

emphasizing the role of NDU in theUnited States, in particular amongthe Lebanese-American communi-ties. Doctor Rihani followed with atalk explaining the visit of the NDU

Fr. Boutros Tarabay speaking to the congregation in theChurch of Our Lady of Lebanon, Waterbury, Connecticut.

Professor D. Marodokh at Yale Universityand Doctor Ameen Rihani.

Fr. Boutros Tarabay and Dr. Ameen Rihani with the Knights of Columbus, Waterbury, Connecticut.

First official meeting of the AFN Chapter in Connecticut.

Fr. Boutros Tarabay addressing the audience at the Waterbury Town Hall, Connecticut.

authorities to Connecticut and theearlier visits to Washington DC andMichigan.

On the same day Father Tarabayannounced the official launching ofthe Third Chapter of the AmericanFriends of NDU. The ConnecticutChapter met with the attendance ofFather Tarabay, Doctor Rihani andMr. George Hajjar and there was dis-cussion of a plan of action.

On Monday, November 17th, DoctorRihani gave a lecture on Arab-American Literature at the invitationof the Ezra Stiles College at YaleUniversity. This was followed by a"Master's Tea" and by a dinner inhonour of the NDU delegation. Thislecture was the first intellectualactivity organised as a result of coop-eration between the prestigious Yale

8 NNU SPIRIT

University and NDU. The audienceincluded scholars and students fromthe Departments of EnglishLiterature, Middle Eastern Studies,History, Philosophy and CulturalStudies.

On the same day there was a meet-ing in the office of the Mayor ofWaterbury. As well as MayorMichael Jarjoura, Father BoutrosTarabay and Doctor Ameen Rihani,there were present Doctor RichardL. Judd, President of CCSU, DoctorFrancis G. Brennan, President of theUniversity of Connecticut (UCON),and Doctor Jon Jay De Temple,President of Teikyo Post University.Opening the meeting, MayorJarjoura insisted on the importanceof the NDU visit to Connecticut,having as it did the purpose of estab-lishing firm education links and aca-demic relationships involving a pri-vate Lebanese university adoptingthe American system of higher edu-cation. For his part, CCSU PresidentRichard Judd confirmed the signifi-cance of the agreement signedbetween NDU and CCSU at a timewhen interest in the Middle East wasgrowing day by day. CCSU was verypleased to have chosen one of thesafest, shortest, most vivid, dynamic

and open-minded ways to exploreLebanon and the Middle East clearlyand in its best image, through ayoung and flexible university suchas NDU.

Father Tarabay thanked Doctor Juddand assured him of the readiness ofof NDU to start implementing theagreement with a project of commonconcern for both Universities.

Doctor Rihani explained that NDU'svisit to the USA at this specific time,particularly to Connecticut, wasbased on the belief in its significantrole, paving the way for students,professors and scholars to explorethe site knowledge of Lebanon andthe Middle East through educationand research provided by NDU.

President Francis G. Brennan of theUniversity of Connecticut confirmedhis readiness to cooperate with NDUon specific projects in areas ofknowledge related to practicalresearch such as water and environ-mental studies and practical learningsuch as continuing education. Hesuggested distance learning for spe-cific courses as a starting pointbetween the two Universities

President Jon Tay de Temple of

Teikyo Post University assured thathe was most willing to discuss withNDU possible ways of cooperationbetween NDU and Teikyo Post.

On Tuesday November 18th, FatherTarabay, Doctor Judd and DoctorRihani together took part in a one-hour TV talk show with Mrs. SelmaS. Frohn, during which they dis-cussed the cooperation betweenNDU and CCSU as a pioneering aca-demic joint endeavour in Lebanonand the Middle East.

In the evening of the same day, Dr.Richard Judd offered a dinner hon-ouring Fr, Boutros Tarabay in theConnecticut Dining Room,Memorial Hall. More than fifty per-sonalities attended the ceremonyduring which the OfficialMemorandum of Agreement wassigned by the two UniversityPresidents. Among the distin-guished guests were StateRepresentatives the HonorableDelim Noujaim and the HonorableWilliam Hamzy.

This visit of NDU administrators tothe USA made during November2003 was one of the most successfulyet made, being full of promise andof great potential for both the near

Doctor Rihani giving his lecture at Yale University. From left to right: Mr. George Hajjar, Fr. Boutros Tarabay, Mrs. Selma Frohn, Dr. Richard Judd, Dr. Ameen Rihani and Dr.Ghassan El-Eid (CCSU).

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and the more distant future.

PLAN OF ACTION SUGGESTED AT THE

AFN-CONNECTICUT MEETING OF

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2003

1. Contacting academic libraries forbook donations.

2. Contacting universities in the areawith a view to possible coopera-tion in student and facultyexchanges.

3. Contacting research centresspecifically in areas of ethnicityand human rights, water andenvironmental studies, and politi-cal and economic studies.

4. Building a network of academic

professors of Lebanese descent.

5. Collecting information aboutLebanese Associations and Clubsin Connecticut.

6. Encouraging students to joinNDU for one semester or oneyear.

7. Introducing the 6-week SummerArabic Program and the 4-weekSummer Lebanese CulturalCourse.

8. Contacting high schools withLebanese students for transmit-ting parents' entrance applica-tions to NDU.

9. Suggesting names of distin-

guished American professors tobe invited for one week as guestspeakers in their specialist field.

10. Suggesting names of prominentAmerican figures for them to beinvited as guest speakers atNDU conferences andGraduation Ceremonies.

11. Calling for general meetings ofthe Lebanese community forshowing the 10-minute video,giving a PowerPoint presenta-tion and answering questions.

12. Providing the community withNDU news: conferences, lec-tures, events, publications, etc..

IV. NDU in Canada:November 21-25.

Fr. Boutros Tarabay paid a visit toMontreal, Canada, where he met theLebanese Community, includinggraduates of NDU. After severalreunions, Father Tarabayannounced the launching of theMontreal Chapter of the CanadianFriends of NDU. The new Chapterstarted contacts with universitiesand members of the Lebanese com-munities to introduce NDU's pro-grammes and activities.

Agreement with Commercial InsuranceOn November 5th 2003, an agreement was signed between NDU and the Commercial Insurance Company,with NDU President Father Boutros Tarabay acting for the former and Mr. Max Zakkar for the latter. Also pre-sent at the ceremony were Mr. Suheil Matar, NDU Director of Public Relations, Mr. Edgard Barakat of theFBA&E, and Ms. Diane Zakkar, Mr. Roger Zakkar and Mr. Habib Daccache from the Commercial InsuranceCompany.

The protocol covered cooperation in a number of fields, which included the following:1. Marketing research,2. Actuarial Science,3. Conferences dealing with insurance matters,4. Student training,5. Student employment,6. Student conferences and activities under joint auspices,7. Public awareness concerning insurance, and8. Cooperation with all University faculties as occasion demands. N

Fr. Boutros Tarabay with members of the NDU Canadian Association, Montreal, Canada.

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THE COLOMBIANS�RETURNEx-President and Senator Son

On Wednesday 12th November, the former President of Colombia Julio Cesar Torbey,his First Lady, their son former Senator Julio Cesar Torbey Junior, Her Excellency theColombian Ambassador to Lebanon Georgina el-Chaer de Mallat, the Lady President ofthe Lebanese-Colombian Friendship Association Célina Rahal, the President of theCondina Marca University Doctor Alfonso Santos and officials of the Embassy weregiven a reception in the NDU Friends Hall by the University authorities, deans, facultymembers, staff and students, with in particular the Assistant General of the MaroniteMariamite Order Father Elias Kmeid and the President of the Association of the Tarabay(Torbey) Family Attorney Aziz Tarabay.

After the playing of the Lebanese and Colombian national anthems, the NDU Director-General of Public Relations Mr. Suheil Matar presented the visitors, saying that JulioTarabay�s father had departed from the town of Tannourine in Batroun caza withdreams of glory that his son brought to realisation before returning to Lebanon. Torbey,he said, was the model of the Lebanese emigrant who succeeded in implanting Lebanonin every part of the world.

In his turn, NDU President Father Boutros Tarabay declared that the day�s meeting cor-responded to three aims. These were first national, for President Torbey was a an exam-ple of the Lebanese who bore Lebanon in their heart and sought to spread it throughculture and humanity throughout the world, then educational and academic because ofthe University�s faith in learning and cultural development, and finally human so thatLebanese-Colombian relations could be a model of international relations based oncooperation, solidarity, justice and peace.

Senator Torbey then spoke of his pride and satisfaction on visiting the land of his ances-tors, insisting on the role of the Lebanese community in spreading learning and culture.Doctor Santos outlined the situation of universities in Colombia and agreements withthe American, European and now Lebanese universities.

Thanking the authorities and family of NDU for their reception, former presidentTorbay remarked that of the forty-four million Colombians, four hundred thousandwere of Lebanese origin, in accordance with whose wishes he himself had come. Hecalled on Lebanese to strive for good relations in view of their expertise, as Lebanon hadspread civilisation and learning. throughout the world ever since the time of thePhoenicians.

Julio Cesar Torbey stressed the fact that he was a self-made man of the second genera-tion of Lebanese immigrants and although coming from a community that numberedonly he a few thousand he had yet managed to become President of a republic num-bering 44 million inhabitants. Further, he had entered the Administration poor and leftit poor.

He then urged the Lebanese people to strengthen their unity in order to ensure the pros-perity of their country, justice for its people, and overall development. He went on tohighlight the value and importance of love and loyalty towards one�s country and its

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people for their general good andtheir future. In this respect, hewas addressing a �brotherly� les-son to the Lebanese people, towhom he owed allegiance as wellas love. In the words of DoctorGeorge Abu-Jawdeh, Vice-President of the NDU Board ofTrustees and former UNAmbassador, the noble characterof this outstanding personalitywas evident in his culminatingvisionary message when heemphasised moral values in run-ning state affairs and the respectdue to human beings and theirright to enjoy the fruits of mod-ern civilisation. To that end, hecalled upon humanity to achievepeace according to the principlesof the United Nations Charter.He ended his speech by askingthe people of Lebanon to be unit-ed and to work for the greatnessof all peoples, whether their ori-gin be ancient or modern.

Father Boutros Tarabay then pre-sented President Julio Torbeywith a commemorative plaquebearing the NDU name and logo.

On November 18th, 2004, NDU received the visit ofDoctor Alfonso Santos, President of the Condina MarcaUniversity of Colombia, accompanied by the President ofthe Lebanese-Colombian Friendship Association Ms.Célina Rahal. They were received by NDU Vice-President for Academic Affairs Doctor George Eid andthe Director General for Public Relations Mr. SuheilMatar, as well as by Doctor Shahwan El Khoury, Dean ofEngineering.

Discussion centred on university matters, in particularan exchange of experience in the field of engineering andthe strengthening of ties with Colombians of Lebaneseorigin for cooperation with the NDU LebaneseEmigration Research Center (LERC).

Doctor Santos then visited various NDU institutions andmet University students. N

Alumni Association of JeddahWhen the NDU officials were passing through Jeddah, a meeting was held on 12th December, 2003,

for the establishment of a Jeddah NDU Alumni Association, with thepresence of theNDU DirectorGeneral ofPublic RelationsMr. SuheilMatar, theDirector of theAdmissionsOffice Ms.ElhamHasham andthe Consulof Lebanonin JeddahMr. RayanSaïd,togetherwith a num-ber of NDUgraduates.They dis-cussed vari-ous activities,focusing onthe establish-ment of a corefor bringingNDU gradu-ates together.

The Consul of Lebanon in Jeddah, Mr. Rayan Saïd.

NDU graduates in Jeddah.

Settling down to business.

NDU and Colombian University

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This is the season of school visits,orientation sessions, open doors,

forums and exhibitions for theAdmissions Office at all three cam-puses of NDU. Participation in theHariri Fair this year was once againvery fruitful and productive. Fileshave been studied and letters ofadmission for Spring 2004 have beenissued. The number of admissionsfrom abroad is increasing.

The feedback from schools after thedistribution of the joint letter fromthe Association of AdmissionsDirectors has been extremely pro-ductive and positive. In the light ofour requests for a more healthy andeffective meeting, we suggested thatschools welcome universities as anopen door activity, which will avoidthe stress of having to schedule indi-vidual universities on separate days.To enhance this interaction, theAssociation continues to meet on aregular basis to maintain quality and

has established itself as an officialreference for Higher Education.

A significant event during this peri-od was the annual Gulf Trip underthe patronage of the Minister ofEducation represented by MissSuheila Tohme, Secretary Generalof the Equivalence Committee. Theevent was extremely fruitful, withstops at Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Riyadhand Jeddah. The venue in each citywas the Lebanese Embassy and allofficials and the Lebanese communi-ty, in general, were very helpful andobliging. There was constant mediacoverage both locally and regionally.The ambassadors in each countrydemonstrated commitment to quali-ty education and the intention ofhighlighting the seriousness of high-er education in Lebanon.Attendance was rigorous by stu-dents, parents and administrators.

NDU graduates are well known inthe Gulf and hold high positions.

There were meetings with our grad-uates to enhance Alumni relationsand to encourage interaction. Therewere also meetings with school prin-cipals and teachers at which we dis-cussed the issue of equivalence andrequirements. NDU was commend-ed by all for its strict adherence togovernment regulations. This wassupported and assured by MissTohme. There was a specific visit toThamer International School and ameeting with the Principal, Mr.Abou El-Hessen and his staff. Theschool was presented with the NDUshield, NDU having many Thamerstudents.

After contacts with parents in theGulf during the tour, there werefour students in Lebanon who wereable to pass the entrance examina-tions on December 12-13 in prepara-tion for Spring 2004. We havealready started to receive applica-tions from the Gulf for 2004-2005.

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Ms. Elham Hasham with Mr. Fady Ziade, Lebanese ConsulGeneral in Abu Dhabi, UAE, an NDU graduate.

The Lebanese Ambassador to Saudi ArabiaH.E. Ahmad Shamat at the NDU stand.

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Mr. Suheil Matar, NDU Director General of Public Relationsand Ms. Elham Hasham with NDU Alumni in Jeddah.

The NDUshield

offered toThamer

InternationalSchool.

The organizer Mr.Samir Kriedeh offered

a dinner at his home withall University representa-tives present. The dinnerhonored the LebaneseMinister of HigherEducation H.E. Mr. SamirAl-Jesr and TheirExcellencies theAmbassadors of Kuwait,KSA and UAE, to whomhonorary shields wereoffered on behalf of thedelegation. Contacts weremade with these ambas-sadors to arrange forfuture meetings. A visitwas also paid to Mr.Gebran Tueni, who wasoffered a shield for thecontribution of Al-Nahar insending a reporter toaccompany the tour. A

visit to Prime Minister Mr.Rafiq Hariri was also puton the schedule.

The NDU Director ofAdmissions Miss ElhamHasham attended theAnnual College BoardForum, 2003 in New York.The College Board is anon-profit membershipassociation whose missionis to prepare, inspire andconnect students to col-lege success and opportu-nity. Founded in 1900, theAssociation is composed ofmore than 4,500 schools,colleges, universities andother educational organi-zations. Each year theCollege Board serves overthree million students andtheir parents, 23,000 highschools and 3,500 collegesthrough major programs

The NDU team with colleagues from LAU, Mr. Kriedeh, Miss Tohmeand H.E. Ambassador Shamat.

The Director of Admissions with the staff of the three campuses offfor a Christmas dinner.

and services in college admissions, guidance, assess-ment, financial aid, enrollment, and teaching and learn-ing. Among its best-known programs are the SAT, thePSAT/NMSQT and the Advanced Placement Program(AP). The College Board is committed to the principles ofexcellence and equity, and that commitment is embodiedin all of its programs, services, activities and concerns.The current President is former Governor of WestVirginia Gaston Caperton. The presence of Notre Dame

14 NNU SPIRIT

University was acknowledged andappreciated and the officialannouncement of NDU�s member-ship was made final at the Forum,with a presentation given by Ms.Hasham. Contact was establishedwith at least one hundredAdmissions representatives fromcolleges and universities in NewYork, New Jersey and Connecticut �the Tri-State area.

Various interesting and informativeseminars pertaining to admissionspractices were attended, amongthem the following:

! Blending Information andIntuition to Manage Recruitment,Resources and Retention.

! Instructional Leadership:Structuring Schools to Provide aRigorous Education.

! Focused and Leveraged: Twenty-First Century EnrollmentManagement.

! At Odds with College AdmissionsPractices.

! Testing Accommodations �Models for AppropriateDocumentations IncorporatingSocioeconomic Factors.

! The Unpredictable World ofCollege Admissions.

! The Use of Qualitative andQuantitative Data in Admissions.

There were several prominent key-note speakers, including LeeBolinger, President of Columbia

University; Bob Kerrey, President ofNew School University, New York;and Ruth Simmons, President ofBrown University. Dr. Simmons willbe visiting Lebanon soon and wasextended an invitation to come andvisit NDU. Moreover, there wasdirect contact with the Directors ofAdmissions of Princeton and ofNotre Dame, Indiana.

What is exceptional in the outlook ofthe College Board is not only its mis-sion to prepare, administer andsupervise international examina-tions but also its commitment tomaintaining quality and equal edu-cational opportunities regardless ofrace, religion and background. Thisspecifically coincides with the mis-sion statement of NDU.

The College Board displays anextremely high degree of teamworkand collaboration to reinforce pro-fessionalism and collaboration at alllevels of the education system.There were inspirational awardsgiven to certain schools for the over-whelming contributions of theirteachers and counselors. Studentgave testimony to this, somethingwhich has instilled a spirit of motiva-tion for everyone involved.Consequently, the transitional pathfrom school to university meansbearing less of a burden for bothteachers and students.

The College Board similarlyacknowledges individual contribu-tions and offers praise where it isdeserved. This can only enhance

With the President and Membership Committee of the College Board.

MDU Director of Admissions Ms. Elham Hasham withMr. Gaston Caperton, President of the College Board.

performance and give encourage-ment to be more creative in the pur-suit of offering high-quality servicesto students. Education is an ongoingquest for knowledge that shouldinstill enthusiasm in individuals toreflect upon the community at large.

While she was in New York, Ms.Hasham was contacted by theDirector General of the NationalApostolate of Maronites (NAM),who is adamant about seeing NDU

Ms. Hasham with the Assistant Provost/Admissions of theUniversity of Notre Dame, Indiana, Dr. Dan Saracino.

Historic Dayfor NDU

Notre Dame-Louaize University hasreceived many distinguished visitors, butFriday, 30th January, 2003 was exception-al for the number of prominent figuresand their importance. The occasion was aSynod called to discuss the LebaneseSynod of 1995, the Pope�s ApostolicExhortation of 1997, the Constitution,Taëf, inter-confessional relations andhuman rights in Lebanon, and wasmarked at its opening by the presence ofno lesser persons than H.E. PresidentEmile Lahoud and H.B. Patriarch andCardinal Nasrallah Sfeir. Among thosetaking part were the ministers, formerministers deputies and experts MichelEddeh, Issam Fares, George Frem, AbbasHalabi, Boutros Harb, Issam Khoury,Albert Mansour, Saoud al-Mawla, NaylaMoawad, Shakib Qortbawi, MichelSamaha, Bank of Lebanon GovernorRiad Salameh and MohammedSammak.

There was much frank speaking aboutfailure to apply the Apostolic Exhortationand Taëf and to protect human rights andfreedoms. A more detailed report will befound in the Arabic section of NDU Spirit.

Ms. Hasham with Dr.Ruth Simmons,President of BrownUniversity.

present at the coming convention in July. The ExecutiveSecretary of the NACA (National Admissions CounselingAssociation) was contacted and arrangements are beingmade for institutional membership. Ms. Hasham hasalso finalized the membership procedures for AACRAO(American Association of College Registrars andAdmissions Officers) so now NDU is officially a memberin time for the annual conference in April.

The former ambassador to the US and current counselorto the Deputy Prime Minister, Dr. Abdallah Bu Habib,has expressed his admiration for the professionalism ofthe Admissions Office and feels confidence in the openawareness of our academic system. The secret of theAdmissions Office continues to be teamwork and thestaff are all to be commended for their ongoing contribu-tions to the enhancement of NDU.

Above information kindly provided by Ms. Elham Hasham,

Director of Admissions, NDU. N

MEMORANDA30 September, 2003:

Appointment:Dr. Johan Gärde as Director of the NDU Institute for Social, Religious and Civil Society Studies(NDU/ISRCS), with effect from 1st October, 2003.

13 October, 2003:

Appointment:Dr. Fadi Comair as Director of the Water, Energy and Environment Research Center(WEERC), witheffect from 1st October, 2003.

MEMORANDA

From the President�s Office

NNU SPIRIT 15

16 NNU SPIRIT

Dr. Ameen Rihani at YaleAs mentioned on a previous page, Dr. Ameen Albert Rihani,NDU Vice-President for Research and Development, gave alecture at Yale University, USA, at the invitation of the EzraStiles College of the Faculty of Arts. His lecture was part of aseries of Humanities Lectures at Yale University which had pre-viously included ones given by such personalities as formerPresident Bill Clinton, Noam Chomsky (described on the BBCas no doubt the world�s leading philosopher), and the widely-known Arab-American writer Edward Saïd. Dr. Rihani hadalready given another lecture in November in Washington atthe American Forum for Human Rights, taking as his subjectThe Problem of Knowledge and Higher Education in the Middle East.

Introducing Dr. Rihani, the Dean of the Faculty of Stiles,American researcher Ray Maradokh, pointed to the circula-tion of his works among American scholars specialised inMiddle Eastern studies and in the dialogue of culturesbecause of the importance of the cultural and intellectualamalgamation in his referential studies.

The title of the Yale lecture was Prophetic Voice or InvertedOrientalism. He based his approach on migration literaturethat aimed at achieving two primary goals., namely thebreaking down of the wall of silence and confusion and thenthe celebration of the returning self, or the identity recap-tured among ethnic swamps. Referring to a UN report byAmerican scholars of Arab descent and the statistics it con-tained, he asked why only 1% of the world�s books shouldbe published in the Arab world, given that Arabs formed 5%of the world�s population. Also, why should the distribu-tion of newspapers and magazines published in the Arabworld in three languages be only 20% of what might beexpected and why should there be so few Ph.D. holderscompared to what was to be found in other countries.

However, the speaker also pointed out that, although onehundred years ago, at the time of Lebanese and other Arabemigration to America, the picture was darker still, never-theless the emigrant authors had something to say and saidit to the West in the language of the West. They said it inAmerica in the language that America understood, and soArab-American literature was born.

He stressed that the intellectual conflict in this literature hadbeen triggered with the beginning of the twentieth centuryand evolved from a conflict between a great city built onspiritual and rational factors and a utopic, mystical andsophist city. This was to become a struggle between a greatglobalised city and a confronting Orientalism. The questremained for a coveted leading city, whether it was calledNew York, Orphalis or Beirut.

The lecture closed with a discussion between Dr. Rihani andprofessors from the departments of English Literature,Middle Eastern Studies, Philosophy, History andCivilization Studies.

Award for Dr. RihaniIt is a pleasure for NDU Spirit to report the pre-sentation of the important Souad SabbahAward to Dr. Ameen A. Rihani, NDU Vice-President for Research and Development. Theannouncement was made by the AmericanUniversity of Beirut Alumni Association on AUBFounder�s Day. The Alumni Secretary, Dr.Jacob Thaddeus, pointed out that the SouadSabbah Literature and Science Award hadbecome one of �the awards eagerly followed byAUB graduates in Lebanon and the world.�

The Souad Sabbah Award is divided into twoparts, the Literary and Cultural Award and theScientific Achievement Award. The conditionsof the Award state that all nominees should beAUB graduates and that the work eligible for theAward has been published within the last threeyears at most. The Award Committee is madeup of the Alumni President, the Secretary, theChairpersons of the Club Committee and theGraduate Affairs Committee, and Dr. GeorgeGeha representing the Souad Sabbah House ofPublishing and Distribution. On this occasionthe Committee had commissioned Dr. NadimNaimi and Dr. Souheil Jabbour to act as judgesand to choose the first- and second-place win-ners in literature and science. The winners werepresented with souvenir shields as well as themonetary value of each prize.

The Award for Literature, year 2002-2003, FirstPlace, (with US$ 6,000 attached) went toProfessor Ameen Albert Rihani of NDU for hisbook The Forgotten Fountains (Al Yanabee� AlManssiah), published by Riyad Al RayissPublishing House, Beirut.

In the official report and the press reviews,stress was laid on the one-hundred-and-fiftypage introduction, in which Dr. Rihani detailsthe reasons for emigration and the culturalmotives that lay behind emigrants writing inEnglish. He discusses the methodologicalapproach to their literature and the questionsforming an introduction to an independentstudy of the meaning of identity and of thefusion of civilisations, cultures and languages.One critic compared his introduction to those ofSuleiman Al Boustani in his study of the GreekIlliad, of the philosophical works of CharlesMalek and of Sheikh Abdallah Al Alaylee�s studyof the Arabic language, among other importantintroductions in contemporary Arabic literature.

17NNU SPIRIT

American Studies and the Arab University:The Challenges of Contemporary Critical Theory

The papers of which thefollowing abstracts aregiven were presented atthe American StudiesRegional Conference(The Binational FulbrightCommission in Egypt)�Developing AmericanStudies at ArabUniversities: Resources,Research and Outreach,�held in Cairo, Egypt,January 24-26, 2004. Theyare to be published in theconference proceedings.

(NDU was representedat this conference by bothDr. Boulos Sarru�,Dean of Humanities,and by Dr. Paul Jahshan.)

Dr. Boulos A. Sarru�, Ph.D.Abstract

WALT WHITMAN�S HIERARCHICAL DEMOCRACY IN LEAVES OF GRASS:AN AMERICAN AMBIGUITY

Walt Whitman�s work has been dealt with rather comprehensively. Critics have dis-cussed the major concerns which Whitman addresses in his writings, concerns such asfreedom, esotericism, good and evil, and, most importantly, democracy. This criticismranges from simple analysis of the literary text to a historical documentation of thebackground and influences that have contributed to the creation process. Prominentamong these criticisms is the consideration of the theme of democracy. The fact thatdemocracy is believed the backbone of the American nation, and that Whitmanlabeled himself �democratic�, explains why most studies have concentrated onWhitman�s democracy. Such studies are supported by substantial evidence providedby Whitman�s own statements concerning the equality of body and soul, man andwoman, black and white, to the end of a long list of �equals�.

Despite this evidence, however, there is enough reason to believe that Whitman�sdemocracy was not an absolute one. Whitman�s statement in his �One�s Self I sing�

One�s self I sing, a simple separate person,Yet utter the word Democratic, the word En Masse,

suggests democracy as the equalizing force in the world. But in the light of evidencethat recurs in Whitman�s poetry, this democracy is not an absolute one; and the equal-ity of body and soul is but a temporary step to reach the ultimate union with God. Itis, then, a hierarchical democracy that attributes importance to the world of matter inall its forms only as a stepping board to higher and more sublime realities. Followingin the footsteps of the British Romantics, namely Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and theAmerican Transcendentalists, namely Ralph Waldo Emerson, Whitman places theworld of spirit on the elevated level of Plato�s world. And it is in this placement thatthe American expression/experience of democracy is enigmatic.

Paul Jahshan, Ph.D.Abstract

An unmistakable link connects American Studies with critical theory, especially criti-cal theory of the continental flavor. What is called �French Theory� has been so inti-mately adapted by American academia in general and by American studies in partic-ular that any discussion of the latter must almost obligatorily involve issues and prac-tices developed in critical theory.

Yet what constitutes one of the undeniable strengths of American studies also provesto be the major challenge facing the implementation and teaching of such a disciplinein Arab universities. Concepts such as power, discipline and punishment; the loss ofcenter; and gender issues are expected to be met with considerable resistance.

This paper explores the challenges facing the Arab university as it is introduced toAmerican studies and aims to sketch the obstacles which have kept it from effectivelymoving abreast of new developments in critical theory. The question whetherAmerican Studies, with its rich accompaniment of a methodology firmly anchored incritical theory, can be effectively taught in Arab universities will be the focus of this

investigation. N

20032004

18 NNU SPIRIT

The Millennial Lectures are organ-ised by the Faculty of Humanities

and its Department of Social andBehavioral Sciences. This academicyear, 2003-2004, all the talks will becentred around the subject ofOrientalism. The first presentationon this theme was given onThursday, 29th January, 2004 by Dr.Eugene Sensenig-Dabbous and hadas its title Orientalismus, German andAustrian Orientalism inComparison. He quoted twoauthors as follows.

Edward W. Said, Orientalism (NewYork: Vantage, 1797).

�Any work that seeks to provide anunderstanding of academicOrientalism and pays little attentionto scholars like Steinthal, Müller,Becker, Goldziher, Brockelmann,Nöldeke � to mention only a hand-ful � needs to be reproached, and Ifreely reproach myself. I particular-

ly regret not taking more account ofthe great scientific prestige thataccrued to German scholarship bythe middle of the nineteenth century(...)

�By the 1830 (...), German scholar-ship had fully attained its Europeanpre-eminence. Yet at no time inGerman scholarship during the firsttwo-thirds of the nineteenth centurycould a close partnership havedeveloped between Orientalists anda protracted, sustained national inter-est in the Orient. There was nothingin Germany to correspond to theAnglo-French presence in India, theLevant, North Africa. Moreover, theGerman Orient was almost exclu-sively a scholarly, or at least a classi-cal, Orient: it was made the subjectof lyrics, fantasies, even novels, but itwas never actual, the way Egypt andSyria were actual for Chateaubriand,Lane, Lamaartine, Burton, Disraeli,or Nerval. There is some signifi-cance in the fact that the two most

renowned German books on theOrient, Goethe�s Westöstlicher Diwanand Friedrich Schlegel�s Uber dieSprache und Weisheit der Indier, werebased respectively on a Rhine jour-ney and on hours spent in Parislibraries. What German Orientalscholarship did was to refine andelaborate techniques whose applica-tion was to texts, myths, ideas, andlanguages almost literally gatheredfrom the Orient by imperial Britainand France. Yet what GermanOrientalism had in common withAnglo-French and later AmericanOrientalism was a kind of intellectu-al authority over the Orient withinWestern culture.� (Said 1978, 18-19)

Richard A. Bermann alias ArnoldHollriegel, Die Fahri auf dem Kataraki:Eine Autobiographie ohne einen Helden(Vienna: Picus Verlag, 1998).

�I had never been to Bosnia beforeand found the country intoxicatinglybeautiful. Its exceptional Austrian

3FACULTY OF HUMANITIES, DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL STUDIES

rrdd

MILLENNIALLECTURE SERIES

OrientalismOrientalismon

19NNU SPIRIT

administration had turned Sarajevointo a modern city, that means it hada hotel free of lice, a few soberlymodern buildings, schools in whichAustria had educated the youngBosnian revolutionaries who wereresponsible for the assassination of28 June 1914, and there was a garri-son that was intended to keep themunder control. The city had stores inwhich one could purchase Vienneseproducts: coffee houses whose selec-tion of newspapers included theNeue Freie Presse.

�But just take one step off the mainboulevard and the most colourful ofOrients began. Fountains could beheard splashing in the courtyard ofthe city�s mosques. Sitting in thenarrow alleyways of the Bazaar,clothed in picturesque costumes, theEastern Jews were selling noblycrafted copper and brass vessels aswell as their marvellously softBosnian carpets, a product ofSarajevo. I spoke with these Jews in

their mother tongue, the antiquatedSpanish of Cervantes. Everyone elsein the Bazaar wore similarly colour-ful costumes. Those in the knowcould distinguish the RomanCatholic Croats from the SerbianOrthodox based on their fez, Turkishtrousers and vests; and again distin-guish them from the Serbian speak-ing Moslems, who here werereferred to as Turks, although theyhad stopped being so long ago. The�Turkish� women were deeplyveiled when in public, a scene I hadobserved in Cairo and Delhi.

�I had already visited many Islamiccountries, but none had appeared asgenuine to me as Bosnia still was inthe middle of World War I. Hereyou did not find the Negroid-Arabian Islam of Egypt or Morocco,but rather that of the traditionalTurks, enjoying their status as over-lords in the midst of their subjugatedChristian peoples; with tolerantarrogance, warlike traditions, and

despite their casual grace, conserva-tive to their very souls. They had gotalong well with my fellow Austriansand had proven to be extremelyloyal to our ageing emperor, whohad formed an alliance with theTurkish Sultan. In their eyes thisentire war, which had begun withthe shots fired on a bridge inSarajevo, was nothing more than anattempted rebellion instigated bytheir traditional subjects, theBosnian Christians. (Bermann 1998,212-213)

20 NNU SPIRIT

2003-4 STUDENT ELECTIONS

The student elections for the academic year 2003-2004 took place on November 14th, 2003 in avery democratic manner. Two lists competed, namely the Patriotic List and the Freedom List.The elections were preceded by a public debate which presented members of both lists to muchof the student body. The SAO Director, Father Boulos Wehbe, set the debate in motion witha few words, after which the two parties outlined their programmes and answered variousquestions posed by the audience.

The SAO anticipated the elections with a very precise set of rules concerning campaigning andthe electoral process. Consequently the elections took place in a very calm and democraticmanner, regarding which Mr. Suheil Matar, Director of Public Relations and Information,remarked, �We hardly felt that there were elections taking place; it was one of the calmest daysat NDU.� The results favoured the Patriotic List, which reaped 19 seats, leaving the FreedomList with two. Over 80% of the students voted, which was a sign of interest on their part andof a healthy democratic spirit.

The newly-elected body later had a meeting with the NDU President Father Boutros Tarabay,who gave his directions and advice on how it was to operate. The new Student Union, as the

The Freedom list

The new Student Cabinetwith Father BoutrosTarabay, Father BoulosWehbe and Doctor ZiadFahed.

The Patriotic list

Studing voting

Elections

Elections

Elections

21NNU SPIRIT

New Hotel Labs at NDUDecember 18th, 2003 stands out as a day of great importance for the academic and professionaldevelopment of hotel management and tourism in Lebanon. On this occasion it was under thepatronage of no less a person than Doctor Ali Abdallah, Minister of Tourism, that Notre DameUniversity inaugurated its hotel laboratories, which include a spacious professional kitchen, anamphitheatre for the demonstration of culinary art and a classroom designed specifically forcourses of reception, bedroom service and back office. Among those present at the inaugurationwere leading personalities from the hotel and tourist sector and representatives of the variousprofessional syndicates, all of whom came undeterred by the stormy weather.

After an opening word by Tourism Minister Doctor AliAbdallah, the guests were taken on a visit to the laborato-ries, where the cocktail service and various dishes wereprepared and served by the students, who also assuredthe reception.

The central kitchen is designed according to the latestinternational standards of hygiene and progress, HACCP.It includes an area for the reception and stocking of mer-chandise, refrigerated rooms, a cold link, a professionaldish-washer and a pastry section. The hall for courses ofhotel management is a miniature hotel in itself, with acomputerised reception desk, a complete bathroom and aroom with all the latest technology.

Thanks to the sustained efforts of Doctor Yussef Zgheib,Chairman of the Department of Hospitality Management and Tourism at NDU, his far-seeingvision and strategy, and the support of the NDU authorities, the University is now in a leadingposition in hotel education for Lebanon and the Middle East.

name now stands, was sworn in beforethe President, the Vice President forAcademic Affairs Doctor George Eid,and the SAO Director and AssistantDirector.

The coming year holds promise formuch cooperation between the SAO,the University Administration andFaculty at large and the new StudentUnion.

Student Cabinet Directory2003/2004

Abi Nader Wissam, Abi Raad Elias,Al-Hajj Anis, Beaini Nohra, BoueizEdmond, Boueiz Paul, Boustani Elie,Breidi Rony, Chlela Roack, FahedJack, Hajj Ramzi, Harb Jad, HaswaniRoland, Hbeich Farid, Khoury Joy,Maalouf Rony, Matar Lisette,Rouhana Rawad, Saliba Joe, SawayaAllen, Tawk Dany.Information kindly supplied by Father BoulosWehbe.

Students wait for their turn to vote.

22 NNU SPIRIT

Mr. Joseph Chartouni, Architecturegraduate of FAAD, NDU, received aletter dated 25.09.2004 fromElizabeth Wharton, Cultural AffairsOfficer of the United StatesEmbassy in Beirut, congratulatinghim on his nomination for theFulbright student scholarship forthe academic years 2004-2006. Theletter pointed out that while thenomination was not itself a guaran-tee, it was rare for the ForeignScholarship Board in the US tooverrule such a nomination.

�The Fulbright Foreign StudentProgram is an international scholar-ship program sponsored by theUnited States Department of StateBureau of Education and CulturalAffairs (ECA). The FulbrightProgram, named for the lateSenator J. William Fulbright, wasestablished by the U.S. Congress in1946 �to increase mutual under-standing between the people of theU.S. and the people of other coun-tries. Nearly a quarter of a millionindividuals have participated in theFulbright Program since it began in1946. ... Sponsored by the PublicAffairs Section of the AmericanEmbassy, AMIDEAST Lebanonadministers the Fulbright Foreign

Student Program for Lebanese citi-zens. Scholarships are awarded toLebanese citizens who would like topursue their master�s degree at U.S.universities. The grant coversexpenses incurred for travel to andfrom the United States, tuition andbooks, health insurance, and roomand board.� (AMIDEAST website)

Mr. Chartouni studied in NDUbetween 1994 and 2001 on a 6-yeararchitecture programme extendedone year in order to further develophis final-year senior project�Coextension of the PresidentialPalace named Generatrix�. This ledhim into a good preparation for themaster�s programme.

He told NDU Spirit that back in1994 he was aware that he had nochance of studying abroad and ofcontinuing his research-designobjective unless he obtained recog-nition for a full scholarship. Sofrom that time onward he was con-ceiving a clear structure for hisfuture career and goals. He there-fore deployed decisive efforts toexplore and practise in differentfields simultaneously. Along witharchitecture he practised photogra-phy and design; for example, someof his work in photography was

published in Vogue HommesInternational, in the Italian Abitare,and in Femme and Deco Magazine inLebanon. He also obtained prizes inlocal and international competitionsin photography and in fashion andfurniture design. He exercised hiscapacities to the full in order to con-tinue financially and to surpasshimself intellectually for ever betterperformance, so that finally in 2003he was rewarded with first-ranknomination for the highly presti-gious and competitive scholarshipin the Fulbright Foreign StudentProgram 2004-2006. This, said Mr.Chartouni, would be a magnificentexperience as he would be finan-cially supported to share, improveand expand his knowledge in oneof the high-status universities in theUnited States.

We of NDU Spirit warmly congrat-ulate Mr. Joseph Chartouni and atthe same time point out that thisnomination will on the one handgive NDU students confidence inthe high academic standing of theirUniversity and at the same timeencourage them to take maximumadvantage of the opportunities itoffers them by striving for the best

results. N

FULBRIGHTFOR FAADSTUDENT

23NNU SPIRIT

NDU STUDENTRECEIVES

$1000 REWARD

The Coffee and Tea Machine.

H.E. Elias Skaaf, Minister of the Economy and Trade, appreciates acup of Mr. Maroun�s coffee.

The Coffee and Tea Maker is launched on itscareer.

The Certificate of Patent.

Mr. Charbel Maroun receives the certificate of award and thecongratulations of the judging committee.

Working on his senior project, for which he was advised by Dr. GhaziAsmar, Mechanical Engineering student Mr. Charbel Maroun of NDUreceived second prize among Mechanical Engineering contestants at theSixth Industrial Exhibition of the LIRA program. The award was for hisCoffee (and Tea) Maker, for which he was also awarded a Lebanesepatent by the Ministry of the Economy and Trade. The Coffee Makerand the Patent Document are shown in the accompanying illustrations.For more information contact 03634440 or camaroun@ndu.edu.lb .

24 NNU SPIRIT

NDU-MICROSOFT .NET CLUB

On December 17th, 2003, Microsoft EasternMediterranean launched the .Net Club at NDU,

in collaboration with the University and with the pres-ence of NDU President, Father Boutros Tarabay.

The .Net Club programme will help connect up IT stu-dents with the IT industry through student clubs thatdevelop relations with Microsoft and local partnersand opportunities for practical experience. Throughsupport for the clubs, Microsoft aims at enabling grad-uate students to find employment and to fit into theworkforce much more easily. �Microsoft .Net Clubs arerun by students for students,� said Mr. Fawzi Baroud,Director of the Division of Computing Services atNDU. �With guidance and assistance from theUniversity and from Microsoft and its partners, stu-dents gain exposure to the working world and are keptupdated on the latest technologies through club activi-ties.�

For his part, Mr. Charbel Fakhoury, General Managerfor Microsoft Eastern Mediterranean, declared thatMicrosoft .Net Clubs aimed at facilitating peer net-working among university students, local industrypartners and Microsoft. Most students came out of theuniversity with minimal work experience, but the .NetClub was there to help them realise their full potential.

Along with access to local Microsoft events and addi-tional educational promotions on software, NDU clubmembers will also receive pre-releases of software andbe able to take part in Microsoft development meet-ings. Guest speakers and training seminars at theUniversity will help students develop expertise on the.Net platform, while a .Net Club portal will allow stu-dents to collaborate on their own projects.

Two key initiatives are included in the programme:students will be able to take part in Microsoft-spon-sored final year projects, giving them hands-on experi-ence with Microsoft, and they will also be eligible tocompete for summer internships with Microsoft. Mr.Fakhoury concluded his address by saying: �From ourinteraction with students, we felt a great deal of zealand passion for learning more about technologies. The.Net Club helps us get closer to the students and thefaculty so as to deliver on the Club�s objectives.�

Mr. Charbel Fakhoury speaks onMicrosoft�s potential and NDUstudents� passion.

A passionate audience forMicrosoft.

25NNU SPIRIT

ROLE OF WEERCas seen by Ministry DirectorOn Monday, January 8th, 2004, the NDU Water, Environment and Energy Research Center

organised a talk and discussion, with Doctor Berj Hatjian, Director General of the Ministryof the Environment, as speaker. The audience consisted of NDU faculty members, administrators,staff and students.

The guest speaker was first welcomed by Doctor Fadi Comair, Director General of the Ministry ofWater and Electricity Resources and Director of the NDU Water, Environment and EnergyResearch Center (WEERC). Doctor Hatjian then spoke about the work of his Ministry in the fieldsof water resources, reforestation and conservation of the nature reserves, and about the results ofits support for NGOs in Lebanon. He stressed the importance of the WEERC in Notre DameUniversity because of the participation in its work of specialists in various fields which allowed itto have a general view because of its research and fact-finding.

Doctor Hatjian detailed the projects being undertaken together with NGOs, in particular thoseresulting from cooperation with the United Nations in order to teach farmers how to use substi-tutes for methyl bromide. He referred to government decree 8006 fixing public health institutionsand their operation.

Translation Students Get AheadFrom Dr. Carol Ann Goff-Kfouri, Academic Advisor, Translation Students

Tran

slat

ion Rosita Akl is an enterprising NDU translation

student. She graduated with an emphasisin Translation in June 2003 and has returned tocomplete the Interpreting emphasis this Fall.NDU translation students have been trained tolook for career opportunities in all areas of lan-guage mediation; Rosita did just that in Springof 2003.

Al-Hayat, one of the Arab world�s most forward-facing newspapers, sponsors �Madrasat AlHayat�, in which it invites the youth of the Arabworld to write articles concerning a subject thatthey believe is of current interest. Workingunder the supervision of professionals at Al-Hayat, more than 400 students have already par-ticipated in this learning experience. Al-Hayatwill invite the student whose work shows mostpromise to become an intern for one year, dur-ing which he or she will experience all the intri-cacies of journalism. At the end of the intern-ship, the winner will be offered a full-time con-tract with Al-Hayat. Rosita Akl saw the posteradvertising this learning experience on the NDUHumanities bulletin board, contacted Dr.Khaled Fakih, former Chair of the MassCommunication Department, and wrote an arti-

cle entitled �A Complaint about �Oulog� êƒ∏Y(ticks, parasites) facing the TranslationProfession�. The use of the term oulog in the titlewas inspired by the former Iraqi InformationMinister, Mohammed Said El-Sahaf. Her articlewas published in the Tuesday, 17th October,2003 issue of Al-Hayat.

In her article, Rosita reports on the interviewsshe had not only with NDU translation gradu-ates but also with several faculty memberswhose opinions she took. Professional transla-tors such as Nayla Younes and SouleimaGhorayeb were asked to give their views on theplight of professional translators in Lebanon.

According to Rosita�s findings, the main prob-lems translators face are linked to employment.There is no professional union for translators inLebanon and therefore no clear-cut pricing sys-tem. Unfair competition has led to chaos in pric-ing. Moreover, in this unorganized atmosphere,new graduates are finding it difficult to find full-time employment.

Aware that finding work is not always easy,Rosita is doing her utmost to use her knowledgeof languages to find a position in the workplace.

26 NNU SPIRIT

NORTH NEWSOpening Mass for 2003-2004

Administration, faculty, staff and students were all invited to attend the Opening Mass for theacademic year 2003-2004 at NDU-NLC. This was celebrated in the NLC Amphitheatre onThursday, November 6th, with NDU President Father Boutros Tarabay officiating. Classes weresuspended during the celebration. All joined in the prayers offered by Father Boutros Tarabay,sharing his hopes and wishes for a prosperous year.

Left to right:Father JohnBushroush,

Father BoutrosTarabay and

Father MounirFakhry

concelebrating.

Instructor PaulKadissi, Club

members andguests at the

Iftar.

Part

of t

he c

ongr

egat

ion.

All

enjo

yed

them

selv

es a

t th

e Ift

ar d

inne

r.

Aikido Iftar

With the collaboration of the Student Affairs Office, the Aikido Club of North Campus organisedan Iftar for the faculty, staff and students at the new Florida Resort, Chekka, on Friday,November 7th. All enjoyed the abundant food and the warm and friendly atmosphere inside Al-Khayma.

New Students� Welcome Party

A party was thrown at the Siciliano, Batroun, to welcome new students at NDU-NLC. There onSaturday, November 14th, students had a great time enjoying the company of their fellows andmaking new friends.

Forum for the Tripoli Handicapped

On Friday, November 21st,the Student Affairs Office invited administrators, faculty and staffalong with student volunteers to share with the Forum for the Handicapped Association ofTripoli an Iftar that was generously served in the NDU-NLC cafeteria. The occasion came under

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Serving thehandicapped

expressed thetrue religiousspirit of Iftar.

The rightatmosphere:elections asthey shouldbe.

Hel

pers

and

han

dica

pped

com

e to

geth

er fo

r agr

oup

phot

o. T

rue

piet

y m

akes

no

dist

inct

ion.

27NNU SPIRIT

a programme of Integration of the Disabled and Handicapped in Society, in which vital socialaction NDU-NLC is giving its help.

Mr. Nabil Abed, the President of the Association, expressed his appreciation of the thoughtful-ness underlying this invitation and in particular congratulated the organisers for the provision ofan access ramp for wheelchairs. He added that his Association would welcome further coopera-tion with NDU for promoting such a good cause and especially for furthering the intergration ofthe handicapped in outstanding establishments and institutions such as NDU itself. The Iftarwas a special occasion that everybody thoroughly enjoyed.

Student Cabinet Elections

November 21st was the date previously fixed forthe NLC Student Cabinet elections and at firstthere was agreement on an unopposed listunder the motto, �Whoever works for the goodof the students and the University is the win-ner.� But there was a last-minute change ofheart and it was decided to proceed with theelections.

After prior notice of the dates and the proce-dure, there was a debate and then the elections.There was a very high participation, with about98% of the students voting! The atmospherewas much less tense than might have beenexpected. The candidates conducted them-selves in a friendly fashion and all profited bythe experience.

The results for the academic year 2003-2004 were as follows:

SENIORS:Samer Frangieh, President

Reina Bou Nehme, Coordinator

JUNIORS:Raed Badawi, Public Relations

Wael Al-Khatib, Vice President

SOPHOMORES:Marie-Clare Alam, Secretary

Fadel Saade, TreasurerInformation for the above items kindly supplied byMRS. S. Dandan, SAO, NDU-NLC.

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28 NNU SPIRIT

Student CabinetBake and

Juice Sale,December 5th.

At the SocialClub Cocktail

and Juice Sale,December 22nd.

Bake and JuiceSale, December

5th, raising fundsfor the needy.

Fund-raisingfor the Needy

The Student Cabinet and Clubs at NLC partic-ipated in many activities throughout themonth of December 2003, most of which werededicated to raising money for the unfortu-nate, the elderly and the poor.

On December 5th, Student Cabinet membersopted for a Bake Sale instead of the usualHalloween Party, with the intention of raisingfunds to buy food packages to be distributedamong the needy. They also organised andshared in the Gift Exchange bash held onDecember 22nd.

The

Soci

al C

lub

stan

ds in

, Dec

embe

r 22nd

.Th

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tter

y D

raw

at t

he C

ockt

ail a

nd Ju

ice

Sale

issu

perv

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by F

athe

r Jea

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bou

Chro

uch.

The Social Club arranged to raise money through its Cocktail Juice Sale on December 5th, the pro-ceeds of which went to buying presents for the Caritas children, to be distributed during thelunch given for them during their visit to the North Lebanon Campus on December 19th.

The IAF Club rallied for a Lottery Draw and came up with many prizes for the winners. Enoughmoney was raised to buy candy treats for orphans and food supplies for the elderly in sur-rounding areas. Some orphanages were visited, including Dar Al Ajaza and St. Jacob�s Monasteryfor Orphans, Karm Saddeh, both in the Zghorta district.

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29NNU SPIRIT

Caritas LunchDecÒ.19th, 2003

Prof

essio

nal e

nter

tain

men

t goe

s with

the

gift

s.

No lack ofenthusiasm!

Everybody helps themselves.

Cutting theChristmas

cake.

Caritas ChristmasThe Student Affairs Office and the NLC PublicRelations Office together organised aChristmas Lunch for Caritas children onFriday, December 19th, 2003. Four northernCaritas sectors were invited, namely Tripoli, ElKoura, Zghorta El Zawyeh and Hadath ElJibbe.

Unfortunately, the El Zawyeh sector had toexcuse itself due to other commitments on thesame date. Also Caritas of Hadath El Jibbe wasunable to keep the appointment due to thesnow and the hazardous condition of theroads on that day, which was very upsettingfor the children as well as for the organisers.However, the NDU-NLC family thought itwould be a kind gesture to send the children

their presents with the three children whowere the only ones who made it from ElHadath with their parent. The children whoactually took part numbered 53 altogether outof the anticipated 110.

Student Cabinet and Club members wereinvited to join the event and to come up withlittle treats to welcome the young guests. TheStudent Cabinet helped with the decoration ofthe Cafeteria where the Lunch took place. TheSocial Club played the biggest part as its mem-bers offered the children warm winter glovesas presents together with Santa hats. Two pro-fessional children animators were brought into entertain the children and their show wasspectacular!

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30 NNU SPIRIT

The Lunch Buffet was very enjoyable, pre-sentable and plentiful. As the children�slaughter rose throughout the hall and theirfaces lit up during their play and their delightin the show, the students who were in atten-dance said that it was a joy for them to see howhappy the children all were. It was an occa-sion for what may be called the �trueChristmas Spirit�!

Wishes for a Happy Christmas, with manyfuture returns, were extended to the wholeNDU family in all three campuses.

Helpersgenerouswith theirtime and

effort.

School Principals� Dinner

On January 9th, 2004, NDU/NLC Barsa gavea formal dinner for school principals and

heads of secondary sections at Florida BeachResort, Chekka. The dinner was under thepatronage of His Excellency Samir El Jisr,Lebanese Minister of Higher Education, whoattended the occasion together with FatherBoutros Tarabay, President of NDU. Also pre-

sent were Father Roger Chikri, NDU Directorof Administration, prominent figures fromschools in the North and members of theUniversity academic and administrative staff.Unfortunately Doctor George Eid, PVP forAcademic Affairs, and Mr. Suheil Matar,Director General of Public Relations andPresident�s Counselor, had to excuse them-selves for reasons beyond their control.

The purpose of the occasion was to furtheracquaint the guests with the NDU Faculties,Schools and Programmes at the Main Campus,Zouk Mosbeh, and at North Lebanon Campus,Barsa, El Koura, and to reveal future plans andintentions.

NDU-NLC staff members ushered the gueststo their designated seats at the tables, at eachof which was a faculty or staff member to makethe guests feel at home and to answer theirenquiries about the University.

Mr. Edgard Harb, PR at NDU/NLC, warmlywelcomed the visitors and then introducedFather Boutros Tarabay, who in his short talk

insisted on the need to work�for the good of all�, forLebanon as a whole and forthe individual. He referredalso to the preservation of thecountry�s cultural heritage,saying how proud future gen-erations would be if now theright choice were made. Theaudience applauded thespeaker�s desire and hopes forbetter educational and ethicalstandards and for a higherlevel of Lebanese civilisation.An audio-visual tape was then

projected which outlined the history, progressand academic achievements of Notre DameUniversity, making a great impression on theaudience.

A generous buffet dinner was served in awarm atmosphere and to the sound of softmusic, all of which was highly appreciated. Attheir departure, guests were given a handyNDU bag with flyers of all the faculties andmajors, together with the latest issue of NDUSpirit magazine. About fifty secondary schoolswere represented at the dinner and there wasgreat general satisfaction with the proceed-ings.Information for the above items kindly supplied by Mrs.S. Dandan, SAO, NDU-NLC.

His ExcellencyMinister Samir

El Jisr withFather Boutros

Tarabay attable.

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SH UF CAMPUS SHORTSDeputy Nassib Lahoud ontotal liberation

Speaking at Shouf Campus on Friday, 21st November,2003, Member of Parliament Nassib Lahoud consideredthat liberation of the South would be complete only withthe return of the authority of the State there and thefinding of a solution for the question of the Palestinianrefugees. He also insisted on the need for small circum-scriptions for parliamentary elections.

In addition to NDU Vice-President for Academic AffairsDoctor George Eid, NDU Public Relations DirectorGeneral Mr. Suheil Matar, Campus Director DoctorAssad Eid, Doctor Fouad Chedid, faculty members, staffand students, those present included members of theDemocratic Encounter in the persons of parliamentarydeputies Nabil Bustany, George Dib Nehme and ElieAoun.

In answer to a question, the guest speaker said that hedid not consider Lebanon to be totally independent.True independence supposed national unity making astrong state. He thought the absence of Prime MinisterHariri from the Independence Day celebration to mark abeginning of division. Holding the military parade inMartyrs� Square was a good thing and all should attend.

As for his own ambitions, Deputy Lahoud said that hewas not one of those who said that they had no intentionof standing for the presidency. It was up to him as apolitician to serve his country anywhere and his onedesire was to see it governed democratically.

Answering a question about asking the high authoritiesand ministers for accounts, he said that this was not pos-sible for those who had not placed them in power.Everybody knew who had placed them and Lebanesedecisions were made in Damascus. Healthy relationsbetween Syria and Lebanon would be assured by trueparliamentary representation in Lebanon and by soundgovernment unaffected by corruption. These would beat the same time the best guarantee for Syria.

Kal~m en-N~ss comes to Shouf

On Friday, 14th November, 2003, at the invitation of theShouf Campus and in the presence of Deputy NabilBoustany, the now famous TV journalist MarcelGhanem discussed a number of questions with studentsin the Campus Conference Hall.

31NNU SPIRIT

NDU President Father Boutros Tarabay officiating at Mass toopen the academic year 2003-2004 at Shouf Campus.

Personalities from left to right: Elie Aoun, Nasr Zeidan, Nassib Lahoud, George DibNahme, Suheil Mater and Dr. Assaad Eid.

Enjoyment expressed on the faces of speaker and audience.

32 NNU SPIRIT

The distinguished guest first thanked the University for its invitation andpointed out the role played Deputy Walid bek Junblatt in the region. Hesaid that the rising generation was not one of despair but one living for free-dom even though it were under stress. As for the media, they were partlyfree and partly under strict censorship.

Mr. Ghanem considered that Syria was interfering in Lebanese affairs, so itwas necessary for popular representation to be reinforced in order to per-suade the Syrians to depart. Finally he promised the students a future pro-gramme for young people �Revealing Facts�.

Student Cabinet

The election of the Student Cabinet for the Shouf Campus took place on 3rd

December, 2003. The candidates were as follows:

Sophomore candidates: Naja Faysal, Mahmoud Bizri, Mario Rouhana,Rawad Hamadeh.

Junior candidates: Salam Abbi Hussein, Nizar Ghanem, Raed Awde, NassibTakieddine.

The votes were counted iin the presence of the SAO Officer, the Faculty rep-resentatives, the Registrar, the Admissions Officers and candidates� repre-sentatives. The voting results were as follows:

SOPHOMORE NUMBER OF VOTESNaja Faysal 44Mahmoud Bizri 175Mario Rouhana 193

Rawad Hamadeh 190

JUNIOR CANDIDATESSalam Abi Hussein 82Nizar Ghanem 90Raed Awde 83Nassib Takkiedine 46

On the basis of these results, it was declared that the members of the newStudent Cabinet for the academic year 2003-2004 were Mahmoud Bizri,Mario Rouhana, Rawad Hamadeh, Salam Abi Hussein, Nizar Ghanem andRaed Awde,Above information kindly supplied by Dr. Nabil Haddad, Assistant Director, SAO.

Doctor AbiKhuzam onTrue Religion

It was with exceptional pleasurethat on Tuesday 30th January, 2004the Shouf Campus heard a talkfrom Druze Doctor Anwar F. AbiKhuzam, Ph.D., Professor ofEastern Philosophies at theLebanese University andProfessor of Aesthetics in theLebanese Academy of Fine Arts.His main theme was the possibili-ty of peace between differentbeliefs after the errors of the past.Among other questions thelearned speaker insisted on theimportance of the aesthetic valuesof religions and opposed fanaticaldogmatism. He pointed out thatno peace was possible so long asman�s destiny was menaced byignorance, poverty, illness andfear. Doctor Abi Khuzam insistedon the safety of human life as aprinciple, saying that it could notbe disposed off under any pretext.He added that without belief inGod there could be no meaning inanything.

We regret that as the text camewhen we were going to press ithas not received the fuller treat-ment it deserves and that pho-tographs are not immediatelyavailable. �Ed.

From left to right: Mr. Tony Antonios (representing Deputy Nehme Tohmeh), Deputy Nabil Boustany, Mr. Marcel Ghanem and Dr. Assaad Eid.

Swearing in the new Student Cabinet.

33NNU SPIRIT

HONOURINGYOUSSEFYOUNES

On Friday, 23rd January, 2004, the NDU Faculty ofHumanities held its first cultural forum for the currentscholastic year, on this occasion honouring the artistYoussef Younes. Doctor Doumit Salameh, holding theChair of the Department of Social Sciences, expressed thehope that this would mark the start of another culturalline for the University, with forums being held on a reg-ular basis.

Doctor Mansour Eid spoke of the excellence of YoussefYounes in literature and in classical art. The forum wasattended by Younes�s son, also a poet, and by KhalilKhoury, Director of the National News Agency, both ofwhom expressed admiration for the artist�s work.

The programme for future forums is as follows:

COMMUNIOA Communio meeting was held on December 8th,2003 in the office of Doctor Edward Alam. Thosepresent were Dr. Edward Alam, Mr. Pierre Azar,Ms. Thérèse Chbat, Dr. Tony Hage, Dr. RogerHajjar, Dr. Habib Charles Malek, Mr. KennethMortimer, Ms. Nouhad Rizk, Dr. Doumit Salameh,Dr. Eugene Sensenig-Dabbous, Ms. Nayla Sfeir andFr. Boulos Marwan Wehbe.

The presentation was given by Doctor HabibCharles Malek, who will continue with his subjectat the next meeting, namely the content of theCommunio article �Enough about Man�: Christiansafter their Modernity and the Post-Modern Objections totheir God, by Jörg Splett. The author of the articlepointed out that one of the ways by whichChristianity had prepared the advance of modernscience was the �demythologization� of the cosmosand of �mother earth�. The Book of Genesisdeclares the heavenly bodies, revered by thepagans as sacred or even divine, to be mere lumi-naries in the sky, to �serve as signs and for the fix-ing of seasons, days and years� (Genesis I, 14.)Man�s task and privilege is to �subdue� the earthand �have dominion� over animals (Genesis I, 28.)

But the realisation of this fact exposed Christians tothe opposite charge of responsibility for the wrong-ful exploitation of the earth, leading finally to theself-destruction of Homo faber. However, explainsJörg Splett, this comes from a misunderstanding ofthe words subdue and govern. From a considerationof the effects of medieval nominalism the authorpasses to consideration of �modernity�, namely itsconception of freedom as emancipation, endlessprogress, progressive domination of nature, objec-tivism, the reduction of experience, hypothesiza-tion and naturalistic universalism.

Communio meetings are open to all irrespective ofreligion or confession, to scholars and undergradu-ates from inside or outside NDU, and to membersof the public who attach importance to the intellec-tual understanding and application of religiousprinciples. Information may be obtained from theoffice of Dr. Edward Alam, extension 2415 or 2505. D

ate

Subj

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34 NNU SPIRIT

SAÏDAKLAWARDTOFATHERCOMAIR

On 11th February, 2004, the distin-guished poet Saïd Akl presented hisweekly literary award to FatherYuhanna Comair in NDU FriendsHall. The ceremony was attendedby former Lebanese PresidentAmine Gemmayel, Deputy BoutrosHarb, former Deputy ManuelYounes, Their Excellencies bishopsBoulos Matar and Chikrallah Harb,NDU President Father BoutrosTarabay and a number of importantpublic personalities.

The speakers on this occasionincluded NDU Director of PublicRelations Mr. Suheil Matar, poetSaïd Akl and Father YuhannaComair.

WORK IN PROGRESSAT FPSPA&D

The Faculty of Political Science, Public Administration and Diplomacy hasinitiated an afternoon discussion series in which the current research of itsteaching staff, as well as of the staff of other NDU faculties and of speakersfrom outside the University, will be presented, in a way highlightingmethodology and critical discourse. The aim is to encourage the exchange ofthe results of research between the different faculties.

The first discussion was held in the afternoon of Monday, January 19th, 2004,under the title Elite Prevention Policy and concerned the attempts by majoritypower elites to prevent minority populations from developing their ownelites.

General Elias Hanna (FPSPAD) said that the problem of the Middle East wasthat the military and other elites were trying to prevent the development ofnew elites. He compared the Arab World with Turkey, a country in whichthe military was pro-democratic. He also remarked that what was needed inthe Arab World was a way to encourage civil society.

Doctor Paul Tabar (FHUM) spoke about the Lebanese community inAustralia, saying that until around 1970 the Lebanese there could join theelite only if they ignored their Lebanese identity. Australia then introducedmulticultural policies, according to which the Lebanese delegated represen-tatives to join the elites. However, following the events of September 11th thesituation has gone back to what it was originally, with the Lebanese expect-ed to deny their identity.

Doctor Eugene Sensenig-Dabbous (FPSPAD) then described how theAustrian Labour Party had attempted to prevent immigrant minorities fromdeveloping elites. In Austria minority elites have been successful in the fieldsof economics, religion and the media but have been barred from effectivepolitical participation.Information kindly supplied by Dr. Eugene Sensenig-Dabbous.

The Central Connecticut State University/USA and the University ofMessina/Italy have invited NDU, as the only university of its kind in the

Middle East, to participate in the conference to be held under the followingtitle:

Sources of Conflict and Prospects of Peace in the Mediterranean Basin.

This is due to take place on the island of Sicily between the 17th and 23rd ofMarch this year. Dr. Chahine Ghais and Dr. Eugene Sensenig-Dabbous willbe representing the NDU Faculty of Political Science, Public Administrationand Diplomacy. The hosts have also invited NDU students to take part in thisconference, all expenses paid. In order to select ten participants fairly andopenly, an essay competition was carried out between November 2003 andJanuary 2004. The three best papers will be presented in a formatted mini-edition to all conference participants.

MessinaConference� 10 NDU

Students WinFree Trip

35NNU SPIRIT

ANNOUNCEMENTModel US Election Debates to be held atNDU in the late Spring of 2004

Best three papers on the topics

Sources of Conflict in the Mediterranean Basinor

Prospects for Peace in the Mediterranean.

The winners:

First place: The Water War � Alya Chehab (7 points)

Arabs in Israel � Bechara Melkoun (7 points)

Third place: Cyprus, The Troubled Island � Jean Angelopoulo (4 points)

Nicole Fakhoury, Olivia Pennikian and Mariam Zgheib also were on the short list.

The Jury was made up of professors chosen from four different Faculties in order to guarantee accountability andtransparency. They included Mr. Nicolas, Dr. Hratch Hadjetian, Dr. Paul Jahshan and Dr. Eugene Sensenig-Dabbous.

The American electoral process has been widely covered by the internationalpress. In this year�s general elections, American citizens at home and abroad willelect a President and a Vice President, as well as a member of Congress and, inone third of all states, a US Senator. While Lebanese dual nationals (US passportholders) are all permitted to vote in the elections of this Fall, the outcome willaffect everybody living in Lebanon. For this reason a group of American pro-fessors of the departments of Political Science and of Public Administration(both FPSPAD) are inviting the entire NDU student body, including Freshmanand Graduate students, to participate in the US Model Debates this year.

Two groups, a Republican Party Team and a Democratic Party Team, will beorganized at the beginning of the Spring Term in order to study the key issuesin this year�s elections and to perfect their knowledge of �their parties�� positionson them. Issues include the US economy, employment and social welfare, edu-cation and family rights, ethnic and religious minorities, the ecology, humanrights, foreign policy and in particular Middle Eastern policy.

The students will copy the debate format that we have all seen on TV recently.There will be a �show-down� between the Republican and Democrat teams cov-ering the basic issues at the end of this Spring Term, in late May or early June.

At the outset of the Fall Term there will be a dual between George W. Bush andwhoever wins the Democratic presidential nomination. May the better manwin!

The Republican Teamwill be coached byDr. Akl Kairouz,room B271, ext:2412,<akayrouz@ndu.edu.lb>.

The Democratic Teamwill be coached byDr. Edward N. Sayah,room B292, ext: 2445,<esayah@ndu.edu.lb>andDr. Eugene Sensenig-Dabbous,room B254, ext: 2322,<sdabbous@ndu.edu.lb>.Information for the above two itemskindly provided byDr. Eugene Sensenig-Dabbous.

36 NNU SPIRIT

On January 14, 2004, the NDU Debate Club held a meeting to launch an Auxilia social pro-gramme of help for large families in Lebanon which have lost their bread-winner. NDU

President Father Boutros Tarabay was represented for the occasion by Public Relations DirectorGeneral Mr. Suheil Matar, who told the crowd of academics, staff and students attending aboutthe importance of this meeting with its humanitarian aims far removed from political considera-tions but motivated by noble character and love for mankind.

A video was then projected which showed the suffering of certain fatherless Lebanese familiesafflicted by neglect and deprivation, to the point where the mother was obliged to separate her-self from her children. The video explained how Auxilia helped such families so that the childrencould return to normal life with their mother.

The President of Auxilia, Doctor Elie Shweifati, then appealed for help in rescuing hundreds ofthese families from misery by people obtaining membership cards for the Auxilia Cooperativeand S-mile. This represented the best way of helping Auxilia children. Whoever bought fromAuxilia cooperatives was contributing to the rescue of hundreds of families.

Closing the meeting, the student Mr. Chady Dirani, President of the Debate Club, announced theassociation of the Club with this project out of care for the national interest and for Lebanese soci-ety.

DEBATE CLUBAND AUXILIAAUXILIARIES

Presiding: student Debate Club members, Dr. Elie Shweifati and Mr. Suheil Matar.

A large crowd showsconcern, with in the

foreground Mr. FawziBaroud, Dr. Ziad Fahed,Fr. Boulos Wehbe, Miss

Betty Hindi and Mrs.Grace Khalil.

37NNU SPIRIT

SPORTS OFFICE NEWS

Dr. Shahwan Khoury (Dean FE) and Fr. Boutros Tarabay presenting the Inter-Faculties Chess Cup to Charbel Saad.

Basketball

1st place: FHUM

2nd place: FBAE

Chess

1st place:Charbel Saad 6/6pts. FE

2nd place:Olivier Rachwan 5/6 pts. FE

Trophies and medals were distrib-uted by NDU President FatherBoutros Tarabay, the DirectorGeneral of Public Relations andInformation Mr. Suheil Matar, and

Deans.

AUB ChristmasTournament

Basketball Men

¼ final: NDU\USJ 85-65

½ final: NDU\USEK 92-77

Final: NDU\LAU 84-72

Ranking

1st place NDU

2nd place AUB

3rd place USEK

Volleyball Men

NDU\BAU 2-1

¼ final: NDU\Balamand 2-0

½ final: Antonins\NDU 2-1Ranking: 3rd place NDU

Chess

Individual ranking:1st place Charbel Saad NDU

Teams ranking:3rd place NDU

NDU Home Championships

Between December 9th and 18th, 2003, NDU held its Inter-Faculty champi-onships involving six faculties in the following fields: table tennis, mini-foot-ball, basketball and chess. Results were as follows:

Table Tennis

1st place : Souheil Abou Rejeily FE

2nd place: Charles Maalouf FBAE

Mini-football

1st place: FBAE

2nd place: FE

Player Georges Akiki receiving the Inter-Faculties Basketball Cup on behalf of the FBAE team from Fr Boutros Tarabay(NDU President) and Dr. Boulos Sarru� (Dean FHUM), with beside them

Dr. Elie Yashoui (Dean FBAE) and Mr. Suheil Matar.

38 NNU SPIRIT

TRAININGBasketball: Between 1st and 22nd December 2003 the NDU basketball teamorganised an unbroken series of training sessions on Mondays andWednesdays lasting from 3 to 4.30 p.m. in the covered stadium of Dar al-Nourschool. These were attended by players Muhammad el-Sadiq, Fady el-Rotl,Antoine el-Khoury, Walid Mansour, Elias Srour, Khalid �Aqad, �Amer el-HajjYoussef, Hussein Nashar, Rashid Abdallah, �Azam Tabak, Rudolph BouFaraat, Elie Ayoub, Samir Hayek, Ali Yaghi, Elie Antaki and Claude Fashkha.

Between 5.30 and 8 p.m. on Saturday 13th December 2003, the NDU teamplayed a farewell match with the club Tourza el-Riada under the supervisionof team instructor Gaby Arida, winning by 50/49 .

Football: Between 4.30 and 6 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays during themonth of December, 2003, the NDU football team organised three trainingsessions held in the grounds of the above-mentioned school under the train-er Gaby Arida. These were attended by the players Hussein Nashar, AlbertNakkad, Pierre Mouossa, Jallal Bernard, George �Amad, Tarek Majdhoub andSamir Ghosn.

CHRISTMAS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTUnder the patronage of Father Louis Samaha, Director of the Zahleh campusof the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, the University Sports Office organiseda Basketball Championship of the Bekaa with the participation of most of theBekaa universities and in addition the NDU Shouf Campus. In the finalmatch, the USEK-Zahleh team won against NDU Shouf (79-49), which hadwon against the Lebanese University in the semi-finals. At the conclusion ofthe championship, cups and medals were distributed by the Director of theUSEK Sports Office, Mr. Fouad Saliba, and Dr. Nabil Haddad, Director ofStudent Affairs, NDU-Shouf, both of whom had supervised the tournamenttogether with trainer Tony Maacaroun. The matches were refereed by theFederation referees Edgard Kourieh, Nicolas el-Maalouf and NicolasKhairallah.

FSUL SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS Faraya 17.01.2004

Men: 2nd place Walid Khalil NDU

Women: 2nd place Hannadi Keirouz NDU

The NDU Basketball Team with their coach Mr. George Nader

LAU BEIRUTChess 17.01.2004

Ziad Abboud 2nd

Elie Abou Jaoudeh 3rd

Swimming 17.01,2004

Men: Rony Diab 2nd

Women: Sara Loutfi 2nd

WOMEN�S BASKETBALLThe NDU Women�s Basketball Teamparticipated in the AUD-DSFInternational Tournament heldbetween 3rd and 8th February, 2004.The delegation represented NDU inthe best way possible as a Lebaneseacademic institution. The resultswere as follows:

NDU vs. ASD (American University ofSharjah) 87 �35

NDU vs. AUD (American University ofDubai) 73 � 32

NDU vs. ASD (American School ofDubai) 60 � 25

Final: NDU vs. ASD 75 � 31

Awards:1st place in the AUD-DSF Women�sBasketball Event.

MVP (Most Valuable Player):Magalie Safar (NDU)Information kindly supplied by the NDUSports Office.

Hannadi Keirouz, 2nd in FSUL Skiing, Faraya.

39NNU SPIRIT

A NNUTRITION FFAIR TTOPROMOTE HEALTHY DIET

On Wednesday January 28th,2004, Basic Human Nutrition

(NTR 201) students organized aNutrition Fair using the DietaryGuidelines as a theme, as part oftheir course requirement. Nutritionawareness can help people makehealthy choices.

The purpose of the Fair was to applyprinciples that were covered in thecourse. This activity helps the stu-dents to understand the the foodguide pyramid, the food groups andthe concept of food serving, and tospecify the particular nutrient contri-butions needed for planning a well-balanced diet. It provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the makeupof each food group and reinforcesthe concept of a healthy food choiceby promoting the use of natural foodrather than processed or cannedfood.

Accordingly, students presentednutritional information about vari-

ous topics such as:

1- A healthy eating quiz board

2- A food guide pyramid

3- A dietary fat reduction program

4- Self-assessment �BMI�

5- Food prepared by NDU cafeteria

6- Current nutrition topics

7- Estimation of food portions andserving sizes

8- Coffee stand: examining caffeinecontents of different types of cof-fee

9- Comparison of energy values offood prepared by different tech-niques

10- Alcohol�s effect on nutrients inthe body

11- Medical problems associatedwith obesity

12- How to detect and avoidspoiled foods

Students from different majors atNDU as well as faculty membersparticipated in the Fair. Studentsenjoyed the tasty food prepared bythe cafeteria especially for the Fair.

NTR 201 students shared nutritionalinformation with other students andanswered questions regarding theirstands. Students distributedbrochures, leaflets and flyers aboutthe various above-mentioned topicsamong fellow students.

This activity helped students tobecome more aware of the conceptof a healthy diet and enhanced theirpublic image of nutrition and itsmerit.

Special thanks are due to the cafete-ria staff who prepared the food anddecorated the tables on this occasion.Information above kindly provided byDr. Najat Yahia.

40 NNU SPIRIT

G. CORM BLAMESSECTARIANISM

On Friday, November 28, 2003, Former Finance Minister George Corm addressed an NDU audience of admin-istrators, staff, faculty members and students about Lebanon�s political and economic problems. He took asthe title of his talk The Image of Lebanon Sixty Years after Independence. Presiding were NDU PresidentFather Boutros Tarabay and the Director General of Public Relation Mr. Suheil Matar, who introduced theguest speaker.

He described Lebanese sovereignty as being at present �bound and incomplete�. He dealt with the politicisa-tion of the communities, which he saw as a modern phenomenon in the history of Lebanon. The moderncommunity system of Lebanon did not express democracy by consent but rather the balance of regional andinternational forces to which the country�s economic and financial sovereignty was hostage.

He considered that during the Maanid and Chehabist periods Mount Lebanon reposed on trans-communityrather than community structures, based on the feudalism of lords who collected the jezia tax for the SublimePorte. At that time the communities did not form social and political bodies with direct power over their sub-jects. The communities became political with the increased power of European countries and the system ofthe millets and the Capitulations.

Minister Corm viewed the communities as an obstacle between the State and members of the public, and nowforming the foundation of the system. The functioning of the State depended on the goodwill of the com-munity leaders, who were under the influence of regional or foreign states. This was why Lebanese sover-eignty was bound hand and foot insofar as Lebanon played the role of a buffer state, of an abces of stabilisa-tion, as had been the case in 1840, 1860, 1958 and then between 1975 and 1990. Therefore its sovereigntydemanded the depolitisation of the communities and separation between the political structures of the Stateand those of the communities.

Former Minister George Corm then spoke of the danger of the increasing economic dependence of Lebanonwith the continued outlay by the public sector and the increase of the public debt, estimated at $32 billion, onsuch pretexts as the reconstruction of the country and the expansion of the Army.

DR. HINDI:RELY ON DEMOCRACY

Leading a discussion organised by the NDU Phoenician Club on Monday, 22nd December, 2003, about thepaper he presented at the Maronite Patriarchal Synod concerning �The Philosophy of the Lebanese Entity�,Dr. Toufiq Hindi considered that Lebanon was a historical constant in the region and that the projects striv-ing for fusion in Lebanon throughout its history were projects for confessional domination, whether or nottheir authors realised this.

He called for an end to enmity in relations between religious and confessional communities and for workingtogether without being pressured to the limits of possibility to widen common ground.

Answering a question about the existence of Lebanon into the distant future, Doctor Hindi saw the solution tolie in democracy by agreement, with the present national and constitutional understanding constituting some-thing like this democracy, though it was regrettably lacking in application.

41NNU SPIRIT

Boulos Salameh Commemoration

MINISTER ARIDIAPPEALS FOR HONEST

ADMINISTRATIONSpeaking at NDU at the commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of thedecease of Boulos Salameh, held under his patronage on Wednesday, January 14th,2004, Culture Minister Ghazi Aridi called on officials in every position to be uprightin their work in deed and not in words. Among the listeners were AdministrativeReform Minister Karim Pakradouni, Deputy Robert Ghanem, Colonel AssaadNakhoul representing the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Joseph Qasayfi repre-senting the President of the Press Syndicate and a number of political and social per-sonalities.

After an introduction by Mr. Suheil Matar, NDU Director of Public Relations, NDUPresident Father Boutros Tarabay spoke of four aspects of the departed, his spiritu-ality, his faith, his Christianity and his religion. He was followed by Doctor MansourEid and by Alamat es-Sayyed Muhammad Hassan al-Ameen.

It was then that Minister Aridi spoke, describing Boulos Salameh as a believer, mys-tic and ascetic, remarkable for the strength of his personality. He was writer, poetand historian. As his father had extracted stones from a quarry and built houses, sohe had taken words to make poetry and prose. The Minister used the words ofSalameh to address responsible officials, saying, �Fear God and follow the straightand narrow path in deeds and not words.� He asked them to guarantee for Lebanesethe service of banks both inside and outside the cities so that they could fructify theircapital and of cooperatives so that they could face rising prices. He called on theauthorities to have a care for the electric power so people could light their streets andplaces of production and profit from the current to exploit their creative abilities andfor their insurance and hospital services. After an appeal for the preservation of theUniversity for learning, thought, production, research and the benefit of the cominggeneration, Minister Aridi called for an end to corruption.

He insisted that, in a time of clash of civilisations, Lebanon should remain a land ofdialogue between cultures and civilisations and a land of variety. All should beuplifted by the name of Boulos Salameh, for all who followed him believed truly inLebanon.

The son of the deceased, Attorney Rashad Salameh, speaking on behalf of his fami-ly, then thanked the organisers of the event. Former ambassador Fouad El-Turk,then recalled the different periods of the long life of the deceased, who was an exam-ple of patience and deep and refined faith and bore suffering as a road to resurrec-tion.

Former minister Edmond Rizk described Boulos Salameh as a genius with the marksof holiness, a man of letters and poet. Minister Rizk was followed by the well-knownfigures of Samir Atallah, Fawzi Atweh, Joseph Abou Daher and Elias Qatar. A filmwas shown about the life of Boulos Salameh and a recording was played of his voicereciting one of his poems.

S

42 NNU SPIRIT

HERMIT AND APOSTLESuch was the title of the book by Father Charbel Abi Khalil concerning the life of theMariamite Maronite monk Father Antonios Tarabay (1911-1998), presented to the public atNDU on 16th January, 2004. Speakers included the Reverend Abbot François Eid, FatherGeneral, Father Boutros Tarabay, NDU President, Governor of Beirut and Mount LebanonYaacoub El-Sarraf, representing the Minister of the Interior and Town Councils, FatherCharbel Abi Khalil, and NDU Director of Public Relations Mr. Suheil Matar.

The occasion began with the projection of a film about the life of the hermit-priest, followedby a few words by Mr. Suheil Matar about the appropriate timing with the Feast of SaintAnthony the Great, about meetings with the hermit Father Antonios Tarabay, and aboutFather Charbel Abi Khalil himself. Cor-bishop Mgr. Youssef Merhab, pastor of Tannourin,declared for his part, �If after all those years of contempt for the body, austerity and prayerFather Antonios was not a saint, then who was?�

Abbot François Eid spoke about the eremitic tradition in the Universal Church, first followedin the West in the form of a complete break with community life and then followed in theEastern Churches under another form, by Saint Anthony the Great who had left his her-mitage in order to war against the Arian heretics and by the great Cappadocians. He notedthat thanks to his Eastern theological and spiritual sensitivity, the author had picked out thedistinguishing characteristics of Antiochean eremitic life.

In an address transmitted to the audience by Governor El-Surraf, Interior Minister Elias El-Murr said that he had known Father Antonios as a friend. He had performed many won-derful miracles and never complained of the life God had wished for him or shown repug-nance. He was a light to guide and his life was a model.

Finally, Father Abi Khalil spoke briefly on two points, his relationship with Father Antoniosfrom June 22nd 1968 until his death on June 20th 1998 and some of his sayings. After he hadbeen presented with a souvenir portrait by Mr. Youssef Saliba, Father Sharbel Abi Khalilthen proceeded to sign copies of his book

Among those present were the Armenian Orthodox bishop Mgr. Kighan Hatcharian,Bishop Chikrallah Harb and a large crowd of religious personalities and clergy.

Her

mit

and

Apos

tle

SPIRITUAL RETREATIt is the custom every semester of Father Roger Chikri to invite NDU employees to a spiritualretreat. It was the usual group of staff members that joined him on 13th December, 2003 at theSaint Teresa Priory at Sheileh. Father Boutros Bou Nassif, our spiritual guide, was there to giveus some of his theological insights. He explained about the great love of God for his people, hiscreatures, and about how he sent on earth his only Son, Jesus Christ, to save us by his own sac-rifice for us. For this reason God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, as a human being created with flesh,blood and soul. In this way there is a very strong and deep relationship between every humanbeing and its Creator, but this relationship cannot be experienced except through our praying toGod, loving God and feeling his influence on us every moment in our lives.

I wish to thank the two Reverend Fathers mentioned above for the company they offered us andalso Father Boutros Tarabay, who before lunch celebrated the Holy Mass for us.

Fadia El-Hajj

43NNU SPIRIT

Iftar � NDU for all�This university is for all and notfor any one group or denominationor district. Faith in God is fargreater than those who try to exploitGod for their own ends or tomonopolise Him. God is greaterthan any one party opposed toanother and sharing in in our reli-gious occasions and feast-days is apart of the Lebanese heritage thatmust be preserved ... At this joyfulfeast of Al-Fitr I can only hope thatthe days should pass over Lebanonand all Muslims, over this sufferingregion of the world, with happinessand calm. Amid all this smoke oftorment and massacres it is ourprayer that peace should reign overthis earth, by the true fundamentsand not by fundamentalism, byfaith and not by fanaticism, by joyin life and not by the carnage ofdeath.�

These were the words addressed tothe large number of University offi-cials, deans, chairpersons, staff andstudents celebrating together at theIftar given on NDU Main Campusby the NDU Director General ofPublic Relations Mr. Suheil Matar,who was representing NDUPresident Father Boutros Tarabay,unable to be present as he was trav-elling abroad.

Chili dinner, hot not chilly!On 5th December, 2003, Chili�s restaurant in Ashrafiyeh welcomed the staff ofthe NDU libraries at Main Campus, North Lebanon Campus and ShoufCampus for their Christmas dinner. The atmosphere was as warm as thesauce on the Mexican food was hot, with all members of the staff appreciat-ing the glow of the coming Christmas and the friendship shared with suchcongenial colleagues at work. The Acting Director of NDU Libraries, Mrs.Houeida Charara, offered the dinner and all the staff joined in giving her atoken gift.

The Library personnel wished all the NDU community a Happy Christmasand Prosperous New Year.Information kindly supplied by Mireille Kassis.

Library staff- a joyful NDU crowd

The Christmas cake (without chilis!)

Christmas DinnerOn 19th December, 2003, the staff of theOffice of Research and Development met atManuella Restaurant to celebrate theapproaching feast of Christmas. TheReverend Fathers Boutros Tarabay, SamirGhsoub and Roger Chikri were also invited,but unfortunately Father Chikri was unableto be present as duty called him elsewhere.

Members of the Office with their friends andfamilies were thrilled at being able to meeteach other informally, as usually they seeeach other only when busy with their workand their engagements. The restaurant pro-vided an ideal ambiance for an abundant andtasty meal, relaxation and plenty of livelyconversation (ears not being blasted by �thesound of music�!)

Information kindly sent by Ms. Fadia El-Hajj.

44 NNU SPIRIT

CHRISTMAS AT NDU

A large congregation for the Christmas Mass.

At NDU Main Campus,Christmas was marked byreligious celebration and byvarious forms of entertain-ment. At midday onDecember 23rd, 2003, NDUPresident Father BoutrosTarabay officiated at asolemn Mass celebrated inthe Registration Hall whichwas attended by members ofall branches of the NDU fam-ily. After the reading of theHoly Gospel, Father Tarabaypreached a sermon in whichhe said that on this Feastwhat was demanded from uswas renewal; during herapparitions the Holy Virgininsisted on renewal in thespiritual life of every one ofus. It was important that weshould all make very effort inour work to be as a firm rockand to act in a spirit of love.

In the evening entertain-ment was provided for thechildren of the NDU family.This was attended by FatherBoutros Tarabay, the NDUDirector of AdministrationFather Roger Chikri, FatherJean Bou Chrouch, FatherSalim Raji and SAO FatherBoulos Wehbe, as well as byNDU employees and theirchildren. After an openingappropriate to Christmas,animation was provided byMinimum Troop, who sangChristmas music, dancedand played with the childrenuntil Father Christmas cameto hand out gifts to all the lit-tle ones.

Father Boutros Tarabay and Father Samir Ghsoub celebrate the Christmas Mass.

Keep us informed!We deeply regret the omission in the pages of NDU Spiritof any activities of general interest. So we trust thatdepartments, clubs and individuals will keep us informedand send us summaries. Authors of articles and items ofinformation are kindly requested to add their telephonenumbers. Contact ext. 2481 (mornings) or 2444.

45NNU SPIRIT

A paternal presence at the children�s party.

NDU staff contributed to the entertainment.

Father Boulos Wehbe knows how to charm his young audience.

CHRISTMAS FIESTAEighteen NDU clubs took part in the Christmas Fiestaorganised by the SAO on 18th-19th December, 200 in theRegistration Hall. Each club had its stand selling gad-gets, Christmas Cards, candles, CDs of Christmas carols,marinated potatoes and cookies. Students danced andsang to the sound of music and the whole event provid-ed a rich variety of entertainment and plenty of surpris-es. The photographs show a selection of club stands.

Known as the capital of SouthernLebanon, the city of Sidon, namedSaidoon by the Phoenicians, Saidaby the Arabs and Sagette by theCrusaders, is one of the famousnames in ancient history. Sidon is ofimmense antiquity, but few remainsof the ancient city have survived theravages of time and Man. There isevidence that Sidon was inhabited aslong ago as 4000 B.C., and perhaps asearly as Neolithic times (6000-4000B.C.). It was twice destroyed in warbetween the 7th and 4th centuriesB.C., and again during the earth-quake in the 6th century A.D.

Like most Phoenician cities, Sidonwas built on a promontory facing anisland, which sheltered its fleet fromstorms off the sea and served as arefuge during military incursionsfrom the interior. In its wealth, com-mercial initiative, and religious sig-

nificance, Sidon is saidto have surpassed allother Phoenician city-states. Glass manufac-ture, the city's mostimportant enterprise,was conducted on sucha vast scale that thevery invention of glasshas often been attrib-uted to it. Remarkablyvigorous, too, was theproduction of purpledye for the clothing ofroyalty; the small shellof the Murex trunculuswas broken in order to extract thepigment that was so rare that itbecame the mark of royalty. Sidonwas also famous in ancient times forits gardens and its twin-basin har-bor.

Like other Phoenician city-states,

Sidon suffered from a succession ofconquerors. At the end of the Persianera in 351 B.C., unable to resist thesuperior forces of the emperorArtaxerxes III, the desperateSidonians locked their gates and setfire to their city rather than submit tothe invader. More than 40,000 died

46 NNU SPIRIT

It was a Saturday morning, I think, when a buscarrying some REG213 and SOL201 students, departedfrom NDU for a joyful, cultural and educational trip tothe South organized by Dr. Clovis Karam. The journeywas to cover mainly Saida (the city), Maghdouchy andJezzine. The trippers' first station was at the "Baba"confectioner's shop in Saida for a "knafet djebn"breakfast. Afterward, they went deeper inside Saida fora visit to the famous Sea Fortress. Then, the studentswalked through the Old City until they reached theDabbané palace, a special residence that overlooks theOld Town from one side and the New City fromanother side. Next, there was a half-an-hour free timedesignated for shopping, after which the ancient GreekChurch was to be explored; a supervisor on duty thererecounted that after the Greek Patriarchate of Antiochdivided in the 18th century, a wall was built inside thatchurch to split it into two: one for the Greek Orthodox(1/3 of the church) and the other for the GreekCatholics (2/3 of the church). Nearby the church, stands

a modest cell that was probably a one night's lodgingfor St. Paul during his journey to Rome, passingthrough Sidon. The guided tour culminated in acultural aspect when the excursionists reached theAudi islet, a family compound that comprises threedistinct, yet interconnected architectural entities: atraditional soap factory; a family residence dating backto the 20th century built above the soap factory; andvarious lodgings typical of the Medina (Old Town ofSaida) that came to be grafted into this compound. Thefinal destination inside Saida was Al-Omari-El-Kabirmosque (the Great Mosque), into which the tripperswent barefooted, the girls among them wearing theveil. From the narrow streets of the city of Saida, thetrippers headed for the wide hills in the proximity ofSaida, for Maghdouchy, more specifically themonastery of Notre-Dame of Mantara. The last stationduring the journey was at Jezzine for a dinner in theLebanese way. The following is a more detailed reviewof subjects discussed during the trip.

DISCOVERINGSAIDA

WITH DR. KARAMBy: George R. Azzi

1- Sea Castle, 2- Khan El Frenj, 3- Hammam el Ward (Rose Public Baths)5- Aicha Madrassah, 4- Greek Catholic Cathedral of St. Nicholas, 6- St. Louis Castle

7- El Omari Mosque, 8- Soap Museum, 9- Temple of Echmoun

47NNU SPIRIT

in the flames. After this disaster thecity was too weak to oppose the tri-umphal march of Alexander theGreat down the coast in 333 B.C. Itsued for peace and the Hellenisticage of Sidon began. Under the suc-cessors of Alexander, Sidon, the"holy city" of Phoenicia, enjoyed rel-ative freedom and organized gamesand competitions in which the great-est athletes of the region participat-ed. The city had the status of repub-lic in the early days of Roman domi-nation (64 B.C. - 330 A.D.) beforepassing into the hands of theByzantines and, in 667, of the Arabs.In 1111, Sidon was besieged andstormed by the Crusader Baldwin,who was soon to become King ofJerusalem. Under Frankish rule, itbecame the chief town of theSeigniory of Sagette and the secondof the four baronies of the Kingdomof Jerusalem. In 1187, the city surren-dered to Saladin, but was recapturedby the Crusader Templars in 1287before they abandoned it for good in1291, after the fall of Acre to theMameluk forces.

In the 15th century, Sidon was oneof the ports of Damascus and itflourished once more during the17th century when Fakhreddine II,then ruler of Lebanon, rebuilt it andmade it his winter home, althoughhe was obliged to fill in Sidon's har-bor out of fear of the Turkish fleet.Under his protection and with hisencouragement, a number of French

merchants set up profitable businessenterprises in Sidon for tradebetween France and Syria, Sidon stillbeing considered the chief port ofDamascus. By the beginning of the19th century, however, Sidon hadsunk into obscurity and remained sountil the First World War, afterwhich it became a part of GreaterLebanon.

The Sea Castle of Saida is a fortressbuilt by the Crusaders in the early13th century on a small island con-nected with the mainland by a forti-fied bridge. The present bridge is ofa later date. It was one of the manycastles along the coast, which theCrusaders built to protect the har-bors and to ensure the safe landing

of men and supplies from Europe.Today, the fortress consists primarilyof two towers connected by a wall.In the outer walls, Roman columnswere used as horizontal reinforce-ments, a feature common to manyfortifications built on former Romansites. The west tower is the betterpreserved of the two; the east towerhas lost its upper floor. A furtherpart of the castle was added duringthe celebrated visit of King St. Louisto Sidon. Old prints of the fortressshow it to be one of great beauty, butlittle remains of the architecturalembellishments and sculptures thatonce decorated its ramparts. Afterthe fall of Acre to the Mameluks, allthe sea castles were destroyed toprevent the Crusaders from re-estab-lishing footholds on the coast.

The Debbané Palace, located in theold city of Saida, is considered as oneof the rare testimonies to local archi-tecture during the first centuries ofOttoman domination. The palaceoverhangs Souk Moutran, fromwhich access is gained through anarrow stairway that leads directlyto the palace inner court. Built at thebeginning of the 18th century, thisluxurious residence includes all theelements of the Arab-Ottoman 'dar'of that era; its layout and decordrawing have been inspired frommonumental religious architecture,'madrassahs' and mosques. Aninscription engraved on the wall inone of the rooms gives the date of

19th century engravings of Sidon

TThhee SSeeaa CCaassttllee

48 NNU SPIRIT

construction as the Hegiran year1134 (1721 A.D.). The palace wasoriginally occupied by theHammouds (Ali Hammoud), a fami-ly of Ottoman 'aghas' of Moroccanorigin, and it remained so until 1800,when Youssef Debbané purchasedthe residence from the Hammoudfamily. Two typical rooms border theeast and northeast of the centralcourtyard: the 'Diwan', a summerroom with a large open archway onone side and, the 'qaat', a T-shapedliving room which is made up of acentral room, or 'attabah', ornament-ed with a fountain, and three adja-cent rooms or 'diwans'. In 1902,Raphael Youssef Debbané broughtin Italian and French architects aswell as craftsmen from Damascus torestore the family residence and addtwo new floors covered by a roofmade of red tiles from Marseille. In1968, the family residence was listedas a historic monument. From 1978until 1983, due to the occupation ofthe palace by armed units, some sec-tions and ornaments fell into decay,while others have deteriorated mas-sively. In 1999, the heirs of Georges,François, Jean Debbané and MarieDebbané-Naggear set up theDebbané Foundation, the aim ofwhich is to restore the palace as abuilding of historical and artistic sig-nificance and to turn it into a muse-um.

The Audi soap factory, part of theAudi islet, is a historic building thatwas constructed in different stages.The historical analysis of the struc-ture confirmed that its oldest partdates back to the 17th century andthat its first extension towards theEast goes back to the end of the 19thcentury, after the demolition of theold city's ramparts. In 1880, cousinsNicolas, Chucri and Hanna Audibought the soap factory (it wasalready productive when it was pur-chased) and a few years later addedtwo floors to be used for living pur-poses by the family members. Thefactory was rented in the 1970's toHanna and Nicolas Jabbour, fromDouma, who ran it for ten years.During the Lebanese war, due to thelack of safety, the factory was com-pletely abandoned. In 1998, underthe management of Raymond Audi,the Audi Foundation decided to con-vert the family's soap factory into anethnographic museum that relatesthe history of soap in the areaextending from Aleppo to Nablus,and illustrates the various stages ofthe production of traditional olive-based soap.

Toward the south from the souk, onthe way to the Castle of St. Louis, isthe Great Mosque, formerly theChurch of St. John of theHospitalers. The four walls of thisgreat rectangular building (recentlyrestored to their natural beauty) dateback to the 13th century. Originally afortress-like Crusader compoundwith its own chapel, it is still animposing structure, especially whenviewed from the shore. The palace ofFakhreddine was formerly situatedon the terrace to the east of themosque.

The Mantara grotto in Maghdouchylies on a hill in the environs of Saida.The origins of the Notre-Dame ofMantara sanctuary go back to theearly Christian era. The evangelistsMatthew and Mark mentioned intheir Gospels (Mattew 15: 21 andMark 7: 24) that Jesus Christ leftIsrael "and went to the vicinity ofTyre and Sidon" where he met aCanaanite woman and cast the devil

out of her daughter. According tothe Church's tradition, Mary, motherof God, accompanied her son Jesusduring his trip to Phoenicia.However, Jesus Christ would not lethis holy mother go with him intoSidon and Tyre, as Jewish womenwere not allowed to go to pagancities, as these were considered to besunk in sin. Therefore, he asked herto wait for his return in a cave locat-ed on a hill near Sidon, so that at theend of his journey he would comeback to take her and head for Israel:"Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyreand went through Sidon, down tothe Sea of Galilee."(Mark 7: 31)

Besides the significance of Sidon'sancient monuments, the greatness ofthis noble city can be perceived inthe writings of some authorsacquainted with its history. In 1866,R.P. de Damas mentioned in one ofhis works that, "Apart from theinvention of navigation and thewritten alphabet, Sidon is creditedwith the discovery of glass, joinery,stone dressing and wood carving."In 1880, another writer, T. R. Dumassaid, "The people of Sidon were theworld's first navigators. They builtrafts, then rowboats, and the pinesand cedars of Lebanon glided awayon the sea to distant parts. A peoplewhose trade embraced half theworld needed a means of communi-cation to convey messages fromplace to place. Phoenicia inventedthe alphabet; the first Greeksacquired writing from thePhoenicians as did all parts of thewestern world."

Congratulations to George Azzi, or hisEnglish Writing. � Ed.

Discover the grandeur of the noble city of Saida

Inside the Debbané Palace.

49NNU SPIRIT

Leaders Authors of LeadershipFATHER ROGER CHIKRI, ED.D. ,DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION, NDU

In his book �Leadership Is An Art� Max DePree profoundlydescribes leadership concepts, models and skills. The authorindicates that leadership is more than a position held by indi-viduals to lead organizations: �Leadership is much more of an art,a belief, a condition of the heart, than a set of things to do.� Hebelieves in empowerment that makes people feel they areinvolved and needed in order to contribute. In their turn, peo-ple are supposed to have something to offer to the institution;the minimum they can provide is loyalty, professionalism andcommitment to the mission and values of the organization.

He also thinks that participative management is not a tool, atechnique; it is a way of life. In his words, �Participative man-agement arises out of the heart of a personal philosophy about people.�The belief of a successful management is that employees makea difference in the process of reaching the required outcome.Participative management owes the employees a structure tothe organization, but also develops personal relationships inorder to make the individuals empowered and eventually pro-ductive.

On the basis of the above perspectives it is evident that dedi-cated, faithful and motivated members are crucial for carryingout the mission of the institution. Moreover, increased pro-ductivity is attained only through personal and team develop-ment. Staff development is the responsibility of both the man-agement and the individuals; training and in-service sessionsprovide new skills and enhance performance and competence.In any professional career there is always a need to updateknowledge, develop skills, and adopt positive attitudes towardself and toward the institution. The first few years of employ-ment in a profession are critical since special support is neces-sary for acquiring positive habits that make people�s careersstart off on the right foot. The following time spent in a careeris no less important than the first years and a person needs aconstant desire to learn more about his field in order to becomemore proficient.

Leaders are like the invisible burning fuel of a running car thatowes its speed to the combustible gas in the engine connectedto different parts of the car system. Leaders are the authors andmasters of their leadership model; the way they lead will pro-duce the outcome of their policies and procedures.

The success of companies and institutions is not due merely toindividual efforts, but rather to a joint endeavor. Leadersinspire their constituents by providing them with conditionsand circumstances so that they can reach their individual andcollective potential. In other words, the contribution of indi-viduals to the institution is no less important than the input ofthe group, and the other way round is equally important.

There is an idea shared among authors and writers that leader-ship is acquired and cultivated with practice and experience. Inaddition, there are other effective leadership skills needed,which may be summarized as taking care of the people withinthe organization (people oriented) and getting the job done(task oriented). The people-oriented model considers highlythe significance of the people working toward achieving theobjective, while the task-oriented model sees the outcome asthe ultimate goal and focus. Motivated people and defined

goals, which are strongly connected, set the desired future stateof the organization. A harmonious integration between peopleand tasks provides a healthy environment, for what we do isthe result of what we can be. Since it is the people in the orga-nization who get the job done, their efforts and the outcome oftheir work will be the measure of the degree of their commit-ment to the institution.

Organizations, like the people who form them, are always in astate of transformation. Change in organizations is inevitable ifthey are to survive the challenges of competition and of thedemands of the market. The transformational leadershipmodel maintains the current effective elements of the structureand involves the changes necessary to be implemented in inef-fective parts of the system to make it whole.

Leaders identify the set of goals and prioritize them into a planof action. In our case of an educational institution, some of thechallenges are administrative and some are academic. Theadministrative concerns are to create a thorough-going systemof services that are well organized and effective. In academicsthey are to promote research inquiry to bring the curriculumup to date and to align it with the most efficient learning andteaching strategies. It is worthwhile stating that the ultimategoal of development is geared toward the enhancement of fac-ulty teaching and student learning.

Their success and development depend on quality leaders whounderstand the mission and culture of their institution andclearly communicate their understanding to the members ofthe organization and make them embrace it both as individualsand as a group. People in any organization need directions anda clear map for their guidance. The absence of such directionswill result in poor performance and in lack of commitment.

Where there is no vision, the people will perish (Proverbs29:18). Effective leaders are ones with a high resolve to createa vision which their followers will strive to make a reality. Thefulfillment of the vision requires a process that will lead even-tually to the achievement of the objectives. A common visionbrings people together to work towards the ultimate goals.Our vision at NDU is to integrate our Christian identity withthe American educational system in a unique way so as to pro-mote a variety of cultural academic experiences in Lebanon.The task is a stimulating one, for every day we move one stepnearer our goal. There are many challenges and also up-peri-ods and down-periods, but the unseen hand protecting andguiding our institution upholds our hope.

The NDU family is a dynamic learning community open toincorporating the different ranges of academic fields and areasof expertise. The learning organization notably values thedevelopment of members and the improvement of perfor-mance, all of which will reflect on a successful and flourishinginstitute of learning. There is a saying, �When you are throughwith learning, you are through!� Once learning becomes anongoing and habitual experience for individuals, the learningorganization turns out to be not merely a concept but also areality.

Where do we stand?

To be continued!

50 NNU SPIRIT

Punctuation ProblemsIt is impossible to exaggerate the importance of correct punctuation. A simple comma by its presence orabsence may change the meaning of a sentence. After long neglect, it seems that English-speaking peo-ple have suddenly woken up to this fact.

In Britain a certain Lynne Truss recently wrote a book about correct punctuation with the title Eats, Shootsand Leaves. Her publishing house, Profile Books, ordered the printing of a modest 15,000 copies, doubt-ful if even many of these would be sold. To their own surprise and that of many others, including theauthor, they have found it necessary to order the printing of another 510,000 copies; what is more,arrangements are being made for more copies to be printed in the United States!

The title of the book comes from a joke that begins, �A panda walks into a café...� The panda orders a sandwich,eats it and then fires a gun into the air. On his way out, he tosses a badly punctuated wildlife manual at the aston-ished cashier, directing him to the entry marked Panda.

The cashier reads: �Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.�News item kindly provided by Ms. Sherry Blankenship.

J�avais cependant un désir nostalgiqueDe suivre un mirage séduisant et magique.A travers le nuage, je me vis bien descendreDans la vallée des larmes, de la mort et des cendres.J�ai quitté mon haut-lieu et les cimes glacéesOù j�étais, semble-t-il, malgré moi placé.Je souffrais après tout d�un manque de chaleurQui procure à mon âme la joie, le bonheur.De rapace que j�étais, indomptable et cruel,Je me vis tout soumis sans combat ni duel.Sur la terre des mortels une voix m�appela.J�avais le vertige du voyage, j�étais las.J�écoutais à peine cette voix quand je visTon visage Ô Madone! rayonner dans ma vie.

Je me vois aujourd�hui ce rapace capturéEt les ailes dans le vent ne cessent de tirer.Je me dis: Ô rebelle! Jette bas tes armes,L�amour dans ton coeur te possède, te désarme.Ô Madone! dont le nom retentit dans ma vie,Je te remets un coeur rebelle mais ravi.Sache le dompter, apprivoise ce sauvage.Verse lui ce nectar. Ne fais point de ravageDans ce coeur qui, jadis très hautain et rebelle,T�est soumis aujourd�hui, Ô Madone, Ô ma belle!

Ainsi, me voilà prisonnier d�une idylleSans avoir, pour autant, ni cherché ni voulu

Tels ces rapaces qui, au loin de ces îles,Se rient des filets puis y cherchent leur salut!

Je fus ce rapace orgueilleux et hautainEscorté dans mon ciel d�une nuée de butins.

Respirant sur les cimes des parfums insolites.Les furies gardaient l�entrée de mon gîte.J�habitais dans le froid d�un ciel orageux.

Audacieux dans mes vols, téméraire, courageux.L�ouragan me suivait dans mes folles parties.

La tempête et le vent annonçaient mes sorties.

Je partais dans le vent; je partais dans la nuit.J�ignorais la vertu, le vice et l�ennui,

Le mal et le bien et les peines humaines.J�étais par delà ces valeurs bien vaines.

Je vivais!... Et par là, je pensais m�affirmerQue j�existe par moi, sans nul besoin d�aimer

Pour prouver à moi-même que je vis, que j�existe,Que je dure dans le temps, que tout par moi persiste.

Sous moi donc, je voyais les hordes des humainsS�agiter, se débattre de la tête et des mains.

Leurs cris parvenaient convulsifs jusqu�à moiPétrifiés dans les larmes et la peur et l�émoi.

Un fatal destin les achemine certesPar un cours trompeur qui les mène à leur perte.

Les poèmes du temps révolu

Le Rapace CapturéAntoine Y. Sfeir, Lettres et Traductologie

51NNU SPIRIT

What are the reasons that haveplayed a role in delaying or

preventing the development of poorcountries? Why do income levelsdiffer dramatically across countries,some enjoying high-income levelswhile their neighbors do not?National borders mark areas of dif-ferent economic policies and institu-tions which tell us something aboutthe extent to which societies havedeveloped economically or failed todo so. Is it the culture? Or are thereother factors in the underdevelopedareas which restrain the govern-ments, enterprises and private agen-cies from functioning efficiently?

At one time, the most plausibleexplanation for continued poverty inpoor nations was the shortage ofphysical capital. This argument hascome under serious scrutiny.Capital could always be borrowedfrom prosperous countries, and dueto its scarcity it must yield higherfinancial return than in prosperouscountries; so the weakness of thisexplanation of lack of capital hasbeen proved time and time again.

The low economic growth in maydeveloping countries that receivedforeign aid, and the low productivityof some modern factories built ontheir soil, have confirmed that short-age of capital is not the only reason

for their low marginal productivityrate; rather it reflects the politicalinstability of those countries, theirpoor economic policy, and generalmismanagement.

From the moment of his leaving theairport, the visitor to a developingnation will encounter a number ofpeddlers and merchants; also he willnotice bazaars, market days andlocal village shops, yet the economyfunctions poorly and the locals areliving in poverty.

What policies and institutions does acountry need in order to changefrom an economy of peddlers to aneconomy of wealth? Poor peoplespend their entire incomes on sur-vival and on meeting daily financialdemands, with nothing left over forinvestment. The low level of percapita income will limit the marketcapacity to a small size, and discour-age investment in large-scale pro-duction facilities, and so hinderreaping the benefits of the economy-of-scale status.

Some argue that poor countries suf-fer from a shortage of skilled man-power and advocate a reliable edu-cational system to supply much-needed human capital. As a generalexplanation of the failure of mostpoor countries to develop, emphasison human capital does not work, asmay be seen from the following

observation. India graduates andhas more trained engineers per capi-ta than the U.S.A.; as a result, Indiahas become an exporter of highlyeducated manpower to the industri-al world, due to low wages at homeand a shortage of compatible jobopportunities in its domestic market.A poor country that lacks trainedspecialists in a particular businessfield can hire foreign hands as a tem-porary answer for its economic prob-lems. Thus, human capital is consid-ered an important factor for thedevelopment process but its lackcannot serve as a general explana-tion for the failure of poor countriesto catch up with developed nations.Many of the poor countries have ahigher proportion of educated peo-ple in their labor force than had intheir early days many economieswhich are now well developed.

Researchers have wondered if thecultures in most of the poor coun-tries are to be considered as animpediment to their own economicdevelopment. Cultural factors mayhave a profound significance onhow some societies may be betterprepared than others to respond tomarket incentives; in such cases theentrepreneurial initiative of thesesocieties has the necessary ingredi-ents for the functioning of an effec-tive market system.

PROSPERITY,GOVERNANCE &ECONOMICDEVELOPMENTDr. Rashid V. Saber

52 NNU SPIRIT

There can be no doubt that the cul-tures of poor nations will hardlyproduce a refined and disciplinedprofessional, but rather a personwhose loyalty to his family, caste ortribe will over-shadow all otherduties. Consequently, cronyism,nepotism and other forms of corrup-tion are more widespread in the fewlarge-scale organizations of poorcountries than in those operating inrich ones. So, as cultural norms arehome-grown and difficult tochange, researchers suggest a longterm socio-economic plan to educategovernment institutions, businessorganizations and policy-makers inpoor countries and to expose themto the cultural characteristics exist-ing in successful societies. There isadmittedly a tendency for societiesto imitate cultures that are success-ful, and therefore cultural diffusionwill take place.

However, the most essential ele-ment for economic development is astable form of government, capableof providing law and order, protect-ing private property rights andoverseeing the enforcement of busi-ness contracts. Better governmentof a nation will bring stability to themacro-economic environment,encourage foreign investment, favordomestic production, and conse-quently increase national income.Capital often flees from politicallyunstable regimes to more stabledemocracies, even though the for-mer may be well endowed with cap-ital and offers a modest return oninvestment.

Checks and balances in the politicalsystem, independence of the courtsand guaranteed civil rights not onlyminimize the likelihood of autocracybut also protect property and con-tract rights. The political stabilityand greater freedom of true democ-racies do in fact attract entrepre-neurs, businessmen, financiers andindustrialists to venture in a securedenvironment.

With rising globalization, capital,people and ideas are moving morefreely from nation to nation, with

less resistance in developing coun-tries to foreign-owned businessmoving into their domestic marketand participating in business oppor-tunity. By buying equity in a busi-ness venture or by taking debt froma financial institution, with someinterest payment, business practi-tioners will conclude transactionsthat will change people�s spendingpattern via motivation and disci-plined business behavior. Socialmobility is the result of a dynamicand open capital market. The greatdifferences in the wealth of nationsare mainly due to the differences oftheir economic policies and institu-tions. In a given country, the largestservice provider is the local govern-ment. Government agencies are dif-ferentiated from firms in the privatesector by the nature of their opera-tion and the services provided totheir customers. Bureaucrats andpoliticians in poor countries do notsuffer personal bankruptcy, or losetheir jobs for having made inappro-priate business decisions; even, inmost instances, they are not heldaccountable for the consequences oftheir disastrous business policy.Officials in the government enjoythe luxury of time to correct theirmistakes, while the corporate execu-tives cannot afford to make manymistakes and usually time does notwork on their side.

The diseconomy policies adopted bysome regimes manifest themselvesin spending on construction of megainfrastructure projects, where high-ways are rarely used, airport facili-ties are short on traffic and visitors,schools and colleges graduate stu-dents to the unemployment lines,and sponsor studies are of no bene-fit to society.

Countries with a history of corruptbureaucracy are inclined to havearbitrary authority, to confiscate pri-vate property, to frustrate the freemarket, and to keep the capital mar-ket closed, it being understood thatopening it will disperse their powerand bring along democracy.

It appears, then, that the working

environment of a poor country isinhospitable to large-scale businessorganizations, and this in turn willprevent the mass production andmarketing of goods. A low per capi-ta income in small countries tends tofoster small-scale enterprise with aprimitive level of technology andthe production of a limited quantityof goods to service a small-scalemarket.

The sheer size of many multination-al enterprises worries a number ofcountries, some of which generaterevenues and operate assets exceed-ing the entire economy of manynations. Opponents of foreigndirect investment accuse multina-tional corporations of social depriva-tion, environmental debasement,inequitable income distribution, andmeddling in local government poli-tics. On the other hand, the propo-nents of foreign investment link thecorporations to higher governmentrevenues, more job opportunities,exposure to the latest techniquesand know-how, and improvementin the balance of trade of the host.

Most underdeveloped countrieshave few modern roads and only apoor rail system to link major cities,which makes the cost and efficiencyof transporting manufactured goodsrisky and expensive. Similar obser-vations have been made regardingthe communication network; non-existent or poor infrastructures limitbusiness activities and render themdifficult to coordinate.

So the wide differences in per capitaincome across various countries can-not be explained simply by abun-dance of natural resources or differ-ences of cultures. The only remain-ing plausible explanation is thatgreat differences in the wealth ofnations are mainly due to differ-ences in the quality of their institu-tions and economic policies.

Adapted from a paper delivered atthe NDU Conference on Poverty,Unemployment and Development inLebanon, 4th April, 2003.

53NNU SPIRIT

CROSSWORD

SOMETHING

GREYfor your

matter

Across: 1. Beatles 5. paw 8. arts 10. pat 11.greet 13. sated 15. trap 17.dissi-pated 21. aspect 22. eel 24. doe 25. leg 27. tap 30. plea 31. tore 32. dojo 34.up 35. amateur 37. seer 38. nesting 39. pestDown: 1. Baghdad 2. err 3. ate 4. tsetse 6. ape 7. wade 9. BA, MA 12. trick 13.spa 14. tree 16. apt 18. isotope 19. spear 20. dell (valley) 23. Lee 26. garage 28.pear 29. notes 30. pout 31. tusk 32. Dane 33. jest 36. rip

Solutions to the crossword in issue 29

CLUES

Across: 1. way out 4. sungright through 9. trivial 11. endof invocation 13. sent atChristmas 14. Japanese opera15. where soldiers eat 16. blackbird that caws 17. degree 18.and so on 21. conserve for cat-tle 24. symbol of slipperiness25. able to hold no more 26.asking the reason 27.comedown from the clouds 29. thatis to say (Latin initials) 30.equality 31. high 34. US troop-er 36. hails 38. Paradise lost39. Dad (colloquial)Down: 1. NDU faculty 2. men-tion on a list 3. genealogicaltable 4. gives you a lift 5.comes with a nib 6. you would-n�t lend him your money 7.before noon 8. skier�s delight10. that and no other 12. suffi-cient 17. done by a car 19. at 5o�clock 20. TV short 21. longcut 22. absent without leave23. looks at 28. belly button 32.cover 33. poisonous snake 35.anybody 37. completes aninfinitive