Saïd Business School Topping Out Ceremony for the Phase II Building
Oxford University’s Saïd Business School celebrated the completion of the first stage of work on a new building with a topping out ceremony held on 16 June. The building designed by leading architects Dixon Jones who also created the award-winning main building will provide additional facilities for teaching and executive education activities including lecture theatres, seminar rooms, a restaurant and roof terrace. It is expected to be completed in summer 2012.
Professor Andrew Hamilton, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, Professor Colin Mayer, Dean of the Saïd Business School, and Wafic Saïd
Wafic Saïd, the original benefactor of the School who is also supporting the construction of the new building, poured the last piece of concrete of the superstructure. He said:
“This building has been part of the vision for the Saïd Business School from the moment that we bought this site. We knew that the School would progress and its success would mean that it would outgrow its original building in ten years – we were right!
This Phase II building represents a new and exciting stage in the School’s development. It provides not only for growth but also brings the School’s degree and executive education programmes much more closely together for the benefit of both - from students embarking on their first degrees to CEOs seeking to understand the broader context for their work. I congratulate the School on the remarkable success that it has achieved this far.
I also congratulate and thank our architects, Dixon Jones, who with this new building are completing the work they began with Phase I, work which has so much improved this corner of Oxford.”
Wafic Saïd also thanked the contractors, CPL, the Project Managers, Gardiner & Theobald, the University and those involved at the School. He then went on to say a special thank you to Professor Colin Mayer, the Dean of the School, who is shortly stepping down after six years at the helm:
“It was during your Deanship that most of the planning and design of this building were carried out. It was also during your Deanship that the School’s new executive education business grew and prospered beyond anyone’s expectations, making this building both necessary and affordable.
You have worked tirelessly for the School as its Dean over the last five years and can look with great satisfaction at the quality of its students and faculty, its research and its degree programmes. You have also done much to improve the School’s careers and alumni services and its operations and can be very proud of the School you are handing over to your successor.”
The Saïd Foundation honours Professor Fawaz Gerges with Lifetime Achievement Award
The Saïd Foundation’s annual dinner was held on Saturday 7 May at the Wallace Collection, London, to celebrate the achievements of the Foundation’s scholars and alumni. For over 25 years the Foundation has been granting scholarships for postgraduate studies in the UK to talented young men and women from the Middle East and it now has over 500 alumni.
Wafic and Rosemary Saïd with current scholars and Foundation staff
Before awarding the prizes Wafic Saїd spoke of the Foundation’s mission and the challenges it currently faces. He said: “As many of you know, the Foundation’s mission is to contribute to positive and lasting change to the lives of children and young people of the Middle East…. Our vision is a Middle East in which all children can realise their full potential. Although the Foundation is, of course, non-political and non-sectarian, we cannot but be affected by the wider events in the region. And at times like this, with the terrible violence taking place there, I feel, sadly, that our task is becoming ever more challenging and that we have even more work to do to achieve our vision.”
Wafic Saїd went on to talk about Syria: “I am devastated by what is happening in my country, Syria, and strongly condemn all violence. Many innocent people have died and been injured. I pray for them and for their families. And I pray, as I am sure we all do, that this tragic and deplorable situation may be resolved in the interests of the Syrian people very soon.
When I feel despair at the situation in the Middle East I think of the great courage that has been demonstrated in recent months in the region, particularly by young people, and their determination to create a better future. I think also of our students and alumni and all the children the Foundation has helped since its creation over 25 years ago, through our education and child development programmes – these young men and women represent our region’s future and, as ever, that gives me great hope!”
Wafic Saїd awarded prizes to Ahmad Al Kasir from Syria and Amer Shomali from Palestine, joint winners of the Alumni Achievement Award for 2011.
Ahmad was granted a Foundation scholarship to study for an MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management at Oxford University. On his return to Syria, he became project manager on the Modernisation Programme for the Syrian Water Sector, an important initiative to modernise the water supply and sanitation, a vital issue for the region.
Amer received a Foundation scholarship for an MA in Animation at the Arts Institute in Bournemouth. He established the Multi-Media Diploma Programme at Birzeit University in Palestine, has written his first animated documentary film and is working to preserve Palestinian poster art through an online archive. He has been hailed by a Georgetown University academic as: “The best thing to happen over the past year to the effort to conserve contemporary Palestinian visual culture”.
Julian Gore-Booth, Ahmad Al Kasir, Wafic Saїd and Amer Shomali
Wafic Saїd then introduced Professor Fawaz Gerges: “Back in 1985, the Foundation awarded a scholarship to a young Lebanese to complete an MSc in International History at London School of Economics followed by a DPhil in International Relations at the University of Oxford. That man is Professor Fawaz Gerges. He has taught at Oxford, Harvard and Columbia universities and is currently director of the Middle East Centre at the London School of Economics. He is a leading researcher and commentator on Islamist movements and jihadist groups and on American foreign policy towards the Muslim world. He is the author of numerous acclaimed books including Journey of the Jihadist which was on best-selling lists for months. Professor Gerges is the recipient of MacArthur, Fulbright and Carnegie Fellowships and is frequently on our television screens giving his expert opinion on events in the region.”
Professor Fawaz Gerges and Wafic Saïd
Wafic Saїd honoured Professor Fawaz Gerges with the lifetime achievement award for those alumni who have made an outstanding contribution in their field. He said: “I cannot think of anyone more deserving than our final prize winner this evening…Professor Gerges, we are immensely proud to have you as a member of our alumni group.”
Wafic Saїd speaks at the inauguration ceremony for the “Al Madraj” building, Damascus University
On 27 February 2011, the newly restored Al Madraj building at Damascus University, which is the main administration building together with its historical amphitheatre, was opened by the Prime Minister of Syria, Dr Naji Otri. The ceremony was also attended by the Ministers of Higher Education, Information, Health and Culture.
Newly restored Al Madraj building at Damascus University
The Prime Minister paid tribute to Wafic Said who had donated the funding required for the renovation work. Wafic Saїd is the son of Dr Rida Saїd, the founder of Damascus University who had opened the Al Madraj building in 1928. The building was the nucleus of the University of Syria which subsequently became the University of Damascus and the leading academic institution in Syria and the Arab world.
In his address Wafic Saїd spoke of encouraging excellence and he stressed the importance of quality higher education for the development of Syria. He recalled the words of his father:
«Universities are the means by which we can measure and evaluate a country’s progress and its rise on the ladder of civilization. Countries where universities have been built are countries that have advanced rapidly in the field of education and earned young people their place in our civilization. As universities become developed, so the countries, which create them become developed. Wherever you find prestigious universities which are strongly in demand, you feel that the spirit of life runs in the country as well as the blood of education in its veins”.
Wafic Saїd went on to say: “I fully recognise that excellent facilities are not enough to produce a top class university; it is above all the quality of the faculty and the teaching that count. Therefore, with the support and guidance of the Prime Minister and the Minister for Higher Education and the assistance of the President of the University, Dr Mualla we are currently working on the improvement of the quality of education at Damascus University, supporting the important work which Dr Mualla has already begun here.
We are establishing a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, whose role as an academic institution will be both to support the process of curriculum reform and to develop capacity not only within the University of Damascus but also with all other Syrian universities. This is a very important project which is close to my heart and which will, I hope, make a significant difference to educational standards in our country.“
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Ground-breaking Ceremony for Phase II of the Saїd Business School
The ground-breaking ceremony to celebrate the start of construction of Phase II of the Saїd Business School took place on 23 September 2008. The new building, designed by Dixon Jones, the architects of the award-winning main building, will play an important role in the School’s development, integrating executive education, degree programmes and research. It is due to be completed in 2010.
The Vice Chancellor of Oxford University, Dr John Hood, said: “It is interesting to reflect on the considerable progress the School has made since it first occupied this landmark building in 2001. In this relatively short period of time, the School has achieved a great deal on a number of fronts. It has created a number of research centres which are establishing an influential presence in their fields. Faculty numbers have grown considerably since the early days, and now there are more than 60 faculty at the School. The MBA programme has grown to around 230 students a year with participants from more than 70 countries, and new programmes such as the highly regarded MSc in Financial Management and the Executive MBA have been added. In the last three years, the executive education programmes, originally developed by Templeton College, have joined this portfolio of activity, and greatly enrich the life of the School. With this new building, we look forward to a new phase of growth for the School, and anticipate a further period of development which will be equally ambitious and exciting.”
The Vice-Chancellor, Wafic Saïd and Professor Mayer at the ground-breaking ceremony
Wafic Saїd, who has pledged £15 million of the £28 million budget for the new building, said: “Today is another milestone for the Saїd Business School. It is almost 10 years since the first ground-breaking ceremony. And yet here we are in a world class school with premises to match about to commence Phase II, an important expansion which will give the School the top-level facilities needed to grow its executive education programme. It will provide world-class teaching facilities for the companies and their executives and will cement executive education as a central part of the School’s ethos and teaching alongside our MBA, DPhil and other courses. It will be another giant step towards our goal of making the Saїd Business School one of the top ten business schools in the world.”
Wafic Saїd thanked all those involved including the architects, the benefactors, the Vice Chancellor, the Dean of the School, Professor Colin Mayer, the School’s faculty and the students, commenting “it is the students who, by their achievements and performance in the business world after they leave Oxford, do most to build the School’s reputation. They are the real ground-breakers.”
Wafic Saïd pledges further support for the Saïd Business School
On 28 May 2008 the University of Oxford launched “The Campaign for the University of Oxford” which seeks to raise £1.25 billion for: supporting students; academic posts and programmes; and infrastructure and buildings. The University announced a number of significant gifts including from Wafic Saïd who is creating a Strategic Development Fund for the Saïd Business School with a capital value of £25 million. The Fund will support initiatives and opportunities at the School which are of strategic value in its development.
This gift is in addition to the £15 million pledged by Wafic Saïd for the Phase II building at the School which will enable the School to meet its ambitious plans for the expansion of its activities. The design of the new building by world-renowned architects Dixon and Jones has been agreed and construction work will begin shortly.
Professor Colin Mayer, Peter Moores Dean of the Saïd Business School, said: "We are enormously grateful to Mr Saïd for his generous ongoing support of the School. This Strategic Development Fund will allow us to advance our goal of establishing the School as a truly exceptional institution. The Business School is an integral part of one of the best known universities in the world and as such it is able to provide a depth and breadth of education and research that few other business schools are able to match. This Strategic Development Fund will ensure that it is able to offer its faculty, students, staff and corporate partners the excellence in service that can be expected of a leading global school.”
Wafic Saïd commented: “The Business School is hugely successful but compared to other world class business schools it is still in its infancy. Its alumni body is too small and too young to provide the critical support which the School’s competitors receive from their alumni. The new building will play a vital role in the School’s development but I am conscious that there are other important projects which need funding. The purpose of the Strategic Development Fund is to provide seed money for initiatives which will make the greatest difference to the School’s successful development.”
10th Anniversary of the Naming of the Saïd Business School
The School celebrated the 10th anniversary of its naming with a series of events held on 16 January 2008. These included presentations by Professor Tim Morris, Professor Alan Morrison, Dr Linda Scott and Dr James Taylor on current research highlights and a Gala Dinner.
Wafic Saïd and the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University
Wafic Saïd, the School’s founding Benefactor, spoke to an audience of top businessmen and women, University faculty, staff, alumni and students. He recalled the “unlikely start” of the School in an old hospital, the Radcliffe Infirmary, and the huge advances that had been made since that time:
“What a difference a decade makes. Today, this School is in the top 20 of the world’s business schools. It has exceeded the hopes and dreams of its supporters. It has overturned the objections of its detractors and repaid the faith of its early pioneers. This is not, of course, because of this building…it is thanks to the quality, dedication and hard work of the students, faculty and staff who have come here. It is thanks to the leadership of Anthony Hopwood and, now, Colin Mayer. It is thanks to the support of the University and to the donors who have founded centres and funded posts. In short, it is thanks to the excellence and commitment of its people.”
Wafic Saïd went on to describe how he sees the agenda for the future of the School and his ambition that the School should become one of the very best business schools in the world:
“We owe to the students, who give up a year of their lives to be here, the certainty that their liveswill improve as a result. That means giving them the best faculty and the best careers support. We owe to the faculty, who bet their careers on coming here, the salaries, support and opportunities that make that decision worthwhile. We owe to the staff, often the unsung heroes, the recognition and rewards they deserve. We owe to the business community, which judges and supports us, not only our world class alumni but also guidance on how business can improve its performance. We owe it to society, which has the right to expect great universities to provide thought leadership in all walks of life, to help business find solutions to the many problems society faces. This means making the School a hub that links business with the wealth of learning in this great University on so many of the key issues of the day.”
He also spoke of the example of his father:
“Over 80 years ago, my father started Syria’s first university. The achievements of most of his contemporaries, who played a political role, are now forgotten. But he is still remembered as the man who brought higher education to Syria. I have lived my whole life with his example and have understood from it that every society needs wise and objective scholarship to guide and inform it, and every individual has the right to improve his or her life through access to higher learning. That is why this School is important. Because it can make a difference, not only to the lives of its students, but also to the ability of business to help meet society’s needs and aspirations.”
The Saïd Foundation Annual Dinner 2010
The Saïd Foundation’s annual dinner, hosted by Wafic and Rosemary Saïd, was held on Saturday 10 April at the Institute of Directors, Pall Mall, to celebrate the achievements of the Foundation’s scholars and alumni. Since 1984 the Foundation has been granting scholarships for post graduate studies in the UK to talented young men and women from the Middle East and it now has over 500 alumni.
Wafic Said and Trustee Mrs Idilby with some of the Foundation’s scholars
The current scholars introduced themselves to the other guests and Wafic Saïd commented that Said Scholars “are not just academically strong, they are also chosen for their very special qualities, which include ambition and resilience!” He said: “We bring them from different parts of the Middle East to study in a strange environment, otherwise known as the very best universities in the UK, in a language other than their mother tongue, and we expose them to different cultures … This represents a huge challenge to our Scholars and we don’t just expect them to survive, we expect them to thrive and to excel! And they do! Many of the Foundation’s students have gone on to be leaders in their field, making an impact in their region.”
Wafic Said then introduced the winner of this year’s “Said Foundation Alumni Achievement Prize”, which is awarded to a former scholar who has made an outstanding contribution in his field.
The winner, Dr Adnan Al Wahaidi, is a medical doctor from Gaza in Palestine where he has dedicated himself to improving the lives of some of Palestine’s most vulnerable children. He is Medical Director of Ard El Insaan, a Palestinian NGO successor to “Terre des Hommes” which treats children suffering from malnutrition. During the Israeli attacks of December 2008 Dr Al Wahaidi volunteered round the clock at Al Shifa Hospital treating the injured and dying and trying to alleviate the sufferings of the civilian casualties. He has become a recognised expert on the nutritional health situation of children in Gaza. He is a member of the Consultation Committee of the Ministry of Health, a trustee for the United Nations Human Rights Delegation on Palestinian Children and a lecturer in clinical nutrition at Al Azhar and Al Quds universities.
Wafic Saïd said how extremely proud he was of Dr Al Wahaidi: “to have worked for so long under such difficult circumstances and with so much dedication and devotion above the call of duty deserves our utmost respect and admiration. “
Wafic Saïd and Dr Adnan Al Wahaidi
Franco-British Student Alliance Summit
Wafic Saïd was the lead sponsor of the Franco-British Student Alliance Summit which took place from 14 to 16 December 2006. Students from the Alliance’s three leading British universities (Oxford, Cambridge and LSE) and three Grandes Ecoles (Sciences Po, HEC and the Ecole Polytechnique) were hosted in London at the House of Commons, by the French Ambassador and by the Government at Lancaster House before debating the globalisation of higher education at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School.
The Queen and the President of the French Republic are joint patrons of the Alliance. Its objectives are to foster Anglo-French collaboration, to encourage exchanges and initiatives between its students and alumni and to enable young leaders to voice their concerns about the challenges of the future.
Speaking at Lancaster House, Wafic Saïd recalled the dual cultural influence of his French education and his English connections. In his letter to the participants he said:
“At the centre of your mission is a spirit of collaboration that seeks to transcend differences to nurture a shared vision of how to address the great challenges facing your nations, continent and world. As a Muslim educated in Lebanon by Jesuits, the belief was passed to me that, through education, we can learn to see, understand and respect those who are different from us and that, together and only together, we can build a better future for us all. You are the leaders of tomorrow. Take from this Summit the French tradition of “fraternité” and the British tradition of tolerance. We look to you to use your spirit of collaboration and the exceptional education you have been privileged to receive to build a more prosperous and peaceful world.”
The proceedings of the Summit will be published on the Alliance’s website: www.fbsalliance.com
First Saïd Graduate Scholarships in Business Studies awarded
Wafic Saïd has endowed The Saïd Graduate Scholarships in Business Studies at Trinity College, Oxford. The endowment will fund the college fees of three students resident at Trinity and studying for an MBA at the Saïd Business School. The first scholarships were awarded in October 2006 to students taking their MBAs in the 2006/07 academic year.
Wafic Saïd commented: “Trinity has a long and distinguished academic tradition dating back to 1555. But it is also forward looking and has for some time recognised the important place that business studies play in a modern university curriculum. It has built a number of links with the Saïd Business School. In endowing these scholarships, I am delighted to be able to provide support both to Trinity and to the School.”
Wafic Saïd is an Honorary Fellow of Trinity College and the founding Benefactor of Oxford University’s Said Business School.
Wafic Saïd pledges £15 million for Phase II of the Business School
On 3 October 2006 the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford announced an ambitious fund-raising campaign to raise £30m to build a new facility for the School. The new building will provide the world class facilities required for a significant expansion of the School’s activities. Wafic Saïd has pledged £15 million for the new Centre.
Professor Colin Mayer, Dean of the Said Business School, commented: “Our intention is to bring together academic, business and political leaders from around the world and to help them identify how, what and who they should manage to provide effective, visionary leadership. At Saïd Business School, we want to inspire and educate the leaders of tomorrow’s businesses. We are extremely grateful to Mr Saïd for his ongoing and generous financial support of business education at Oxford. The gift will help us realise our vision for executive education at Oxford and is a very significant step towards our fundraising goals.’
The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Dr John Hood, commented: ‘The School is uniquely placed, at the heart of the University, to respond to developments in business education, and indeed fundamentally to shape them. The School will be able to draw upon its clear strengths in research and teaching, linking leading-edge thinking with practice, to create new executive education programmes for the business leaders of the future. We intend to build facilities to match that ambition.’
Wafic Saïd commented: “I have watched the startlingly rapid and successful development of the Said Business School with great admiration. The School’s community of faculty, staff and students have demonstrated beyond doubt that they have all that it takes - ability, ambition, energy and vision – to create Europe’s premier business school. I am delighted that the next major step forward is about to be taken with the Phase II building. The architects, Jeremy Dixon and Edward Jones, whose design for the existing building did so much to regenerate the railway station area of Oxford, can be relied on to ensure that the new Centre further enhances this gateway to the city. It is a pleasure to be able to support this exciting and important development.”
Building work is scheduled to begin in 2008, with the building due for completion in 2010.
The proposed design for the Phase II building as seen from the Said Business School’s garden
Karim Rida Saïd Foundation’s sponsored walk for Gaza and Lebanon
On Sunday 17 September, 75 volunteers walked on behalf of British charity the Karim Rida Saïd Foundation (www.krsf.org) from Richmond to Kingston to raise funds for children and young people with asthma or disabilities in Gaza and Lebanon.
Wafic Saïd, who walked along with other members of his family, commented: “The recent violence in the Middle East has exacerbated the immense hardship for children and young people in the region. Children with chronic conditions such as asthma are having great difficulty obtaining vital medication. Disabled children face particular obstacles when displaced, and, due to the conflict, an additional number of children now face the trauma of living with a permanent disability. The KRSF is determined to help make a difference in the region and this sponsored walk is one small example of the tremendous commitment of the Foundation’s staff and supporters.”
Over £50,000 has been raised. The Karim Rida Saïd Foundation will divide this between two reputable, non-governmental organisations in Lebanon and Gaza which are not political or sectarian and which are known for their effective work with vulnerable children:
In Lebanon, the Physically Handicapped Union (www.lphu.org) has been busy distributing food, medicine and disability equipment donated by Oxfam-UK, Christian Aid and others to displaced disabled people. It will use the donations to start reconstructing disability accessible housing and to provide physical and psychological treatment to children and young people disabled in the recent conflict.
In Gaza, Ard al-Insan (Terre des Hommes), a local organisation established in 1984, says the situation in the area has never been as bad. Food assistance is being provided by international agencies but medicines are extremely scarce. Ard al-Insan will use the donations to help families who are very poor or have more than one asthma patient.
Wafic and Rosemary Saïd with other walkers on the sponsored walk
Opening of the Wafic Rida Saïd Building, Collège de Notre-Dame de Jamhour
On 16 November 2005 Wafic Saïd participated in the inauguration of the building named after him at his old college, Notre-Dame de Jamhour in Lebanon. The Wafic Rida Saïd Building, which he financed along with other benefactors, forms an integral part of the Sports, Social and Cultural Centre at the college.
In his inaugural speech, Wafic Saïd congratulated the Rector, Reverend Father Selim Daccache, on his vision and ambition for the college and said that he was honoured to contribute to its expansion. He was proud to have been a student there and to have had the opportunity to benefit from the knowledge and spiritual wealth of the school’s great educators. Above all, he had learned that education was the key to a better life and the means of eradicating ignorance and reducing differences.
He said that the nostalgia felt by all the alumni in remembering their college days was a force for continuity “which encourages us to look to the future and to give future generations, who are our hope, the means to progress towards a better world, a world which I profoundly hope, will be one of peace, brotherhood and tolerance.”
Click here for photographs and the full text of the inaugural speeches in French.
Wafic Saïd receives Honorary Doctorate from the University of DamascusIn April 2005 Wafic Saïd was presented with an Honorary Doctorate by the Minister for Higher Education, H.E. Dr Hani Mourtada, for his commitment to education and his support for Damascus University.
In his speech of thanks, Wafic Saïd paid tribute to Dr Mourtada and to the University for their role in developing students’ skills. He stressed the importance of education as the spearhead of progress in Syria and as a vital means of promoting tolerance and understanding between cultures, through constructive dialogue and the exchange of ideas.
Damascus University was founded by his father, Dr Rida Saïd in 1923, and Wafic Saïd restored the old national hospital, one of the University’s historical buildings, in his memory. The Rida Saïd Conference Centre (below) was opened in September 2003.
The Rida Saïd Conference Centre