Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan will be the commencement speaker at Ursinus College Saturday May 17, when Ursinus will graduate 307 seniors on the front lawn of the campus. She will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, and plans to meet with Jordanian students at Ursinus, some of whom have been recipients of scholarships she has supported.
Queen Noor was born Lisa Najeeb Halaby to a distinguished Arab-American family and received a B.A. in architecture and urban planning from Princeton University in 1974. Soon after graduating she joined the airline Royal Jordanian as director of planning and design projects. Married to the late King Hussein in 1978, Queen Noor has gained worldwide recognition as a promoter of peace, an advocate for women's and children's welfare, a champion of human rights, the environment, and architectural conservation, education and the arts. She has also played a major role in promoting international exchange and understanding of Middle Eastern politics and global issues.
She is the author of two books; her latest just published, is titled, "Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life."
Among other projects, Queen Noor established the Noor al Hussein Foundation, which initiates and supports national, regional and international projects in the field of integrated community development, micro-finance, education, culture, child and family health, women and enterprise development. In 1995, the Queen established and served as the first chair of the National Task Force for Children. The King Hussein Foundation, which she chaired, was established by royal decree in 1999 to provide a meaningful legacy for the King's humanitarian vision. Other initiatives launched by the Queen include the National Committee for the International Year of the Child, The Royal Endowment for Culture and Education, the Arab Children's Congress, Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts, National Music Conservatory, National Handicrafts Development Project and The Jubilee School.
Queen Noor is also active as a leader in many philanthropic causes, including serving as patron for The World Conservation Union, and president of the United World Colleges, Center for the Study of the Global South at American University, United Nations University International Leadership Academy, Land Mine Survivors Network, International Campaign to Ban Land Mines, Future Harvest and The Hunger Project.
Ursinus College, founded in 1869, is a highly selective, nationally ranked, independent, coeducational liberal arts college, located on a scenic, wooded, 165-acre campus, 28 miles from Center City Philadelphia. Known for quality programs in the arts and sciences, it is one of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges to possess a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. The college's web site is www.ursinus.edu.
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