Building in LAU Alumna’s Honor Officially Inaugurated
“She was an extraordinary woman who had an extraordinary love for everyone, but above all, for her beloved LAU,” said President of the Lebanese American University (LAU), Joseph G. Jabbra, during a building inauguration ceremony on October 6, 2016.
He was referring to the late alumna Wadad Sabbagh Khoury who graduated from the Beirut College for Women, now LAU, in 1953. Her name now adorns a key building on the Beirut campus — Wadad Sabbagh Khoury Student Center (WSKSC) — which was made possible by Khoury’s family who generously contributed towards the renovation of an existing building, with the aim of making it a modern, multi-purpose center devoted to students.
“My mother loved and appreciated the Beirut College for Women, now LAU. She acquired her skills and developed her abilities at LAU. She learned her tact and ability to understand people at LAU. I thank LAU for preparing my mother in her fruitful role in life,” commented Salwa Khoury, daughter of Wadad Sabbagh Khoury, at the inauguration event.
Located at the upper Beirut campus, WSKSC is a five-floor building designed with special consideration to sustainability and energy management, and to serving LAU’s student body. From a fitness center and cyber café to study rooms and lounges, the student center is being put to good use and offers students with various recreational experiences and socialization opportunities.
The inauguration event gathered the Khoury family including Toufic Khoury, Samir Khoury, and Youssef and Roula Kanaan, as well as many senior LAU staff members, for a reception in the president’s office, tour of the campus and WSKSC, speech ceremony, and unveiling of the plaque.
During the ceremony President Jabbra took the chance to share Khoury’s love for LAU and highlighted her efforts to organize events for her alma mater wherever she lived which included Lebanon, Kuwait, and Greece.
“May the memory of our beloved never fade away. That she will be here at this institution, that she loved, forever,” said Jabbra.
Wadad Sabbagh Khoury was married to Said Khoury, one of the founders of Consolidated Contracting Company (CCC) based in Athens. She made valuable contributions to her husband’s business and is credited for playing a major role in helping shape CCC’s unique corporate culture based on family values, and skills she honed at LAU.