Students of the Campus of Humanities attended their graduation ceremony on the 17^th of July 2018

The recent graduates cannot find the words to express their immense joy at experiencing this shifting moment of their lives.

On July 17^th, 2018, students of the Campus of Humanities attended their graduation ceremony at the Campus of Science and Technology in Mar Roukoz. These students were graduating from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, including all of its 6 departments: French literature, philosophy, history, geography, sociology, and psychology, the Faculty of Languages and Translation and the Beirut School of Translators and Interpreters, the Institute of Theater, Audiovisual and Cinematographic Studies, the Institute of Oriental Literature, the Lebanese School for Social Training, the Faculty of Religious Studies, the Higher Institute of Religious Studies and the Institute of Muslim-Christian Studies, the Faculty of Educational Sciences, and the Lebanese Institute of Educators. In attendance were the guest of honor, Prof Jabbour Douaihy, author of, among others, the two novels Pluie de juin and Saint Georges regardait ailleurs, as well as USJ professors and officials and a crowd of parents and friends.

The ceremony began with the Lebanese national anthem. Rev. Salim Daccache, s.j., Rector of USJ, then delivered a speech in which he congratulated the graduates. “I am aware that, to get here, you have had to show discipline and perseverance so that your efforts could be rewarded. Here, a graduating student is an accomplished individual. When you finish your studies, you are a citizen conscious of your duties, which is why you are now called upon to contribute to the development of your country. We know as well as you that problems are many and that things are not going well, that politics is not always a service to the greater good, but we also believe that you will yourselves take up the challenge of reforming the Lebanese State and its various services.”

“I am certain,” he continued, “that you will rise to challenges that will come your way in the years to come. Your professionalism, thoroughness, and dedication to your work will make you the leaders of your generation in your respective professional environments.”

Afterwards, Mrs. Christine Babikian Assaf introduced Prof Jabbour Douaihy, specifying that he is a novelist and professor of literature at the Lebanese University, a translator, editorialist, and literary critic at L’Orient Littéraire, that he participated with Samir Kassir on the editorial adventure of L'Orient-Express from 1995 to 1998, and that he is one of the great cultural figures of our country. When his turn came to speak, Mr. Douaihy emphasized that “you are called upon to participate in the debate, even to establish a debate in the Land of the Cedars, where the political class unfortunately only attends to the most urgent tasks, namely its nepotistic survival, transforming politics into a continual predation of common goods and into arguments that have no point but to reproduce sterile partisan affiliations. It is up to you to conceive a “certain idea” of a Lebanon that is in dire need of good people in charge to rebuild, to re-determine goals every morning, to work towards establishing a country where the values of diversity, coexistence, and tolerance are upheld, in contrast with the authoritarian and hegemonic temptations that arise when there is an excess of strength or power.”

“You will be the ones passing culture down generations. Do not forget that culture is the primordial value that defines us, a culture that merges two languages, Arabic and French. By passing down this culture you are therefore teachers at all levels, teachers of languages, translators and interpreters. Or social workers, initiators of solidarity and cohesion among our communities, journalists and artists, your achievements in the septième art speaking for themselves,” he continued.

Mrs. Elisa Baz, president of the Alumni Association of the Lebanese Institute of Educators, congratulated the graduates and announced, “along with your diplomas, you will receive tonight your membership card to the USJ Federation of Alumni Associations. Keep it safe, for it is the symbol of your belonging and your attachment to your Alma Mater and will maintain the link between you and your Faculty and University. In addition, joining the Alumni Association of your respective institutions will allow you to maintain contact with your fellow students. It will also, above all, strengthen your social and professional networks for better integration into the job market, providing you with better opportunities to boost your careers.”

For her part, Sister Josette El Barouki of the Faculty of Religious Studies spoke on behalf of the students, and Ms. Yara Fadel of the Lebanese School for Social Training said a prayer before the diplomas were handed out to the applause of the audience.

Click here to see the photos:

http://photos.usj.edu.lb/album/index.php?alb_id=2605&instid=0