A feat in building a bridge between the education sector and technology: on Friday, September 9, Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the cloud management service, kloudr. The President of NDU, Fr. Bechara Khoury, welcomed kloudr’s Board Director, Dr. George Chammas, at the Main Campus for the signing.
Dr. Chammas expressed his reverence for the University, believing the private education sector to be at the forefront of Lebanon’s development. As such, he is confident in the potential of the collaboration between NDU and kloudr, emphasizing the importance of “bridging technology and education, creating sources and opportunities for today’s youth. It all starts with a vision.”
Through the MoU, kloudr will be providing NDU students of Computer Science (CS) and Computer and Communication Engineering (CCE) with opportunities in mentorship, internships, and training, laying the groundwork for them to become certified cloud experts and gaining an advantage in the industry, whether in Lebanon or abroad. kloudr as a company is looking to recruit computer scientists and engineers to fulfill this goal, hence the widening of the scope for CS and CCE students in their career prospects.
In turn, kloudr and NDU will be allocating their joint resources towards presentations, research, and training sessions at the University for the advancement of cloud management and information technology (IT) infrastructure, a necessity in today’s fast-developing technology.
A significant perk of working in cloud management is that it can be done remotely. “Our youth need not uproot themselves from their country to progress in their careers,” said Dr. Chammas.
This sentiment was echoed by the President, stating: “Through commitment and a sense of belonging, we are opening doors for our community so our youth remain rooted in their homeland.” With the increasing rates of youth emigration, there is a resulting brain drain in Lebanon, a disadvantage for a nation in need of creatives and innovators to move the next generation forward.
Fr. Bechara commended kloudr on their mission, the collaboration sure to be fruitful as “we are building this partnership on our shared values. This is only the first step towards reaching a greater milestone.”
The MoU is the beginning of a five-year relationship between the two parties, promoting and endorsing the talents, skills, and creativity of CS and CCE students as they venture in their respective paths. As an accredited University, such opportunities are paramount in ensuring our programs and students receive the finest education to build a brighter future.
Accompanying Dr. Chammas were his colleagues, Director of Operations, Mr. Malek Bachir, and Cloud Architect, Mr. Guillaume Raffoul.
Additionally present were NDU’s own: Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA), Dr. Michel El Hayek, Vice President for Administration and Finance (VPAF), Abbot Semaan Abou Abdou, Assistant Vice President for Academic Support (AVPAS), Dr. Simon Abou Jaoude, Assistant Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies (AVPRGS), Dr. Ghazi Asmar, Assistant Vice President for Information Technology (AVPIT), Dr. Fawzi Baroud, Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences (FNAS), Dr. George Eid, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering (FE), Dr. Jacques Harb, Chairperson of the FNAS’s Department of Computer Science, Dr. Hoda Maalouf, Chairperson of the FE’s Department of Electrical, Computer and Communication Engineering, Dr. Elias Nassar, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Humanities’ (FH) Department of Media Studies, Dr. Jessica El Khoury, and Director of the Office of Communications, Mr. Andre Fahed.