We did it!
January 20, 2020
“It was quite a journey,” admits Asma Ghannam (BS ’82). It was also a worldwide effort. “So many individuals and groups contributed to the establishment of the Philadelphia/Delaware Valley (PDV) Chapter Endowed Scholarship—including and especially the 45 volunteers from five countries who worked tirelessly for 12-18 months to produce our cookbook: ABUNDANCE Mediterranean Cuisine: Recipes by Alumni and Friends of the American University of Beirut.”
Ghannam says that WAAAUB alumni chapters in Atlanta, Boston, Dubai, Kuwait, and Qatar played key roles in the establishment of the PDV Chapter Endowed Scholarship. The core members of the team, however, who were part of the project “from day one right up until the end” were all members of the PDV Chapter: Samir Akruk (BS ’65, MS ’67), Ghada Bistanji (BS ’91, MS ’99), Asma Ghannam, Suzie (Suzan) Juraydini (BS ’84), Nasri Kawar (BS ’56, MS ’59), and Hanan Saab (BS ’82, MPH ’84). “Assistant Director of Alumni Relations Justin Tessier was also with us from the beginning to the end,” says Ghannam.
“Our chapter had three goals when we started our project in 2014: to engage alumni broadly; produce a ‘deliverable’—in our case, a cookbook; and raise money for scholarships,” Ghannam remembers. “Raising money for scholarships is something I think all alumni chapters can help with—making it possible for others to get the education we had. It is a valuable way to support our alma mater.” Another goal of the project was to celebrate AUB’s 150th anniversary.
Because of the generous donations that Ghannam secured back in 2014 for printing the cookbook, all proceeds from the sale of the cookbook supported the PDV Chapter Scholarship. “The cookbook sales didn’t quite get us to our goal though,” says Ghannam. “We asked for donations from members of our PDV Chapter and organized four events between December 2018 and November 2019 to raise the additional money we needed.”
Ghannam credits Associate Vice President for Advancement Services Soha Hmaidan with first suggesting that the chapter establish a $100,000 endowed scholarship. “I admit that it was a bit daunting at first—and not at all something we thought of doing,” she says. “$100,000 seemed more than we could possibly raise but looking back now, I can see that having that goal helped to keep us focused and motivated. That goal was our lighthouse.”
Reflecting on the chapter’s five-year journey, Ghannam says that the qualities that were needed to establish the PDV Scholarship are the same ones that AUB has needed to survive, even thrive, despite challenges and obstacles such as the ones it is facing today. “Perseverance and resilience,” she says. “We were successful because of the AUB alumni and friends who never gave up on this project. AUB will survive because of its people and those two qualities.”
Ghannam has one more message that she’d like to share with other alumni chapters: “I want them to know—please be sure to include this in your story—that they too can establish an endowed scholarship at AUB—and that I and so many others are eager to help. Each chapter is different of course and will have its own ideas. We learned a lot during the last 5-6 years and would be happy to share what we have learned with other alumni chapters and to help them so that they too can be successful.”
ABUNDANCE Mediterranean Cuisine: Recipes by Alumni and Friends of the American University of Beirut is available for sale at Librarie Antoine stores throughout Lebanon. All sales proceeds from this beautiful book will benefit the WAAAUB Philadelphia/Delaware Valley Chapter Endowed Scholarship Fund.