Safeguarding AUB’s Mission: The Enduring Vigilance of the Board of Trustees

2024 Issue No. 2

Backstage at AUB, a group of leaders works tirelessly to make the university the beacon of higher education we know it to be. They are individuals from around the world from various walks of life—from academia to business, medicine to the arts. They’re the Board of Trustees, and what ties them together is a shared belief: an AUB education can change the world. The trustees, elected by their peers, share a conviction in the transformative power of postsecondary education. This is underpinned by a steadfast dedication to AUB’s mission, an unwavering commitment that serves as a beacon of assurance for the institution’s long-term success.

No time underscores this body’s importance to the university more than the Lebanese Civil War, when AUB faced threats to its very existence. In 1976, as the uncertainty of Lebanon’s future cast a long shadow, the AUB community and Board of Trustees were faced with dire financial insecurity, an exodus of faculty and staff from Lebanon, and a student body unsure of what their nation’s future held, let alone their ability to continue their education. During this time, the trustees took the bold step of proving their commitment to maintaining the university’s operation by voting to make operating the university an abiding policy.

Minutes from the September 1, 1976, meeting read, “The Trustees expressed great admiration for the loyalty of the University personnel on all levels— faculty, staff, students, syndicate workers, and alumni. The Board again confirmed its feeling that the University is one of the most important forces in the future of the Middle East and intends in every way possible to keep it functioning in spite of the very threatening situation.”

At the forefront of these efforts stood Trustee Alfred Howell, a visionary whose contributions would leave an indelible mark on AUB’s history. Not only did he serve on the board, but his pivotal role in founding the AUB Foundation was a strategic lifeline, establishing critical funding to sustain the university’s operations during the war. Trustee Howell’s stewardship as chair of the AUB Foundation was lauded by former AUB President Robert M. Haddad, who noted that “future generations at AUB will recall that his astute investment policy rescued an AUB poised at the edge of disaster, and the AUB Foundation persists as a monument to Dr. Howell’s acuity and foresight.”

Their heroic efforts embody AUB’s spirit, ensuring it remains a place where education thrives in the face of obstacles, shaping leaders and innovators who carry forth its legacy of impact and service. But this story is more than a tale of governance. It celebrates a group of visionaries deeply woven into AUB’s past, present, and future story.

As the university welcomes its new chair, Abdo G. Kadifa, we also take note of three previous chairs: Richard A. Debs (chair, 1994–2005), Thomas Q. Morris (chair, 2005–09), and Philip S. Khoury (chair, 2009–24), who represented the worlds of investment banking, medicine, and academia, respectively. They stand out as exemplars of exceptional character who brought their expertise to the job of leading and serving the university.

Richard A. Debs was elected as a trustee in 1976, board chair in 1994, and chair emeritus in 2005. His father immigrated to the United States from Deir el Ghazal in 1900, and his mother’s family was Syrian American. Dr. Debs had a highly influential career in finance, investment banking, and philanthropy in New York City. He was instrumental in the robust recovery and growth of the university in the years following Lebanon’s civil war. Dr. Debs passed away peacefully at his home on January 28, 2024. His recent death deeply saddens the AUB community.

Thomas Q. Morris was elected as a trustee in 1985, board chair in 2005, and board chair emeritus in 2009. He first came to Lebanon in 1982 at the height of the civil war as part of a team of medical experts that ultimately recommended the reaccreditation of AUB’s Faculty of Medicine by the New York State Education Department. Dr. Morris was immediately impressed with the resilience and capability of the medical staff, who had seamlessly transformed the hospital from peacetime functioning to a full-time war hospital. An abiding respect for the AUB community has guided Dr. Morris’s commitment to the university and its hospital for the past 40-plus years. As chair, he led, encouraged, and supported many university initiatives, including the university’s accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the reintroduction of PhD programs, and the highly successful Campaign for Excellence (2003–07), which enabled the construction and renovation of several facilities on campus. At the medical center, Dr. Morris presided over the establishment of several institutes and centers, as well as the renovation of the Emergency Department.

Philip S. Khoury was elected as a trustee in 1997, board chair in 2009, and chair emeritus in 2024. His strong generational ties to AUB began with his grandfather, the noted mathematician and astronomer Mansur Hanna Jurdak (BA 1901), and continued with his mother, Angela Jurdak Khoury (BA ’37, MA ’38). She became AUB’s first female instructor and Lebanon’s first female diplomat. Philip Khoury grew up in Washington, DC, and came to AUB to study from 1969 to 1970.

Khoury led AUB as chair through a prolonged period of growth and stability followed by a sharp contraction resulting from Lebanon’s severe liquidity crisis in 2019, the devastating explosion at the Beirut Port in 2020, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Khoury oversaw a visionary plan to deal with a vast web of fiscal complications resulting from Lebanon’s currency collapse. During his tenure as board chair, AUB conducted the largest capital campaign in the MENA region with BOLDLY AUB, tripled student financial aid, restored tenure after more than 30 years, undertook a massive expansion of AUBMC, and, perhaps most significantly, opened AUB’s first twin campus, AUB Mediterraneo in Pafos, Cyprus. As chair, Khoury has led the university with courage, vision, and selfless dedication—qualities he shares with his forebears.

Abdo G. Kadifa, a name synonymous with visionary leadership and technological advancement, brings to AUB a legacy of achievement and a deep-rooted passion for progress. His appointment as the new chair of AUB’s Board of Trustees is a momentous honor, underscoring his invaluable contributions and steadfast dedication to the university since he joined the board in 2014.

His journey, from an AUB electrical engineering graduate to a luminary in the global technology landscape, reflects a relentless pursuit of excellence. Kadifa’s career spans leadership positions at Hewlett- Packard, where he was an executive vice president, to cofounding Sumeru Equity Partners, marking him as a significant figure in the tech industry. His contributions extend beyond the corporate realm, deeply engaging with the Lebanese diaspora and championing tech entrepreneurship through his chairmanship at LebNet.

Chair Kadifa embodies the ethos of AUB’s commitment to fostering leaders who dream, strive, and build a better world. As he prepares to steer the university into new horizons, the AUB community stands united in its support, eagerly anticipating the next chapter in AUB’s storied legacy.

Chairs and Presidents

Najeeb E. Halaby, Chair (1983–85) Malcolm Kerr, President (1981–84) Calvin H. Plimpton, President (1984–87)

Frederic P. Herter, Chair (1985–87) Calvin H. Plimpton, President (1984–87)

Robert F. Goheen, Chair (1987–94) Frederic Herter, President (1987–93) Robert Haddad, President (1993–96)

Richard A. Debs, Chair (1994–2005) Robert Haddad, President (1993–96) David S. Dodge, President (1996–97) John Waterbury, President (1997–2008)

Thomas Q. Morris, Chair (2005–09) John Waterbury, President (1997–2008) Peter F. Dorman, President (2008–15)

Philip S. Khoury, Chair (2009–24) Peter F. Dorman, President (2008–15) Fadlo R. Khuri, President (2015–Present)

Abdo George Kadifa, Chair (July 1, 2024–Present) Fadlo R. Khuri, President (2015–Present)

Not listed here are a number of acting chairs and presidents who filled in during gap years.