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The Six
Pillars of LAU
(Inspired
by the title of the classic by Lawrence of Arabia)
An institution celebrating its centennial has every reason to reflect on
its history in search of an answer to one burning question: What is it
in our institution that accounts for a century of survival and
exponential growth despite every conceivable challenge?
This is indeed a question that has occupied me over the past several
months as I surveyed ten decades of steady LAU progress under conditions
that were often adversarial and amounted at times to existential
threats. This chain of thought led me to identify six pillars that, in
my view, account for LAU’s steady resilience through multiple
iterations, crises, challenges, and adversities of all sorts. I will now
briefly address each of these six pillars and conclude with a short
statement on how they reinforced each other and created the synergy that
made LAU what it is today.
1- Firm Moral Grounding
From day one, the institution that was to become LAU was founded on a
solid moral principle espousing equality for women in every way and
gender equity leading to empowerment through education. This was an
overarching goal that infused the young institution with a sense of
purpose that derived its urgency from multiple sources rooted in
religious faith, belief in social justice, yearning for progress in this
part of the world, and a sense of destiny that galvanized the nascent
college and kept it going.
This strong moral grounding soon branched out into a culture of
integrity, ethical fortitude, fair play and personal responsibility.
These continued to grow and came to define LAU as a close-knit community
bound together by a strong sense of identity and purpose. This broad
umbrella continues to engulf the entirety of the institution and offer
us a moral compass we go by.
2- Liberal Arts Tradition
The Liberal Arts tradition was deeply engrained into the DNA of LAU
since its earliest days. It influenced its approach to education in ways
that encouraged open-mindedness, free enquiry, and a holistic approach
emphasizing character building as much as the acquisition of knowledge
and the development of cognitive skills. All this translated into a
culture of free-thinking, open forums, and uninhibited exchanges.
The Liberal Arts tradition also led to the development of Critical
Thinking among our students as a major educational outcome. This meant
inculcating in students the ability to reason, compare, analyze,
critique, and develop perspective before passing judgment on an issue.
This was, of course, a major asset for the institution in times of
crisis. It ensured a student body of independent thinkers who can make
up their own minds individually and not be susceptible to group
psychology, pre-conceived notions and stereotypes. Respect for diversity
and a natural tendency toward inclusion were among the positive outcomes
of the Liberal Arts tradition. This has proven invaluable in generating
institutional immunity at LAU. For our students, it led to much-needed
future-proofing.
3- Keeping a Small College Spirit Inside a Major Comprehensive
University
This is perhaps a unique feature of LAU’s unmatched by any other
institution. By design and toil, LAU managed to continuously nourish a
culture of student-centeredness and individual attention directed toward
students who are always made to feel that they come first. This culture
manifests itself in several ways starting before they even join LAU and
continuing throughout their journey with us. The dividends are many.
They start with student self-confidence and sense of self-worth and lead
to student affection for their alma mater and a strong sense of loyalty
and attachment. LAU students spare no occasion to indicate how proud
they are of their university and the strength of their bonds. Their most
often cited reason is the treatment they received, the individualized
attention lavished on them, and the countless occasions when they were
made to feel that they were by far our top priority.
4- Receptivity to Change
LAU is an institution that has gone through several iterations on its
way to becoming what it is today. From a school for girls to a
post-secondary two-year college for girls, then to a four-year all-girls
college, offering a bachelor’s degree, on to a co-ed four-year college,
and then in the early 1990s to its present structure as the Lebanese
American University. Even after this last iteration, we added on a
medical school, a pharmacy school, and a nursing school in addition to
an independent School of Architecture and Design. We also added
post-2000, two medical centers, and now a branch campus in New York
City.
An institution has to be exceptionally anchored and firmly rooted in its
ecosystem to be able to absorb so much change. One can think of
institutions that have either not dared introduce so much change or lost
their identity altogether under a much lesser dose of change. Not LAU!
The way we managed and absorbed change is worthy of a case study that
will make for exciting reading.
5- Connectivity and Engagement
Long before community engagement became fashionable and trendy, LAU was
practicing it to the limit. Links with the community found their way to
LAU in a variety of social, professional, and cultural venues. A small
listing would include the PMRC (Pharmaceutical and Medical Research
Center), the AIW (Arab Institute for Women), the CLH (Center for
Lebanese Heritage), the Simulation Programs, two medical centers, ACE
(Academy for Continuing Education), FMIC (Fouad Makhzoumi Innovation
center), Industrial Hub, and a plethora of other outlets all dedicated
to interfacing with the community, which, in each case, is invited to
share university resources in pursuit of realizing shared goals, and a
better service quality level.
LAU has historically invested heavily in community service and spared no
effort to positively influence all its stakeholders. It is indeed fair
to say that LAU is a university with bridges and no walls. Its
entrepreneurial culture is part of its agility honed over long years
through a complex web of community ties.
6- Escalating Impact
LAU’s impact has always been felt as a positive force for the good of
the community. The first women scientists, physicians, sculptors,
writers, etc. are among its earliest manifestations. The institution’s
early contribution to art and mass communication was also considerable.
During the war years, LAU’s impact spread to other communities through
the establishment of the Byblos campus as a countervailing measure
against the perils of the war.
In recent years, however, LAU’s influence grew exponentially within the
country to include quality healthcare, fashion design, environmental
protection, massive financial aid, and an intricate research web of the
highest quality linking us to other academic institutions and to
industry in its various sectors. The recent opening of the New York City
branch campus is a leap toward global impact and a tipping point that
will profoundly influence LAU.
The Six Pillars of LAU are sturdy columns that support our structure as
it navigates time and transitions confidently from the 19th, through the
20th, into the 21st century. They mutually reinforce each other,
generating a dynamic of resilience and sustainability. By hanging on to
what is constant, LAU has proven its unparalleled ability to handle what
is mutating. The generative dynamics of the constant and the changing
are at the very heart of the incredible success story that is LAU.
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