THE PENDULUM
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2. 2009 II PAGE 17
Learning with the Lamberts
Leo and Lori Lambert to participate in South Africa study abroad program
Elon University President Leo Lambert and his wife, Lori, will accompany a group of students and
professors on the South Africa Winter Term study abroad program this January.
Rachel Cieri
Features Editor
This spring, 30 students applied to
the South Africa Winter Term study
abroad program expecting the typical
experience from years past. But it wasn’t
until the class’ pre-trip meeting on Nov.
10 that the students got an unexpected
surprise.
“I told them 1 had a surprise for
them,” said English professor and South
Africa program leader Prudence Layne.
“When they came to class, the students
didn’t believe us.”
When Elon University President Leo
Lambert and his wife, Lori, walked in
the door, Layne said she asked the
students if they knew why the pair was
visiting.
“They said ‘Are you coming with us?’
They went crazy,” Layne said.
This Winter Term, the couple will
accompany Layne, human services
professor Sandra Reid and the students
on the trip.
“I hope there are still students
enrolled,” Lambert joked.
Lambert said he and his wife decided
to take part in the program after an
invitation from Layne.
“I was talking with Professor Layne
one day about her course, and she said,
'Well, you should come,’” he said. “And 1
thought, ‘Wow, what a great idea.’”
The Lamberts said they hope to
enjoy something similar to a student
experience, complete with coach class
flights and long bus rides.
Though they will not partake in
the written class work, they have been
reading the same texts assigned to
students to prepare for their journey
and Lambert will even write a post
for the class blog.
“We are on the same flight as the
students,” Lambert said. “We’ll be
doing all the same things the students
are doing, staying in the same hotels,
and 1 think the only thing that will
be different is that Lori and I will be
roommates.”
Because of board meetings scheduled
later in the month, Lambert will only
accompany the program through its
first 10 days in Cape Town, South
Africa, but Lori will stay for the full
length of the trip.
The South Africa program is a
service-oriented experience that allows
students to interact with community
partners while studying issues the
region faces. The students participate
in short internships with programs like
Adopt-a-Student and The Global Links
Library and Literacy Campaign during
their visit.
“When the students are doing
their internship experiences, (Lori) is
arranging some opportunities for the
students to visit hospitals and schools,
and she’s really looking forward to
that,” Lambert said.
Lambert will be the first Elon
president to visit Africa in an official
capacity, but he is not the first
administrator to participate in a
Winter Term study abroad program.
Executive Vice President Gerry
Francis still maintains relationships
with many of the students from the
programs in which he participated.
“You have an opportunity to get
to know people when you’re eating
breakfast, lunch and dinner and sitting
on the bus next to them and so forth,”
Lambert said. “We are excited to travel.
We love being with students and I think
it’s going to be a great experience.”
Layne said the students are just as
excited as the Lamberts.
“I think It will certainly raise
expectations and what’s appropriate (for
the trip),” Layne said. “1 think they’re all
excited to get to know (the Lamberts) on
a personal level."
Lambert said his decision to
participate in the program was twofold.
First, he wanted to have a student’s
experience on a Winter Term study
abroad trip, and second, he was
interested in visiting Africa for his own
personal education.
“One of the most important
experiences, not only of my presidency
at Elon but of my entire life, is having
the opportunity to meet Archbishop
Desmond Tutu when he was our
Convocation for Honors speaker here
several years ago, and 1 just have
always admired the man," he said.
“He was a guest in our home for two
days and I came to really respect him. I
think the story of South Africa is such
an interesting and compelling story of
our times, and I’m just anxious to see
that first-hand."
The Elon community should not be
concerned about Lambert’s absence,
though. He said he is often off campus
for extended periods of time and
the President's Office has a long-
established system to determine who
is in charge.
“Provost (Steven) House is usually
the person that backs me up," Lambert
said. “If I’m gone and the provost is gone.
I’m designated as the administrator on
call. 1 have an international cell phone
and I’m a phone call away.”
Alumnus returns to Elon
campus to share successes
Alex Trice
Multimedia Editor
Though his days now are filled
with travel around the world — from
London, Cairo and Beirut to Damascus,
Madrid and Los Angeles — Jordanian
filmmaker and 2005 Elon alumnus
Laith al-Majali takes time to visit his
alma mater every year.
al-Majali came to Elon as a freshman
from Amman, Jordan, when he became
the first recipient of the King Hussein
scholarship, given specifically to
Jordanian students at Elon.
The scholarship was started by
Queen Rania of Jordan after she visited
Elon as a guest speaker in 2000.
“I came at an interesting point,"
al-Majali said. “Two weeks after I got
here, Sept. 11 happened and I was
the only Arab on campus, so that was
quite a defining time in who I was and
who I ended up becoming."
Though al-Majali majored in
communications and devoted a lot of
his time to creating video projects,
he was also involved with the
international program
and the Isabella Cannon
Leadership Program as a
Leadership Fellow.
It didn’t take long
before faculty and staff
began to notice al-Majali’s hard work
and potential.
“He excelled right from the
beginning," coordinator of video projects
Jason McMerty said. “He’s one of the
most hard-working people 1 know.”
Since graduation in 2005, Majali
has continued to work hard.
He became a pioneer of Jordanian
cinema when he produced and edited
the 2007 Sundance Award-winning
film, “Captain Abu Raed.”
The film, which is about an airport
janitor who makes a difference in the
lives of those around him, is the first
feature film to come from Jordan.
al-Majali now has his own company
in Jordan — a film, photography and
music company — where he said he
hopes to combine several aspects of the
creative arts in various collaborations
and works, such as feature films.
ALEX TRiCE | Pholoyaph>r
l^ith al-Majali, a 2005 graduate, has won an award from the Sundance Film Festival and has
worked on high-profile projects such as photographing the King of Jordan.
documentaries and music videos.
Some of his current projects
include a book of photography and
music videos for hip hop artists in Los
Angeles and Jordan. al-Majali also said
he was in the development process of
making another feature film.
While he has worked very hard to
reach the success he has now, al-Majali
said much of his achievements have
been possible because of the engaging
experiences he had at Elon.
“I learned a lot, made a lot of
friends,” al-Majali said. “Most
importantly, the school gave me the
opportunity to continue my education,
and that’s why I always come back
and give back to the students that are
sitting in the same seats I was a couple
of years ago.”
He stressed the importance of
being curious about the world and
human beings.
“We always talk about the ‘Elon
bubble,’” al-Majali said. “All I say is,
burst the bubble."
PHOTOS SUBMrrTED
al-Majali has shot numerous music videos for Arab hip-hop artists, like “Black is Beautiful” by Cmack,
above, and “Destiny” by Omar Offendum, left.