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Week of 10 September 1999 Vol. III, No. 5 Feature Article As URC director, Leila Saad promotes programs to foster spirit of community By Hope Green Like giant scrapbook pages, the walls inside Leila Saad's office at 1 University Road are crammed to the ceiling with wedding snapshots, baby pictures, postcards, and other mementos from former students. Saad cherishes her alumni connections. As director of the University Resource Center (URC) for nine years, and a lecturer at the College of Communication, she has helped hundreds of students sort priorities, choose courses, and find their niche in a large and diverse campus community they might otherwise find overwhelming. "I think students need to be listened to and respected," says Saad, who was recently appointed assistant dean of students for academic support programs while continuing as URC director. "If a student has a problem that you perceive as minor, you can't just say, 'Get over it, child!' At the same time, you also need to be firm, and explain why you're doing so. Students will respect a policy as long as you clarify why it was put in place. It's good customer service." Leila Saad, assistant dean of students for academic support programs, has directed the University Resource Center since its inception in 1990. Photo by Vernon Doucette Saad teaches Acting for Directors and Writers in COM's film and television department, and is also a longtime advisor to the Boston University Theatre Troupe. Besides her rapport with students, she is known on campus for her exuberance (as one colleague affectionately puts it, she "really fills a room"), her bold jewelry, her demonstrative greetings -- and her kaleidoscopic life story. A native of Cairo, Saad adopted the middle name Erian in memory of her father, Erian Saad, who was active in Egypt's 1919 revolt against Great Britain. "He is my hero and my mentor in everything I do," she says. "He has informed all of my values." In 1958 she was crowned Miss Egypt. "I entered the pageant on a dare," she laughs. "I was young. I didn't like anyone to tell me I couldn't do something." Then came a presidential ban on the contest, precluding a try for the Miss Universe tiara. Later, Saad came to the United States and completed the graduate theater program at Portland State University. Although she has performed professionally, and once even tried to start an experimental theater company in Boston, she never yearned for a full-time stage career. "I always wanted to teach acting," she explains. "An academic life was always my number one choice." Saad's BU career began in 1977 with an adjunct position in the Center for English Language and Orientation Programs. Eventually she moved to full-time administrative work at COM and became the college's director of freshman services. Academic advising was her specialty, and in 1990 she submitted a proposal to Vice President and Dean of Students W. Norman Johnson to create the University Resource Center. Previously, says Johnson, academic tutoring and skills workshops lacked a coordinated marketing effort. "We were able to get a better handle on the workshops when we put them all into one building," he explains. "And because Leila was also teaching, she was able to get the deans of all the different schools and colleges to see the benefit of sending students there." The URC -- hub and command post for BU's undergraduate academic-support services -- was launched in September 1990, and Saad has been director ever since. The URC runs the Writing Center and Tutoring Program and hosts workshops where undergraduates learn to study more efficiently and balance competing demands on their time. A peer-support program trains upperclassmen to mentor freshmen. "We're not a remedial service," Saad emphasizes. "I promote this as an academic success and achievement program. In fact, a lot of my tutors are tutees, because you could be great at chemistry and not be able to conjugate a verb to save your life." Aside from student-focused events, the URC also hosts the annual midwinter Time Well Spent weekend, where the University community is invited to a variety of performances and personal-improvement classes. Last spring, when Saad was named assistant dean for academic support programs, she knew that her duties would not change dramatically. Even so, she says, the post "will give me the opportunity to initiate new programs while fine-tuning old ones." Her latest innovation is Tuesday Night Reflections, a series of informal faculty lectures set to begin this fall. Talks will be held in the residence halls, with topics ranging from the music of Bob Dylan to women in Northern Ireland. Working closely with the Office of Multicultural Affairs, Saad is also active in the expansion of Common Ground, a program to foster cross-cultural understanding among BU's diverse student population. Such projects aim to build cohesiveness at BU. "To create the sense of community that we pride ourselves on having at a large urban university is no easy task," says Saad. "But I know it can be done."