On September 6, at 10:00 am, the RHU President, Dr. Said Ladki, convened a Faculty and Staff Convocation. He thanked them for their commitment to RHU and acknowledged, despite the challenges, their remarkable resilience, loyalty, and determination to make RHU better. He encouraged everyone to keep working together to build a brighter future, emphasizing that the difficult days are behind them.

The President thanked the RHU Registrar and the Registrar team, the Finance team, the DAs, and the staff in student services for their support. He also appreciated everyone involved in planning and executing the exceptional 2024 Commencement, acknowledging the delivery of a truly world-class event.

During his speech, the president welcomed the new faculty warmly and asked RHU Deans Houssam Salameh, Jamil Hammoud, and Toufic Hijazi to introduce them. The new faculty members are Dr. Naziha Shamseddine (CAS), Dr. Sally Arabi Kodsi (CBA), and Dr. Usama Mostafa (CE). He then introduced Dr. Sally Hammoud as the special assistant to the president for media relations. Additionally, he acknowledged staff members who have taken on new leadership roles this year, including Mr. Abed Baba, Ms. Marwa Khanji, Ms. Ferial Samra, and Ms. Lina Basho. The president also expressed gratitude to the Board of Deans, department chairs, and members of various RHU committees.

He recognized RHU faculty members who have met the promotion requirements: Dr. Najwa Fares, who was promoted to full professor, and Dr. Grasiella Harb, who was promoted to associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences.

He also introduced Mr. Mohamad Al Kaderi in the College of Engineering as an award-winning engineer, leader, innovator, and role model for leading the RHU Robotics and Technology Club to win first-place prizes at the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) against participants from 85 countries. He also acknowledged RHU student Ms. Rayan Kaddoura, who won the 2024 Pan-Arab Award in the Arab Student StarPack competition and was announced as the Visual Package Design of the Year among all Arab countries.

He indicated that a new dawn is rising over RHU. This dawn brings new hopes, aspirations, ways of doing things, orientations to problem-solving, a new work culture, and a strong desire to serve and make an impact.

He then stated that despite RHU community members' diverse backgrounds, academic specializations, and career goals, they are united with shared values and a strong desire to make an impact. The challenge is aligning their best practices and aspirations with RHU's, breaking down communication barriers, and fostering trust and belief in the institution's common goals.

He confirmed that the men and women at RHU are the heartbeat of the institution. Their voices will always be heard, and their ideas are welcome. He emphasized shared governance, open communication, accountability, and the highest ethical standards.

RHU plans to enhance its international partnerships by its 25th anniversary. Faculty are requested to nominate their universities for partnerships and share the contact persons with their deans. RHU Provost and Registrar are tasked with organizing files at the Ministry of Education, and support from deans, department chairs, registrar, and VPs is requested. RHU is proud of its academic programs, majors, and specialty areas, as well as its ABET and ACBSP accreditations.

The ABET accreditation visit is approaching, and we need to support colleges in renewing our accreditation. We're considering seeking accreditation from a larger body after consulting with stakeholders. We should expand our program offerings in STEM fields to enhance graduate employability. This year, we have 204 new students, and the total student population is pending confirmation. Many of our graduates have achieved notable success in leadership positions and entrepreneurship.

The President stated that our main principles are to recruit the most qualified students and help them reach their full potential. Furthermore, RHU will continue to offer outstanding education and diverse skills for success, focusing on balanced learning outcomes, research, and responsibility.

The President mentioned that more information about publications, research support, grants, and databases will be available. Currently, we use databases from local universities and plan to establish our own as our financial situation improves. We prioritize ensuring RHU becomes sustainable in administration, finances, ecology, infrastructure, resources, and business models. We aim to maintain a positive work environment and trust each other as our greatest asset. We are committed to leading RHU to excellence and honoring our Founder's HE Prime Minister Martyr Rafik Hariri legacy.