New university chair to focus on peace and ethics

The largest-ever individual donation to the behavioral and social sciences college has established a new faculty position focusing on peace and ethics.

The Zakhem family gave $1 million this summer to create the Kahlil Gibran Chair for Peace and Values. Officially established last week, the position will focus on the works of Kahlil Gibran, a early 20th-century Lebanese-American poet, writer and artist who advocated peace, cultural pluralism and human rights. The chair, which will be occupied by anthropology professor Suheil Bushrui, will be housed under the Center for Heritage Resource Studies.

George Zakhem and his family have contributed millions to higher education in their native Lebanon, but this is his first donation to a U.S. institution. Zakhem is chairman of Zakhem International S.A., a global engineering, construction and investment conglomerate. 

"Kahlil Gibran's work is very important, and it is very applicable to this age and time," said Zakhem. "I want to expand his message so that people are more aware of his legacy and what he did for this country. That is what I hope this chair will achieve."

"The college is thrilled by this generous donation from George and Lisa Zakhem for the Kahlil Gibran Chair for Values and Peace," college Dean John Townshend wrote in an e-mail. "It demonstrates the shared values of these philanthropists and the college in the subject of peace studies."

The position focuses on increasing education on East-West relations, increasing awareness of Gibran's work, conducting research and lectures and overseeing the creation of the Kahlil Gibran Archives, Research Consortium and Museum.

Gibran's literary work on peace, love and spirituality was influential within the 1960s counterculture of hippies, psychedelic drugs and free love. His most well-known book, The Prophet, has been published in more than 20 languages and has sold millions of copies.

"During this past century, it has been the only competitor, in terms of sales, to the bible," Bushrui said.

Bushrui previously directed the Kahlil Gibran Research and Studies Project, which will evolve, through the grant, into the endowed chair position. His 20-year friendship with Zakhem was instrumental in the college receiving the donation. 

The new position will bring attention to the humanities and the liberal and creative arts, an area that has received criticism and less attention in recent years, Bushrui said.

"I feel that the time has come to accept the fact that beside the practical sciences, which are very important, the sciences of the spirit are usually neglected," he said. "The teaching of the humanities, of classical literature, are matters related to the soul. It is high time that we reconcile the world of reason with the world of spirituality."

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