LEBANON: POLITICAL ELITE ATTEND AUB PRESIDENT'S

UNCLAS BEIRUT 000498 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA, NEA/PI, NEA/PPD DEPT FOR IO ACTING A/S WARLICK P FOR DRUSSELL OVP FOR MUSTAFA NSC FOR SHAPIRO, MCDERMOTT USUN FOR WOLFF/GERMAIN/SCHEDLBAUER STATE PASS USAID FOR LAUDATO/NANDY/SCOTT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASCH EAID OEXC OPRC PGOV SCUL KMPI LE SUBJECT: LEBANON: POLITICAL ELITE ATTEND AUB PRESIDENT'S INAUGURATION SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (U) Leading figures from Lebanon's political and business communities turned out for the formal inauguration of the new president of the American University of Beirut (AUB),Peter ¶F. Dorman, on May 4. Ambassador and Poloff attended, with ACS Chief in cap and gown representing Columbia University. MP Saad Hariri and former-PM Najib Mikati, both AUB Trustees, were part of the official AUB procession. This was the first swearing-in ceremony to take place in AUB's West Hall since the 1982 event for Malcolm Kerr, who was assassinated in ¶1984. In his speech, Dorman spoke of AUB's need to attract more foreign students and increase financial aid for needy students. The USG has provided $50 million in assistance to AUB since 1997, through PD, USAID, the Fulbright program, and the Middle East Partnership Initiative. End Summary. POLITICAL ELITE AT AUB -------------- ¶2. (U) AUB celebrated the inauguration of its new president, Peter F. Dorman, who was born in Beirut and boasts fifth generation ties to AUB. Many senior Lebanese political figures attended, including PM Fouad Siniora, an alumnus; Majority Leader MP Saad Hariri and former-PM Najib Mikati, both AUB Trustees; Shia MP Yassin Jaber, Telecommunications Minister Gebran Bassil, Information Minister Tarek Mitri, Minister for the Displaced Raymond Audi, and MP Ghassan Tueni. LANDMARK SWEARING-IN CEREMONY -------------- ¶3. (U) Dorman, who had taken up his duties at AUB in July 2008, received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in ¶1985. He is a Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations scholar and the great-great-grandson of AUB's founder, the Reverend Daniel Bliss. Dorman was born at the American University Hospital and grew up in Beirut, where his father served as a Presbyterian missionary. In his inauguration speech, Dorman stressed the need for AUB to continue to attract high caliber students, not just from Lebanon, but also from other countries throughout the region and globally. In the wake of the global economic crisis, Dorman also talked about the need for AUB to increase its financial aid program to help struggling students pay the cost of an AUB education. USG SUPPORT TO AUB -------------- ¶4. (U) USG assistance to AUB has been extensive and long-standing. AUB has received $50 million in USG assistance since 1997 as follows: $20 million in USAID Economic Support Funding (ESF); $22 million in funding from the American Schools and Hospitals Association; and $8 million through various subcontracts by various partners working on projects funded by USAID such as Mercy Corps. ¶5. (U) The Middle East Partnership Initiative's (MEPI) Tomorrow's Leaders Scholarship Program also provides scholarship assistance AUB students. The Tomorrow's Leaders Scholarship Program will provide approximately 17 scholarships, worth approximately $3.7 million, each year to underserved high school students from the Middle East/North Africa region to attend AUB and other American universities in the region. Scholarship recipients will receive a four year academic and specialized civic-based training program to include a semester abroad in the U.S. as well as internship opportunities with local public, civil society, or private sector organizations. AUB accepted six students for the 2008/2009 academic year under this program. SISON