Welcome Founders!

Brother Alvaro Rodrfguez Echeverrfa, Superior General

of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, toured the campuswith Student Ambassadors and Faculty members

discussing their concerns, challenges and hopes.

H.E. Mousa Cardinal Daoud, Prefect of the Congregationfor Eastern Churches, and most Reverend ArchbishopPietro Sambi, Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem and

Palestine and Chancellor of Bethlehem University, werewelcomed by Brother Vincent.

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Father Ray Webb Honored

Fr. Ray Webb, priest of the Archdiocese ofChicago and Vice President for AcademicAffairs at the University of St. Mary of theLake, was affiliated to the Institute of theBrothers of the Christian Schools, the highesthonor the Brothers can bestow, in recognitionof his close and long-standing support ofBethlehem University from its founding in1973. Fr. Ray has taught in every summersession, lived in community with the Brothers,presided at daily liturgies, and participated fullyin the life and mission of the Brothers inaddition to mentoring young teachers andassisting many faculty in their research projects.

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Cooperation with NorwayVestfold University teacher training studentsvisiting Bethlehem as part of an exchangeprogram were hosted in the homes of faculty andstudents as they visited schools, refugee campsand the separation wall around Bethlehem. Mr.Omar Mousa also led Bethlehem students toVestfold engaging in dialogue about Norway'steacher training programs and visiting schoolsthere. In previous years Dr. Sami Adwan, ActingDean of Education, and Mr. Rizek Sleibi, haveconducted similar exchange programs.

Faculty Development ffighlightedFive days of the Spring semester were devotedto faculty enrichment and the development ofacademic strategies. Professor Bart McGettrickof the University of Glasgow addressed theunique mission of a Christian University and theplace of research and scholarship in developingthe University. Dr. Muna Matar of BethlehemUniversity and Professor Ghislain Hoffman,Professor Martin Valcke, Mrs. MarianneMartens, and Mr. Jan BoIs of the University ofGhent, led workshops on e-learning. Otherfaculty presented their research and studentadvising activities Congratulations Doctor Brother David!

Brother David Scarpa completed his doctoraldissertation, Water Resources and theSustainability of Towns and Villages in theBethlehem and Hebron Governorates, Palestine,for the University of London, in which heexamined water management, food security andjob creation in the conflict situation of an

occupied people.

Visiting Fulbright SpecialistDr. Qustandi Shomali was Visiting FulbrightScholar at the International Institute, CaliforniaState University, San Bernardino, working withfaculty and promoting knowledge of Arabculture, media and values at California StateUniversity, Palm Desert Campus and Cal Poly,Pomona, laying a foundation for expandedinstitutional exchanges and links.

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Water and Soil ResearchDr. Alfred Abed Rabbo and the team in the Waterand Soil Environment Research Unit (WSERU)engage local authorities to ensure safe water forPalestinian communities and organizeworkshops enabling the villagers to purify theirwater, working especially with women's groupsand in cooperation with local NGGs. Futureresearch of WSERU with the PhysicsDepartment involves decreasing the cost of waterpurification using a unique solar energy assistedsystem. Development Cooperation Ireland, theFord Foundation and the UK Department forInternational Development are among those whohave supported WSERU projects.

Hereditary Gene ResearchDr. Moien Kanaan and the Hereditary ResearchLab (HRL) team conduct research in building anational Genome Strategic Resource Laboratoryin addition to providing practical DNA know-how for the academic and medical communityand supporting new biotechnology enterpriseswith drug and gene therapy and combatinggenetic diseases. The HRL has been funded bythe National Institute of Health, DGF Germany,the Wiezmann Institute of Science, Middle EastRegional Cooperation (MERC), and Middle EastRegional Genome Endeavor (MERGE).

Harnessing the Sun

Palestinian Economic Research"Public-Private Partnership and its Role in theEconomic Development in Palestine" is the focusof the research of Dr. Usamah Shahwan and Mr.Romell Soudah supported by the PalestinianAmerican Research Center (PARC). Addressingthe cooperation between the formal bureaucracyand the private sector and the resulting impacton the economy, the research seeks torecommend new economic policies.

Dr. Hanna Hallak of the Physics Departmentstudies the sun's radiation and solar drying as ameans to harness its enormous power for usefuldomestic purposes. Three solar dryers ofdifferent designs and sizes have been constructed(a room-sized dryer for olivewood drying ispictured). Dr. Hallak has had a sabbatical at theNational Renewable Energy Laboratory inColorado and carried out work at the ESRFsynchrotron at Grenoble in addition tocollaborating with various groups around theworld researching in this field.

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