Mentoring Schemes
LAU has women’s mentoring schemes in which at least 10% of women participate through various initiatives, such as the USAID Higher Education Scholarship Program and the Tomorrow’s Leaders Scholarship Program (MEPI-TLP), both of which promote inclusivity and women’s empowerment. The USAID Higher Education Scholarship Program is a notable example, offering full, merit-based scholarships to academically eligible and financially disadvantaged school graduates across Lebanon. While targeting both genders equally, nearly two-thirds of the recipients are women, reflecting LAU’s strong emphasis on empowering women and enhancing their access to quality education.
Additionally, the university offers leadership-focused programs such as the Tomorrow’s Leaders Scholarship Program (MEPI-TLP), which provides scholarships that promote women’s leadership and representation in academia and professional spheres.
Moreover, LAU has implemented a Gender Equality Plan under the leadership of the Title IX Office, which ensures policies and initiatives are in place to support gender equity.
By maintaining these access schemes and initiatives, LAU reaffirms its dedication to providing women with the tools, opportunities, and support they need to succeed and lead in diverse fields.
USAID Higher Education Scholarship Program
USAID provides merit-based scholarships to financially needy and academically eligible public school graduates from across Lebanon, including the most disadvantaged corners of the country. These scholarships enable students, often from marginalized families that would otherwise have no possible means to attend these schools, to study at the highest-quality Lebanese universities. These universities offer an American-style education that promotes critical thinking, leadership skills and community service.
Our impacts in this sector include:
A higher education scholarship program that provides full, four-year scholarships to more than 600 Lebanese public school graduates. Although the program targets men and women equally, the gender breakdown represents the prevailing one in the public school system; nearly two-thirds of the recipients are women.
Grants awarded through the National Academies of Science to five Lebanese scientists from prominent Lebanese universities to complete specialized research on water and air pollution, wildfires and landslides. The grants promote direct cooperation with American scientists and access to cutting-edge research as part of the Washington-based Partnership for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER).
Tomorrow’s Leaders Program
Programs
The Tomorrow’s Leaders (TL) Program, sponsored by the Department of State’s U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) supports capable and highly motivated young scholars from underserved backgrounds in the Middle and North African (MENA) region by providing a fully funded undergraduate and graduate level academic matriculation, civic education, and leadership development. The full-coverage scholarship aims to invest in Arab youth’s capacity to strengthen their leadership skills to become drivers of change and to catalyze social progress in their home community. Moreover, the MEPI-TL program aims to advance and deepen the student’s awareness of gender equality’s challenges and solutions.
Tomorrow’s Leaders Undergraduate (TLU) Program
The Tomorrow’s Leaders Undergraduate (TLU) Program was established in 2008 at LAU under the MEPI initiative. TLU recipients have the opportunity to pursue an undergraduate degree in selected fields at LAU. Additionally, students can choose to spend a semester studying at renowned universities in the United States. The program emphasizes community service engagement, encouraging students to participate in workshops, and internships, both locally and internationally.
Tomorrow’s Leaders Graduate (TLG) Program
In 2018, LAU MEPI introduced the Tomorrow’s Leaders Graduate (TLG) Program, the first of its kind in the MENA region. TLG aims to build upon the impactful work of the TL undergraduate program by providing financially challenged bachelor’s graduates with the opportunity to pursue master’s degrees. This two-year post-graduate program contributes to the region’s development by equipping exceptional students with advanced knowledge and research skills.
Tomorrow’s Leaders Gender Scholars (TLS)
The Tomorrow’s Leaders Gender Scholars (TLS) Program was launched in July 2020 with the objective of enhancing undergraduate student awareness, preparedness, and skills in gender education and activism. The program supports students by covering full tuition fees for up to one academic year, allowing them to focus on their studies and engagement in gender-related issues.
Tomorrow’s Leaders College to Work Pipeline (TLP)
In 2021, the U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) introduced the Tomorrow’s Leaders College-to-Work Pipeline (TLP) project in collaboration with the American University of Beirut (AUB) and Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). The TLP project aims to provide a clear pathway to gainful employment for currently enrolled TL students. It assists students in connecting with potential employers and maximizing their employability in the MENA region.
TLS students Earn Good Practices to Fight Gender Inequality in the Film Industry
https://mepitl.lau.edu.lb/success-stories/gender-scholars/tls_students_earn_good_practices.php
Faysal Al Haddad and Ouday Yahya, two LAU TV and Film students have often witnessed a gender imbalance pattern onset which led to an unpleasant feeling but they thought that nothing much can be done until they knew about MEPI Tomorrow’s Leaders Gender Scholars Program (TLS). Aiming at fostering a cross-disciplinary culture of gender mainstreaming in coursework among undergraduate students, El Haddad and Yahya found from the TLS program a golden opportunity that will enable them to mind the gap of gender equality in the film industry and act upon it.
Through a student-based learning program, El Haddad and Yahya discussed and critiqued scholarly work, attended gender expert-led webinars, participated in workshops on masculinity and women entrepreneurship, which allowed them to work on a succinct research paper under the title of «Gender Discrimination in Film Industry ».
To start with the research, El Haddad and Yahya interviewed their female colleagues (from different years) that are majoring in TV and Film. Interviewees gave their input from their own experiences on film sets. These were analyzed and paid attention to in the paper. Additionally, El Haddad and Yahya also relied on international data such as reports coming from the European parliament, European Women’s Audiovisual Network (EWAW), UN Women, and a test called the Bechdel Test.
Tackling gender discrimination at the workplace is one of the MEPI TLS program objectives, however, what made the progress of the learning experience and outcome amazing is the diverse perspectives because of the interdisciplinary representation of students. Coming from the film industry, Faisal and Ouday; two young and smart gentlemen shed light on the challenges their female colleagues face in the film school. Their documentary demonstrated the narratives and the body language of the interviewed girls as they express their description of the constraints they have in making their choices in the film production and sets. As tomorrow’s leaders, their recommendations focused on the need to focus on increasing awareness on the significance of women in reaching all types of work and in reducing the pay gap, as well as in the issues related to sexual harassment.
« TLS has really helped open my eyes on what’s happening worldwide and in Lebanon. This course inspired me and Yahya to write a 10 page paper for our history of film class about the toxicity of gender stereotyping in Disney Princess Films – Yes, a subject so simple yet so impactful. As aspiring future filmmakers, we will break the stereotypes.» Affirm El Haddad and Yahya.
TLS Students Choose to Raise the Flag on Gender Inequality in the Workforce
https://mepitl.lau.edu.lb/success-stories/gender-scholars/tls_students_choose_to_raise_the.php
When addressing the issue of the gender gap in the workforce in Lebanon, it is obvious that gender discrimination prevails across all rungs of the ladder. Despite many battles and victories, Lebanese women still suffer from injustices in the workplace. TLS students Mariella El Khoury, Lucette El Bitar, Gaelle Abi Chedid, Victoria Harb, and Corinne Chbib chose to address this issue while unfolding its multi-dimensional aspects.
For the purpose of branching scenarios, the team based their project on a narration script, with a fictional character “Lara” representing the Lebanese woman who goes through different scenarios that depict the journey many Lebanese women face in the workplace.
The short movie shed light on the different forms of the gender gap that Lara experiences: wage gap between women and men, the underrepresentation of women in managerial positions, and the lack of legal support, etc…
During the data collection phase, the team referred mostly to desk-based information and the Lebanese labor law due to a lack of case studies from reliable resources that could have helped them in shaping the main traits of their project. However, the result was rated more than satisfactory; the paper was selected as one of the top 10 papers.
The student-based learning methods empowered the students to show off their creativity and competitive abilities in presenting their thoughts and the results of their investigative research in a creative way. Mariella, Lucette, Gaelle, Victoria, and Corinne presented the challenges women face at the workplace, and staged the long and hindered path women tackle in a simple creative, and fun animated approach. For sure, this approach of unraveling the inequalities did not make the problem simple; instead, it narrated it in an artistic approachable way. For sure the TLS students will not accept to walk that path but will advocate and work hard to promote policies that promote equality.
“TLS encouraged us to publish our work on women empowerment platforms and introduced us to different NGOs that may help us transfer our written research to practical actions […] Next semester, some of us are planning to enroll in the gender discrimination in the workplace course to widen our knowledge on the subject and hopefully be able to be a part of the change in our country” affirms the team while stressing on the numeral benefits that TLS program offered her in a very short time frame.
MDLAB 2022: Empowering Women and the Youth with Media Literacy
https://news.lau.edu.lb/2022/mdlab-2022-empowering-women-and-the-youth-with-media-literacy.php
LAU hosts international experts and students for a week-long summer academy on digital media literacy.
LAU Adopts a Strategic Approach to its Gender Equality Policies
The Title IX Office launches a Gender Equality Plan that will assess and fine-tune the university’s existing policies and procedures to foster gender equality across the LAU community.
“Making progress on gender equality benefits us all, as gender becomes one aspect of who we are instead of a key factor defining what we can and cannot do or achieve,” says Dr. Jennifer Skulte-Ouaiss. (Archive photo)
Since 2018, the Title IX Office at LAU has been instrumental in promoting the university’s zero-tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind, sexual assault or harassment, gender inequality and exclusion.
Noting the need for a strategic approach to ensure that it is not only in compliance with international guidelines and practices, but also that it champions gender equality in the Arab region, the university is launching a Gender Equality Plan under the auspices of LAU President Michel E. Mawad and Title IX Director Jennifer Skulte-Ouaiss.
In this interview, Dr. Skulte-Ouaiss sheds light on the plan, what it involves, and desired outcomes.
What are the objectives of LAU’s Gender Equality Plan?
The objectives of the LAU Gender Equality Plan are to assess existing policies and procedures for how they support or do not support gender equality at the university; identify and implement innovative strategies to correct any bias; and set clear targets and monitor progress via indicators. It aims to answer these questions: How are we supporting gender equality at LAU? What are our specific goals about gender equality? What are the steps we need to take to meet those goals? And lastly, how will we be accountable to meeting our goals?
Thus, while this is our first Gender Equality Plan, just like a Strategic Plan, it won’t be our last. Here I do want to note that we are starting from an expansive definition of gender equality, not only in terms of equality between women and men, but all genders as well as related identities such as sexual orientation. We define gender equality as when people of all genders have equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities.
Is the plan inherent to Title IX or an LAU initiative?
It is definitely tied closely to Title IX, but it is not a requirement for Title IX compliance. A Gender Equality Plan for LAU was first proposed by Dr. Lina Abirafeh, executive director of the Arab Institute for Women (AiW), and the creation of a Title IX Office in 2018 was part of that proposal. Then, in 2020, the AiW, together with Title IX, spearheaded a push to expand parental leave – a key aspect of gender equality in the workplace – at the university.
Under the umbrella of the MEPI grant, Equality for All, Title IX and AiW worked to get support for expanded maternity and paternity leave, with HR taking over the specifics of how and when this would be rolled out at LAU. With this success, it seemed clear that there is a will at the institution to reflect on where and how we are promoting gender equality as well as how we can do better.
Making progress on gender equality benefits us all, as gender becomes one aspect of who we are instead of a key factor defining what we can and cannot do or achieve.
Couldn’t the plan be launched sooner?
To do more than a perfunctory Gender Equality Plan takes a lot of preparation and knowledge. I really learned about Title IX through founding the office at LAU. While my prior work in political science did include research and teaching on gender, I was not a Title IX expert from the start.
Similarly, I have had to really immerse myself not only in Title IX – undergoing significant training in the US as well as continuously seeking out best practices and fine-tuning LAU policies and processes – but also to learn how to conduct a successful Gender Equality Plan process. There is no set roadmap for how this should take place at LAU and I, along with close partners such as colleagues at the AiW, want to make the most of this opportunity.
Did the complaints the Title IX Office has had to handle prompt the need to assess and revise LAU’s existing policies?
There have been Title IX complaints from all parts of the community (faculty, students, and staff) on a fairly regular basis, but they have never been overwhelming. Rather, it is trainings and workshops on gender-based discrimination and harassment, in addition to the nature of the complaints and research on gender-based discrimination and harassment in the workplace and in university settings – in Lebanon and globally – that have pushed us to do a thorough assessment. We’re good and we want to be better on gender.
How is the process structured and how long is it likely to take?
The process is composed of two phases, which will take about a year: Audit/self-assessment and the creation of the plan. In both phases, the committee will reach out to all LAU stakeholders to get their experiences with and insights on how LAU currently supports gender equality and how we can become the leader for gender equality in the country and the region.
This will be done through surveys, interviews, and focus groups involving students, faculty, staff, alumni, and even the Board of Trustees. The committee will keep President Mawad apprised of its activities along the way and then make its recommendations in the form of a Draft Gender Equality Plan. Implementation of the Draft Plan will be subject to discussions with LAU’s leadership and functional units. This is definitely an ambitious process.
Will the reports and findings generated along the way be shared with any entity outside of LAU?
The gender audit/assessment phase will be an internal document. We want LAU stakeholders to feel confident that they can be candid in their assessment of the institution even if that means being critical. However, it is important that we share summary information with external partners and those interested in conducting such a process at their institutions.
In the second phase, we will be more open with the larger community outside LAU in communicating our goals to make progress on gender equality.
Here I want to emphasize that I think LAU supports gender equality in many ways, most notably in the education of students. If we want to continue to support gender equality, we need to do a self-assessment, which LAU has a good track record in doing, for accreditation purposes, for example. So, I am confident that the committee President Mawad and I put together will do the hard work necessary so that the institution comes out all the better for it in 2023.
What impact do you hope the completion of such a plan will have on LAU and beyond?
I would like LAU to become the reference for Lebanon and the region for how a university can be a leader in mainstreaming gender throughout the curriculum while also supporting gender equality through its policies and behavior.
LAU had its beginnings as a school for girls and then as the first higher education institution in the MENA focused on women. We have an obligation to our past, to our current students, faculty, and staff, and to the future of Lebanon and the region, to honor our past and work continuously for a better future. A future where we truly no longer tolerate discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation as well as religion, race, (dis)ability, etc. and provide the opportunity for individuals to reach their full potential.
Maha Shaheen’s Journey: Empowering Women in Leadership with EWAP
Selected among talented Egyptian women living abroad, Maha underwent holistic training to enhance her skills and industry knowledge. Through the program’s online format, she effectively managed her commitments while immersing herself in a rich learning environment. Networking with like-minded Egyptian women abroad provided her with invaluable connections and mentorship opportunities.
The impact of the EWAP fellowship was substantial. Maha gained enhanced knowledge and a diverse skillset, increasing her employability and expanding her professional network. Beyond personal growth, the program contributes to advancing Egyptian women in various fields and identifies exceptional leaders for key positions within Egypt. The collaborative efforts of the National Training Academy, Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, and Ministry of State for Emigration and Egyptians Affairs Abroad ensure the successful implementation of the program.
Aligned with the MEPI strategic framework, EWAP promotes gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Middle East and North Africa region. By fostering diverse and inclusive STEM workforces, the program fuels innovation and drives economic growth. It also strengthens partnerships between government, academia, and civil society, nurturing human capital and creating lasting impacts.
Maha’s journey reached significant milestones. She successfully defended her graduation project, showcasing her academic excellence. Furthermore, she was selected for an exclusive live-streaming session organized by the National Training Academy, highlighting her achievements and inspiring others. Additionally, she had the privilege of participating in a summer field trip, exploring Egypt’s new capital and witnessing its remarkable landmarks and mega-economic projects.
Maha’s accomplishments serve as an inspiration for aspiring leaders, emphasizing the significance of equal opportunities for women in all fields. With her newfound knowledge, skills, and network, Maha is ready to create a positive impact in her chosen field and contribute to the advancement of women’s empowerment in Egypt and beyond.
Career Guidance and Academic Advising
Academic Advising: Your Personal Roadmap
Clarity about your next steps reduces stress: Our academic advisors empower you to develop a course plan consistent with your individual interests and abilities. Along with your faculty advisors, the academic advisors will provide you with all the academic support you may need. Through these services, you will:
- Get all the help to understand your degree evaluation, rules, and other academic matters to make the right academic and career decisions.
- Benefit from one-on-one advising sessions and learn about the available resources for you, such as CAPP, Portal, Banner, Starfish, etc.
- Know the steps and requirements for graduation.
- Overcome any academic difficulty by getting personalized advising meetings.
LAU students can schedule the academic advising appointments through Starfish on Portal. Through Starfish, you will:
- Connect with your faculty and the staff from various departments.
- Schedule appointments online with your academic advisor or faculty advisor.
- Receive a notification if you are academically at risk.
- Save meetings notes in your records for future reference.
The academic advisors also support students who need to overcome any academic challenges through the Academic Success Center.
Academic Success Center
Free of charge academic tutoring services are available if you need assistance or you are facing difficulties in certain courses. There is no limit to the sessions you can attend. Tutors are academically excelling students from various majors and they are appointed by their respective departments.
Objectives of the Tutoring Services
- Provide tutoring services for students who are academically challenged to effectively improve their performance.
- Assist students to better understand challenging topics or course material.
- Give student tutors the opportunity to reinforce their knowledge and improve their teaching and communication skills by sharing what they have learned.
If you are a current student, please check the sessions offered on Portal.
Work-Life Balance: Are You Doing It Right?
Faculty from the Psychology Program at the School of Arts and Sciences highlight the application of psychology in the professional world, its benefits and ways to address common workplace challenges.
Since childhood, before we even get the chance to think for ourselves, we are asked what we want to be when we grow up. These aspirations may subconsciously become inseparable from our identity. Instead of wanting to work as something, we grow up believing that we must be our profession.
In the work environment, as the lines between professional and personal life often blur, navigating the demands of career and personal wellbeing is necessary to achieving harmony between work and life. But how easy can that balance be found in today’s fast-paced world?
This was the catalyst for debate in a workshop titled The Art Of Living: Strategies For Work-Life Harmony held on September 1 at the Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury Health Sciences Center, LAU Byblos campus.
Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology Pia Tohme and Assistant Professor of Psychology Myriam El Khoury-Malhame took center stage to clarify several misconceptions related to the professional realm, mostly those associated with the myth of maintaining an unbending and constant work-life equilibrium.
What are the challenges of maintaining a work-life balance?
There is no concrete or straightforward answer to this question, as multiple factors come into play. Based on a poll conducted during the workshop, faculty, staff and medical doctors indicated that understaffing, poor time management and a heavy workload, to name a few, make it difficult for individuals to achieve equilibrium between their professional and personal lives.
“We’ve glamorized business to make it seem as if it’s what defines us,” said Dr. El-Khoury Malhame. Being busy, nonetheless, leads us to develop multiple identities varying from breadwinners to caregivers, with each having to prioritize a host of things at once.
This situation was exacerbated by our dependence on online mediums during the COVID-19 era, which effectively erased the demarcation between our personal and office lives. Consequently, work-related expectations became such that we were expected to be available at all times.
“This also affects our relationships,” said Dr. Tohme, given that it raises questions related to “how well we are managing ourselves as people, as partners, as parents and also as employees.”
These factors create a real hurdle where individuals feel pushed not just to aim for a balance between work and home life, but also to consider dealing with each part separately when managing personal relationships. Instead of trying to find one-size-fits-all solutions to merge work and home life, employees may need to figure out how to adjust their priorities for each area in order to recharge and effectively manage their commitments and time.
How does this impact us as individuals?
Most days, we bring the weight of our professional responsibilities into our personal lives and vice versa, which disrupts this delicate equilibrium. Excessive demands in the workplace tend to foster a heightened sense of tension and unease in our personal lives, impacting the quality of our relationships at home.
This, in turn, can cultivate a sense of guilt for reacting excessively, which further obstructs our ability to find solace and tranquility in our homes. The audience gave the example of having to work on weekends or check emails after hours.
Given these intricate dynamics, it is not surprising that we find ourselves caught “in a vicious cycle,” as Dr. Tohme called it, where the demands at work encroach upon our personal lives, and the demands in our personal lives affect our work. This cycle, if left unchecked, can ultimately lead to burnout.
It’s easy to overlook the fact that we are the same individuals navigating both spheres in this narrative. When we compartmentalize work as the medium of reason and life as the domain of emotion, we set ourselves on a course where the efficacy of our work diminishes. Consequently, we compromise our ability to process information cohesively and holistically.
“To improve this work-life balance is to reintegrate both mediums,” noted Dr. El Khoury-Malhame.
What can be done to achieve a work-life balance?
“There’s no magical solution,” stated the assistant professors. According to them, an employee often gets lost in trying to achieve this balance, but it’s not a one-person job. The effort has to come from both ends of the spectrum: the employer and the employee.
A few strategies for doing so, as suggested by Dr. Tohme and Dr. El Khoury-Malhame, revolve around perceiving the faculty and staff as individuals rather than commodities, promoting and setting boundaries and increasing self-reflection at work. According to the audience, this is done by fostering a supportive working environment in which conversations around mental health and consideration of basic needs are appraised, such as investing in healthcare, transportation, flexible/hybrid schedules, training, childcare areas, and showing appreciation, among others.
Assessing how one processes information is also essential among colleagues. Employers model their boundaries to their employees; thus, seeing how the latter is receiving certain types of tasks and instructions helps them implement such boundaries constructively.
“Our predictors of happiness mostly fall within the relationships we have with others,” said Dr. Tohme and Dr. El Khoury-Malhame. “Being aware of our boundaries and reflecting upon them allows us to control, influence and accept our dynamics with each other.”
At the end of the workshop, focus was placed on self-reflection, and taking the time to consider how one’s personal attitudes, actions and emotional reactions might help identify one’s difficulties and capacities as well as influence individuals’ experiences in their professional lives. By reflecting on and understanding their behaviors and reactions, both employees and employers can better navigate and manage the challenges and demands of their work.
“Always remember that behind every title, there’s a person, and behind every person, there’s also a journey,” said Dr. Tohme. “There’s everything that you have gone through in order to become who you are.”