Born and raised in Ras Beirut, the young Gelnar Adeeb Rbeiz often heard of the college on the hill while growing up. Attending the Beirut College for Women—as LAU was known back then—was a natural choice for her when the time came to pursue higher education. As fate would have it, it was also through one of her faculty members at the university that she was eventually introduced to her husband, Mr. Chehade N. Maalouf.

The Maaloufs’ connection to LAU extended beyond Mrs. Rbeiz’s graduation with a BA in Political Science in 1971, growing stronger over the years. Her two sons, Nadim (BArch ’99) and Nassib (BS ’95), as well as her daughters-in-law Maria Iskandar Maalouf (BS ‘90) and Dina Rayess Maalouf (BS ‘96), are proud alumni, and her granddaughters Linda and Lara are current LAU students.

Following Mrs. Rbeiz’s passing in 2022, Mr. Maalouf found it fitting to honor her legacy with the naming of the Gelnar A. Rbeiz Conference Room in the Gezairi Building on the Beirut campus, reinforcing her connection with the institution she loved and creating a lasting memory to inspire generations of students.

At the dedication ceremony on February 17, Mr. Maalouf spoke fondly of his late wife, who “kept LAU on her mind all her life and talked highly of the professors and administration.”

On behalf of his family, he hoped that the donation would “encourage future alumni of the institution to contribute to keeping it a great university with a memorable history and hopefully a great future.”

“Our belief in LAU has no limits,” continued Mr. Maalouf. His granddaughters’ feedback about their courses, professors, and life on campus “makes us wonder if it is not high time for something to be done to limit this exodus of brilliant high-school graduates travelling abroad to continue their university education,” he added.

Thanking Mr. Maalouf and his family for their commitment to the country and LAU, President Chaouki T. Abdallah stressed that “the importance of philanthropy in Lebanon, in this day and age, cannot be overstated,” and such a contribution “helps build hope for students to continue their education.”

Pointing to the university’s roots as a college dedicated to educating women, Dr. Abdallah said: “We are proud to honor those women who shaped the past but also contributed to the future.”

Dean of the School of Architecture and Design Elie Haddad expressed his gratitude to the Maalouf family on behalf of the school, which is housed in the Gezairi Building. “Your support not only honors Mrs. Rbeiz’s legacy but also strengthens our mission of fostering creativity, innovation and academic excellence,” he said.

Her memory, he added, “will forever be woven into the fabric of our institution and her legacy will serve as a guiding light for future generations of students.”