Under the patronage of Mrs. Nazik Rafik Hariri, President of RHU Board of Trustees and President of Rafik Hariri Foundation, RHU celebrated its 18th Commencement Ceremony on the afternoon of Saturday, June 15, 2019. A cohort of 180 graduates who earned the right to join a growing body of RHU alumni shared with their parents and friends an evening filled with a sense of accomplishment and pride in the RHU splendid campus in the heart of nature.
RHU President, Dr. Makram Suidan, deans, chairs, and faculty and senior staff members led the procession of class of 2019 amid joyful applause from family, friends and guests. After the Lebanese national anthem and a moment of silence in memory of the late Prime Minister Martyr Rafik Hariri, the Master of Ceremony, Dr. Houssam Salami, assistant professor at RHU, welcomed everybody as the master of ceremony.
Ms. Lara El Hajj and Ms. Mira Al Kamand, representing their graduating class of 2019, delivered a speech on their behalf. Their words were filled with ardor, joy and expectation as they step out to impact the world.
RHU President, Dr. Makram Suidan, delivered his RHU Commencement address. He called upon graduates to be always in quest for knowledge, independent, creative in their thinking, productive and always seeking to serve their communities. He also referred to RHU’s excellence that is grounded in the eminence of its students, and their leading position in numerous regional and international competitions. “We take pride in calling ourselves the University of Top Achievers!!,” he said and remunerated the awards that RHU students received this year only. He also referred to RHU’s new programs of study launched for the first time in the Middle East, including Healthcare Information systems and the MBA in Oil and Gas Management, which make RHU worth of being called the University of Firsts! To read RHU President’s entire speech refer to: https://www.rhu.edu.lb/about-rhu/office-of-the-president/presidents-speeches/presidents-speech-during-commencement-2019
Dr. Amal Mudallali, the permanent representative of Lebanon at the United Nations, delivered her address as the 2019 RHU Commencement Keynote speaker. She denoted the importance of hope. “Hope is a force that can move mountains, and lack of it, can leave people, and countries in disarray. It is, and will be the key to your success in life. I am telling you this because Lebanon suffers these days from a huge deficit of hope. It is self-inflicted. This is worse than any economic deficit.” To read Dr. Mudallali’s entire speech: https://www.rhu.edu.lb/home/grad-2019
Dr. Tarek El Masri (Class 2002/ Accounting and Finance), was announced received the 2019 RHU Annual Alumni Award recognizing his meaningful contributions and achievements in academia and beyond. He delivered a short word thanking Rafik Hariri University for the award and addressing the graduates on the importance of applying what they “have learned at RHU with the spirit of excellence, morality, and integrity of RHU.” To read Dr. El Masri’s entire speech: https://www.rhu.edu.lb/home/grad-2019
During the ceremony Mr. Moustapha Skafi (mechatronics engineering) and Ms. Nazhat Najm (management) were announced as the 2019 Nazek Rafik Hariri Graduate Studies Award recipients for 2019. Established in 2012, the award covers the full tuition towards the completion of graduate studies at RHU to the top rankers (attained highest GPA) in each College.
