AUB alum Mahmoud Malhas donates $600,000 to AUB to renovate student room

The common room, which serves as a multi-purpose student area in West Hall, was renovated with a $600,000 donation from Malhas, who is an AUB alumnus and advocate.

Following a welcome by Student Affairs Dean Maroun Kisirwani, Malhas was introduced by AUB President Peter Dorman as a "distinguished alumnus and generous donor who enabled the renovation of one of the most beautiful spaces on our campus."

Dorman said:

"We thank him for giving back to AUB so generously. It is an honor to associate his name to the University and enshrine it here in the Mahmoud Malhas Common Room."

"AUB never let us down, so let's all try to do as much as we can to continue the mission started by [AUB Founder Daniel] Bliss," said Malhas, addressing a room-full of prominent AUB alumni, that included Culture Minister Tammam Salam; Jordanian former ministers Rajaa Muasher and Adnan Badran; Lebanese former minister Karam Karam; Palestinian former minister Maher Masri; and former Ambassador Khalil Makkawi, who is currently the president of the Worldwide Alumni Association of AUB.

Malhas recounted how during his first year at AUB, while studying economics, he was almost forced to drop out, after the hard-earned funds that his father had provided for him had run out. But when he informed then-AUB President Archie Crawford of his decision, he sent him to the Comptroller's Office where Malhas was told that he had been awarded a full scholarship that will cover his tuition, books, and include a small stipend. Many years later, Malhas discovered that Crawford, who was known as a very strict and tough administrator, had paid for his education out of his own pocket.

"This austere man had been so kind to me and my family," said Malhas. "How on earth could I ever forget AUB, which had given me a lot. It did not just give me a degree and an academic education,...but lots of culture... and the skills needed to go out and succeed. And I wouldn't have gotten this anywhere else."

The Mahmoud Malhas Common Room includes an exhibition area, a study room, discussion spaces, and exam room, and has been furnished with modern, brightly-colored furniture and equipped with a sound system, two large TV screens, an overhead projector, and internet access.

The Mahmoud Malhas Common Room has already been the site of several particularly important events on campus, that have included, a student exhibition, a wellness fair, a scholarship dinner, and a reception honoring ministers, include PM Fouad Siniora, serving in the Lebanese Cabinet and who are AUB alumni.

Malhas holds executive posts in over 10 major companies in the Middle East, the United States, and Europe, and has diversified investments in a number of companies, including the Four Seasons Hotel in Jordan, and the Al Mahmoudia for Watches and Jewelry.

He was also among who made donations toward the reconstruction of College Hall in the 1990s. He received his BA in economics from AUB in 1957. His son, Fahd, also graduated from AUB, with a BA in political studies in 2001.