In an award ceremony held during the 146th commencement exercises for 535 graduate students of the American University of Beirut (AUB), Ismail Serageldin was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters for his “enduring contributions to the arts, humanitarian and environmental causes, and conservation of the cultural heritage.” Attending the ceremony were a great number of dignitaries, members of the AUB Board of Trustees, and friends and family of the graduates. Serageldin and fellow honorand, American Peter Sellars, world-renowned director of opera, theater, and film, were selected by AUB “in recognition of the enduring impact of their work, their contributions to the advancement of knowledge through research, and their efforts to enrich quality of life in the region and around the world”.
President of the AUB Peter Dorman described Serageldin as “both a devoted son of Egypt and a true global citizen.” Speaking of Serageldin’s achievements he said, “...Serageldin’s life and career have been marked by a profound dedication to social welfare and pursuing the public good….The historical Library of Alexandria was one of the most esteemed institutions of learning and knowledge in the ancient world. Thanks in large part to the vision and determination of Ismail Serageldin, the new Bibliotheca Alexandrina is recapturing the same spirit of openness and scholarship and aspires to be a great center of learning with global reach....”
In his acceptance speech Serageldin said, .”…The academic community requires freedom, freedom to inquire, to challenge, to think, to imagine the unimagined. It cannot function within the arbitrary limits of convention, nor can it flourish if it is forced to shy away from challenging the accepted….”
Click here to view the full ceremony.
