Q&A with Don Selinger Nafda: The innovative coalition ‘deep-cleaning’ Lebanon’s education

“Teachers are our Greatest Asset”:

Q&A with Don Selinger, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees

Many may wonder, how did a man with no previous ties to IC, or Lebanon, for that matter, become so invested in and passionate about the school? Since joining the board in 1993, the US-based Mr. Selinger has led IC through major periods of growth and development, and is the force behind the recently launched Teacher’s Solidarity Fund. He kindly spoke to us about his journey to IC, efforts since joining the board, and near term hopes for the school.

Q: How long have you been involved with IC?

A: I joined the IC Board of Trustees as Treasurer in 1993.

Q: How did you first hear about the school? Why did you decide to join the board?

A: I first heard about IC in 1975 when traveling to Beirut, and often thereafter from Bill Turner who was and remains a friend and colleague. He has served on the Board since the mid-1970s and was chairman for over 30 years. I succeeded him as chair 5 years ago.

I lived in Cairo from 1976- 1978 and in Bahrain from 1983 - 1991, where I met many IC graduates and learned more about the important and prominent educational role the school has played in Lebanon and the Middle East. It was an honor for me to be elected to the IC Board of Trustees.

Q: Why are you passionate about supporting education in Lebanon?

A: The high value of an American-style education and the success repeatedly demonstrated by IC, quickly generated my enthusiasm for this wonderful country.

Q: What, in your opinion, makes IC such a renowned and unique institution? A: IC developed a unique culture that has been amazingly successful and has been handed down over the years since its founding in 1892. This culture is

often referred to as the IC Spirit. I have had the honor of seeing it exemplified in our current students and with our alumni and parents that I have met at IC receptions all over the world - from Lebanon, the Middle East, Europe, and North America.

Q: How has the school evolved since you first joined the community? What remains the same?

A: Perhaps, one of the most important evolutions was the decision in the mid-1990’s to raise funds for a building program. Initially, this idea met with some reservations as there was no clear precedent for doing something of this nature among private schools in the region. Fortunately, our president at the time, Gerrit Keator, was an experienced head of school and fundraiser. With his determined efforts, and invaluable help from the board, we successfully raised about $9 million. We then started to grow these funds through an active investment program.

In 2010, after many years of discussion, we purchased our Ras Beirut campus from AUB. We were then in a position to begin our building program. With continued fundraising efforts and generous donor support from alumni, trustees, parents, and friends we raised about $85 million. This allowed us to build a new primary school, a new indoor gymnasium, and a new auditorium. A new middle school followed and most recently a new pre-school.

On our Ain Air campus we built a new lab, added a sports facility, and attended to other improvements. We were in the process of moving forward with a new gymnasium and auditorium when Lebanon was hit with its financial crisis. Unfortunately, those projects and the related fundraising remain on hold.

Q: Where did the idea for the Solidarity Fund arise?

A: As the ongoing financial crisis unfolded and the school’s budget drifted deeper and deeper into repeated deficits, it became increasingly clear to me that our teachers needed to be provided with additional support.

I knew this appeal would find support in our community. It is a community that deeply values education. We have faithful parental and alumni involvement that has consistently demonstrated an enduring commitment to IC’s wellbeing.

Q: Why is supporting IC’s teachers so important at the moment? Why have you made it a priority as board chair?

A: One cannot value education without having a deep appreciation for the special role teachers play in shaping successful students. In fact, the secret to thriving students is teachers. They are our most important asset. Nothing is more important in education than the power of good teaching.

As Henry Brooks Adams once suggested, “Teachers affect eternity; one can never tell where their influence stops.”

Our teachers truly support the IC community and, in my view, they now need the abiding support of our alumni, the broader IC community, and especially our parents, whose children they nurture and educate on a daily basis.