To expand the educational opportunities offered to University of Oklahoma students and the community, a Practitioner-in-Residence Program has been established in OU’s College of International Studies.
The program, to be housed in the college’s Center for Middle East Studies, is being funded by Sam T. Hamra, M.D., in honor of his father, T.A. Hamra.
The program will bring to OU’s Norman campus scholars and experts knowledgeable about the role and influence of immigrants on the growth and development of Oklahoma and the frontier.
Visiting lecturers will focus specifically on immigrants from Lebanon during an extended stay to teach courses, visit classrooms, give public lectures and engage with the Lebanese community in the region.
Although this program is named in honor of his father, Hamra intends his gift to be a tribute to all immigrants of the “Ellis Island Generation,” which includes those who traveled through Ellis Island between 1885-1923, including his father who came to Oklahoma from Marjeyoun, Lebanon, in 1920, and the impact those immigrants, many from Marjeyoun, had on the growth and development of the region.
Program events will explore the role of Lebanon in the Middle East and the world, including the exploration of Lebanese culture, politics, religion and history. The gift of $250,000 will fund a 10-year program, which is the first phase of a 20-year lectureship.
The inaugural practitioner-in-residence will be Rami Khouri, a Palestinian-Jordanian and U.S. citizen, whose family resides in Beirut and Nazareth.