Upon the invitation of the Rector and Council of the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, a ceremony was organized on March 5, 2011 at the John-Paul II Amphitheater within the framework of a Doctor Honoris Causa award ceremony in Business awarded to Dr. Jean B. El Hawa, CEO of Hawa Chicken.

Following the welcome speech by Ms. Lea Yahchouchi, a documentary was presented shedding the light on the major stages throughout the journey of the honoree, from his early beginning in the field of poultry till he became the owner of a huge company that has contributed in promoting and developing the agricultural sector in Lebanon. While Prof. Nehme Azoury, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Commercial Sciences, praised in his speech the various projects and charity work initiated by Dr. Jean El Hawa and which support social causes, particularly non-affluent students. Following a musical interlude animated by tenor Elia Francis, Rev. Fr. Hady Mahfouz, USEK President, pointed out in his speech that the idea of Honoris Causa goes back to the XV century and was awarded for the first time in the University of Oxford in UK. He also underlined the managerial excellence and unlimited generosity which distinguish the honoree.

At the end of the ceremony, Dr. Jean B. El Hawa received the insignia of Doctor Honoris Causa and expressed his gratefulness towards the University. “The most important reason which makes me worthy of this honor is simply 60 years of continuous and painstaking hard work in the field of management, during which I was able to found and manage the company of Hawa Chicken which welcomes today thousands of employees and workers, and occupies a leading place on the national and international level. And this is what makes me proud today”, Hawa added.