An $8.1 million donation to the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the largest donation in the college’s history, was made Tuesday by Moise A. Khayrallah and his wife, Vera Khayrallah, to create the Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies, the first endowed center at NC State.
For the landmark announcement of the Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies, about 200 people, including deans, faculty members and members of the community, were present at the Park Alumni Center on Centennial Campus.
The Khayrallah Center will be the only one in the world outside of Lebanon studying the Lebanese diaspora. The Lebanese diaspora began more than 150 years ago and represents the millions of Lebanese who have settled all over the world.
Akram Khater, the director of Middle East studies program and a professor of history, has been appointed director of the Khayrallah Center.
Khater was previously in charge of the University’s Khayrallah Program for Lebanese-American Studies that sought to preserve and publicize the history of the Lebanese-American community in North Carolina.
Khater also was involved with the creating a PBS documentary, a K-12 curriculum and the multimedia museum exhibit, Cedar in the Pines.
The Khayrallah Center will also organize conferences and workshops as well as host postdoctoral fellows from across the world.
“With this generous gift we will undertake research projects that not only give research opportunities to graduate students in our public history program, but to undergraduates and graduates across the disciplines in the university,” Khater said.
The Khayrallah Center will become a premier institute as well as a think tank that engages policies and debates about immigration, Khater said.
“This will advance and shape the field of migration studies,” Khater said.
Randy Woodson, chancellor of NC State, said it was a historic moment for the university.
“The work of this new center will deepen our understanding of the many contributions Lebanese Americans have made the history and culture of our state, of our nation, and our world,” Woodson said.
Jeffery P. Braden, dean of CHASS, said the Khayrallah Center would enhance the understanding of migration.
“This gift is a testament to the international renown to our faculty and their scholarship and our unequivocal commitment to move that scholarship beyond the ivory tower, beyond the walls of the academy to enhance the lives of the citizens of North Carolina, our country and our world,” Braden said.
The center’s mission makes it a perfect fit for the university, according to Braden in an NC State press release.
“Moise and Vera’s generous gift will establish NC State as the premier research and outreach site for Lebanese diaspora studies,” Braden said. “The center will allow NC State to engage in vibrant national and international debates about immigration and its global impact.”
Raleigh is the heart of the Lebanese community in North Carolina, according to Moise Khayrallah.
Lebanese Americans in North Carolina bring in about $4.5 billion in revenue to the state while representing a relatively small population of roughly 16,000, according to an NC State press release. Lowes Foods and Food Lion are some of the more recognizable Lebanese legacies in North Carolina.
In a world where so many people are quick to point out the differences in people, Moise Khayrallah said he’s glad that the Khayrallah Center shows that people still can see the similarities.
“I look forward to many more years of scholarship and academic contribution to this university and to our great state,” Moise Khayrallah said.
