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 Historical Background
The Riyadh chapter of the American University of Beirut was established many years ago by enthusiastic AUB alumni in Riyadh. Although the official records are no longer available, it is believed that it started in the late 1970s. The chapter grew in the early 1980s as the Lebanese Civil War drove a lot of AUB alumni to leave Lebanon for Saudi Arabia and the Gulf.
The chapter was very active in the 1980s and early 1990s under the leadership of Dr. Mustafa Ghandour (MD '52), Dr. Maurice Attiah (MD), Mrs. Claudette Attiah (BA 63), Dr. Melhim Samara (MD '73), Dr. Ghassan Khoury (MD '79), Mr. Hassan Turk (BE '72), and others. In 1996, the chapter started to become more active with the first visit by Dr. John Waterbury to Riyadh. Mr. Munzer Kuzayli, who is currently director of the AUB Medical Center, (AUBMC) headed the committee of volunteer alumni in Riyadh at that time. The committee concentrated its work on fundraising and organized a number of dinners that featured Dr. Waterbury as the keynote speaker. When Mr. Kuzayli left Riyadh in 1997, Dr. Abdullah Shammas took over the presidency of the committee, which also included a vice president, treasurer, and secretary. In 1999 Dr. Shammas left Riyadh and the committee appointed Mr. Abdul Fattah Ghali as president, Mr. Basel Shukri and Mr. Nicolas Haddad as vice presidents, and Mrs. Maysam Tamim as treasurer. The committee changed its name and became known as the AUB Alumni Committee in Riyadh (AACR).
The committee, presided then by Mr. Abdul Fattah Ghali, sponsored a series of social events, hosted the first annual presentation of AUB to new applicants to the University, organized regular yearly visits for staff from the Admissions Office to local and international schools in Riyadh, and in 2000 awarded scholarships to medicine and engineering students short-listed by AUB. In 2000, the committee established AACR's first pledged fund and in 2001, and awarded a second scholarship. In 2003, the Riyadh Scholarship Endowed Fund was established. The fund, which is growing steadily, is providing ongoing scholarship support for a number of AUB students.
In 2007, the WAAAUB organized an electronic election process that resulted in the first elected WAAAUB Chapter for Riyadh with Jamal El Zein as President, Ayman El-Hout as VP, Hassan Hotait as Treasurer and Fadi Chaker as Secretary and an additional seven Members-at-Large. The elected committee ratified the bylaws of the Riyadh Chapter in accordance with the requirements of the WAAAUB.
The current committee has hosted 3 social events and assisted in organizing regular yearly visits for staff from the Admissions Office to local and international schools in Riyadh, and continued the efforts of the previous committee in raising funds to feed the scholarship fund dedicated to AUB students.
In 2008, the committee hosted two major events in Riyadh showcasing the violinist Jihad Akl and another entertainment event. Three major events are planned for 2009, in addition to a diversified series of activities.
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