American University of Beirut to appoint Peter Dorman

The Chronicle of Higher Education

The American University of Beirut is expected to name the University of Chicago’s Peter Dorman as its new president next week.

Mr. Dorman, an Egyptologist and chairman of Chicago’s department of Near Eastern languages and civilizations, said he planned to accept when the American University of Beirut, known as AUB, makes the offer official.

“Well, yes, I have indicated that I plan to accept to the AUB board,” said Mr. Dorman, speaking from his Chicago office. “It is far too thrilling an opportunity to pass up.”

No stranger to the Middle East, Mr. Dorman has spent much of his career shuttling between Chicago and Egypt. After receiving his Ph.D. from Chicago in 1985, he spent nine years leading the university’s fieldwork in Egypt, documenting inscriptions and relief scenes at the Temple of Luxor and the nearby Temple of Amun.

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