大俠行天下日記 我見我聞我思 11/13

海地移民成為萊斯大學校長

世界聞名的休斯敦萊斯大學校董會正式宣布，任命该校建築学院院長狄羅琪教授接長校務， 成為該校建校百年來的非裔校長

狄羅琪博士也是首位移民之子，出掌全球馳名的私立大學， 他出生在海地首都太子港， 也是一位全國知名的地震專家， 他在接受任命時表示， 他將繼續現任校長李布朗所奠定之優良学術傳統。

萊斯大學是由威廉萊斯先生捐助，於一九一二年成立 ，當年只對白人学生開放， 在疫情期間， 學生們曾要求把他的銅像移走， 因為他當年是黑奴的主人。

為了應對學生之抗爭，該校已經設立族群和諧辦公室， 希望平息學生之不滿情緒。

我們在此也要特別感謝即將御任的李布郎校長及夫人， 過去十八年來 ，他們對休斯敦及德州做出之卓越貢獻， 萊斯大學培養之優秀學生已經成為社會之中堅。

美南新聞集團屬下的國際貿易中心曾經得到該校第一夫人孫月萍之協助下， 先後多次在该校商學院及貝克中心召開德非經貿高峯會， 促進國際文化及貿易交流。

我們也非常欣幸在休斯敦之萊斯大學今後在狄羅琪校長之領導下，继續走向多元國際化之道路，也要恭祝這位苦學成功的移民之子 出人頭地 ，為大家爭光， 這難道不是只有在美國才會發生的事嗎？！

First Black Immigrant Becomes Rice’s President

Rice University’s Board of Trustees has named Dr. Reginald DesRoches to be the university’s next president. He was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and is the first black immigrant and first engineer to lead the private research university.

As an internationally recognized engineer and earthquake expert, DesRoches will succeed President Davis Leebron who announced he is stepping down this summer. 

DesRoches said in his statement that he is deeply honored to be named the next president of Rice and looks forward to building on the tradition of excellence established by President Leebron and those who served before him.

Rice University was established after William Rice set aside money before he died to help start the university in 1912 with the stipulation that it only served white Texans. Throughout the pandemic, the students demanded removal of a monument on the Rice campus and said Rice was a slaveholder. 

We really appreciate over the last eighteen years President Leebron and First Lady Ping Sun’s contribution to our local and global community, especially because we have had the opportunity to sponsor many international events with Rice through the president’s office. Their help and support has included the Texas African Summit event at the Baker Institute. 

We are so happy that we will have such an outstanding son of immigrants who has become a top leader at one of the world’s most famous universities. This could only happen in America.