American University of Beirut (AUB) President Fadlo Khuri presented AUB Trustee Emeritus and AUB Alumni Association (AAA) President Hisham Jaroudi (BArch ’66) with the President’s Medal for Outstanding Voluntary Service in recognition of his dedication to his alma mater and his many contributions to AUB and the AUB Medical Center (AUBMC).
The presentation took place at a dinner organized by AAA and held under the patronage and in the presence of AUB President Khuri at Eau de Vie at the Phoenicia Hotel to honor Jaroudi for his years of service and leadership. During the ceremony, AAA presented Khuri with a special recognition plaque featuring the university’s Main Gate for his leadership of AUB.
The evening began with a reception and welcome drinks as guests gathered to celebrate Jaroudi’s longstanding relationship with AUB. Jaroudi and his wife, Lina, greeted guests as they arrived and posed for photos with each guest. The gathering brought together a wide cross-section of the AUB community and friends of the university, including former ministers, members of parliament, deans, members of the AAA managing board, faculty, staff, alumni, and other distinguished guests. Following the reception, AAA General Secretary Mona Kanaan welcomed attendees and opened the formal program.
In his remarks, Khuri reflected on Jaroudi’s lifelong connection to AUB, describing him as an “AUB baby” who grew up in Ras Beirut, attended International College when it was part of AUB, and later graduated from AUB in 1966. “If someone can bleed AUB Berytus red or Bliss blue, it is Hisham Jaroudi. He is the proud father of three AUB alumni: his son Tammam (BE Civil Engineering ’98); his daughter Nadia (BArch ’99); and his daughter Souraya (BS Biology ’02). So, this is an AUB family through and through.”
Khuri spoke about the breadth of Jaroudi’s extraordinary and consistent philanthropy, which has supported university facilities, AUBMC, scholarships, and students at both AUB in Beirut and AUB Mediterraneo in Pafos. As a result of all of Jaroudi’s remarkable work and dedication, Khuri explained, “We wanted to do something relatively unique for this individual who eats, sleeps, and breathes this university.” He noted that he and Dr. Imad Baalbaki, senior vice president for advancement and business development at AUB, had put their heads together, adding, “I am proud to present him with the President’s Medal for Outstanding Voluntary Service, which is the highest honor the president of our university can confer upon anyone. This medal is awarded to individuals who have provided exceptional support to the university, specifically through their work with AUB’s alumni or volunteer groups. He is in very rare company, being only the fourth person in the history of our university to receive this award.”
Jaroudi, in his own remarks, looked back on a relationship with AUB that began in his student years and continued throughout his professional life, philanthropy, trusteeship, and alumni service. He described the university as an institution that taught him not only an academic discipline but “how to think, how to respect differing opinions, and how to place the public interest above any private interest.” Reflecting on his decision to continue supporting AUB after graduation, he said, “An alumnus’s relationship with his university does not end at graduation. Rather, that is where it begins.” He added, “I believe that investment in education is the only investment that never loses. It is an investment in the human being and in Lebanon’s future.” Jaroudi also spoke of the role of alumni in sustaining the university across generations, declaring, “The strength of the university lies in its alumni,” and describing AUB as a space for dialogue and an institution whose graduates continue to carry its values throughout Lebanon and around the world.
“Hisham Jaroudi exemplifies what it means to remain deeply connected to one’s alma mater,” said Baalbaki, a good friend of Jaroudi’s. “His relationship with AUB has extended far beyond his years as a student, through decades of service. He reminds us that our alumni are both part of AUB’s history and essential partners in shaping its future.”
Jaroudi will soon be ending his term as president of AAA. Elections for the new AAA leadership will take place in November–December 2026.
About AUB
Founded in 1866, the American University of Beirut bases its educational philosophy, standards, and practices on the American liberal arts model of higher education. A teaching-centered research university, AUB has more than 790 full-time faculty members and a student body of over 9000 students. AUB currently offers more than 140 programs leading to bachelor’s, master’s, MD, and PhD degrees. It provides medical education and training to students from throughout the region at its Medical Center that includes a full-service 365-bed hospital.
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