Dear Members of our LAU Community,

LAU has long mastered the difficult craft of turning crushing crises into promising opportunities. Soon after the economic collapse, our Emergency Financial Aid Fund (EFAF) was born. Deep into the black hole of Lebanon’s meltdown, our LAU family received the news that there will be no layoffs and no furloughs. When the students reeled under a new depth in the economic freefall, a breath of fresh air came their way with the increase of financial aid allocations from $50 million to $80 million. And when the country was on the verge of losing its fight against COVID-19, LAU announced that it was leading the campaign to acquire vaccines and support the government effort. 

Adversity, threat and menacing darkness cannot withstand the LAU spirit that turns them into hope and a beam of light charting the way to a vibrant future. Nor is LAU taken to naive denial, for we recognize problems, and are fully cognizant of the existential risks and the odds during these unprecedented challenges. We do, however, have enough steely resolve to navigate the new normal and the kind of faith that can move mountains.

As we approach the midpoint of another year of business unusual, and the institution enters its sixth month of my presidency, the storm shows every indication of getting fiercer. The country seems to be all but drifting aimlessly in a sea that keeps getting rougher and our students are hard pressed in their frantic search for a ray of hope. Most of them now realize that the decision to adjust our tuition fees in Lebanese pounds was dictated by events not of our own making and counterbalanced by the largest single increase in financial assistance outlays in our history. In equal measure, they also realize that their beloved university stands by them through thick and thin to help their surge into the future.

Retaining optimism in the heart of darkness is part of what a leading university should be about. Firm is our belief that the future is for the informed and dedicated no matter how severe the odds may seem or how bleak the prospects. Our brand of optimism, however, is not based on wishful thinking but on hard work, bold initiatives and concerted effort. We abide by the dictum that great leaps forward come out of the stress of facing problems and the moral fortitude needed to diligently pursue solutions. 

Now is the time to remind ourselves that we survived the tragic events of 1860, the two world wars, the protracted Lebanese war and every other conceivable adversity. Succumb we will not, as the very word is anathema to the spirit of LAU. We are after all the institution that prides itself on striving and seeking but never yielding. To our cherished support community, we say: Yield we will not and together we will stay united in our resolve and pursuit of excellence in education and patient care. The night may be long, but it will surely have to give way to dawn and sunrise.