The Board of Trustees (BoT) at Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU) met on October 14th to elect new officers following the end of the previously served mandate. H.E. Former Minister, Dr. Ziyad Baroud, was elected as Chairperson of the board while Mr. Ronald Farra, former BoT Chairperson, assumed the position of Deputy Chairperson. Ms. Mona Kanaan was elected as Secretary of the Board, and Mr. Farid Chedid as Treasurer.
According to the bylaws, elected officers typically serve for a three-year term with the possibility of renewal only once, and when the BoT is not convened, the officers manage the routine affairs in accordance with the decisions of the BoT duly accorded.
All the BoT members are select community leaders of high moral, educational, and social calibers, who possess expertise in the fields of academia, finance, and administration. Exclusive of the privileges of the Supreme Council, the BoT at NDU determine the educational, developmental, and planning policy of the University and supervise its implementation.
Dr. Baroud is a former Minister of Interior and municipalities and a founding member of the private firm, Haddad, Baroud and Daher Law Firm. He is also the Legal advisor to the Lebanese Teachers Syndicate and to a number of UN agencies working in Lebanon as well as a lecturer in the Saint Joseph University. As a member of the committee for modernization of law since 1997, he was elected as the general secretary of the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (2004 - 2006) where he supervised the municipal elections in 2004 and the parliamentary elections in 2005 heading a group of 1,350 inspectors. He is presently the head of the special committee for administrative decentralization which is currently preparing the draft law. Dr. Baroud is not new to NDU where he served as BoT member and founder and head of the center for decentralization housed at NDU.
Upon his election, Dr. Baroud highlighted the important role that the Board of Trustees has to play during these difficult times in safeguarding and promoting the higher education pillar in Lebanon. He stated, “Education and culture have always reflected the true nature of Lebanon, and now, more than ever, every person has the responsibility of preserving and promulgating this mission, and together we will work as a team to serve this cause.”
NDU would like to thank the former Officers of the BoT for their support and dedication and would like to extend its good wishes to the new officers of the board.