Rudenstine To Chair Beirut University Council

Former University President Neil L. Rudenstine has agreed to chair the International Advisory Council to the American University of Beirut (AUB), according to an announcement made by the AUB last week.

“We are particularly fortunate to have his leadership,” AUB Board of Trustees Chair Richard A. Debs said in a press release, “especially in this crucial time when the ignorance gap between East and West is so wide and the role of education is so essential to bridging that gap.”

Although a formal announcement was only made last week, Rudenstine’s selection for the voluntary position was approved in a November meeting by the AUB Board of Trustees, AUB spokesperson Lynn Mahoney said yesterday.

Rudenstine was selected for his extensive experience in higher education, said Eileen F. O’Connor, the board of trustees secretary.

The board rarely assembles as a group—the last meeting was in June 2000—as members of the International Advisory Council often provide individual advice to the president and the board of trustees of AUB, Mahoney said.

“The president of the university could call someone and ask about a particular issue,” she said.

The 25-member AUB advisory council boasts a wide range of international leaders representing the fields of education, finance, business, diplomacy, public service, media and philanthropy.

Other council members include Peter Jennings of ABC News, Columbia University Professor Edward Said and Credit Suisse First Boston CEO John Mack.

As part of his responsibilities as chair, Rudenstine will preside over the council’s next event, a symposium on current events in the Middle East on March 14. The New York Historical Society will host the event, which will include a panel and a benefit dinner.

The last symposium raised more than $1 million to support financial aid at AUB.

The American University of Beirut is a private, independent, non-sectarian institution with an international student body of 6,100 that operates under a charter from the state of New York.

After leaving his position as Harvard’s 26th president in July, Rudenstine became head of the advisory group for ArtSTOR, an independent, not-for-profit organization sponsored by the Mellon Foundation. There, he leads efforts to develop, store and distribute electronically digital images and related scholarly materials for the study of art, architecture and other fields in the humanities.

Rudenstine could not be reached for comment.

—Staff writer Catherine E. Shoichet can be reached at shoichet@fas.harvard.edu.