SDG 17: Partnership for the Goals

Through various initiatives and programs, LAU contributes to SDG 17 by engaging students in addressing global challenges and promoting collaboration. The Global Affairs Service Center collaborates with the UNDP Youth Leadership Program, hosting an annual boot camp encouraging innovative solutions for sustainable projects, aligning with SDG 17. LAU students participate in conferences and virtual exchange programs emphasizing the SDGs, showcasing the institution’s commitment to fostering collaboration and global perspectives. Furthermore, the liberal arts and sciences curriculum integrates the 17 SDGs, providing students with a holistic education and promoting critical thinking about global issues. LAU’s practical initiatives, such as the “Equality for Everyone” project, funded by U.S-MEPI, contribute to gender equality and support this goal by advocating for progressive parental leave policies in Lebanon. Overall, LAU’s diverse efforts demonstrate a comprehensive commitment to SDG 17, fostering partnerships and addressing global challenges for sustainable development.

Global Affairs Service Center Hosts UNDP’s Agents of Change

Young entrepreneurs nationwide gather at LAU to collectively generate ideas and work on sustainable development projects.

Attaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that target pressing global challenges like climate change, poverty, well-being and inequality, among others, is a shared responsibility that transcends borders. The youth, in particular, play a pivotal role in achieving those goals by driving innovative solutions and mobilizing their communities to ensure a sustainable and equitable world for future generations.

To help foster a community of change-makers dedicated to fulfilling the SDGs, the Global Affairs Service Center (LAU GASC) – an advocate of leadership and youth empowerment – recently hosted the ninth cohort of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Youth Leadership Program (YLP).

This collaborative effort between the LAU GASC and UNDP YLP aligns with the university’s strategic plan to strengthen its external partnerships with local and international organizations invested in youth development and to promote the university as a hub for networking and building a resilient community of entrepreneurs.

More than 350 participants from diverse academic, cultural and social backgrounds in Lebanon flocked to the LAU Byblos campus for the two-day boot camp on September 16 to 17, during which they exchanged their experiences and discussed their visions for creating sustainable projects under two overarching themes: Rebuilding Solutions for Lebanon and Economic Empowerment.

This year’s YLP edition was organized in partnership with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF), a supporter of Lebanese startups, civil society organizations, and LAU’s own simulation models.

LAU alumnus Bahaa Hajir, a YLP sixth cohort participant, still serves as a member of the program’s advocacy board. His project was shortlisted in 2020 when he pitched a bottle cap recycling initiative with his team.

“YLP facilitated my career launch,” he said, “I ended up getting recruited as a project support officer at one of the NGOs we worked with during the program.”

First-time attendee Mahassen Sleiman, a 23-year-old from Baalbeck, was “eager to connect with individuals who share similar interests and are committed to bringing about positive change in marginalized communities,” she said, adding that she is already experienced in social work.

Since 2015, the UNDP YLP has assisted Lebanese youth through its annual program, open to individuals aged 19 to 29. Carried out in partnership with youth-serving organizations, it features a flexible curriculum led by experienced trainers and business experts, allowing participants to create and execute innovative, impactful and sustainable development solutions for the betterment of their communities.

The boot camp was launched with opening remarks from Lead Director of Global Affairs Service Center at LAU Suleiman Barada, Youth Focal Point Officer at UNDP Nada Sweidan and Youth Development Delegate at UNDP Hany Anan, followed by back-to-back training sessions, including some that were given by LAU faculty members and alumni.

According to Dr. Sweidan, this dynamic initiative breaks cultural barriers, and its positive impact is felt in the youth’s personal lives, careers and communities for years to come. “The event accelerates the implementation process of the youth’s innovative projects … the youth is the NOW and not the future,” she said.

Such events, said Barada, can also enhance the employability of youth. Providing the youth with networking power to boost their career prospects is paramount, he added, and “by strengthening ties, establishing alliances and collaborations, we narrow the gap between academia and industry, and this strategic collaboration with UNDP is a perfect example.”

Project: “Equality for Everyone: Gender Reform from Grassroots to Government”

The AiW completed the project: “Equality for Everyone: Gender Reform from Grassroots to Government” funded by the United States – Middle East Partnership Initiative (U.S-MEPI)’s which aimed at promoting universal parental leave and progressive childcare policies among Lebanese working parents as an entry point to achieving greater gender equality in Lebanon, while also promoting access to healthcare to disadvantaged women to overcome caregiving burdens. This innovative project targets parental leave policies within the private and public sectors, with a focus on policy change on the national level. The project also targets LAU as a pilot project for policy change regarding parental leave policies.

Within the context of this project, the AiW produced a policy brief detailing the importance of improving parental leave policies in Lebanon on the national level as well as several other research papers for the purpose of motivating the private companies to improve their own parental leave policies. In addition, the AiW and the National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW) prepared, secured proper signatures, and submitted to the Lebanese Parliament a draft law for the purpose of amending the labor law to include better parental leave policies. Furthermore, the AiW launched a national advocacy campaign in order to raise awareness among Lebanese men and women about the importance of parental leave in improving the status of women in the workplace and to pressure decision-makers in Lebanon to adopt the draft law.

You can check the documents created under this project through the below links:

Policy paper on parental leave policies in Lebanon
Draft law
Elections toolkit
White economic paper
Research paper on “The Effect of Family-Friendly Work Practices on Firm Productivity in Lebanon”
Research paper on “Predictors of Work Productivity and Maternal Competence after Having a Baby”
Research paper on “Working from Home in a Failed State”
Gender audit for one municipality: Bsharre

You can also check the videos related to the national advocacy campaign through the below links:

You can also check the events that the AiW organized within the context of this project through the below links:

The AiW held on 16 December 2021 a closing event for the “Equality for Everyone: Gender Reform from Grassroots to Government” project.

For more information about the closing event and LAU President Dr. Michel Mawad’s announcement regarding parental leave policies, check out this link.

Advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Tomorrow’s Leaders Scholars Present their Papers in Egypt

At the Third Annual Middle East Partnership Initiative-Tomorrow’s Leaders Conference, the scholars tackle migration, gender, health sciences, education, economics, political sciences and international affairs, and contribute to the conversations around the SDGs.

From emigration and food insecurity to overeducation and the impact of Lebanon’s fuel price hikes, timely topics were the focus of wide-ranging and enriching presentations by LAU students who took part in the Third Annual Conference on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), organized by the Middle East Partnership Initiative Tomorrow’s Leaders Program (MEPI-TL).

The three-day symposium included 19 panel discussions, four debates and 80+ research paper presentations, and was hosted by the American University in Cairo (AUC) this summer.

The conference focused on climate change, diversity, equity and inclusion, bringing together 80 MEPI-TL presenters from the American University in Beirut (AUB), LAU, and AUC to discuss pressing global challenges.

It is noteworthy that the LAU scholars contributed to the conference with a total of 33 graduate scholars, three Gender Scholars, and two undergraduates, who delivered a total of 38 presentations. Additionally, seven faculty members took part in panel discussions.

Students brought their positive experience back to campus, reflecting on how they had connected with like-minded individuals, gained insights and networked with professionals from various fields.

“The conference was filled with enriching knowledge sharing, engaging presentations and discussions. I had the opportunity to network with and learn from other researchers,” said TLGer Zeina Lizzaik, who graduated this year with a master’s degree in Applied Economics.

Faculty members expressed their admiration for the students’ presentations and highlighted the engaging format of the conference, which included debates and interactive discussions.

“It was fascinating seeing the efforts of our students materialize and witnessing the level of impact their research has on providing valuable context and content for solutions to pressing issues facing the world,” said LAU MEPI-TL Executive Director Dina Abdul Rahman.

All in all, the conference was a resounding success for LAU Tomorrow’s Leaders graduate scholars. It fostered collaboration, knowledge exchange, and innovation among attendees. The students benefited from the conference to learn, connect, and make a positive impact, setting the stage for future endeavors in sustainable development.

Faculty members expressed their admiration for the students’ presentations and highlighted the engaging format of the conference, which included debates and interactive discussions.	Students brought their positive experience back to campus, reflecting on how they had connected with like-minded individuals, gained insights and networked with professionals from various fields.
From LAU, a total of 33 graduate scholars, three Gender Scholars, and two undergraduates delivered a total of 38 presentations, while seven faculty members took part in panel discussions.	The three-day symposium included 19 panel discussions, four debates and 80+ research paper presentations, and was hosted by the American University in Cairo.

LAU and Boise State University Collaborate on Virtual Exchange Program

Lebanese and US students collaborate on innovative solutions, overcoming communication challenges.

Students from LAU and Boise State University (BSU) embarked on a virtual exchange program funded by the US Embassy in Lebanon, turning difficulties into co-created, innovative solutions.

Through Flipgrid, an educational video app, 71 students worked on three projects aimed to engender cross-cultural dialog. The first of these projects was an ice-breaker activity whereby the students designed a new product/service for a grocery store. In the second, the students had to develop solutions to a problem that they imagined their cross-cultural counterparts were experiencing and then refined those innovative solutions by carefully listening to their counterparts’ comments.

In yet another project they had to work collaboratively to identify the strategic differentiators for a company addressing one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

“When the students suddenly understood that a nine-hour difference translates into a 24-hour communication cycle, I got a lot of push-back,” said Dr. Jordan Srour, associate professor of operations management at the Adnan Kassar School of Business, who worked on designing the course. “One student even asked: whose crazy idea was this?”

One interesting solution, explained Dr. Srour, was a set of fire poles with embedded sensor technology and sprinklers that simultaneously alerted to and mitigated the spread of wildfires. “This project stuck in my mind as wildfires became a point around which the team members could really understand each other,” she said.

Another project that stood out was one developed in an individual assignment, allowing BSU students to safely return to in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. LAU students developed an app – using BSU logos – that allows students to select a location on campus and then identify the route that takes them through the least crowded and most recently cleaned areas to ensure their safety.

“I was totally shocked,” said Dr. Srour, “as LAU students independently worked on a problem inspired by their conversations with BSU students. With the many problems happening in Lebanon, these students chose to focus their efforts on a problem related to their BSU counterparts.”

The experience has taught the students what no textbook can: how to listen.

“Of course, the technology has facilitated the communication, but the class’s major strength was the fundamentals of what it is to be a human with a problem that needs solving,” explained Dr. Srour.

“Apart from the nine hours’ time difference and some power cuts faced along the way, I found the program really engaging,” said senior student in information technology management Abdelrahman Ghalayini, “as it gave me a better idea of what it means to work with different cultures and time zones.”

But what he appreciated the most, he noted, was the chance to work with a university abroad and interact with students from different backgrounds. “This helped me expand my knowledge and come up with new ideas that led to completing the project.”

The course also helped improve the students’ critical skills.

“We had to come up with creative, data-driven, and interesting ideas throughout the semester, especially in the collaborative projects with BSU students,” said second-year student Mariam Tahsaldar, who is minoring in data analytics.

“I was happy that they learned more about Lebanon since they did not even know that we spoke English in the first place,” she added. “I also got to learn more about their country and vice versa.”

Moving beyond intellectual capital and pedagogical innovation, the project embraces the ideal of a university without borders.

“The collaboration with Boise aligns with all three pillars of LAU’s strategic plan,” said Dr. Srour. “I love the fact that we partnered with BSU and not a school in a well-known location like New York or California. It is so important for our students to learn that ‘global’ is an all-encompassing word – not just reserved for the world’s major cities.”

Projecting beyond that, she hopes to see LAU engage even more in virtual exchange experiences across the curriculum.

“One potential future for this modality would be in terms of language learning,” she said. “How wonderful would it be for LAU students to support BSU students in learning Arabic virtually?”

Associate Professor and Chairperson of the Information Technology and Operations Management Department Manal Yunis underlined the vital importance of such programs.

“Nowadays, internationalization is key to success,” said Dr. Yunis. “To be and to stay competitive, universities seeking high ranking levels set a variety of plans, one of which is investing in cross-cultural partnerships with other higher education institutions for research and teaching purposes.”

At the teaching level, she added, developing collaborative activities with international higher education institutions can yield transformative results with high impact. “Besides enhancing students’ engagement levels, such partnerships can help students build global perspectives in life and professional decisions, and can also prepare them for careers in a global and diversified economy.”

Furthermore, she noted, course partnerships foster a positive attitude toward the other culture and its people, which can with time help students eliminate wrong preconceptions, develop flexibility and cultural intelligence skills.

LAU students Abdelrahman Ghalayini and Elie Abou Issa, along with three students from BSU received the top award at BSU’s College School of Business and Economics Challenge (COBE) Innovation Challenge for their idea to convert waste energy from roadways to electricity using vertical turbines.

Other SDG-targeted projects on which LAU students collaborated with their BSU counterparts took the international prizes and were selected as the Dean’s Choice as well as the Judges’ Recognition Award.

Liberal Arts and Sciences Curriculum

Our Promise: We empower the change makers of tomorrow.

The Liberal Arts and Sciences Curriculum (LASC) will provide you with a number of diverse courses. It is a multi-disciplinary LASC that tells a story and educates the whole person.

The courses offered are linked to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and capture the spirit of the major problems that our world is facing.
The LASC will help you think about the SDGs and digitization as they relate to our nation, but also to the region and the world.
The LASC will also help you think about yourself by promoting physical and psychological well-being and cultivating ethical development and social engagement.

In other words, the LASC will help you study and think differently, making you more intellectual, more confident and more employable.

Ready to know more? Here’s a first look at the program in detail and the courses offered.

Check the Academic Catalog for specific program requirements.

Liberal Education Courses Map to the UN SDGs

In 2015, the Member States of the United Nations collectively embraced the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which comprises 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDG goals acknowledge that eradicating poverty and addressing various forms of deprivation must be pursued in conjunction with efforts to enhance healthcare and education, mitigate inequality, and promote economic advancement, all while confronting the challenges of climate change and preserving our precious oceans and forests.

LAU was among the first universities in the world to mainstream the SDGs into the liberal arts and sciences curriculum (LASC). The LASC includes several key components:

Introduces all students to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and enables them to explore how science contributes to achieving these goals through a mandatory core, the Change Makers series;
Enhances students’ scientific literacy through a series of Digital Cultures courses.

The LASC engages the students and helps them to establish a sustainable connection between humanity and the planet. The approach is grounded on the premise that every student should possess a foundational understanding of the SDGs and their fundamental principles, which can be applied in their careers and personal lives.

Number of LAS courses that relate to each of the United Nations 17 SDGs

3	3	3	7
5	1	1	5
6	7	8	5
4	1		6

Camping Around the Sustainable Development Goals

Participants in this year’s School of Arts and Sciences Summer Camps got a taste of university-level education in line with LAU’s SDG-based Liberal Arts and Sciences Curriculum.

This year, 79 high-school students congregated to participate in the School of Arts and Sciences Summer Camps, which were spread out across three individual camps focusing on essential SDG-focused majors: physics, chemistry and nutrition.

Following the immersive summer camps of 2022, the Liberal Arts and Sciences Department designed lectures and activities over five days of learning, from July 3 to July 7.

Campers had the opportunity to experience a university environment and explore multiple programs they might wish to study at LAU. This was facilitated not only by the number of seminars that were given at each camp but also by the chance to earn a 10-to-30-percent scholarship to study at the university upon completing the camp.

Introductory sessions for all the participants were held at the Adnan Kassar School of Business (AKSOB) on the Beirut campus before they dispersed among different schools. AKSOB hosted most of the physics and nutrition sessions, whereas the chemistry sessions took place at the chemistry facility in Sage Hall.

At the physics camp, students participated in interactive lectures on Einstein’s theory of relativity, electromagnetism and the realm of quantum mechanics by discussing their understanding of the theories with the instructors. Associate Professor of Physics Jimmy Romanos and Assistant Professors of Physics Rana Nicolas and Walid Malaeb organized lectures, experiments and documentaries to allow for an engaging learning experience.

“We tried to give the students an overall idea of the different interesting topics in physics,” said Dr. Nicolas, “especially since the subject itself can be intimidating. In all, I think the students were very interested and motivated and posed a lot of questions that were surprisingly good for their age.”

Grade 11 student Jana Abou Hijeily said that “the camp was a great opportunity to discover new aspects of physics that we don’t thoroughly learn at school. The practical experiences, like performing a residential energy audit, enabled us to visualize the pragmatic side of most of the theoretical knowledge we’ve acquired over the years.”

Over at the nutrition camp, discourses were designed by Associate Professor of Nutrition Nadine Zeeni, Associate Professor of Food Science and Technology Hussein F. Hassan, Assistant Professor of Nutrition Rana Rizk as well as Instructors of Nutrition Marwa Fadlallah and Marie Stephan to address emerging issues in nutrition and food science with a focus on the impact of food insecurity and malnutrition on communities worldwide.

Additionally, students got to explore sustainable food practices and how they contribute to both human health and the environment. “Throughout the camp, the intricate connections between nutrition and overall health were investigated,” said Dr. Rizk. “Lectures provided a comprehensive overview of this link, explaining how proper nutrition directly impacts physical and mental wellbeing.”

Youssef Itani, Grade 11, said that having this opportunity was beneficial for him and his peers as they made “new acquaintances in the field on top of learning about the role of nutrition in addressing the sustainable development goals.”

Inspired by videos featuring testimonials from practicing dietitians in diverse nutrition fields, the participants gained insight into real-life experiences and perspectives on the day-to-day responsibilities of a career in nutrition.

Meanwhile, the chemistry camp addressed the challenges related to soil quality deterioration in Mediterranean countries and introduced experimental procedures to the participants to sharpen their understanding of soil parameters and environmental contaminants.

Assistant Professor of Chemistry Elias Akoury, who was responsible for delivering all the lectures, was determined to ensure a learning experience for the students different from the methodology used in schools. And in fact, the campers felt enlightened as they discovered the multidisciplinary approaches used to address environmental issues.

All of this was made possible by the experiments they got to conduct in the chemistry labs, such as spectroscopic techniques, thermogravimetric analysis (observing the mass variation of materials with temperature changes) and X-ray fluorescence.

“I am glad I took part in the program because we were introduced to the different disciplines and experiments of science,” stated 11-grader Karim Kassem. “Tackling soil chemistry, its chemical composition and properties with Dr. Akoury was very enriching. I was able to form solid bonds with chemistry enthusiasts and obtain a rigid chemistry background knowledge.”

On the final day, in an awards ceremony held on the Beirut campus, scholarships covering up to 30 percent of the tuition were granted to the 17 participants who scored high on their final examination to kick off their university education at LAU.