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Coordinates: 33°53′34″N 35°28′40″E / 33.89278°N 35.47778°E
| Lebanese American University | |
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| Motto | To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield |
| Established | 1924 |
| Type | Private |
| Endowment | $$298.7 million[1] |
| President | Joseph G. Jabbra |
| Provost | Abdallah Sfeir |
| Students | 7,700+ |
| Location | Beirut and Byblos, Lebanon |
| Website | www.lau.edu.lb |
Lebanese American University is an American institution operating in Lebanon. LAU has two campuses, in Beirut and Byblos. LAU offers programs leading to Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's degrees in engineering, arts, and sciences in addition to Doctorates in Pharmacy and in Medicine.
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History
The Lebanese American University’s early days in 1835 find a reminder in an en-graved stone in Beirut’s city center: “Site of the first edifice built as a school for girls in the Turkish Empire.” The engraving refers to the American School for Girls, established in Beirut by American Presbyterian Missionaries. In 1924, the high school added a two-year junior college program. Three years later, the College was separated as the American Junior College for Women, and moved from downtown to Ras Beirut. In 1933, it relocated once again to its present location in Koreitem, West Beirut.[2] The founding institution was a force for the education of women in Lebanon and the Middle East long before most of the world recognized the need and moral obligation to educate women in a collegiate setting.
In 1948-1949, the College expanded into a four-year, university-level institution, and changed its name to the Beirut College for Women. In 1955, the College was chartered by the Board of Regents of the State of New York and in 1970 the Bachelor’s degree was recognized by the Lebanese government as equivalent to the License. In 1974, fifty years after its founding, the College became co-educational and was renamed Beirut University College.
Adding to the college’s constantly evolving programs, in 1985, the Board of Regents amended the charter to include two branches. In 1987, based on the amended charter, BUC opened its northern branch on the outskirts of the historical port of Byblos in rented buildings in Amsheet. In October 1991 classes started in the newly built campus at Blat overlooking Byblos. It was officially inaugu-rated on July 16, 1992 On January 24, 1987, four scholars at BUC Beirut Campus, Jesse Turner, Alan Steen, Robert Polhill, and Mithileshwar Singh, were abducted from the campus and held hostage. The kidnappers were unknown. In 1991, BUC established a satellite campus in Byblos, 42 kilometres (26 mi) north of Beirut.
In 1994, the college changed its name to Lebanese American University. As of 2007, over 6,400 students were enrolled in the five schools of the University: the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Business, the School of Engineering and Architecture, the School of Medicine, and the School of Pharmacy.
Campuses
The Beirut campus remains the largest University campus. It has been expanded over the past five years, with a new Business School and the new Riyad Nassar Library.
The Byblos campus is home of the three professional schools at LAU: the School of Engineering and Architecture, the School of Pharmacy, and the School of Medicine. The Byblos campus also has houses the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Business.
Accreditation
Since 1949, LAU and its predecessors have operated under a charter from the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York. (USNY is a purely administrative body which among other functions accredits colleges and universities in the state.)
On September 21, 2007, the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) granted candidacy status to the Lebanese American University. According to President Jabbra he said he felt "very strongly" that LAU would receive full accreditation in 2009.
LAU's five-year Bachelor in Architecture program is accredited by the French government, which allows the graduates to practice in France and the European Union.
The School of Engineering and Architecture plans to submit its engineering programs for future professional accreditation by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology in the U.S. in January 2010 once LAU attains full NEASC accreditation. In the academic year 2006-2007, the school started laying out the groundwork for a self-study required by ABET. In addition, the school plans to seek European accreditation for its engineering programs to expand the recognition of our degrees to a global level.
LAU and Harvard Medical International (HMI), the medical-consulting arm of Harvard Medical School (HMS), have signed an innovative 10-year collaboration agreement that will significantly reinforce LAUMS' standing. LAU will also partner with Clemenceau Medical Center (CMS), an affiliate of Johns Hopkins International, and Rafik Hariri University Hospital for the clinical element of the program.
The School of Pharmacy is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. LAU is the only institution outside of the United States with an ACPE-accredited pharmacy program.
Schools
School of Arts and Sciences
The mission of the School of Arts and Sciences is stated as follows:
In keeping with the mission of the University, the School of Arts and Sciences strives to promote excellence in teaching and learning, encourage research and other creative endeavors and foster tolerance for diverse viewpoints and honesty in academic, professional and personal affairs of both, faculty and students.
The School of Arts and Sciences is the heart of the Lebanese American University and its oldest school. The School is the home of the liberal arts core, which is at the heart of the mission of the University, and is the major provider of service courses to all Schools at LAU. Indisputably, LAU’s pioneering and reputable programs in computer science, molecular biology, and international affairs in addition to its history in arts and communication, makes it the leader in the field; a fact that has always been echoed by the University’s graduates and their employers. Furthermore, despite its currency in research, teaching remains at the core of the mission of the School. The School houses the Computer Science and Mathematics Department, the Natural Sciences Department, the Social Science Department, the Education Department, and the Humanities Department. The school administers the Software Institute, the Peace and Justice Institute, the Institute for Migration Studies, and the Institute for Diplomacy and Conflict Transformation.
Faculty
The School has 36 full-time faculty members in Byblos of whom 86.6% have terminal degrees.
Departments
Computer Science and Mathematics
The mission of the Computer Science and Mathematics at LAU is "to provide students with the ability to integrate the theory and practice of computing in the representation, processing, and use of information while upholding tradition of the liberal arts education." The Department offers Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, and a Master of Science in Computer Science. The Department has recently added a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, and a minor in actuarial studies. The Department has initiated the ABET accreditation process in Spring 2008, and has set up a two-year schedule to complete the assessment of all courses in the program and the self-study. The Department plans to apply for ABET accreditation on January 2010.
Humanities and Social Sciences
The Department offers degrees in Graphics Design and Communication. The Department prepares and houses annual student play productions and major play productions, and concerts with local and international musicians.
Natural Sciences
The Department offers degrees in chemistry, biology, and molecular biology. As part of its life sciences emphasis, the Department has established the "Genomics and Proteomics Research Unit".
Offered Degrees
School of Arts and Sciences
The school offers five graduate degrees, and 16 undergraduate degrees follows:
BACHELOR OF ARTS: Communication Arts, Education, English Literature, Fine Arts, Math Education, Political Science, Political Science/ International Affairs, Psychology, TAFL, and TEFL.
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE Biology, Chemistry, and Computer Science
MASTER OF SCIENCE: Molecular Biology, Computer Science
MASTER OF ARTS: International Affairs, Comparative Literature, and Education
School of Business
A.A.S. in Business Management
B.S. in Business, Economics, and Hospitality and Tourism Management
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Executive MBA
Endorsed Internal Auditing Program (EIAP)
School of Engineering and Architecture
A.A.S. in Interior Design
B.A. in Interior Architecture
Bachelor of Architecture
Bachelor of Engineering
B.S. in Interior Design
School of Pharmacy
Complete Pharmacy curriculum
School of Medicine
Built and designed with significant input from Harvard Medical International (now Partners Harvard Medical International).
Libraries
Riyad Nassar Library (Beirut Campus)
The Riyad Nassar Library has over 224,000 information records, 960 current periodical subscriptions and four special collections.[3]
Byblos Campus Library
The Byblos Library has about 113,500 volumes of books and non-book materials and over 700 periodicals — current and retrospective.[4]
Alumni
- Jihane Alameh , wife of the Lebanese singer Ragheb Alama
- Eva Badr, the wife of diplomat and philosopher Charles Malik
- Sethrida Geagea, Lebanese politician & the wife of the leader of the Lebanese Forces (LF), Samir Geagea
- Hind Hariri, The daughter of the Former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri
- Rima Maktabi, Reporter in Al Arabiya
- Nadine Njeim, Miss Lebanon 2007
- Shada Omar, TV Host in the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation
- Martine Andraos, Miss Lebanon 2009
References
- ^ "College and University Endowments Over $250-Million, 2007". Chronicle of Higher Education: pp. 28. 2008-08-29.
- ^ Historical Background., LAU Official Website, 2004
- ^ [1], URL accessed June 1, 2008
- ^ [2], URL accessed June 1, 2008
External links
- Lebanese American University Website
- School of Arts and Sciences, Byblos, Website
- Department of Computer Science and Mathematics, Byblos
- Computer Science Accreditation Site
- ProfessorHunt.com Department and Professor Reviews across the Middle East.
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