Update: Advancement

Home » June 2011

Passion is the difference

Last month while I was traveling between the Beirut and Byblos campuses I struck up a conversation with a fellow passenger in the car with me. He is an LAU faculty member in the communication arts department and we talked about how he was working to engage his students in learning more broadly—in the true liberal arts sense that is the tradition of LAU—rather than focusing specifically on a single subject area such as theater or drama. He was trying to open his student’s minds and keep them excited about learning. He wanted to teach his students how to learn not just what to learn. And he wanted them to keep learning, not just while they were at LAU, but for the rest of their life. I was impressed with his passion for his work and struck by how he was truly making a difference in the lives of his students.

When I left Columbia University almost six years ago to join LAU, I did it because I wanted to make a difference. Columbia is a wonderful institution with a long and illustrious history but, in many ways, I felt I was a cog in its vast machinery. I knew that by joining the LAU family I’d have the opportunity to do new things, engage in and implement exciting new ideas, and become part of an institution that was truly on the move. In short, I’ve been able to make a difference in ways that I never could have done at Columbia or a lot of other institutions for that matter. It was a good move for me and I’m proud to be a part of this wonderful community.

Each of us has an opportunity to make a difference—no matter how large or small—with what we do just about every single day. And making a difference doesn’t always have to mean doing something groundbreaking or revolutionary. Like my friend in the communication arts department, simply having a passion about something and allowing it to shine through can sometimes be all that it takes to really make a difference in the work that we do.

Given the remarkable developments at LAU over the past few years we are fortunate to be part of an institution that fosters and nurtures our ability to make a difference. And each and every day members of the Advancement division, as well as other people from throughout the LAU community, are doing just that. It’s what helps to make LAU such an incredible place to be.

Sincerely,

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