Graduation ceremony held for Continuing Education Program

The CEP proudly honors its graduating members for the fourth consecutive year.

October 11, 2011

CEP Director Michel Majdalani addressed the audience at the ceremony.

Maya El-Hajj, who passed the PHR exam after taking the corresponding CEP course, receives her degree.

LAU’s Continuing Education Program held a graduation ceremony honoring 64 students — and a number of faculty and staff members — on October 7 at the Beirut campus’s Business Building.

In addition to keynote speaker First Vice Governor of Lebanon’s Central Bank Mr. Raed Charafeddine, the ceremony was also attended by LAU President Dr. Joseph G. Jabbra, Dr. Said Elfakhani, dean of the School of Business, and Dr. Philippe Frossard, dean of the School of Arts and Science.

Charafeddine commended the CEP’s offerings in his address, saying they can help open doors to the job market.

“In the fast-paced world we live in,” said Charafeddine, “it is important to remain up-to-date in our professional knowledge.”

In collaboration with LAU, CEP offers ongoing education and advanced training opportunities for adult learners.

Charafeddine cited a study conducted by the International Bank and the Ministry of Labor, which found that the Arab world will be in need of a hundred million jobs by the year 2020. In a country like Lebanon where unemployment rates are already high — around 14% and 18% for male and female graduates respectively — the CEP creates a needed platform for advancement, Charafeddine said.

One of this year’s CEP graduates, Riad Eid, concurred with that assessment, explaining that one of his reasons for taking the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) course was a fiercely competitive job market.

“Everybody nowadays has a B.A. and an M.A., so you need an extra something to stand out,” Eid said. He says the bank where he currently works has taken more notice of him since he completed his course.

Iman Halabi, a graduate in early childhood education, was unsatisfied with the degree programs she had pursued prior to enrolling in CEP.

“When I discovered that LAU was offering these courses in pre-school education, I dropped everything to be here,” she says. “It was exactly what I wanted.”

According to CEP Director Michel Majdalani, the program has evolved dramatically since its founding four years ago. The number of courses offered has nearly doubled, along with large increases in enrollments and teaching staff. Today the program caters to over 1200 students.

Majdalani says CEP must expand still further to achieve its mission. “We must spread into other regions of Lebanon, to help the needy and disenfranchised reconnect with the economy,” he says.

CEP’s current offerings include preparatory courses for professional certification exams in financial analysis, accounting, information systems auditing, information security management, and human resources; certificate programs in preschool education, executive office management, professional fitness, English for professionals, and business for non-business managers; and general certificates, workshops, corporate training and summer camps.

“We are extremely proud of the CEP program under the able leadership of Mr. Michel Majdalani and his incredibly hard-working team,” Vice President of Student Development and Enrollment Management Dr. Elise Salem told those assembled.

“We’re especially excited about our outreach programs,” she added. We’re taking the expertise of the university beyond the campus walls.”

President Jabbra congratulated the graduates at the ceremony, leaving them with words of advice: “Success can best be found in serving the community in which you live.”

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