FEATURED INTERVIEW

Featured Interview with Mrs. Rima Frangieh


Mrs. Rima Frangieh
1. Your background and career path are very diverse and interesting. You graduated with an Economics degree, moved to Lebanon and became well known as a charismatic TV personality, and now you are a leading public figure. Tell us what is the common thread joining these roles? What do you think contributes most to your success in each of these roles?

My love for life and people, in addition to my curiosity and positive approach are the common denominator. My deep and genuine interest in everything I do, got me involved in projects & programs I am thrilled about. You may say that my work is my hobby.

2. How do you manage between being a wife, mother, and a successful leader?

By managing my time. I have a general yearly calendar of all the projects that I do and I would like to do. I also try to organize my time on a weekly basis, so I plan my weeks ahead, I organize my days through all the week, and try to give everything it's time. I also try as much as possible to give full concentration on everything I’m doing.

3. What values would you like to pass on to your daughter Vera that you yourself got from your mother?

Kindness, simplicity, having a sense of appreciation, respecting nature and wearing a smile; these are magical keys.

4. What does women empowerment mean to Rima Frangieh?

Women are an amazing source of energy if channeled in the right and fruitful direction. Women empowerment is about unlocking the potential that women already have. Women already give extensively to their families, but this can be expanded to the community, the society, and consequently to the country and the world. Women empowerment is about putting the soft power in action.

5. Who is your biggest female influence and icon? Why?

Any woman who is juggling between being a lady, a mother, a sister, a daughter, a friend, and an active citizen, while spreading love around her with femininity and sweetness, is a source of inspiration for me every day.

6. If you had the power to make one decision that would contribute to greater gender equality in Lebanon, what would it be? Why?

The one thing I would do, the most important thing I believe, would be working towards building a true civil country; true civil society, with civil rights where equality, tolerance, and freedom are the main pillars and where all the citizens, whether men or women, share the same rights and duties.

7. What are your future plans for Ehdeniyat International Festival, Cinemaiyat Festival, and National Autism Center (NAC)?

For Ehdeniyat, I am hoping to continue what we are already doing with even more success and magic, and most importantly proving through this festival that music and arts bring people together. Ehdeniyat is a festival that has something for every music taste. It spreads excitement and an exquisite celebratory mood in the summer. It also creates a number of seasonal job opportunities for our youth. We promise you an amazing festival this year!

Cinemaiyat will be held in June this year. Cinemaiyat will become a platform to link all the young talented Lebanese directors with the movie festivals around the world. We are also providing our participants with workshops, trainings, and PR connections in the cinema world. It will be a very strong comeback for Cinemaiyat!

NAC’s mission is to spread more and more awareness about autism so that people understand what it means to be an autistic person. We want the public to be compassionate with autistic people and children, thus encouraging parents in the acceptance phase. Supporting parents of autistic children would help them seek help at an early stage to find better solutions and results. The North Autism Center has now two dimensions. The location is in the North and we have students from all over North Lebanon, with students integrated in public and private schools. We also have the National Autism Committee, known as NAC too, that will be spreading awareness on the national level so as to encourage parents and schools to integrate autistic children and adults in the workplace as well.

8. Final message to MUBS students

You know you are lucky to be where you are, so try to make the most of it. Try to make a link between what you are studying in the books and what is going on around you in the world. Being educated and cultured is about reaching the point where you can make reasonable relationships among distant variables, so if you reach that point, you would be doing something wonderful for yourself, for your university, for your country, and for the whole world. So make the most of this wonderful time in your life!

MUBS NEWS

MUBS Young Entrepreneur 2016

Modern University for Business and Science (MUBS) in collaboration with the United Nations Information Centre in Beirut- UNIC, hosted the 4th Annual Young Entrepreneur Contest on the 18th of March at the Unesco Palace, Beirut.

Dr. Hatem Alamy, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at MUBS, Ms. Marguerite El Helou, Acting Director at the United Nations Information Centre-Beirut (UNIC), Mr. Ghassan Assaf, Chairman General Manager of BBAC, schools’ representatives, members of the Board of Trustees, faculty, and staff at MUBS attended the event.

The Young Entrepreneur Contest was launched based on the strong links established between MUBS and Staffordshire University in the UK and as part of the ASPIRE Tempus Project. The purpose of the contest is to stimulate the spirit of innovation and creativity among public and private high schools’ students, through unleashing their imagination to design small-scale projects that will build their capacities and promote entrepreneurship. More than 60 projects were submitted from different schools, but only fifteen groups were selected for the final round.

Each of the fififteen groups presented their ideas in front of the jury that included: Mr. Fadi Yarak, Director General of Education, Dr. Saad Andary, Vice Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, Dr. Nicolas Rouhana, Executive Director at Berytech, Dr. Khater Abou Habib, Chairman & General Manager of Kafalat, Ms. Marguerite El Helou, Acting Director at UNIC-Beirut, and Mrs. Fayza Saad Mehanna, Executive Director at Injaz Lebanon

The first prize went to the "Golden Basket" project by Al Hadi Institute for Deaf, Blind and Learning Disabilities. The project is a smart trashcan that could separate the wastes according to their nature automatically through sensors, lights, and sounds

The second prize went to the "Garbage to Energy" project by Kernayel High School. It aims to change the garbage into biogas using the high temperature in an oxygen-free environment

The third place went to "Pico Pi" project by Zahia Salman Public High School. “Pico Pi” is a package designed to help students, or those who love cinema, project their lectures or movies in an easy way using the concept of attaching raspberry pi to the battery

Awards included monetary prizes and scholarships at MUBS

Congratulations to all the finalists and winners!


MUBS Science Rally 2016

For the third year in a row, MUBS organized its yearly Science Rally competition.

The Science Rally is organized yearly by the School of Health Sciences at MUBS, in collaboration with researchers and faculty from the American University of Beirut (AUB), Stanford University (USA), and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (USA). The competition was open to high school students in grades 11 and 12. Its aim is to motivate high school students to understand, process, and explain the scientific phenomena that surround them. It focuses on the “Why” in scientific phenomena from everyday life.

This year, the event was held under the patronage of Prof. Ahmad Jammal, General Director of Higher Education and in the presence of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at MUBS, Dr. Hatem Alamy, members of the Board, faculty and staff, in addition to a number of teachers and principals from participating schools who provided great support for the teams, and were on the edge of their seats as the competition advanced. Moreover, as part of the event, MUBS honored Professor Naim Ouaini, President of the Lebanese Association for the Advancement of Science (LAAS) and Deputy President for Public Administration at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik.

This year’s competition was divided into two rounds. The fifirst round took place at the Unesco Palace, Beirut, while the second round took place at MUBS Damour Campus

Eighteen schools from different regions in Lebanon competed in front of a prestigious scientifific jury consisting of: Dr. Jomana Aridi, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the Lebanese American University, Dr. Mariam Hammadi, Assistant Professor of Biology at the Modern University for Business and Science, Dr. Rachid Ammar, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Balamand and Notre Dame University, in addition to Dr. Rashid Hamdan, Assistant Professor of Physics at the Lebanese American University and the Lebanese University.

Stage 1:Six finalists out of 18 were qualified to Stage 2 which took place on 11th of February at the Unesco Palace in Beirut. The qualified schools were as follows

  • Le Lycée National (Bekaata)
  • Shouf National College
  • Amjad
  • Hariri High School II
  • Maroun Abboud High School (Aley)
  • Baakline offificial Secondary School (BOSS)

    • Stage 2:The six finalists competed for the victory on the 26th of February at MUBS Damour Campus.

    The winning schools were as follows:

  • 1st Place: Baakline Official Secondary School
  • 2nd Place: Amjad
  • 3rd Place: Shouf National College
  • 4th Place: Le Lycee National (Bekaata)

    • Awards included free tickets to Turkey to all members of the winning team, in addition to monetary prizes and scholarships at MUBS.

    Congrats to all participants!

    Round Table Discussion

    As part of the Science in the Community Seminar Series, the School of Health Sciences organized a round table discussion on “The Importance of Public Health in Lebanon and the Middle East” which was held on Tuesday March 8th, 2016 in Beirut Campus. The round table discussion was facilitated by Dr. Nael Alami, the Vice President for Research and Innovation, who hosted the Director General of the Ministry of Public Health Dr. Walid Ammar.

    Dr. Alami opened the discussion by stressing on the importance of Public Health in shaping our daily lives and left the flfloor to Dr. Ammar who talked about the past, present and future status of Public Health. Dr. Ammar emphasized on the role of Public Health in facing natural and man-made disasters and dealing with pandemics and epidemics at the National and International levels. He discussed the role of Public Health in the current emerging situations in Lebanon such as the Syrian Refugees crises and its effect on health, economy, and education sectors. This is in addition of the adverse effects of waste mismanagement on our health. Dr. Ammar has informed the students on the recent activities carried out by the Ministry of Public Health in terms of vaccinations, health awareness campaigns, and safety inspections in food service organizations. He highlighted the important role of Public Health professionals and their prospects in the Lebanese community and the vast career opportunities they have. He ended the discussion by giving a brief overview of the gap analysis of the Lebanese Public Health system and resources needed.

    More than 50 attendees were present including faculty, staff and students majoring in Public Health and Nutrition and Dietetics. Students in the School of Health Sciences shared all their thoughts with Dr. Ammar and were mainly focused on the topics highlighted in the very interactive discussion.

    Cancer Seminar at UCTD

    In line with University’s dedication to community awareness, the University Center for Training and Development (UCTD) at the Modern University for Business and Science organized a seminar entitled “Cancer between Facts and Myths”. The seminar was held on Friday March 4th, 2016 at 12 noon in the UCTD-Jal el Dib.

    Dr. Nisreen Alwan, Dean of School of Health Sciences opened the seminar by welcoming the attendees and guests, whose number exceeded 60. Dr. Hatem Alamy, Chairman of Board of Trustees, stressed on the important role UCTD is playing in terms of awareness and in forming a bridge between the University and Community. Dr. Alwan then gave a brief overview of the School of Health Sciences and the progress that has been made so far on the academic and social levels.

    The fifirst talk was given by Ms. Michele Hajal, the Dietitian at the Diet Clinic in UCTD who noted that following a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and having regular physical exercise can help many people avoid developing cancer. Professor Elie Toeuini, an Oncologist in Abou Jaoude Hospital, presented the definition and scientific meaning of cancer, its different types, prevalence, and gave tips on how to avoid having it. Dr. Rihab Nasr, an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine at AUB and the founder of Amalouna Foundation, held a very interactive discussion on the myths and facts of cancer and highlighted the important role that Amalouna Foundation is carrying in terms of raising awareness. All attendees noted on the importance of holding such beneficial seminars.

    Toni Issa at MUBS

    Mr. Raja Nasser Eldine, Instructor of the Special Topics in Media Arts class at the Aley Campus, invited Mr. Toni Issa as a guest lecturer on his professional acting career. Mr. Issa spoke to MUBS students about his professional experience; especially his acting career. Students got the chance to meet Mr. Issa closely as he discussed his life as a public figure, how he began his career, the challenges he faced and his future plans. He also gave our students a sneak peak at his new single.

    Blood Donation at Aley Campus

    The School of Health Sciences at MUBS and in collaboration with “Donner Sang Compter/DSC” Association and “Ain Wazein Hospital” held a blood donation campaign at Aley campus on the 14th of March 2016.

    The successful campaign recruited 28 of blood donors.


    EBSCOHOST

    On March 3rd, 2016 the English department at MUBS Damour invited Mr. Ali Abdallah of EBSCOHOST to provide senior MUBS students with a special session on e-library resources. Mr. Abdallah taught the senior students the tips and tricks of using EBSCO, Boolean operators, keywords and field symbols, and other techniques to make retrieving scholarly articles for the academic writing easier. The two hour intensive training was extremely beneficial for the senior level students. MUBS would like to extend its appreciation to Mr. Abdallah and to all those who participated in the training session!

    MUBS at NERD 16

    Dr. Alaaeddine Ramadan represented MUBS as a member of the jury of the National Education Robotics Day (NERD16) that was hosted by the American University of Beirut (AUB) on March 5, 2016. This year’s theme “Robots for Nature” was related to our current situation in Lebanon and the robotics challenges were about waste management and environmental issues. Dr. Ramadan participated in the judging jury for the First Lego League missions. This year’s missions were related to Trash Trek, competitors should manipulate robots to accumulate the maximum number of points during the Trash Trek missions (cleanup, composting, Sorting, Recycling, etc….).

    MUBS FACULTY & STAFF

    MUBS New Mothers!















    Mrs. Nissrine Rizk AlAsmar

    1. How do you describe Motherhood?

    Motherhood is loving unconditionally, caring & sacrificing.

    2. How do you manage between your child/children and your professional life?

    This is definitely not an easy task especially that it is something new in my life. But I am thankful for the presence of my mom and mother in law who are making this so much easier on me.

    3. Special message to all moms.

    Live this experience because it is the most beautiful feeling in the world.

    Mrs. Randa Faress Ghanem

    1. How do you describe Motherhood?

    To me, motherhood is the greatest act of love and selflessness I have ever experienced. It's the most challenging yet rewarding experience of my life

    It opens my heart in a new way to a very special kind of love. Motherhood means feeling a mix of emotions simultaneously – fear, glee, worry, angst,and pride.

    Even in the hard times my children always seem to do something to make me laugh and forget all about it.

    2. How do you manage between your child/children and your professional life?

    Being a first time twin mom with a full-time working job seems to be awful.

    It sometimes makes me guilty and stressed because of divided attention between work and family. The key was to focus on a plan, get organized, and try to enjoy even the hard times.

    3. Special message to all moms.

    To all moms, I say: There's no such thing as a perfect balance, so don’t add pressure to your life by trying to meet unrealistic goals. Recognize that you have already given so much, and decide where you're going to spend your energy most effectively and happily.

    Mrs. Razane Diab Haddad

    1. How do you describe Motherhood?

    Motherhood is the most wonderful challenge I've ever taken on. It is rewarding; it is beautiful; it is exhausting; it is terrifying; it is exciting, and most of all - it is rejuvenating.

    2. How do you manage between your child/children and your professional life?

    Coffee...lots of it!

    3. Special message to all moms.

    You are appreciated.

    Mrs. Wida Bou Hadir Nasrallah

    1. How do you describe Motherhood?

    It’s a challenging responsibility but worth it

    2. How do you manage between your child/children and your professional life?

    It’s definitely not an easy task but i believe that management is the key to every success.

    3. Special message to all moms.

    You are a super woman so be proud of yourself and your great efforts!

    MUBS STUDENTS

    How do you manage between being a mom & student? And who is the most inspiring woman of all time and why?

    Diana

    It's all about teamwork, supporting family, flexibility that allows women to raise her kids along with studying. It's her innovation and support that will continue to bring me to higher levels. Thanks to my mother, the most inspiring woman

    Randa

    Being a mom and student at the same time is really a hard job to do and interesting at the same time, you have to make schedules to control your life since your kids need you more than any person. I always try to achieve my goals to graduate & make my little girl proud of her mother so I can be her inspiring icon in every step of her life.

    Samar

    Being a student & a working mom is no easy task. I reconsidered the decision to study several times and in fact it was my three wonderful children who inspired me to go on. It was not only to be able to improve my knowledge and career, but mostly to be an example for them to consider that education and learning is everlasting, to target their aims as high as possible, and to be ambitious enough to achieve their goals. Until now I am managing it well with the support of my husband, who is there to encourage me. History shows many inspiring women with great achievements, but for me personally the most inspiring women was my mother, who I feel blessed to have and whose wise advises still echo in my mind.

    Zeina

    Being a mom for two kids & a student at the same time, is not an easy task .Time management & having a daily schedule is a must that helps a lot. But nothing is impossible for me because I have a target to reach, and I am proud of what I am doing. The most inspiring woman of all time is my friend who is a mom and a successful person. Taking thedecision to complete my education was because of her graduation photos which gave me an incentive.

    Dania

    It’s definitely not an easy task to have a baby at home and pursuing your educational dream. I time manage my days to focus on my studies and dedicate the rest of my day for my baby boy. So far it is working. My mother is my superwoman. She sacrificed so much for me and gave me the best gift of all which is hope & dedication for a good future.

    Marianne

    Oh God, where do I start! It is truly not an easy task. I have to split my time between classes and my children and their needs. Despite the difficulties I face, it is still possible once you have the will & determination. Oprah Winfrey is a true inspiration. For a woman of color to conquer what she has during a critical discrimination period is phenomenon. She is a true example of determination and power.

    Naifa

    It is not a simple task. I take morning classes two days a week to manage time for my kids and their needs. We study together so that makes things fun for all of us. I don’t have a particular woman in mind, but I try to take small features from different women to build in me and improve my skills as a woman.

    Salha

    It’s all about time management, delegation, determination, strong will and belief in women empowerment. I try to divide my time between my children, working & studying. I believe that it’s about the quality time you spend and not the quantity. Most inspiring woman: Benazir Bhutto, 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan. She fought for people & women’s rights. She was a working mother who surpassed sexism and gender inequality. She sacrificed her life for her country.

    Ghida

    It’s not easy to manage between being a mom and a student! Each is not an easy task actually! But my ambition is so much bigger than thinking about these simple road blocks. There are lots of women that inspire me and I look up to. But the most inspiring one is Oprah Winfrey as she always says: “With every experience, you alone are painting your own canvas, thought by thought and choice by choice”.

    Norma

    It is never easy but can be done with balance between family and studies. Being a working mother and college student is challenging. As hard as it might be now, I'll be glad i did it later. I believe that hardworking women inspire their children. The most inspiring women as for me is Queen Elizabeth, she is a strong women.

    Nour

    I am a mom for 2 girls, and it's really challenging being a Mom and student at the same time, I have to organize my schedule very well. I can see that they are very proud of me even though university is taking me from them. Also this gives them motivation in order to study hard and love school. I am really inspired by Mother Teresa who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, she aimed at looking after those who had nobody to look after them through her own order; she worked tirelessly towards her goal until her death.

    Wedyan

    It’s a big challenge to be a nutrition student and a mom, but yes you can be both if you have the desire and will to achieve you dreams of mother hood and studying. My mother is the most inspiring women of all time, the most caring creature who gave me life, who taught me how to handle it. If at first you don’t succeed, try doing it the way your mom told you in the beginning.

    Amani

    It is not easy but sometimes you have no choice. I am currently studying to help my children & I think I am doing well with time management. I take care of my kids first & then finish my homework. My mother is the most inspiring woman who has given me all the power and inspiration to be a better woman.

    Basma

    It’s hard especially when I have to leave them alone and come to uni, but I thank god that my mom is always around so she can look after them. When I feel down I just listen and watch Oprah’s program because she inspires me.

    Rola

    It’s difficult for me to manage between being a mom & a student at the same time, but thankfully I have the support of my parents. I think Queen Elizabeth is the most inspiring woman, although she is old, she can manage how to represent her country well and insure the development of Great Britain.

    Zeina

    It's very challenging, I set my priorities so that I have time to study & help my kids with their homework. I think without the help of my mom I could not make it. She inspires me to become a better person.
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