From the Boardroom
Board of International Advisors: In Profile
Rev. Christine Chakoian the efficiency with which lau has developed its enrollment plan, fund-raising capability and new medical center has impressed board member Rev. Christine Chakoian. as one of two board members appointed by the Presbyterian Church, Chakoian provides both a historical link between the church and the school and staunch support for excellence in the curriculum. Chakoian and the Presbyterian Church view education as a liberating tool that encourages curiosity and new ideas that, in turn, lead to better governments and communities. lau’s studentcentered philosophy, Chakoian believes, will inspire young people to make a difference as ethical leaders in the corporate world and in government. as a former board member of Protestants for the Common Good, an organization formed to bring an informed Protestant voice to public life, Chakoian is well-acquainted with advocacy opportunities for people of goodwill. She has long been involved in advocacy herself, both in the united States and on an international level. lau, she says, belongs to the world community, and its students can change the course of society.
Taline Avakian education shapes the future, says taline avakian, lau board member and matriarch of the family-owned, internationally renowned avakian jewelry line. “an educated person puts himself in the shoes of the other person, and this is where civil society begins,” says avakian, a resident of london. She strongly believes that educated people will build a more civilized world not just in lebanon but throughout the middle east. to that end, this alumna of beirut College for Women has obtained Swiss funding for lau’s institute of Diplomacy and Conflict transformation. to avakian, lau is in a unique position to exert this transformative power of education: the university has survived and thrived despite conflict. it is a solid institution with a solid history of creating lifelong learners, she says. alumni are the backbone of the university’s growth and future, avakian notes. they must remember how much they have benefited from their education and must give back in time, in money and by promoting the university to those they meet throughout the world. She remembers, and she is giving back.
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