Key Areas

Student Development and Enrollment Management

Students thrived with the return to campus activities and took the initiative in advocating for worthwhile causes, engaging with peers in Lebanon and abroad, broadening their professional prospects, and podiumed at athletic events.

After a two-year hiatus, the classes of 2020, 2021 and 2022 were honored in jubilant celebrations over five days on Beirut and Byblos campuses for the university’s 97th commencement exercises.

More than 6,200 graduates celebrated with their families and friends, and LAU bestowed the honorary doctorates on pianist and composer Abdel Rahman El Basha, and pioneer in cardiology, echocardiography and cardiac imaging Dr. William A. Zoghbi.

In the fall of 2021, Dr. Jad Abdallah, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences and assistant dean of student affairs, assumed the role of Dean of Students on Byblos campus.

In early October 2021, more than 2,800 students voted to elect a new Student Council, securing 30 seats at the table in line with LAU’s model of shared governance. In the weeks leading up to the elections, meetings and workshops were hosted by the Student Life Offices on both campuses, and the candidates were given designated campaigning booths on campus, while many posted online videos to boost their reach.

The return to campus life in fall 2021 was coupled with a long-awaited return to in-person club events and athletic activities, and the LAU varsity teams did not disappoint, especially at the University Sports Conference, the World University Futsal Championship, and the Lebanese Federation of University Sports National Championship.

LAU students, alumni and coaches shined on the national stage, playing with the Lebanese national teams. While the Men’s National Basketball Team, which includes four alumni, brought home the Arab Championship title and the silver cup at the FIBA Asia Championship, the Women’s National Basketball Team earned the FIBA Women’s Asia cup.

At a hybrid ceremony held in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), LAU welcomed 83 new students who joined the Higher Education Scholarship Program in 2021. The following academic year, a record number of more than a hundred new scholars joined LAU as part of this scholarship program.

With scarce job opportunities in Lebanon for young graduates, a student-led initiative, the LAU Case Competition was brought back after the pandemic. More than 450 students from different Lebanese universities competed to “win” internships and job opportunities at leading multinational companies, including Deloitte, Leo Burnett, Merck & Co. (MSD), Unilever and PepsiCo, and IBM.

A few weeks into the fall semester, the Nutrition and Food Science Club raised a notable amount of money for the Lebanese Food Bank - one of many initiatives the students engage in - to help alleviate food insecurity in Lebanon, in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal No. 2: Zero Hunger. Through a similar initiative, the Aie Club also raised a hefty amount for the Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon.

Prompted by the appointment in Tunisia of the first female prime minister in the Arab World, US Middle East Partnership Initiative Tomorrow’s Leaders (MEPI-TL) scholars hosted a panel discussion on Women’s Participation in Decision Making in the Arab World, in partnership with the Tunisian Embassy. The event featured a keynote address by Prime Minister Najla Bouden Romdhane and delved into case studies from Tunisia and Lebanon. 

Through a virtual exchange program funded by the US Embassy, LAU and Boise State University (BSU) students collaborated on three projects aimed to engender cross-cultural dialogue. A team of two LAU students and three BSUers were recognized with the top award at BSU’s College of Business and Economics Innovation Challenge. Other teams also earned the Dean’s Choice and the Judges’ Recognition Awards.

Research policy papers by 15 undergraduate students of the MEPI-TL Gender Scholars (TLS) Program were published in a special issue of Al Raida, the flagship journal of the Arab Institute for Women. The papers covered a plethora of timely topics in gender studies.

MEPI-TL seniors showcased their visionary ideas for developing their home communities on their annual capstone presentation day, an event that has become a tradition that inspires other students.

The MEPI-TLSers closed off the year with a second annual conference themed on the topic of sustainable gender equality. It featured a keynote address by UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director for UN Women Sima Bahous, panel discussions led by gender experts, as well as poster and oral presentations by TLS scholars.

LAU partnered with more than 10 companies through its Career Development Services Office to expand internship and job opportunities available for students and alumni. The office also held various recruitment presentations, workshops and talks to support students’ career readiness. In spring, the Career and Internship Fair was held virtually.

LAU’s flagship Youth Leadership Simulation Models returned to LAU campuses for in-person delivery. More than 2,500 middle-and-high-school students took part in this year’s editions. Excelling delegates received 126 LAU scholarships.

In spring, in collaboration with the seven schools, the Student Recruitment Office held six Open-Day events. More than 100 high-school students enjoyed an inspiring, creative experience at the School of Architecture and Design’s state-of-the-art studios and labs, and the top designers were awarded LAU scholarships.

In partnership with USAID, LAU held graduation ceremonies to celebrate 76 Higher Education Scholarship graduates, and, in partnership with the American University of Beirut, another one to honor 32 MEPI-TL graduates.

The most recent of LAU MEPI-TL programs, the College-to-Work Pipeline (TLP), has added an entrepreneurship component in its application of the Vertically-Integrated Project (VIP+), which helps bridge the gap between students’ skills and job market needs. This format, devised by TLP Program Director and School of Engineering Dean Lina Karam, has helped the program earn three awards out of five at the VIP Consortium Annual Meeting.

At the first LAU VIP+ Innovation Showcase and Startup Competition, ten student teams pitched ideas for their startups to a jury of industry professionals. Five winning ideas were rewarded with monetary prizes to help bring their startups to life. The students were mentored and trained by faculty from the School of Engineering.

LAU counselors continued to help students overcome and preempt all sorts of challenges, especially as they navigate the ongoing socioeconomic crisis in the country.

Two LAU student teams took first and second prizes at the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Brain Lab Competition, organized by the UN Global Compact Network Lebanon (GCNL).

Over the summer, an LAU delegation visited the Freie University of Berlin for an Erasmus+ funded mobility to exchange expertise and explore possibilities for collaboration. The university has more than 50 partner institutions worldwide and actively seeks exchange and training opportunities for its faculty, students and staff.

Following a forced halt due to health restrictions, LAU’s Jr. NBA League returned for a third edition this year, in partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA). 

Graduate Studies and Research Office

To underpin LAU’s standing as a research institution, the Graduate Studies and Research (GSR) Office is dedicated to boosting the quantity and quality of LAU’s research output. With an eye on the caliber and number of projects and studies undertaken by faculty and graduate students, the GSR strives to facilitate funding and ensure that they meet the standards and requirements of the International Review Board.

This year marked the graduation of the very first cohort of the Graduate Program Scholarship, first launched in fall 2020 as a part of the university’s views of excellence in higher education and its will to build a research-rich culture. By fall 2022, 83 out of 101 students graduated, having published or submitted for publication at least one research paper, which led to a significant increase in the number of publications by the university.

In April 2022, the Office of Graduate Studies and Research launched again the Graduate Program Scholarships for the fall term. This year, a monthly stipend of $200 allocated for the duration of the program was added to the student tuition fees waiver. The goal was to allow students to focus on their studies and research - which will create appropriate conditions for their future success be it in academia or industry - and help increase the university’s research output, said GSR Dean Samer Saab. 

The scholarships cover 16 different master’s programs ranging from Applied Economics, Biological Sciences to International Affairs and Business Administration.

The GSR also held its second Student Research Awards ceremony online, granting three graduate students the Outstanding Research Award.

The GSR office is currently managing four active ASHA grants (ASHA18, 19, 20 and 21) and one submitted grant (ASHA22). The concept note for the latter was submitted in May 2022 with the theme: “Strengthen In-House Capabilities and Community Service Potential.” The full grant will be finalized and submitted once ASHA informs LAU of the progress to the second phase. In addition, the preliminary call for ASHA23 has been released and preparations for the ASHA23 grant proposal are underway.

After launching two consecutive calls in Spring 2021 and 2022, The GSR office is planning the third call for the intramural research grants funded by the MEPI-Tomorrow’s Leaders program. This initiative, in collaboration with the Office of International Services and Grants and Contracts Office, aims to provide internal funding for LAU faculty while creating an appropriate research learning environment for LAU MEPI-TL students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The third call is expected to be launched in spring 2023, with a start date in September 2023.   

Tasked with implementing and managing the newly established President Intramural Research Fund (PIRF), the GSR office developed the grant criteria and characteristics, proposal guidelines, budget template as well as an online submission system for grant proposals. The PIRF was successfully launched in Spring 2022, with a target of successful grants active at the start of fall 2022. The call for proposals was sent to the faculty at large and despite the close deadline, the response was overwhelming with a total of 46 proposals submitted.

Based on evidence that researchers working collaboratively are more likely to produce a higher number of quality publications, the initiative of having Research Faculty-Postdoctoral Research Fellows continued this year to increase the quantity and quality of LAU’s research output.

Dr. Joseph Stephan, IRB director, has managed all aspects of LAU’s transition to the new ethically compliant Animal Facility under the GSR office. This involved design and planning with physical plant and engineering, communication with suppliers, recruitment of a consultant veterinarian and three animal lab technicians, as well as procedural efforts for a smooth transition at the level of higher administration, budget and procurement offices, and HR.

Despite the dire economic situation in the country, the IRB has also pushed onward this past academic year, reviewing a record-high number of studies.

In AY2021-2022, 1,584 training records were completed through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CTI) online training on Responsible Conduct of Research by faculty, students, research assistants and post-doctoral research fellows. The IRB has successfully added a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) module to the LAU subscription at no additional cost to cater to a specific need expressed by the School of Pharmacy.

Data generated by the GSR office on academic and research core KPIs have demonstrated the success of the research strategies implemented by LAU over the past six years. Despite the disruptions during the past three years that affected faculty research productivity, LAU’s scholarly output has been steadily increasing, indicating not only a higher than world average performance but also a clear and steady improvement in both the quality and impact of LAU faculty research.

The LAU Health System

The LAU Integrated Healthcare System is a unique collaborative system of healthcare delivery in Lebanon between LAU’s health schools, campus clinics, medical centers, mobile unit, and affiliates (hospitals/dispensaries).

The focus of the integration has been on improving clinical, patient safety and satisfaction, as well as efficiency outcomes. Our top priority continues to be the health and safety of our LAU members, our workforce and the communities we serve.

Integration consists of:

• Vertical integration: from general medical practice to specialist medical practice

• Horizontal integration: no silos, the two hospitals complementing and supporting each other. Involve the affiliates in some aspects of this integration.

• Fully integrating with the university at large.

• Expansion inside and outside Lebanon: affiliations, agreements, acquisitions.

A combination of vertical plus an extended horizontal integration will allow integration of the LAU Health system with the university.

LAU Medical Centers

Innovative equipment continues to roll in at LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital, while LAU Medical Center-Saint John’s Hospital assumes an instrumental role in serving the community.

A first for Lebanon, the university inaugurated a hybrid operating room at LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital, in the Surgical specialties building. This state-of-the-art procedural room combines a traditional operating room with an image-guided interventional suite; a combination that allows a multi-disciplinary group of clinicians to perform image-guided procedures with minimally invasive procedures. Such highly complex, advanced surgical procedures utilize a full suite of imaging devices, anesthesia, ventilators, electrosurgical equipment, equipment management systems, and patient monitors. A part of a $1.34 million grant from USAID’s American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) initiative, the facility allows LAU to improve patient safety, staff efficiency, surgical outcomes and cost-effectiveness.

Additionally, a full Electronic Medical Record system along with an Automated Medication Delivery system are being implemented. This important Patient Safety initiative is also part of a USAID American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) grant.

Expanding the services at LAU Medical Center-Saint John’s Hospital is taking place as the hospital has established its name in the region. Amongst these services are the Ear, Nose & Throat Department, the Cardiac Care Unit, and the Ophthalmology Department.

In July, LAU Medical Center-Saint John’s Hospital held a workshop for physicians on delivering patient care with a focus on key values, such as humility, integrity, kindness, compassion and discretion. 

In partnership with the LAU Medical Students Association, the LAU Medical Center-Saint John’s Hospital held a National Health Day at Mar Fawka, Ghadir and Jounieh, where free preventive healthcare services were provided to the community.

An LAU Health customer service Office has been established at each of our academic medical centers. This office is dedicated to supporting the medical care and needs of the LAU community by ensuring timely and personalized customer service.

The mission of the LAU Health Clinics is to improve and safeguard the health and wellbeing of the LAU community - faculty, staff, and students - by providing high-quality primary and preventive healthcare and community services.

The healthcare services provided at these campus clinics comprise:

• Primary healthcare, wellness assessment, and psychiatry services: Provided by the physicians of the school of medicine and LAU nurses.

• Phlebotomy services: Performed in collaboration with the LAU medical centers.

• First Aid: Medical emergency assistance for LAU members and over-the-counter medications mainly offered to students.

• Immunization: in particular for LAU health-related schools, faculty, staff and students.

• Public health: Awareness activities that include the promotion of a healthy campus.

• COVID-19 vaccination: Organized on campus in collaboration with the LAU Mobile Clinic.

• Breast Cancer Awareness Day: Held in collaboration with the Pre-Med Club.

• Mental Health Webinar: Related to stress management, presented by a psychiatrist from the school of medicine.

• LAU Athletes Screening: Performing EKGs and wellness visits.

• Medical Care Plan: Developed to standardize medical emergency processes during and after working hours on both campuses.

• Automated External Defibrillators: Placed across both campuses. In addition, first aid trainings have been provided to LAU staff in collaboration with the HR department.

• “We share the same Blood” NGO continues to support the LAU community in securing blood donors for people in need.

In February 2023, the Byblos campus clinic will be open to the Byblos and Blat communities and staffed by physicians from the LAU Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine.

Institutes and Centers

The Arab Institute for Women

In December 2021, LAU hosted the closing ceremony of an innovative project funded by the US-Middle East Partnership Initiative (US-MEPI) that addresses parental leave policies within Lebanon’s private and public sectors.

Led by the  Arab Institute for Women (AiW), the project titled  Equality for Everyone: Gender Reform from Grassroots to Government involved drafting a parental leave law in close collaboration with the National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW) that was endorsed by several MPs and was already proposed in the Lebanese parliament.

A highlight of the virtual event was an announcement by LAU President Michel E. Mawad that the university is developing a new family leave policy extending the duration of maternity leave from 10 to 15 weeks and granting, for the first time in the history of Lebanon, a 10-day paternity leave. The draft of the policy is being finalized and will be submitted to the Board of Trustees in March 2022.

The AiW in collaboration with the Global Women’s Institute at George Washington University is currently implementing the grant received from UN Women and WHO, which entails creating custom-made digitized courses focused on the collection of Violence Against Women prevalence data. These courses would serve as a special degree under the Gender in Development and Humanitarian Assistance.

The AiW collaborated with the Academy of Continuing Education to custom-make four courses for the project being implemented titled “Political Participation of Women in Lebanon” within the context of the Finnish grant. Thirty participants completed the three-month training in May 2022 focused on women’s political participation and the technical knowledge needed to run for the municipal and parliamentary elections. The closing event for this training was held on 13 June 2022 in the presence of Dr. Mawad and the Finnish Ambassador, H.E. Tarja Fernandez. 

Also in December 2021, following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, AiW Executive Director Lina Abirafeh was featured in interviews with international media agencies, CNN and ABC News, for her hands-on experience of and research on the status of Afghani women.  Dr. Abirafeh also published a piece.

In February 2022, AiW Director Myriam Sfeir, AiW Director, was hosted on Al Hurra TV’s program “Ma3an” during which she spoke about the importance of women’s role in the labor force, especially in non-traditional fields. Also hosted on Al Ghad TV’s program “Matha Ba3d” Sfeir addressed violence against women with a specific focus on the Ismailiyah incident and the discourse surrounding it.

In March 2022, to mark International Women’s Day, the AiW:

• Held the Beirut panel for the Athena 40 Global Conversation - this year themed Women as Catalysts for Resilience, Diversity and Change - that connected with events simultaneously held in six other cities.

• Along with the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) Lebanon organized a multi-panel symposium on Strengthening Intergenerational Dialogue and Partnership on Gender Equality & Climate Change.

• In partnership with the US-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Tomorrow’s Leaders (TL) programs at LAU launched the TL Talking Series: Women in Leadership, a series of monthly panels that will present and connect our LAU community and TL students to powerful female leaders who strive to change and influence their societies in one way or the other. This March, the AiW celebrated Women in Sports by inviting Mona Yaacoub, the founder and creator of the PlayInHerShoes social enterprise; and Jennifer Ammoury, the one and only Lebanese Female International Referee (FIBA).

In AY2021-2022, the institute hosted two international conferences: Women & Gender Studies in the Middle East in partnership with the Association for Middle East Women’s Studies (AMEWS) and Bobst-AUB Collaborative Initiative at the American University in Beirut (AUB); and Women, Religion, & Human Rights organized with LAU’s Department of Social & Education Sciences, Adyan Foundation, and Danmission, during which scholars and different religious figures discussed the stance of women in the interpretations of biblical and qur’anic texts and in personal status codes in Lebanon, the Arab World, and South Asia (particularly Hinduism).

The AiW in partnership with the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), has embarked on a five-year project titled Countering Backlash: Reclaiming Gender Justice. In light of trends seeking to reverse the gains harvested for women’s rights and gender equality and to reduce the civic space for progressive movements, the project aims at creating the necessary knowledge and identifying opportunities for women’s rights organizations and gender justice advocates to counter the backlash and address the erosion of gender objectives. The AiW is working under the three strands of “Voice,” “Patriarchy,” and “Policy and Practice” to address the backlash, and erosion of gender policies, and find new opportunities for feminist impact.

In June 2022, in collaboration with the AiW, the  US Middle East Partnership Initiative Tomorrow’s Leaders Gender Scholars Program (MEPI-TLS) at LAU hosted its second annual end-of-year conference, titled  MEPI-TLS Scholars for Sustainable Gender Equality.

The institute also co-published a research paper with MEPI by Chair of the Department of Economics Ali Fakih titled “The Provision of Family-Friendly Work Practices in Lebanon: Challenges and Consequences for the Private Sector,” a guideline for policymakers to create more female-friendly workplaces, shown to have promising returns on multiple levels.

Another published report, ” Dealing with the Past, Memories for the Future - Reconstructing the Stories of Unsung Heroines,” which is available in English and Arabic, sheds light on the peacebuilding initiatives undertaken by women during the Lebanese Civil War and the October 17 Uprising, in addition to two documentaries that tackled the crucial role of women in the civil war of 1975 and the October 2019 Uprising.

The Center for Innovative Learning

The 2021-2022 academic year saw the continued growth of the Center for Innovative Learning (CIL) at LAU. Most notably, the center provided multiple seminars and round-table discussions, hosted the annual Faculty Fellows program, witnessed the adoption of virtual exchange techniques across the Adnan Kassar School of Business, the School of Arts and Sciences, and the school of medicine, and provided fundamental multi-media support to the launching of both the Global MBA and MS in Computer Science online degree programs.

In summary, the CIL:

• Hosted, in partnership with the Title IX office and the Office of Graduate Studies and Research, a series of three roundtables on managing Faculty-Student Research Projects in spring 2022.

• Organized two workshops for new faculty just prior to the start of fall 2022:

  • A technical orientation session, introducing faculty to essential LAU systems (Blackboard, Panopto, Starfish, and Banner) as well as powerful teaching tools used at LAU.

  • An interactive workshop devoted to writing strong learning outcomes and sharing key tips on syllabus design as well as other aspects of teaching/learning at LAU.

• Ran the Faculty Fellows program from 6 through 22 June which included a week of hands-on learning design workshops with Wiley-sponsored Learning Designers visiting from the UK.

• Welcomed the LAU community to the CIL on the occasion of the grand opening of four recording studios - two on the Beirut campus and two on the Byblos campus, in spring 2022.

• Reconfirmed  LAU’s partnership with Soliya - an industry leader in virtual exchange - noting the benefits that more than 100 LAU students obtained from participating in its online cross-cultural program connecting more than 200 universities in 35 countries.

• Supported the fall 2021 virtual exchange partnership with Boise State University that led to the participation of multiple LAU student teams in the COBE Innovation Challenge.

• Supported faculty participation in virtual exchange training programs at St. John’s University, New York, and through AMICAL.

The Center for Lebanese Heritage

The Center for Lebanese Heritage commemorated its 20th anniversary in a special ceremony at Irwin Hall on 28 March 2022 under the patronage of LAU President Michel E. Mawad.

The well-attended event spotlighted the center’s numerous publications, books, panel discussions, conferences and digital archives.

It featured a Lebanese folkloric performance by Artist Nasser Makhoul, who played handcrafted musical instruments he had created. An anniversary issue of Mirrors of Heritage was distributed to members of the audience. 

For two decades, the center, under the sole direction of Henri Zoghaib, has been dedicated to collecting, preserving and documenting all local heritage-related materials in various languages.

Leading up to the celebration, the center ran a review of its past activities on social media, such as clips, films, photos and documents published over 20 years.

By June 2022, the center had published 16 issues of its flagship Mirrors of Heritage in addition to books on Lebanese literature, history and archeology in Arabic, French and English. 

The Centre for Lebanese Studies

Coinciding with the start of the school year in Lebanon, the Center for Lebanese Studies published a report examining the readiness of schools, teachers, parents and students and the challenges surrounding the return to in-person learning. The findings covered the impact of the socioeconomic crisis, the obstacles it posed, and the potential solutions from stakeholders’ perspectives.

CLS welcomed two new board members - Drs. Izzat Darwazeh and Andrew Arsan, as well as Drs. Mai Abu Moghli and Joelle Boutros as senior researchers.

Building on the findings from the first curriculum reform conference and the findings of the eight national consultation sessions with key stakeholders over the summer of 2021, CLS held a conference entitled Rethinking the Curriculum in Lebanon and the Arab World: Ideologies, Power Dynamics and Knowledge Production.

In spring, the center launched scholarships for undergraduates in their final year of studies or students who are looking to pursue a master’s degree in the humanities and social sciences at LAU. 

As the Lebanese took to the polls in May for the parliamentary elections, CLS released a study that investigated the impact of the economic crisis on voters’ choices and launched a campaign for the rights of disabled people to access the elections.

Over recent years, CLS has been collaborating with the Centre for Development and Emergency Practice at Oxford Brookes University on a research project to understand youth trajectories and the links between education and employment in displacement contexts. Titled From Education to Employment, a book was released by CLS in July that represents all documentaries, creative writing and exhibits that were conducted as part of this project.

In July, CLS Director Maha Shuayb was appointed as the British Academy Bilateral Chair in Education in Conflict with a research program entitled Unpacking the Industry of Refugee Education and Research Towards an Equitable Theory and Practice. 

The LAU Fouad Makhzoumi Innovation Center

In AY2021-202­­­­­­­­2, the LAU Fouad Makhzoumi Innovation Center launched the 3rd cycle of  LAU SPARK, a university-based incubator that helps students, faculty, staff, and alumni to build innovative businesses/startups with high growth potential - with a two-day hackathon to introduce them to entrepreneurship.

At the event, participants were helped to form teams, develop initial prototypes and prepare their pitches. SPARK22 started with 25 startups out of which 13 made it to the final stage and will be pitching in front of the investment committee for up to $10,000 investment opportunity. A Demo Day was held in August 2022 to showcase the progress of the SPARK22 startups in the presence of the President and partners from the innovation ecosystem. 

In January 2022, Dr. Ali Ammouri, assistant professor of Practice at the School of Engineering, succeeded Mr. Saad El Zein as Director of the LAU Fouad Makhzoumi Innovation Center.  

 Dr. Ammouri has extensive hands-on experience in instrumentation and computer-aided design and 17 years of consultancy experience with local and international industries. His enthusiasm for innovation and mentoring young innovators is reflected in his work on the students’ projects that he supervises, which are tailored to solve industry problems and often result in forming startups.

Dr. Ammouri has served as the representative for LAU at the Lebanese Industrial Research Achievement (LIRA) program for the past four years and is a regular participant in their annual exhibition where he won multiple grants and awards.  

In March 2022, the LAU Fouad Makhzoumi Innovation Center facilitated the organization of student events like the LAU Hult prize and launched the Inas Academic Awards Foundation (IAAF) Competition. The IAAF competition offers a chance to win 100,000,000 LBP and technical support from Berytech. Numerous students participated in the event that was hosted by President Mawad. 

Also this year, the LAU Fouad Makhzoumi Innovation Center partnered with Bloom to run the LAU SPARK Accelerate, a program tailored to accelerate promising startups that are already registered in Lebanon.

The co-run partner accelerator, which kicked off in June 2022, ran for three months with extensive hands-on mentorship, training, and access to a digital library of curated workshops and resources. Five startups were selected to win cash funding of $10,000 after participating in the Demo Day held in August 2022. 

During this year, the operation of the LAU Fouad Makhzoumi Innovation Center was transferred from Nucleus Ventures to be completely run at the LAU. Starting next year, SPARK23 will be fully organized and managed by the staff at the center.

LAU Louis Cardahi Foundation

In December 2021, Director of the LAU Louis Cardahi Foundation Rachid Chamoun was appointed special advisor for the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism by virtue of his invaluable contributions to cultural tourism. Dr. Chamoun, who is also president of the Confederation of the Phoenicians’ Route, will represent Lebanon in the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe Programme (CRCE).

To celebrate the country’s accession to the CRCE, Dr. Chamoun organized LAU’s launch of the Intercultural Forum on Cultural Tourism for Lebanon at the Lebanese Pavilion-Expo Dubai in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism in March 2022.

The exhibition was followed by a series of events throughout the year to promote Lebanon’s history, tourism, and intercultural dialogue:

• The Jbeil District Sustainable Tourism Vision - held at the LAU Byblos campus in April 2022 - addressed risk preparedness planning and disaster risk reduction, proposing ways to safeguard sustainable tourism in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Byblos.

• The Euro Mediterranean Intercultural Dialogue Forum Celebrating Lebanon, the 35th Member State of the Enlarged Partial Agreement On the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, held in April 2022, under the Patronage of His Excellency, President of the Republic General Michel Aoun and in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Agriculture and the European Institute of Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, La Rotta dei Fenici, Routes of the Olive Tree, Iter Vitis Route(Wine Route), and Routes of El legado Andalusí’ by the Umayyad Route.

• The Iter Vitis - Wine Route Lebanon Union Vinicole Du Liban (UVL), Prowein 2022 Messe Dusseldorf international wine fairs, during which the documentation of “Iter Vitis Wine Route” Lebanon was presented from May 15-17, 2022.

University Administration

The Department of Institutional Research and Assessment (DIRA) had a busy year as it continued to provide support to ensure that the university is adequately ranked by international bodies.

LAU was ranked second in Lebanon by Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings as well as the QS Arab University Ranking, and first in Business and Economics by THE’s Subject Ranking for the second year in a row. Another ranking by THE - the Asia University Rankings - placed LAU at No. 1 in teaching in Lebanon. The university was also ranked No.2 nationally according to Webometrics, No. 1 in Lebanon on two impact Sustainable Development Goals as vetted by THE Impact Rankings and was recognized by QS World University Rankings in three subjects, performing best in Petroleum Engineering.

Apart from providing data to support rankings, DIRA published student success and institutional effectiveness data along with key reports including the university’s Facts and Figures and the annual LAU Brochure and LAU Fact Book.

As life on campus inched closer to a resemblance of pre-pandemic normalcy, Human Resources continued to support faculty and staff, while lifting the hiring freeze and helping all university constituents adapt to the country’s new normal through special relief packages.

The University’s Information Technology Department (IT) launched an integrated service between virtual meetings provider WebEx and online lecture recorder Panopto/ Blackboard to help LAU faculty automatically keep a record of their meetings and class recordings in one place. In collaboration with the School of Engineering, IT supported the system administration of a high-performance computing data center which was donated to Lebanon by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).

During August, LAU Facilities Management (FM) led a tour of LAU’s High-Performance Infrastructure Utilities on Byblos campus, including the Riyad Nassar Central Administration Building and the Joseph Jabbra Library. The tour was given to Energy and Sustainability interns of the Association of Energy Engineers. Apart from supporting students with a campaign for their return to campus, FM oversaw several renovations and departmental relocations on both campuses.

The Academy of Continuing Education

The Academy for Continuing Education (ACE) forged a series of new collaborations and partnerships to promote continuing education in Lebanon and the region. Here are some highlights:

• Initiated partnerships with leading institutions to provide specialized training programs, such as American Management Association and Rasha Hteit.

• Renewed the agreements pertaining to Teach for Lebanon (Leadership and Education training program for new teachers) and Muhanna Foundation (Municipal Administration and Finance Diploma program for municipal staff).

• Collaborated with the Alumni Relations Office to provide online webinars on a variety of topics, among which Logotherapy: Finding Meaning, Purpose, and Success by the founder of Logotherapy MENA Daliya Zgheib and Resilience in Extreme Context by leadership and business advisor Rabee Fares.

• Cooperated with various international organizations to offer innovative programs, such as:

  • Asynchronous online programs in Data Analytics, Python, programming and Artificial Intelligence with UNDP Iraq.

  • Asynchronous courses in Design skills for Women Entrepreneurs as part of the project managed by the Lutheran World Relief (LWR) and funded by USAID that aims at training women in the Lebanese rural areas (a three-year program).

• Collaborated with the Arab Institute for Women (AiW) in the Gendering Political Participation Event.

• Conducted a webinar with Sports Academy School (SAS): The future of Sports Trends and the Latest Science on Physical Activity.

In August 2022, LAU signed a partnership agreement with Lebanese Customs, following similar agreements with other governmental institutions. The university will offer tuition grants for officers, members, and retirees, as well as their spouses and children, thus providing access to LAU undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs.

University Advancement

Development Office

In May, President Michel E. Mawad and Vice President for University Advancement George Najjar embarked on a whirlwind tour of the United States to reassert the university’s commitment to its mission, and address the need for more student scholarships, as well as funding for its medical centers. 

United in their generosity toward Lebanon’s students and cancer patients, more than 300 alumni, friends, and trustees of LAU lent their support to the “Give to Learn, Give to Live” benefit culminating on September 9 in the annual fundraising gala, held at the prestigious Metropolitan Club in New York City.

At the event, distinguished philanthropists Maha Kaddoura and Adib Kassis were honored, and thousands of dollars were raised to support the university’s financial aid offering as well as cancer patients.

In parallel, a benefit online art auction, titled Art to Learn, Art to Live, in collaboration with Artscoops ran from September 7 to 12, featuring a wide range of works by notable multimedia artists from Lebanon that spanned inventive abstract work and thought-provoking portraits to photography and design.

The ongoing fundraising campaign has raised thousands of dollars to support LAU financial aid programs as well as cancer patients in fulfillment of a promise made by LAU to stand by its vulnerable family members and assist them through difficult times. In August, FFA Private Bank made a generous first-time gift to the fund, helping a number of students continue their education at LAU.

Advancement Services

With the return to in-person campus operations, Advancement Services continued to provide essential support to Alumni Relations, Development, Strategic Communications and all other departments that require access to the university’s databases.

Strategic Communications Department

In the face of seemingly unsurmountable challenges in the country, LAU launched a university-wide campaign, Together We Prevail, which illustrated how the university addressed the crisis in the immediate and longer term. Through the campaign, the Strategic Communications Department (Stratcom) made the case for the university’s affordability, highlighted the power of its financial aid and scholarship program, and explained how LAU managed to maintain high academic standards throughout recent years.

Stratcom provided strategic coverage and support for key university events, such as the five commencement ceremonies, fundraising and recruitment efforts, and university news. The department promoted faculty research, academic partnerships, and community-wide successes to internal and external audiences in Lebanon and beyond. 

In addition, the department executed several direct marketing campaigns for schools and divisions and produced special videos and multimedia content for university campaigns and events. Aside from ongoing updates to websites, the Stratcom team has made headway with revamping the websites of schools and other entities.  

Alumni Relations Office

Highlights of Activities

In AY2021-2022, as the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions eased, the Alumni Relations Office shifted its events from online to in-person. 

Thanks to vigorous efforts by the university to secure the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and having vaccinated its immediate community of LAU students, faculty and staff, it expanded its immunization campaign to include its alumni, in early August 2021.

By the end of the academic year, the office was able to hold alumni reunions on both the Beirut and Byblos campus, host the first-ever Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine Alumni Reunion in May 2022 on the Beirut campus, and in October 2022 the first School of Pharmacy Alumni Reunion on the Byblos campus.

The first alumni homecoming event since the outbreak of COVID-19 reunited all classes on both campuses, where they were greeted by LAU President Michel E. Mawad, and AVP Abdallah Al Khal, who were delighted to see them return to their alma mater. Also in July, and in the presence of Dr. Mawad, an alumni get-together dinner was held at Dar El-Gemmayzeh restaurant, which gathered alumni in a very warm and long-awaited evening after the pandemic.

Amid the socio-economic, financial, and health crises that the country was experiencing, the Alumni Relations Office organized timely lectures on health, resilience, and marketing success.

As part of its Keep Learning Alumni Lectures series, and in collaboration with the LAU Academy of Continuing Education, it invited Daliya Zgheib, logotherapist and founder of Logotherapy MENA to speak about the topic and Finding Meaning, Purpose and Success in life, and subsequently leadership advisor and founder of Business Empowerment & Education (IBEE) Rabee Fares to present on Resilience in Extreme Contexts. Both lectures were held online.

The third lecture in the series - this time hosted on the Beirut campus - on the Future of Marketing was delivered by Dr. Zahy Ramadan (BS ‘98, MBA ‘00) and Dr. Maya Farah (BS ‘00, MBA ‘02), associate professors of marketing at the Adnan Kassar School of Business.  The speakers covered three salient topics: strategies to increase competitive advantage in an AI-consumer relationship, new marketing and digital tools, metaverse and NFTs. 

In June 2022, the office held a panel discussion on Healthy Eating and Weight Management Mythbusting by Experts in collaboration with the Nutrition Program at the Department of Natural Sciences. The event kicked off with dietetics alumni who were available for individual consultations on proper diet programs, followed by a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Hussein Hassan, associate professor of Food Science and Technology and director of Academic Compliance. The panel included LAU faculty in nutrition, psychology, and medicine.

Keeping up its annual tradition of recognizing two distinguished alums for their outstanding work in Lebanon and beyond. In honor of her exceptional service to her alma mater and country, Dr. Suad Juffali (‘53) received the Alumni Recognition Award, while Remy Ejel (BS ‘92) was granted the Alumni Achievement Award for his significant professional career.

Meanwhile, alumni chapters took every opportunity to meet up. The LAU Sydney Chapter hosted a dinner along with AUB’s Australia Chapter; the Montreal chapter celebrated Iftar with its alumni, as did the Paris chapter as it welcomed newcomers. In Lebanon, alumni chapters organized a tour of Sidon’s landmarks.

Alumni Success Stories

Throughout the year, LAU alumni made headlines internationally, particularly basketball champs Wael Arakji (BS ‘16), Elie Chamoun (BE ‘18), Ali Mansour (BS ‘21) and Karim Zeinoun (BS ‘21), who played on the Lebanese National Team, as well as alumnae Aya Charaf (BA ‘20), Lourdes Antoury (BFA ‘20) and Nehmat Abdelkhalek (BS ‘22), who performed as part of the Mayyas Dance Crew and earned the top title at America’s Got Talent.

In November 2021, Lebanon’s Order of Pharmacists welcomed four LAUers to its board: Joe Salloum (BS ‘03) as president, and members Abdul Rahman Merkbawi (BS ‘06), Fadi Hdeab (PharmD ‘99) and Faraj Saade (PharmD ‘04). 

LAU celebrated the success of many alumni in AY2021-2022, among whom Dr. Maral Torossian (BS’17), Emma Boutros (BS ‘08), Michael Abi Semaan (BA ‘11), Toufic Kreidieh (BS ‘93), Karim Kassem (BA ‘12), Lina Matta (BA ‘84), Fadi Yachoui (BArch ‘13) and Nour Takieddine (BFA ‘21).

LAU New York Academic Center