LAU Magazine and Alumni Bulletin, Special edition

October 1, 2011 – August 31, 2016

Together in celebration of

FulďŹ lling the Promise

American Junior College for Women 1948

From the President’s Desk Dear Friends, Today more than ever, our society understands the importance of giving back and has embraced the notion of philanthropy. Indeed, we in the Middle East have always been known for our hospitality and generosity. It is ingrained in our culture and our traditions to be kind to others and help those in need. To be sure, many in our society give as part of their religious beliefs; for example, both Islam and Christianity place a high value on giving charitably to others. In addition, today, with the countless NGOs and aid groups operating in Lebanon, the culture of giving is growing exponentially.

Fundraising galas, once a prominent feature of the Lebanese social scene, had disappeared for nearly 30 years in the wake of the civil war. They returned, however, in 2002, as the country got back on its feet.

Now, more than a decade later, dozens of such events are put on annually, each attracting hundreds of community members for the common goal of raising money for an important cause.

Schools and universities also play an important role in today’s philanthropic culture. As tuition is insufficient to cover expenses and other resources for growth and development are in short supply, these educational institutions have turned to the community for help. LAU’s second comprehensive fundraising campaign Fulfilling the Promise — which has just come to a close — is an example of such outreach.

In a country as small as Lebanon, NGOs, aid organizations, and educational institutions often call on the same pool of corporations and prominent community members for support. There are an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 donors among this pool who have the means to make major gifts. Healthcare-related causes and education are seen locally, as elsewhere, as two of the most crucial areas in society to be the recipients of these gifts.

While engaging and securing support is certainly challenging, it is important to remember that, whether resources are channeled to an educational institution like LAU or to an NGO helping refugees, for instance, it does not matter much. What is important here is that the community is continually giving and demonstrating its belief in others to help strengthen society.

We are grateful to be a part of such a community that values philanthropy to this extent and fortunate that we can share it with our students who are direct beneficiaries. Even more gratifying, we instill in our students this essential creed of giving back and know that with time they too will become part of the philanthropic community to help make the world a better place.

Joseph G. Jabbra President

PROMISES FOR A BETTER FUTURE “Providing financial support to deserving and needy students was one major focus of the campaign.”

CHANGING LIVES Scholarships at LAU have an impact that goes far beyond tuition assistance, often positioning students for a life path they had only dreamed of.

The Fulfilling the Promise campaign focused largely on supporting the university’s most important assets: its students. LAU set out to provide an unprecedented amount of financial assistance so that a greater number of students could have the opportunity to pursue their studies regardless of financial means. Of the $103.9 million raised from the campaign, an impressive $55.6 million was directed towards scholarships and other forms of financial aid. Already, countless students have been touched by these resources and have had the opportunity to enjoy an education that they thought was out of their reach. Here’s what some graduates have to say:

Sarah al Masri (’15) Program assistant at Masar Association B.S. in business, with an emphasis on banking and finance

“LAU wasn’t an option for me without financial support, and I am so grateful for it because the chance to attend was life-changing. I had an opportunity to empower myself, get engaged in civic and social activities, and shape my personality.”

Ziad Sankari (’07) CEO and founder of CardioDiagnostics B.E. in computer engineering

“Without financial support I wouldn’t have been able to attend LAU. I’m glad I did — the first prototype of my cardiac monitoring technology was developed at the university as my final year project. The project was the nucleus and foundation of both a technology proven successful in saving a number of lives worldwide and of a multimillion dollar company.”

Fulfilling the Promise, LAU’s second fundraising campaign, was launched in October 2011 with the university’s most ambitious goal yet: raising $100 million.

With a five-year timetable, the campaign sought to support the institution’s Strategic Plan by securing the resources needed to ensure the university’s journey toward academic excellence.

Spectacularly, the comprehensive campaign has achieved just that. In fact, the campaign’s target was achieved one year ahead of schedule, raising a total of $103,995,135 — just shy of $104 million.

This stunning success was made possible by 6,245 donations from 3,733 LAU supporters, including alumni, friends and corporations, among many others. Indeed, the university is well on its way to keeping the promise it articulated during the campaign, which is to remain committed to strengthening academics and becoming a world-class institution.

At the outset of the campaign, there was a clear blueprint determining how the funds would be used, complete with a breakdown of monies that would be channeled into six strategic areas: facilities, research, endowed chairs, student support, the Gilbert and Rose-Mary Chagoury School of Medicine, and special initiatives.

At the same time, the university responded to the needs of its students and the priorities of its supporters and directed funds to two key areas: financial support to deserving and needy students, and facilities improvement. In terms of the first priority, an impressive $55.6 million in campaign funds are going toward scholarships and financial aid. This is far above the $11 million anticipated, highlighting the university’s commitment to ensuring students have the resources to pursue their studies at LAU. As a result, an unprecedented level of student financial support has been made available during the past few years — a direct result of

the campaign that has already benefitted hundreds of students.

Students, faculty, staff and visitors of LAU can visibly see the impact of the second major focus of the campaign on the Beirut and Byblos campuses. From the modern five-floor Wadad Sabbagh Khoury Student Center to the prestigiously accredited Adnan Kassar School of Business to the iconic Gezairi Building, the university has quickly expanded in order to offer students the best educational experience possible.

In total, $32.9 million of the campaign funds raised went towards facilities expansion and improvement.

LAU’s Endowment Fund also received support, in the form of $9.5 million, creating a perpetual source of income to help keep the university financially sound.

In addition, $5.9 million of the campaign funds went towards grants, research and school activities that enhance the university, faculty and student experience.

Mohamad Ibrahim (’15)

Patricia Matar (’16)

Registered nurse at AUBMC B.S. in nursing

Associate auditor at Ernst & Young B.S. in business, with an emphasis on accounting

“The scholarship I received made LAU possible. It provided me with an excellent education that broadened the opportunities open to me. Now that I have a strong academic and clinical base, I can aim high. That means working for the best institutions, seeking opportunities abroad, and preparing for more postgrad qualifications.”

“Without my scholarship, I wouldn’t have had the chance to be an LAU student and become what I am today. That is how important the scholarship and my university education was to me. It helped me land a job at one of the ‘Big Four’ accounting firms worldwide.”

Chris Hasbany (’14) Jennifer el Hajal (’16) Audit associate at Deloitte B.S. in business, with an emphasis on accounting

“The knowledge I gained is the best thing I received from LAU. But it wouldn’t have been possible without the scholarship I earned. Through financial support, I had a chance to achieve my goals by studying at a university that strives for academic excellence but also to educate the whole person to become a future leader.”

Geotechnical/Tunneling engineer at Dar Al-Handasah M.Sc. in civil and environmental engineering B.E. in civil and environmental engineering

“My biggest achievement in life, so far, was to earn the education I always sought. At school, I didn’t know how I would be able afford it, but through LAU and its supporters I acquired an undergrad and a postgrad degree that allowed me to work at one of the world’s leading design companies, in addition to paving the way for me to continue my education at top schools abroad should I wish to.”

A HOUSE OF WISDOM

“Your giving has allowed LAU to really build a house of wisdom — a city of hope for our youth.”

LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra

School of Business takes on the name of Adnan Kassar Engagement, innovation and impact are three pillars on which the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) rests. In April 2016, AACSB granted LAU’s Adnan Kassar School of Business (AKSOB) accreditation, a recognition given to only five percent of business schools worldwide.

AKSOB excelled in areas relating to strategic management and innovation, academic and professional engagement and students, faculty and staff as active participants. The university’s success at attaining the accreditation is a testament to its holistic approach to education.

Adnan Kassar, the chairman and major shareholder of Fransabank, is a firm believer in the potential of education and an active participant in the advancement of society in Lebanon and the entire region. His generous donation toward the naming of the school provided a platform for invaluable learning with an opportunity for students to explore individual interests.

Kassar’s investments in education-related philanthropic activities stems from his belief that such deeds contribute to helping youth improve society. “Education and specialization are essential for men and women to acquire knowledge that will help them contribute positively to society,” he said. “This has been the main reason behind my keenness to offer scholarships to young bright students,” Kassar added.

The Fransabank chairman’s invaluable passion for education — as well as his previous contributions to various LAU scholarship grants and educational conferences — have provided students with educational opportunities that will help them make a positive impact on society. His donation to the naming of the school is one of the biggest philanthropic investments in the university’s history.

“We need to make sure that we become the unchallenged leader in business education and a hub of enriching activities — worthy of our new status — in Lebanon, the MENA region, and beyond,” says LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra.

Honoring Kassar as a longtime friend and supporter of the university at LAU’s fourth annual fundraising Gala Dinner last December, Jabbra said: “Your giving has allowed LAU to really build a house of wisdom — a city of hope for our youth.”

CREATING A LASTING LEGACY Consolidated Contracting Co. donation renovates student center “She was an extraordinary woman who had an extraordinary love for LAU,” said LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra during the inauguration ceremony¬¬¬ of the building carrying the name of Wadad Sabbagh Khoury, the late alumna who graduated from the Beirut College for Women, now LAU, in 1953.

A generous donation from Consolidated Contracting Company (CCC) went toward the renovation of an existing building transforming it into the Wadad Sabbagh Khoury Student Center (WSKSC).

Located at the upper Beirut campus, the WSKSC, a fivefloor, modern student center, offers various recreational experiences and socialization opportunities with a fitness center, a cyber café, study rooms and lounges.

“WSKSC offers us students a space to achieve different objectives, from focusing on our work as student leaders to enjoying our time with friends,” said Youssef Taher, an LAU student and the secretary general of the Model Arab League.

In essence, WSKSC is playing a key role in enabling LAU to achieve its mission to provide a holistic education focused on the development of the person as a whole. “Its facilities provide great support for various activities, whether it is through video-conference meetings, student lounges or the Model UN, Model Arab League and Model EU offices,” explained Elie Samia, assistant vice president of the Outreach & Civic Engagement (OCE) Unit.

At the inauguration event, the Khoury family together with many senior LAU staff members toured the center. They explored all its different floors, which were teeming with students.

“My mother loved and appreciated the university,” commented Salwa Khoury, Wadad Sabbagh Khoury’s daughter.

“She acquired her skills and developed her abilities at LAU. It is here that she learned her tact and ability to understand people. LAU prepared my mother for her fruitful role in life.”

Married to Said Khoury, one of the founders of the Athens-based CCC — a globally top-ranked contracting company — she made valuable contributions to her husband’s business. In fact, she is credited with playing a major role in helping shape its unique corporate culture based on family values and on skills she honed at LAU. Through CCC, Wadad Sabbagh Khoury made generous donations to LAU during her lifetime, a tradition her family carries on in her honor. Their support dates way back and includes support to the university’s President’s Fund, as well as the sponsorship of events and educational summer camp programs. Today, CCC also invests in LAU students and graduates by providing them with a variety of internship and employment opportunities.

“Wadad Sabbagh Khoury helped shape Consolidated Contracting Company’s unique corporate culture based on family values and skills she honed at LAU.”

“This health sciences center will become a beacon of excellence in service of young people and our fellow human beings.”

LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra

A HOME FOR THE HEALTH SCIENCES Scholars and students from across the health disciplines collaborate under one roof

The Chagoury Health Sciences Center at the Byblos campus is home to the Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, the Alice Ramez Chagoury School of Nursing, and the School of Pharmacy. Already a landmark of the Byblos campus, the ultra-modern 15,500 square meter complex is dedicated to serving as a key LAU education and research facility, merging cutting edge anatomy and biomedical research laboratories with classrooms, lecture halls, computer labs, and student lounges.

The new state-of-the-art building was made possible by funding from Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury Foundation, as well as from Gilbert R. Chagoury.

“This generous gift has opened up opportunities for young Lebanese to get the best medical, nursing and pharmacy education without religious, political or ethnic discrimination. We have full confidence that this health sciences center will become a beacon of excellence raising the name of LAU and Lebanon throughout the world in service of young people and our fellow human beings,” says LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra.

The six-story building is also home to one of the Arab world’s finest clinical skills and simulation centers. The center’s full-body mannequin simulators are a key learning tool for students at all three schools. Capable of simulating physiological changes such as a loss of pulse, a sudden drop in blood pressure, or pupil dilation, the mannequins can be used to simulate a range of scenarios, including injections, labor, heart attacks, or stab wounds. LAU has been a regional pioneer in using simulation technology in teaching the health sciences and aspires to play a similar role in healthcare education by providing training to practicing doctors, pharmacists and nurses.

In addition, the Chagoury Health Sciences Center has been designed to support opportunities for collaboration among scholars and students from across the health disciplines, complementing the dedication to interprofessional education advanced by the three school’s curricula. The center is dedicated to Chagoury, his wife Rose-Marie and his mother Alice Ramez. A distinguished businessman, diplomat and philanthropist of Lebanese-Nigerian nationality, he founded the Chagoury Group, one of Africa’s leading industrial conglomerates in 1971.

NURTURING FUTURE LEADERS This year, 67 youngsters from 11 different MENA countries were brought together with the common goal of becoming community, business and national leaders of a future they hope will be peaceful and promising. The 15 new recruits of the LAU-Middle East Partnership Initiative Tomorrow’s Leaders program (LAU-MEPI TL) administered by LAU’s University Enterprise Office (UEO) bonded with the 52 current students and administrators of the program during a three-day retreat organized in the mountain resort of Ehden in Lebanon.

“This program transcends gender, countries and cultures.

Every year I am impressed by the transformation of the students who are gaining so much wisdom and selfawareness,” stated UEO Director Walid Touma.

More than an academic experience, the university affords students the opportunity to take part in a wide range of extra-curricular activities, including community engagement, a component where the MEPI-TL students usually excel. “The program and the circumstances of their home countries push these students to give. They have so much to offer,” says the program’s student initiative coordinator Marwan Rowayheb, who is also the chair of LAU’s Department of Social Sciences and an associate professor of Political Science and International Affairs.

Instructor of English and Moral Reasoning at LAU Reine Azzi, who is also the program’s student communications and activities coordinator, notes that the scholars’ untapped

abilities come to the fore during their years at the university: “These students are powerhouses of emotions and ideas, and they challenge all stereotypes.”

As the program enters its ninth year, many of its graduates are now engineers, business directors and physicians at top institutions in the region, while others have gone on to pursue graduate studies at prestigious universities locally and abroad. The LAU-MEPI TL program devotes considerable resources and investment toward developing future leaders.

It offers financial assistance in the form of scholarships to students from across the Arab world. The candidates recruited for the program must demonstrate exemplary leadership qualities, as well as academic excellence and financial need. Along with a heavy emphasis on entrepreneurship, women’s participation and civic activism, the program also boasts a strong tradition of philanthropy.

The pressing need for reform in the region is best addressed by educating future generations, according to Touma. “We are doing the right thing empowering and teaching the new generations of the MENA region,” he says, “This program is the oxygen to equip our youth to effect change.”

“This program transcends gender, countries and cultures.”

Walid Touma, director of LAU’s University Enterprise Office.

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VITAL LIFESAVING CARE

ASHA supports LAU Health Foundation with a major gift During the campaign, in 2014, the LAU Health Foundation (LAUHF) received one of its biggest gifts yet: $1.3 million.

This was thanks to USAID’s American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) program as part of a $3.5 million aid package for schools, universities and hospitals in Lebanon. The gift to LAUHF has been directed to Lebanese American University Medical Center–Rizk Hospital (LAUMC-RH), providing lifesaving supplies, rehabilitating a front-line primary trauma care facility, and training medical staff. With the new supplies, facilities and training, the medical center — which serves the Lebanese capital and beyond — has been able to reach even more patients with vital lifesaving care.

“Through support from programs like ASHA and USAID’s University Scholarship Program (USP), the United States is equipping Lebanon’s youth with a strong academic foundation to achieve personal and professional growth.

These initiatives enable Lebanon to remain at the forefront of scientific progress and continue its tradition of excellence in education,” stressed Katherine Crawford, the director of the ASHA program.

For LAUHF administrator Bob Hollback, getting a federal grant not only goes a long way to serving the community but also gives the LAUHF new credibility. “More than that,” he says, “the grant itself is for trauma care equipment which is especially relevant for our hospital since LAUMC-RH receives an inordinate number of trauma victims because of its helipad. Having this equipment is going to help doctors and nurses at the hospital save lives that otherwise might not have been saved,” he adds. Hollback stresses that trauma care is a real and timely issue, “The grant will help make a difference in healthcare in Lebanon.”

“The grant will help make a difference in healthcare in Lebanon.”

Bob Hollback, LAU Health Foundation administrator

ART OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD LAU program aimed at promoting contributions made by Islamic civilizations in the arts and sciences Thanks to a generous endowment from Lebanese-based architect and entrepreneur Mu’taz Sawwaf and his wife Rada, the university’s Institute of Islamic Art and Architecture (IIAA) was able to expand its curriculum from the undergraduate Minor in Islamic Art and Architecture to a fully fledged 18-month master’s program.

“The postgraduate degree is one-of-its-kind in the Middle East,” stresses Abdallah Kahil, director of the IIAA. “While Islamic art and architecture are already well-established academic fields in the West, with major universities in the U.S. and U.K. offering advanced research tracks in these departments, the topic is considerably underdeveloped here in the Middle East,” he adds.

The initiative to promote regional research in the Islamic arts is inseparable from LAU’s commitment to expand otherwise marginalized and misrepresented fields of knowledge. As an interdisciplinary domain, the program appeals to graduates with backgrounds in art history, interior design, graphic design, urban studies and anthropology. Functioning as an ideal preparative program for those hoping to go onto higher independent research, the degree also serves those intending to pursue professional practice. As knowledge and skills in Islamic design are increasingly in demand from architects, established practitioners will equally benefit from the program.

“The growing global importance of Islamic art attracts scholars to the program,” says Kahil, pointing at how renowned international museums such as the Louvre and the Metropolitan have been revamped to include major collections of Islamic art.

From Spain to India, LAU’s master’s degree in Islamic Art and Architecture encompasses a broad area of interest, as well as places Lebanon firmly on the map of international academic research. “I hope this program gives the Islamic Golden Age of earlier centuries due credit because thanks to it Arab, Persian, Indian, Egyptian and European arts and sciences were preserved, blended and developed to serve as the basis for modern science and culture,” emphasizes Sawwaf.

“The growing global importance of Islamic art attracts scholars to the program.”

Abdallah Kahil, director of LAU’s Institute of Islamic Art and Architecture

FEATURE

INSTITUTIONAL AND CORPORATE DONORS Essential partners in the development and execution of research, scholarships, and other educational initiatives

By Reem Maghribi America’s universities have always accepted “outside” money, both private and public.

Without it, some say, universities would die of intellectual starvation. Such funding, it is argued, keeps American campuses alive with fresh, new ideas, helps colleges expand their curricula, encourages intellectual diversity, and promotes a marketplace of ideas.

As such, most academic institutions in the U.S. have well-established dedicated departments for fundraising. LAU’s Development Office — which cultivates and nurtures relationships with alumni, friends and businesses whose financial and in-kind contributions are essential to the ongoing development of the university — is as old as the institution itself.

By contrast, the formalization of fundraising activities at European universities has been quite low. A 2011 report by the European Commission found that as few as 51 percent of European universities had a formal policy on fundraising. That is likely to have changed in recent years, as government funding continues to shrink

and institutions that once relied almost solely on their coffers are recognizing the need to diversify their sources of funding.

Despite the decline in state support, academic institutions on both sides of the Atlantic still benefit from dedicated big-money donor institutions, such as the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the European Commission, the Wellcome Trust, and the Medical Research Council, to name but a few. “Lebanon doesn’t have such an institution,” notes Pierre Zalloua, dean of Graduate Studies and Research (GSR) at LAU and professor of medicine. “The

need for innovation doesn’t register in the minds of our governing bodies. They’re so busy dealing with immediate solutions to immediate acute problems, they do not see innovation as a priority.”

Zalloua points out that despite a GDP eight times lower than that of Lebanon, Pakistan has more patents than the entire Arab world. “That is because they fund their country’s talent and research.” The only state institution to fund academic research in Lebanon is the National Center for Scientific Research (NCSR). “It is an important resource, particularly for young faculty who benefit from their seed

“Numerous LAU students have benefited from the generosity corporate of donors to the university’s scholarship funds.”

funding,” notes the geneticist, adding that he himself benefited from an NCSR grant as a young scholar. The pilot data he was able to compile as a result enabled him to then apply for further funding.

As a Lebanese donor, NCSR allows scholars within the country to compete for funds at a national level before applying to the more competitive international donors.

LAU scholars have secured an increasing number of NCSR grants in recent years, each worth up to $25,000. The GSR office, which both distributed grants to LAU faculty and assists those applying for funding elsewhere, has also secured many millions of dollars from the NCSR to fund Ph.D. research. “Our students currently study abroad, but we will soon launch a Ph.D. program in health that will enable them to benefit from expertise at both LAU and a top university in France.”

Institutional donors, says Zalloua, are the catalysts and building blocks of any research endeavor universally. He himself

“Institutional donors are the catalysts and building blocks of any research endeavor universally.”

Pierre Zalloua, dean of Graduate Studies and Research (GSR) at LAU and professor of medicine.

recently completed research into type-2 diabetes that was funded by the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) through a partnership with the Doha-based Shafallah Medical Genetics Center. “We are also partnering on a study on population migration,” reveals Zalloua. “QNRF is the largest such donor in the Middle East and comparable to the National Institute of Health in the U.S.,” he adds, stressing again the importance of institutional donors.

But with institutional funding declining the world over, academic institutions, including LAU, are developing new fundraising models.

“We will need to address this decline by seeking more philanthropic funding,” admits Zalloua. He is not alone. A study by the European Commission found that 94 percent of universities intended to seek philanthropic funding for research-related activities. “Our strategic plan also includes a dedicated platform for nurturing research partnerships between faculty and corporations.”

Such an endeavor would complement the work of LAU’s University Enterprise Office (UEO), which was launched in 1993 as the Center for Scientific Research and Development to create partnerships between LAU and other universities and corporations. Companies requiring reliable in-depth research turn to the UOE much as they might a consulting firm. In response, the UEO, presently under the directorship of Walid Touma, identifies the faculty and staff members from across LAU’s plethora of highly skilled professionals and academics and ensures delivery of the requested services.

Over the past eight years, the UEO has also coordinated the U.S. Department of State’s Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) at LAU, which in 2013 and 2014 included an Arabic Leaders for Democracy fellowship that welcomed forty participants for an intensive program run in partnership with Syracuse University. “It was one of the most beautiful partnerships,” says Touma of working with the New York state-based university. “They were very proactive, transparent and honorable. I loved working with them.”

While some partners do little beyond funding projects, Syracuse, says Touma, was hands on. “They helped us sort out any problems our participants had. Such programs are important to the State Department as well in terms of strategic interests and political public relations, so we felt fully supported.”

This year, the MEPI program moved from the supervision of the UEO to that of the office for Student Development & Enrollment, which also houses the department of Financial Aid and Scholarships. A great number of LAU students have benefited from the generosity of philanthropic and corporate donors to LAU scholarship funds. Among them is Ghina Merhi, a third-year student of graphic design.

“A degree from LAU makes a big difference, as it is a credible institution so it strengths my career prospects. Without the scholarship, I wouldn’t be able to attend,” says Merhi of the scholarship she received from the Association for Specialization and Scientific Guidance (ASSG), which has funded part of the tuition of no less than fifteen LAU students to date. Students accepted by ASSG automatically receive additional support from LAU through the financial aid program as part of the mutual agreement between the two entities.

Fourth-year civil engineering student Omar Zamzam also benefits from a scholarship.

He is the twentieth beneficiary of an engineering scholarship by the Saudi

Binladin Group (SBL). “I wasn’t going to be able to attend LAU without it, so I wouldn’t have had this level of education,” says Zamzam gratefully. Equally appreciative is Alberto Albejjani, who graduated this year thanks to an SBL scholarship. “I was already on a merit scholarship, but the Binladin grant meant I no longer had any tuition to pay, which was a huge help to my family,” says Albejjani, who will now be pursuing his postgraduate education in the U.S.

“Long-standing relationships are built on solid trust, a common vision and an understanding of each other’s resources and capabilities.”

First-year biology major Dima Qasem is also able to cover the full cost of tuition through a combination of scholarship and financial aid. After being accepted by LAU, Qasem applied to UNRWA for a scholarship.

“I knew I would get it because I had been a hard working student, knowing that the only way I could go to a strong university like LAU was to get top grades and win a scholarship,” says Qasem.

While some enjoy full coverage of tuition fees, others are pleased to have even part of their tuition covered. “It makes a big difference,” says fifth-year pharmacy student Joanna Abi Saab, one of twenty students currently benefiting from a scholarship from the Association Philippe Jabre (APJ).

Her scholarship covers 15 percent on the cost of tuition. “I was able to use the money I saved toward the cost of accommodation so I could live nearer campus,” adds Abi Saab, who lives in one of the LAU student dormitory buildings in Byblos.

Karma Real Estate donated the third floor of one of those buildings to LAU in its entirety as an in-kind gift. The floor houses four apartments, each of which can accommodate six students and are at present occupied by students who benefit from LAU’s University Scholarship Program.

Also of great value to a growing number of participating students at LAU are the activities of the Outreach and Civic Engagement office (OCE), which runs the Model United Nations, Model European Union, and Model Arab League programs.

“We’ve trained over 3,500 middle and high school students in creative conflict

“Fundraising is really a team effort that involves engagement and effort from all university stakeholders.”

Nassib Nasr, LAU’s assistant vice president for development.

resolutions since 2011 as part of the Model Arab League program,” says OCE director Elie Samia of the initiative funded by the Hariri Foundation for Sustainable Human Development.

“We use our expertise and experience to conceptualize a program that serves civil society and the foundation finances and commits the necessary resources to ensure the projects materialize,” adds Samia, referring to a number of initiatives carried out in partnership with the foundation.

“Our long-standing relationship is built on solid trust, a common vision, and an understanding that our resources and capabilities complement each other.”

The Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World (IWSAW) also runs initiatives funded by external donors. The Open Society Institute, no stranger to top-tier academic institutions worldwide has supported a number IWSAW initiatives in recent years. Among them were training workshops for Iraqi academics looking to incorporate gender in their research and the translation of several issues of IWSAW’s flagship journal al-Raida.

Indeed, offices, institutes and departments across the university are able to expand their efforts and initiatives thanks to institutional funding. A generous donation by the European Commission enabled associate professor of journalism and chairperson of LAU’s Department of Communications Arts Jad Melki to expand the activities of the Digital and Media Literacy Academy of Beirut (DMLAB), of which he is also chair.

“This was the first year they funded MDLAB, and thanks to the added support we were able to extend the program to include more participants and focus on difficult topics,

such as countering violent extremism and youth radicalization,” says Melki.

agreement was then formally prepared in collaboration with the Development Office.

Also funded by the European Commission was a recently concluded three-year, multi-party research endeavor in which scholars from LAU’s Adnan Kassar School of Business participated. SAHWA, as it is known, was one of a growing number of research programs run by multi-institutional partners pursuing a common objective or program. Such hybrid approaches are increasing in popularity among donors who are attracted to their multiple benefits, which include effective leveraging of community resources, wider dissemination of research, and expanded outreach.

“Fundraising is really a team effort that involves engagement and effort from all university stakeholders,” stresses Nassib Nasr, assistant vice president for development. Last year his office brought together all deans and advancement leaders for a two-day fundraising workshop to raise awareness of the importance of university-wide participation in fundraising efforts. Within a year, collaboration between Dean George Nasr of the School of Engineering and the Development Office had garnered nearly $250,000 toward a new scholarship fund.

LAU faculty joined the consortium of researchers after the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs, the lead and instigator of the consortium that collaborated on the research project into Arab Mediterranean Youth, approached them directly. The

Indeed, while some prospective donors respond best to being solicited by the president or provost, others, particularly those in industry, want a front-row seat to the scholarly and pedagogical work happening in the labs and classrooms.

As such, deans have seen their traditional responsibility of ensuring academic program quality evolve over time to include budgeting, public relations, and fundraising.

“Our partnership with the school of engineering demonstrates what can be accomplished when you join forces for a common and worthy goal,” asserts Nasr.

“We are so pleased with this achievement and look forward to undertaking similar initiatives across all our schools.”

“With institutional funding declining the world over, academic institutions, including LAU, are developing new fundraising models.”

Q&A

THE CULTURE OF GIVING LAU’s Vice President for University Advancement Marla Rice-Evans shares her thoughts on the culture of giving.

How does the philanthropy today differ from before?

What are more important: donations from private individuals or institutional gifts?

There is so much more science to philanthropy now than ever before. It is centered on more and more data research to discover the true wealth of individuals and their connections and philanthropic interests. This data speeds up our knowledge about a prospect and provides us with information to prevent us from misjudgments about someone. But all the science in the world might be in our hands, but in the end, it is still work between human beings and figuring out those things in life they care most about and want to support. Donors who go through the process of giving of themselves to others is one of the most meaningful experiences they could ever go through and making life better for others is the most important action that can be done in the world. This has not changed over time.

All levels of support are essential — a balance from individuals, corporations, foundations, government sources, alumni, students’ parents, faculty and staff, and all those who believe in investing in education.

How can giving be encouraged?

The philanthropic process is a science and an art. You can’t tell a donor what to do, you must inspire and engage them. To reach their hearts requires creativity and thoughtfulness. But when you both come to an agreement that will improve students’ futures, it can be the most beautiful, spiritual, enlightening and inspirational experience. Campaigns aren’t necessary for fundraising, but are, in today’s world, most important. The modern university is now either preparing for, conducting or wrapping up a campaign. It has become a norm and can help lift a university to a new level of eminence.

How can we tap into new areas of funding?

We have to keep pursuing leads from every corner of the globe, seeking support from those who love the idea that education is the most important asset in the world for all young people. Education gives young people a chance for a great future.

What are the areas of most need at LAU? Scholarships, scholarships and more scholarships.

Distinguished professorships are also a priority need. And as an investment today that will last for decades, support for our buildings is crucial.

Are we seeing changes in student demographics and are these changes having an effect on the number of students requiring financial assistance?

Demographic shifts are always with us. We continually need to be prepared for these shifts, which makes the challenges extra acute, since we have so many young lives in our hands. Financial assistance needs increase every year, which is why the need for scholarships are our top priority — helping families in need is a part of our founding principles.

Why is now a critical time to support LAU? LAU is on the cusp of a new level of eminence. It is the donors who have joined the LAU family in its mission who in no small part are making this rise in reputation possible. This is the time to become a part of something so critical, so profound, and so important to the thousands of students who have an opportunity to take their lives to a new level at LAU. There is nothing more important in this region or in the world than for a young person to secure an excellent education. Support from those who care literally means the world.

A DREAM COME TRUE Mona Bawarshi’s gift allows LAU’s Beirut campus to expand

Back in 2012, LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra lauded the acquisition of the Gezairi building as a “dream come true” and said that the gift would help foster a stimulating learning environment for students and faculty alike.

Indeed it has: spring 2017 will see the first cohort graduating with a B.A. in fashion design, run by the Department of Art and Design at LAU’s School of Architecture and Design, in collaboration with ELIE SAAB. The Gezairi building — which had previously housed the leading regional shipping company Gezairi Transport under the leadership of Chairman and CEO Mona Bou Azza Bawarshi — now houses the fashion design program’s state-of-the-art studios.

Bawarshi’s gift in part payment of the Gezairi building comes at a fortuitous time, as the university has had to grow its campuses considerably in order to fulfill its mission of offering excellent learning opportunities to the youth of Lebanon, the MENA region, and beyond. The new property allows LAU to provide its students with the very best facilities, an element of utmost importance to the university’s student-centered ethos.

Starting in February 2017, the building will undergo a complete renovation, transforming it into a cutting-edge facility ready to house all the functions of the School of Architecture and Design (which are currently scattered across multiple buildings on the Beirut campus). The revamping includes the creation of offices, labs, workshops, classrooms, lecture halls, conference rooms, multi-purpose rooms, and a cafeteria, as well as one hundred car parking spaces in its three basement floors to alleviate the prevailing critical parking situation around campus.

Located in the heart of Hamra, within a stone’s throw of the main campus, the 16,546 square meter property has permitted an effortless expansion of the space-restricted Beirut campus. “Facilities are very important. In the area of Beirut where LAU is, property is very expensive and scarce.

We are therefore overjoyed to have the Gezairi premises so close to our campus,” said Jabbra at the signing ceremony.

Jabbra also praised the Gezairi company’s commitment to education, saying, “They have a passion for education and philanthropy which intersects with our dedication to providing our students with the best education possible and to remain a beacon of knowledge in the region.”

PAVING THE WAY Abdul Ghani Hammour names an endowment scholarship An endowment gift leaves a permanent, positive legacy for the donor and provides a reliable and continuing source of financial support to LAU’s distinguished but financially disadvantaged students. A percentage of the annual proceeds of the endowment is used to fully sponsor the education of those needy and deserving young people. Abdul Ghani Hammour — the chairman of the real estate, commercial distribution, and financial investment company Capital Guidance — established the Abdul Ghani and Inayat Hammour Endowment Scholarship Fund to provide financial aid for students in the fields of business and engineering.

Understanding that the well-educated workforce of tomorrow depends on accessible education today, the company set aside funds for the scholarship program.

Capital Guidance, a private family-owned investment company with significant interests in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa, was established by families of Syrian origin in 2001 and is an advocate of helping those less fortunate to attain a university degree.

The company is dedicated to thoughtful design of hedged vehicles and to thorough research of hedge fund managers. It focuses on the creation of imaginative alternatives to traditional shopping environments, with each development’s concept and style inspired by the market it serves. It understands that to remain competitive in an ever changing global marketplace requires the steady influx of new talent. By sponsoring scholarship programs, the company is able to encourage and develop the next generation of employees and executives who will hopefully, one day, lead it to greater successes.

“We at LAU share with you all our passion for education. We take pride in our mission to educate and develop the whole person,” said Joseph G. Jabbra, LAU’s president during the signing ceremony, adding, “In light of steep living cost increases, we have more than ever decided to financially support our students to provide them with the necessary academic support to succeed in the future.”

“We at LAU take pride in our mission to educate and develop the whole person.”

Joseph G. Jabbra, LAU’s president

HEALTHCARE TAKES CENTER STAGE Nursing students given a helping hand while Jacques Saadé bolsters the blood bank Lebanese American University Medical Center-Rizk Hospital (LAUMC-RH) serves as the primary site for the university’s clinical education in hospital-based nursing. The four-building, one hundred twenty-bed medical campus located in the heart of Beirut was acquired in 2009 and offers a wide array of services. Once the current restructuring and expansion is completed, LAUMC-RH will serve not only as the principal site for clinical teaching, research and practice but will also be a comprehensive university hospital with associated ambulatory clinics.

The Department of Nursing at LAUMC-RH employs a nursing staff of approximately 250, including 150 professional registered nurses. Head nurses have operational responsibility for the clinical units. The department sponsors an active staffdevelopment program for both registered and practical nurses. Registered nurses also hold key positions in the hospital’s Quality and Medical Assurance, Occupational Health and Safety, and Infection Control departments.

Due to funds raised during the Fulfilling the Promise campaign, 27 nursing students

benefited from the LAUMC-RH Nursing Scholarship Grant. Through this fund the hospital is able to provide support to cover 50 percent of the tuition fees of nursing students until graduation, while the other 50 percent is covered though LAU financial aid. In return, the students commit to work for LAUMC-RH for three years after graduation. This gives them a great stepping-stone into the world of healthcare.

LAUMC–RH has also gained the support of shipping magnate Jacques Saadé, who generously donated toward the restoration of the hospital’s blood bank lobby, which now bears the donor’s name. A native of Lebanon, Saadé lives in Marseille, France, and heads CMA CGM, the third largest container transportation and shipping company in the world.

“Be demanding — first of yourself and then of others, and create solid relationships with your partners based on trust,” Saadé advised graduating students at the 2014 commencement ceremony, during which he was honored with a doctorate in humane letters for his contribution to the shipping industry. This trust is reflected in Saadé’s indefatigable support to LAU and its graduates, whom he hopes to provide with job opportunities at CMA CGM.

“Be demanding — first of yourself and then of others.”

Jacques Saadé, founder, group chairman and CEO of CMA CGM Group.

GIVING BACK Alumni chapters raise significant sums for scholarships Through 41 chapters scattered around the world, LAU’s Alumni Association is a major contributor to the university’s fundraising campaigns.

The Abu Dhabi Chapter Endowment Scholarship Fund, the Dubai and Northern Emirates Chapter Annual Scholarship Grant, the Abu Dhabi Chapter Annual Scholarship for Beirut campus and a similar one for the Byblos campus, and the Dubai & Northern Emirates Chapter Endowment Scholarship Fund were all established because of chapters’ fundraising efforts, often from chapter galas.

During the campaign, the alumni chapters in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and Northern Emirates both raised large sums for student scholarships during their annual galas, with record participation. Over 1,000 alumni attended the events in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, reflecting the sizable presence of LAU graduates in the UAE. “Networking, getting alumni together, promoting LAU... these are all important outcomes of the annual dinners,” says Abdallah al Khal, assistant vice president for Alumni Relations. The funds also support LAU’s commitment to academic excellence and student diversity,” says Naim

Stephan (‘91), president of the Abu Dhabi Alumni Chapter.

“We are very proud of the transformation of LAU that is taking place under President Joseph G. Jabbra’s leadership,” emphasizes Stephan.

For his part, Jabbra thanked the alumni, stressing that because of the unflagging support of its graduates, “LAU has gone from strength to strength in recent years.” He adds: “All members of LAU are one close-knit family. We educate ambitious youth who care about developing the country and the region.”

Money raised by the UAE chapters provided scholarships to academically gifted students at both the Beirut and Byblos campuses, making a crucial difference to the lives of underprivileged young people.

Saad el Zein (‘89), president of the Dubai and North Emirates Chapter, points out that although the gala’s ultimate objective is to give back to LAU by helping students in need of financial assistance, their mission is to help students fulfill their ambitions, goals and dreams.

Having attended both events, al Khal was astonished at the devotion and professionalism of alumni who organized the events rather than specialized event planners as some might have expected. “Our alumni have proven that their dedication to LAU is inspiration enough,” he explains, going on to thank “all LAU alumni, both in the Gulf and throughout the world, for showing that their bond with their alma mater needn’t end at graduation.”

“I thank all LAU alumni, both in the Gulf and throughout the world, for showing that their bond with their alma mater needn’t end at graduation.”

Abdallah al Khal, LAU assistant vice president for Alumni Relations.

DISPELLING A MYTH

Op-Ed There is a myth that the tuition a university charges its students covers its expenses and even pulls in a profit. This in turn creates the idea that philanthropy toward higher education is unnecessary. Yet, the myth could not be further from the truth.

In reality, most universities here in Lebanon and elsewhere cannot depend on tuition fees alone if they want to operate, and, more importantly, grow. Tuition only covers a portion of most universities’ expenses, which explains why they increase tuition fees every few years, often in line with inflation and other economic factors.

In addition, maintaining competitiveness and becoming a world-class institution requires significant resources, and that is where continual fundraising comes in. What many do not realize is that raising funds — whether from friends, businesses or alumni — is an important component of the university’s economic and strategic viability. It is just as critical to the university as tuition revenue is.

Like our worldwide counterparts, LAU’s fundraising efforts help sustain the university and drive its strategic aims forward. In LAU’s case, we are emphasizing teaching and research, more financial aid for students, upgraded student facilities, and other capital projects that provide students with a richer university experience.

To better understand the importance of fundraising, we can take a look at LAU’s revenue for the 2016 fiscal year.

The most telling part is that tuition revenue represented 74.6 percent of it, meaning that just over 25 percent of revenue must come from non-tuition sources. This is where fundraising efforts contribute greatly.

LAU’s Assistant Vice President for Development for the Middle East and Europe Nassib Nasr works to increase support for scholarships, professorships, educational program development, facilities renovation and expansion.

The university’s expenses go towards maintaining excellent academic standards and providing students with the financial support they need. At LAU, 65 percent of expenses go toward compensation for faculty and instructors, salaries for staff who support the operations of the university, and financial aid for students. The remaining 35 percent of expenses go toward other vital areas, such as supplies, books, electronics and utilities, among others.

This financial breakdown paints a clear picture why philanthropy toward academia is so important, and especially so at LAU. Our supporters’ generosity truly contributes to sustaining the university, whether they realize it or not. And we do hope to dispel myths like this one and ensure that our community and supporters are aware of just how immense their impact is each year when they continually contribute.

The Fulfilling the Promise fundraising campaign, which we just closed with so many of our readers’ support, is an initiative that is not unique to LAU. In fact, fundraising campaigns are a backbone for universities, big and small, worldwide. Earlier this year Harvard achieved a $6.5 billion fundraising goal. That follows campaigns that raised $6.2 billion at Stanford, $3.9 billion at Yale, $4.3 billion at the University of Pennsylvania, and $6.1 billion at Columbia, just to name a few.

What we all have in common is an end goal, whereby we seek to use the resources raised to ensure the institution’s viability in the long-term, maintain academic excellence, and achieve strategic milestones bringing us to new levels of academic superiority that set LAU apart from other universities.

AN INCOMPARABLE LEGACY

Since the launching of its two campaigns for excellence (The Legacy and the Promise and Fulfilling the Promise, which just closed at the end of August 2016, LAU has taken enormous strides and built a vast network of supporters.

Through the generous contributions of these individuals, companies and government agencies — who believe in the university’s mission and want to help it continue to flourish — the latest campaign surpassed its goal of raising $100 million one year ahead of schedule.

Like the first campaign, the Fulfilling the Promise 20112016 fundraising campaign supported the implementation of the university’s 2011-2016 Strategic Plan, with a special emphasis on strengthening academics. The campaign rested on six pillars: student support, endowed chairs, research, facilities, special initiatives, and the Gilbert and Rose-Mary Chagoury School of Medicine. All six are indispensable to ensuring academic excellence — the core of any great university.

During the course of time the pillars shifted slightly but stayed well within the realm of ensuring academic excellence. The university responded to the needs of its students and the priorities of its supporters and directed funds to two key areas: financial support to deserving and needy students, and facilities improvement. In the same spirit, the campaign was also directed towards ensuring the continued accreditation of our programs, essential to securing LAU’s world-class reputation.

Throughout, LAU was steered by the legacy of those who came before — since its founding. The campaign was a constant reminder of the promises it has to keep to those who have entrusted university’s future to its care. The entire LAU community joined hands to consolidate and honor these commitments in Fulfilling the Promise.

Thanks to private donors, Fulfilling the Promise has allowed LAU to inaugurate the Adnan Kassar School of Business, the Geizairi Building, the Chagoury Health Sciences Center, and the Wadad Sabbagh Khoury Student Center, demonstrating the university’s continued commitment to both student and faculty development. Major fundraising organizations have also contributed to Fulfilling Promise, helping to strengthen and expand LAU’s academic programs and offerings.

Thanks to continued and increasing support from the United States Department of State through the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and from USAID through the University Scholarship Program (USP) — not to mention support from private donors, corporations and other organizations — LAU has been able to significantly increase its financial aid budget in recent years. Last year alone the university allocated an unprecedented $25 million scholarships and financial aid. This colossal collective enthusiasm for LAU’s mission helped the campaign to surpass the university’s most optimistic expectations. Its successful completion marks a milestone in LAU’s history and will have positive repercussions for generations to come.

COMPLETION OF THE LEGACY AND THE PROMISE SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

TIMELINE & MILESTONES

START OF FULFILLING THE PROMISE OCTOBER 1, 2011 END OF FULFILLING THE PROMISE AUGUST 31, 2016

$103,995,135

6,245

3,733

Total funds raised at close of the campaign (including pledge amounts)

Total number of gifts made

Total number of donors who contributed

Total Funds Raised

$55,581,850.65

$32,873,274.72

Toward Scholarships

Toward Facilities

$9,582,285.33

$5,957,724.30

Toward Endowment Fund

Toward Grants, Research and School Activities

$49,851,471

$50,759,309

$3,384,355

From Private Fundraising

From Government Fundraising

From Grants

September April 30, 2012 30, 2014 campaign reached $25 million

campaign reached $50 million

July 31, 2015

December 31, 2015

campaign reached $75 million

campaign reached $100 million

First year

Second year

Third year

Fourth year

Fifth and final year

1 October 2011 to 30 September 2012

1 October 2012 to 30 September 2013

1 October 2013 to 30 September 2014

1 October 2014 to 30 September 2015

1 October 2015 to 31 August 2016

990 donors gave

922 donors gave

921 donors gave

$9,229,604

$49,439,453

$12,928,901

1,007 donors gave 1,020 donors gave

$22,869,021

$9,528,155

Donors’ Pledge 2011-12 In 2012 In 2012 In 2012 2012-15 In 2014 In 2014 In 2015 In 2015

Consolidated Contractors Company donated $1,200,030 Mona Bawarshi gave a gift-in-kind of $9,168,100 Bank Audi Sal - Audi Saradar Group donated and closed their pledge of $1,125,000 Societe Generale de Banque au Liban pledged $7,000,000 Gilbert & Rose-Marie Chagoury donated $5,196,267 closing their pledge of $13,500,000 Mu’taz and Rada Sawwaf pledged $1,200,000 Abdul Ghani Hammour donated and closed his pledge of $1,000,000 Adnan Kassar pledged $10,000,000 Khatib & Alami - Consolidated Engineering Company gave a gift-in-kind of $1,091,600

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE TO LAU Annual Fund

Annual Gala Dinner

Plant Your Class Tree

A robust Annual Fund marks the difference between a sufficient education and an excellent one. As the largest source of current operating funds directly supporting the operation of the university, gifts to the LAU Annual Fund are put to work immediately. For example, a donor’s gift can provide financial assistance to help needy students, underwrite special educational programs, support talented faculty members or purchase computers and other technology that can enhance every student’s educational experience. In short, these gifts can be directed to where they are needed most.

All proceeds from the galas go toward the Gala Dinner Endowed Scholarship Fund, which targets academically accomplished but socio-economically disadvantaged students.

Together, more than 1,000 LAU supporters contribute toward the fund. In the process, the galas reinforce LAU’s goal of making higher education accessible to all within the context of its larger societal mission.

As part of the senior class gift campaign, graduating students contribute to raising funds for needy and deserving students while planting a memorial tree from their class year on each of LAU’s campuses. In its last five years, the program has gained strong participation and has raised $25,000 in total.

Scholarships Financial aid programs are a fundamental part of LAU. The university is committed to providing an excellent education based on ability, not ability to pay. Around 47 percent of all students at LAU receive some form of scholarship, work/aid grant or loan, enabling the most talented students to enroll regardless of their financial circumstances. LAU’s 2011-2016 strategic plan commits the university to increasing scholarship funds. Without the help of donors, many of LAU’s students might never have been able to matriculate.

Sustained donor support is critical to reducing the burden of debt on graduates.

Take a Bench or a Seat Naming a Facility Donations toward naming opportunities — ranging from buildings, conference rooms, classrooms and labs to benches and seats — are yet another source of funds for the construction, renovation and enhancement of LAU facilities to improve campus life for the entire university community.

Members of the LAU community may make their names part of the university’s legacy by naming a bench on either the Beirut or Byblos campus or by naming a seat in the Irwin or Selina Korban Auditoriums. The chosen bench or seat will display a plaque engraved with the donor’s name (or the name of a loved one he or she chooses to honor) and the year of graduation.

Endowed Chairs A key element of the Fulfilling the Promise campaign is the creation of additional endowed academic chairs. The number of full-time faculty members at LAU has more than doubled since 1992. To further strengthen LAU’s academic programs and enhance its research output, faculty must continue to grow. Named endowed chairs are vital in this process as they help attract and retain first-rate faculty who might otherwise be drawn to other institutions.

Phonathon Reaching out to 3,000 alumni worldwide, LAU’s Development Office conducted its first Phonathon fundraising effort in 2014 to give alumni the chance to give back to their alma mater and play an important part in the university’s future. The initiative was so successful that it has become a yearly event.

“Never look at the glass as half empty or empty. It is half full.”

Raymond Audi, chairman of Bank Audi-Audi Saradar Group.

ENDURING COMMITMENT

Bank Audi-Audi Saradar Group made a generous gift to name the Georges and Raymond Audi Executive Business Hall at the Finance and Accounting Department of LAU’s business school. The group also established the Georges and Raymond Audi Endowment Scholarship Fund to support the tuition fees of needy and deserving students majoring in banking, finance and accounting.

Raymond Audi established Bank Audi-Audi Saradar Group in 1962 along with his father, brothers Georges and John, and a Kuwaiti business partner. Considered one of Lebanon’s top banks, Bank Audi has assets worth $41 billion, of which 48 percent derives from entities outside Lebanon and 33 percent is booked in investment grade countries.

Raymond Audi, who has acted as the bank’s chairperson since 1998, also established the Audi Foundation, which is dedicated to the promotion and preservation of traditional craftsmanship in Lebanon.

LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra paid tribute to the Audi family’s unwavering commitment to philanthropy and development. “We at LAU are absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to honor a person and the memory of his

Bank Audi-Audi Saradar Group supports future bankers, financers and accountants

brother, who together have done so much for Lebanon and beyond, and who have shown such gracious commitment to the university,” he said.

In turn Audi added that he was very glad to support LAU and suggested that the benefitting students would go on to do something very exciting for the future of Lebanon.

He stressed that LAU students and the wider community should remain optimistic, even as the region is engulfed by extraordinary political and economic tumult. “I would advise you never to look at the glass as half empty or empty.

The glass is half full. There are cycles in life, and we have to accept that we are currently living through some hard times, but we will face them and we will succeed,” he insisted.

Audi has received numerous international awards, including honors from the Pope and the governments of Lebanon, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Russia and Malta. He sits on LAU’s Board of International Advisors and has been instrumental in helping the university expand its Beirut campus. Audi, who served in the Lebanese government as minister of the Displaced, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters by LAU in 2007.

SUPPORTING COMMUNITY LIFE USAID extends its support of LAU with the successful USP program

According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) services, a strong financial sector, and tourism are the pillars on which Lebanon’s economy stands. The US government agency believes that political unrest and sectarian strife challenge Lebanon’s stability and prosperity, posing a threat to its public education system, growing economy, and national infrastructure. U.S. policy, therefore, is to continue providing assistance to Lebanon in order to preserve the country’s ecological resources and to strengthen local governance.

Education — specifically, engagement with partners to increase access and enhance opportunities, especially in poor, underserved areas — is central to USAID’s efforts to revitalize the Lebanese economy and support community life. In addition to giving funding to LAU’s financial aid program and supporting its qualitative research, USAID funds the University Scholarship Program (USP). The

“My time as an undergraduate student changed my life, and I have LAU and USAID to thank.”

Mustapha Hamad (B.E. ’16), a beneficiary of USP.

initiative makes hundreds of underprivileged young people’s dreams come true by providing them with full scholarships.

Since September 2010, nearly $51 million in USP funds has supported at least 55 students a year — depending on the amount provided by USAID. Reflecting the remarkable success of the scholarship program, USP VII has received the generous amount of nearly $18 million giving the program’s sixth cohort funds to pursue higher education.

The grant goes to Lebanese students, from public schools across the nation, who are highly qualified in terms of their academic performance and are in financial need. So far, USAID, in partnership with LAU, has helped around 400 students of whom 150 have already graduated.

USP has changed the lives of theses students not only by covering tuition fees but also by providing housing expenses, medical insurance, textbooks, and monthly stipends. Most importantly, there is a whole team behind the students, following up with them to make sure the young people participate in extra-curricular activities to fully develop their civic engagement, which is crucial to their development as part of LAU’s vision to provide higher education and to develop the person as a whole.

So far 81 students have graduated from LAU thanks to the USP program and have moved on to find full time jobs and pursue their careers. “Today, I’m officially an engineer with a full-time job while continuing graduate studies at LAU. Those four and a half years as an undergraduate student changed my life, and I have LAU and USAID to thank,” said Mustapha Hamad (B.E. ’16), a USP beneficiary.

FEEDING BODY AND SOUL Société Générale de Banque au Liban establishes athletic center Société Générale de Banque au Liban (SGBL) has been instrumental in the establishment of an athletics sports center on LAU’s Byblos campus. Leading the effort was the organization’s chairman and CEO Antoun Sehnaoui, who has built a reputation for his philanthropic efforts in Lebanon.

“Sports activities are still generally perceived as the poor relative to academic programs — despite the fact that they contribute fundamentally to human beings’ fulfillment,” says Sehnaoui.

Sehnaoui believes a proper campus sports facility is critical for students to maintain a healthy mind and body, a sentiment in line with LAU’s mission to educate the whole person. But the promotion of health is only part of the picture, as a sports center can bring together students from all backgrounds to interact, build trust, form lasting bonds, and discover the importance of unity — all of which are at the core of Sehnaoui’s philanthropic mission.

“This center speaks to the heart of our mission at LAU when we talk about the education of the whole person,” says LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra. “It is not enough to merely educate in the classroom, to expand the minds of the young through instruction. It is also our duty to ensure their access to facilities to participate in physical recreation — a fundamental component of their development, and therefore of any serious university.”

The sports center itself will be monumental, consisting of a three-level, 9,000-square-meter building at the northeastern edge of the Byblos campus. It will feature a semi-Olympic sized swimming pool, as well as an indoor multipurpose court surrounded by two sets of bleachers with the capacity to accommodate about 500 people.

The facility will also include outdoor mini-football, tennis and basketball fields on its top level, using artificial turf to allow for year-round use. The lower floors are slated to house a gymnasium, dance rooms, squash courts, exercise rooms, a spa, cafeteria, administrative offices, and other needed facilities. Currently, the projected completion date is during the 2017–2018 academic year.

The donation was welcomed by LAU with enormous gratitude and enthusiasm. Joe Moujaes, director of athletics for the Byblos campus, described it as a necessity. “An athletic sports center on the Byblos campus is a must, not only for our student athletes who have for years endured the hassle of transportation to and from rented facilities,” Moujaes explains, “but more importantly, for the great campus life the center will bring to the university.”

“Sports contribute fundamentally to a human being’s fulfillment.”

Antoun Sehnaoui, chairman and CEO of Société Générale de Banque au Liban.

financial aid There are countless reasons why students require funding, and LAU’s community of supporters has risen to the occasion, creating several funds that meet students’ and the university’s needs.

The Georges Harik President’s Fund Aspiring computer scientists should know the name of George Harik, one of Google’s first ten engineers and the company’s former director of new products. The Lebanese expatriate helped Google launch many products that are of everyday use. He also established a nonprofit artificial intelligence lab, as well as the video-conference platform imo.im. He provides financial backing to promising start-ups, a process known as angel investing. Even outside the President’s Fund, Harik has been a generous friend to LAU, providing annual support to the Department of Computer Science.

The Sukkar Family Endowment Scholarship Fund Maysarah Sukkar, chairman of Averda and Sukleen, began his relationship with LAU in 2002, when he donated generously to the Human Resources Institute — a vital part of the university’s business school — and continues today with the establishment of the Sukkar Family Endowment Scholarship Fund. Averda is an integrated group of companies in the fields of engineering, construction and waste management — including Sukom International, Averda Servus, Servicorp, Sukleen, Fleet Maintenance Center, Leeds International, and Sukkar Engineering Construction.

The Michael & Effie Jabbra and the Nancy & Joseph G. Jabbra Endowment Scholarship Funds

The Rizk Rizk Endowment Scholarship Fund Rizk Rizk, chairman, major shareholder, and member of the board of directors of Tourisme et Sports d’Hiver Mzaar, Mzaar 2000, and Mzaar InterContinental Hotel, keeps Lebanon firmly on the global winter resort map. For over two decades, Rizk, who is also co-owner/partner of the Rizk Foundation and Sannine, has been supporting LAU in its commitment to academic excellence, student centeredness, civic engagement, advancement of scholarship, education of the whole person, and the formation of leaders in a diverse world. A believer in the importance of higher education, Rizk also donates regularly to the Gala Dinner Endowed Scholarship Fund.

LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra always reiterates that the greatest gift in life is giving to others. As such, Jabbra has been continually giving to the university since 2004. He and his wife, Nancy, have also donated gifts in kind to the university, such as numerous books to the libraries over the years. He has supported different university funds, including the Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World, the New York Gala Dinner, the LAU Medical Students Association, the President’s Fund, the Sarah Lanman Huntington Smith Endowment Fund, and the Riad F. Nassar Endowment Fund.

The Daad Ghossoub Designated Scholarship Grant

The Gala Dinner Endowed Scholarship Fund There are a myriad of donors to this fund, many of them recurring. One such donor, BB Energy is one of the world’s leading independent energy trading companies. Established as a commodities business trading company by Mohamed Bassatne in 1937, it leapt into petroleum products when his son, Baha, joined the company in 1963. Babanaft International Corporation was incorporated in 1969 and in 1972 they acquired Hypco Distribution Company, which today has a number of stations across Lebanon with the brand now expanding into Turkey after its recent 51% acquisition of Citypet. What makes BB Energy different than the others is that it is still very much a family company. The company’s recurring support of the endowed fund stems from its deep belief that everybody should have a chance to better themselves.

Joseph Ghossoub, the chairman and CEO of The Holding Group (THG), a company at the forefront of media and advertising in the Middle East, has helped improve education by generously giving back to his mother country. A scholarship fund in his name offers students the opportunity to pursue postgraduate degrees at LAU. While the Daad Ghossoub Designated Scholarship Grant, in his wife’s name, covers the tuition fees of several students up to graduation. Daad deeply believes that education is a fundamental component of a person’s well-being and hopes that benefitting students will, in turn, offer others the same opportunity.

The Kamil Sarieddine Designated Scholarship Grant Kamil Sarieddine, managing director of UAE-based Sarieddine Trading Establishment, founded a scholarship in his own name to support needy and deserving students each year for the duration of their time at LAU. “The greatest thing one can learn is to give to those less fortunate,” he said when the grant was officially announced.

For Sarieddine, philanthropy is not only for society’s wealthiest citizens but is a civic duty: “You do not have to be a billionaire to give, especially if it is toward education.”

The Mersaco President’s Fund Mersaco SAL, a long-standing corporate supporter of the university, is a leading Lebanese agent and distributor of pharmaceutical and cosmetics products established in 1959. As Mersaco’s business grows so do its responsibilities.

One of Mersaco SAL’s owners and a member of the board and executive management, Walid A. Mroueh, remarked, “What stands out about LAU is that it focuses not only on equipping students with outstanding knowledge and skills but on forming the character of its graduates as leaders.”

The Walid Jumblatt Scholarship Grant

The Gala Dinner Endowment Scholarship Fund

The Walid Jumblatt Foundation for University Studies (WJF) established a merit scholarship fund which each year supports several LAU students for the duration of their degrees. The foundation relies on the university’s policies to select the best candidates based on merit and need.

Founded by Lebanese politician Walid Jumblatt, WJF provides annual scholarships for a wide range of students studying at Lebanese universities. The foundation is committed to the development of Lebanon’s education sector and to preparing Lebanese youth for successful careers.

Another supporter of LAU’s galas is George Doumet, a member of LAU’s Board of Trustees. A chemical and nuclear engineer, Doumet is the CEO and president of Federal White Cement and president of the investment holding company, Candou Industries. He has served as honorary chairman, chairman of the board, and independent director of Fortune Minerals. He serves as director of the Portland Cement Association and has served as director of Gedex.

For Doumet, scholarships provide an opportunity for many people to earn an education and become contributing members of society.

The Adnan Kassar Annual Scholarship Grant Fransabank established the Adnan Kassar Annual Scholarship Grant to support ten needy and academically gifted students enrolled at the university’s business school.

“We are proud to encourage an institution like LAU and through it to serve our country’s future generations,” said Adnan Kassar, chairman and major shareholder of Fransabank. He made the donation together with his brother Adel, the bank’s deputy chairman and CEO. Thanking Fransabank, LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra said the scholarship would “help the dreams of needy students come true.” Jabbra lauded the Kassar family’s commitment to philanthropy and educational development, saying their support stemmed from a firm “belief in Lebanon.”

The Gala Dinner Endowed Scholarship Fund The gala has numerous supporters amongst whom Dar Al-Handasah (Shair and Partners), known as dar and founded in 1956, is one of the world’s leading international consultancies with five design centers and 45 regional operation offices in 30 countries throughout the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries. Dar provides the Gala Dinner with sponsorship gifts that are then channeled to the Gala Dinner Endowed Scholarship Fund. The company is also known for giving students a chance to experience the real world. “Successful team-building is also about giving good people the opportunity to grow,” said the late Kamal A. Shair, Dar Al-Handasah’s founder.

The Bank of Beirut Annual Scholarship Grant With a well-targeted focus, Bank of Beirut has not only grown to become one of today’s leading commercial banks in Lebanon, but has also proven to be a pioneer in more than one field. In foreign markets, the bank aims to further strengthen the building of its commercial and correspondent banking activities with emphasis on the MENA region and on the Lebanese Diaspora by placing our international subsidiaries and branches at their disposal.

Its vision is to create a better future for each and every individual and corporation in Lebanon and beyond. Bank of Beirut-Dubai does so through its scholarship that help deserving students fulfill their ambition to serve society.

The Alumni Association Ghana Chapter

The Ali Abdullah Jammal Memorial Scholarship Grant

Endowment Scholarship Fund

The Ali Abdullah Jammal Memorial Scholarship Grant was established by Jammal Trust Bank (JTB) SAL in honor of the bank’s founding chairman. This scholarship is designated towards one business student and covers their full tuition.

“What’s better than education? You give a person an education and then with that they should be able to conquer the world themselves,” said Anwar Jammal, JTB’s current chairman and general manager and the son of the late Ali Jammal. Anwar hopes that at least one of the beneficiaries will feel morally obligated decades later to start a scholarship fund in order to pass on the gift to deserving students. Amongst other philanthropic activities, JTB also gives to the Gala Dinner Endowed Scholarship Fund.

LAU’s annual Ghana Alumni Chapter Gala Dinner takes place in Accra and brings together the Lebanese and the Ghanaian communities. Funds from the dinners are used to support needy and deserving Ghanaian students who want to study at LAU for its excellent academic standards, which positions the university among the world-class institutions of higher learning and catapults it to the forefront of Arab education. The chapter was established in 2012 in response to the country’s sizeable alumni community. It is LAU’s first chapter on the African continent. Abdallah al Khal, assistant vice president for Alumni Relations, said he was delighted by the chapter’s impressive growth. “We have been heartened by the enthusiasm and hard work of our alumni in bringing the chapter to life,” he said.

The William Stoltzfus Memorial and the Janet & William A. Stoltzfus Jr. Endowment Scholarship Funds The Curtis W. McGraw Foundation established the scholarship in honor of longtime friend and supporter of LAU the late Ambassador William A. Stoltzfus, Jr., who died last year, and his wife Janet Sorg, who died in 2004. Born in Beirut in 1924, Stoltzfus spent part of his childhood in Aleppo before moving back to Beirut when his father became president of American Junior College (subsequently BCW and now LAU). Janet taught at BCW, where she met Stoltzfus in 1953. Their son Philip Stoltzfus serves on the university’s Board of Trustees. During William Stoltzfus’ presidency, college was not simply meant to educate students but was also meant to instill in them a sense of civic engagement. An LAU student who demonstrates a remarkable commitment to community service receives an award and gets funding for their senior year.

The Ghassan Aridi President’s Fund The sky is the limit for Ghassan Aridi, one of the most recognized figures in tourism consulting. His innovations span continents, as he has advised tourism ministries in Lebanon, Morocco, Qatar, Kuwait, Spain, Brazil and South Africa.

Aridi is the CEO of Alpha Destination Management, a leading tour operator in Dubai, UAE, as well as the executive chairman of Paramount Hotels & Resorts.

He signed an agreement with LAU to settle 50 percent of the tuition fees of selected students until graduation, provided they are eligible to receive financial aid and that LAU cover the rest.

The Andy Khawaja Annual Scholarship Grant Last spring’s Beirut commencement ceremony was blessed with an extremely inspiring speech by entrepreneur Ahmad (Andy) Khawaja, a recipient of LAU’s Honorary Degree in Humane Letters. Lebanese in origin, Khawaja left the country at the age of 15 in search of a better future. He started as a low-paid teenage worker in supermarkets in Europe and the U.S. and ended up founding a multi-billion company for online services, Allied Wallet. Khawaja, a self-made man, hopes that by giving others this chance they in their turn will help those less fortunate once they are in a position to do so.

The Maher Fansa Memorial Scholarship Grant Ousama Fansa, CEO and director of Roots Group Arabia Company, oversaw the consolidation and restructuring of the group’s 30 subsidiaries under the current three divisions’ vertical structure. The leading driver of the group’s growth and global expansion is credited with initiating several acquisitions, joint ventures, and partnerships that have expanded the customer base to over 17,000 worldwide. He has been a donor since 2011 and has established two gift agreements at LAU, one of which is the Maher Fansa Memorial Annual Scholarship Grant that partially sponsors needy and deserving students.

The Byblos Bank Annual Scholarship Grant

Byblos Bank, whose group chairman Francois Bassil believes that supporting the future of Lebanon starts with education, established annual scholarships to assist needy and deserving students on both campuses.

The bank’s head of Group Corporate Retail Sales and its talent manager meet with the beneficiaries to discuss the company’s vision, which includes supporting the educational sector in Lebanon, and talk about internship opportunities, which aligns with LAU’s mission to promote academic excellence. By sponsoring conferences such as the International Conference on Medical Education, Byblos Bank propagates its vision and that of LAU.

LAU/BoB Affinity Card President’s Fund

In addition to annual appeals, the comprehensive campaign and various fundraising events, LAU seeks new initiatives to fund students. One such initiative is the LAU Affinity (Visa) credit card created in partnership with Bank of Beirut SAL (BoB). Faculty, staff and alumni contribute to LAU by using the card to finance regular daily personal operations without any extra charge. A part of BOB revenues and interest generated from the usage of this card is transferred to LAU as a donation in the cardholder’s name. This contribution is in turn invested in funds to increase financial aid or other potential future projects for the university’s advancement.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PARTNERSHIPS Khatib & Alami Consolidated Engineering Company gives in-kind

The multidisciplinary consultancy firm Khatib & Alami Consolidated Engineering Company, under its Managing Director Najib el-Khatib, has donated as a gift-in-kind the design plans and the supervision of the new engineering building on LAU’s Byblos campus.

markets. The beneficiaries of the scholarships will be guaranteed practical training at Khatib & Alami in the discipline of their choice during their junior year and will be offered a permanent position at the company upon graduation, if they desire.

In addition to this generous donation, the company has demonstrated its commitment to consolidating its ties with the university and encouraging its academic excellence by establishing the Mounir Khatib Endowed Engineering Lecture Series and the Mounir Khatib Endowed Engineering Scholarship Fund.

LAU shall, in accordance with university policy, use up the percentage of a three-year moving average from the Mounir Khatib Endowment Scholarship Fund and its annual earnings to cover, in perpetuity, the tuition fees of three needy and deserving civil engineering students until graduation. This scholarship is designated for recipients from the Makassed Schools.

“I think it is important to relate the business of engineering to an academic institution of the highest standards such as LAU,” said el-Khatib, who has been associated with the university as a member of its Board of International Advisors.

Founded in 1959, Consolidated Engineering Company Khatib & Alami provides architectural and engineering consulting services, which explains its interest in helping engineering students. The company serves utilitiesmunicipalities, transportation, energy, urban development, real estate and community development, facility management, and environmental and water resources

“It is important to relate the business of engineering to an academic institution of the highest standards.”

Najib el-Khatib, managing director Khatib & Alami Consolidated Engineering Company.

FEATURE

THE GREAT, THE GOOD & THE GALA

LAU’s Beirut gala dinners gather hundreds and raise millions

“The best gift in life is the gift of giving,” reverberated the energetic voice of LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra over a sea of sparkling tables and elegant attire at the university’s annual gala dinner in 2014.

LAU had held its first-ever gala dinner in Lebanon two years earlier, in 2012 at BIEL, in honor of major university supporters whose contributions have helped the university make higher education accessible to needy and deserving students. The 2012 event drew more than 850 friends of LAU.

All proceeds from the galas go toward the university’s Gala Dinner Endowed Scholarship Fund, which targets academically accomplished but socio-economically disadvantaged students. Together, more than 1,000 LAU supporters contribute toward the fund. In the process, the galas reinforce LAU’s goal of making higher education accessible to all within the context of its larger societal mission.

“Your commitment supports our university in its mission of providing academic excellence and incentives — at the individual and societal level — toward prosperity and progress,” said Jabbra addressing guests at the 2012 gala.

“These are the values we seek: a cultivated society where nobody is above the law, where human behavior is led by innovation and achievement.”

The generosity of LAU’s supporters and its vision were reflected in the significant amount raised that year. Amounts secured from this first fundraising Gala Dinner with the donations announced during the event reached $7.5 million, demonstrating from the outset how deep the commitment to LAU runs.

LAU’s second annual fundraising gala dinner in 2013 drew over 900 people to BIEL to mark the formal launch of the university’s second major fundraising campaign, Fulfilling the Promise. In his welcoming remarks, President Jabbra noted that LAU’s ascent from a small girls’ school to a major regional university was made possible thanks to the unwavering support of donors such as those in attendance at the event.

This unflagging support empowered LAU and allowed it to grow into a formidable educational institution anchored by a commitment to serve the community, Jabbra said.

“As part of that commitment, LAU and internationally acclaimed fashion designer Elie Saab have joined hands to provide what is expected to become one of the region’s most highly sought-after academic degrees.”

LAU’s accomplishments in recent years have been a “dream come true,” said Jabbra, noting that the university’s 8,000 students in Beirut and Byblos would soon also have access

“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.”

Gibran Khalil Gibran.

to a third campus in the heart of New York City. And indeed, the New York Headquarters and Academic Center was inaugurated on September 2013.

The 2013 evening raised over $1 million toward scholarships for needy and deserving students. Supporting the education of academically gifted students is a top priority for LAU. In 2013 alone, the university had provided over $15 million in financial aid to 30 percent of its student body.

With a renewed focus on increasing financial aid and scholarship programs, “Donate to Educate” was the theme of the 2014 gala, which highlighted the university’s mission to propel future graduates into the economic, social and political leadership spheres worldwide. “LAU’s goal has always been to provide an education that is second to none based on talent and determination, not financial circumstances,” stressed Paul Boulos, at the time chairman of the Board of Trustees.

Jabbra also asserted his commitment to ensuring that skill and potential alone, regardless of the ability to pay, remain the sole criterions for admission to LAU. “Education

should be the birthright,” he emphasized. “But financial realities make it hard for many families to send their children to university.” He explained that being aware of this unfortunate situation and guided by its caring mission, LAU had significantly increased its financial aid and scholarship program.

More than $1 million dollars from donations, sponsorships and proceeds from 2014 gala ticket sales went to the Gala Dinner Endowed Scholarship Fund to support needy and deserving students.

LAU held its fourth annual fundraising gala dinner in December 2015, honoring longtime friend and supporter Adnan Kassar, president and chairman of Fransabank.

Hosted at the Phoenicia Hotel in Beirut, the event paid special recognition to Kassar’s generous gift of $10 million toward the naming of the Adnan Kassar School of Business.

With an impressive track record of raising between $1 and 2 million each year, the fund is one of the many ways the university ensures that promising students may access an LAU education regardless of their economic standing. In part

fundraiser are earmarked for LAU’s Institute for Women Studies in the Arab World (IWSAW) so it can continue the exemplary work it is doing for women, women’s rights and gender equality.

Among those who have contributed to the Gala Dinner Endowment Scholarship Fund were the late financial behemoth Edgar de Picciotto and his wife Daniele.

Known fondly as one of “the cleverest bankers in Geneva,” Edgar was the founder and chairman of the Board of Directors of Union Bancaire Privée, one of the premiere Swiss asset-management banks. The couple’s passion for education — and belief in the importance of finance in today’s world — led the de Picciottos to establish a Scholarship Endowment Fund in their name to assist deserving and needy LAU students majoring in banking, finance and accounting. In recognition of their generosity, a commemorative plaque was placed in the Finance and Accounting Department in the School of Business, dedicated “To Our Benefactors Edgar and Daniele de Picciotto.”

thanks to the funds raised by the gala dinners, LAU was able to allocate an unprecedented $25 million in scholarships and financial aid for the 2016-2017 academic year.

At the 2015 dinner, Jabbra thanked the guests for their commitment to LAU and their contribution to the Fulfilling the Promise campaign, which benefits students and faculty through scholarships, innovative facilities, and research opportunities. “Your giving has allowed LAU to really build a house of wisdom — a city of hope for our youth, for your sons and daughters, and for your grandsons and granddaughters,” he affirmed.

LAU’s New York Gala Dinners began in 2010 to help promote the university’s mission among its constituency in North America, while further establishing its presence in New York among the Lebanese diaspora and Middle Eastern community. Over the years, the event has grown considerably and has successfully promoted the university’s achievements, while honoring many deserving individuals for their contributions to society. The proceeds of the

“I slept and I dreamed that life is all joy. I woke and I saw that life is all service. I served and I saw that service is joy.”

Gibran Khalil Gibran.

Suad Juffali is another contributor to the Gala Dinner Endowment Scholarship fund. An alumna of LAU when it was the Beirut College for Women, Juffali founded Saudi Arabia’s first Women’s Welfare Society and the Al-Faisaliyah Women’s Society, both of which deal with the education and health of women and children. She also established the Help Center, a special educational institution in Jeddah for children with special needs. In 1985, Jufalli established the Ahmad & Suad Juffali Endowment Scholarship Fund, which is still active today. “I would like my grandchildren

GALA DINNER 2016 STOP PRESS to be raised in an Arab country, but with an international education. That is, for me, the number one reason why I continue promoting LAU,” she says.

Fouad Makhzoumi, founder and chairman of Future Group and Future Pipe Industries Group and founder and honorary president of the Makhzoumi Foundation, is a generous friend of LAU. He too gives to the Gala Dinner Endowment Fund. Makhzoumi and his wife, May, have been moved by the loss of their son Rami to redouble their support for the youth of today, especially in the realm of education. Moreover, May Makhzoumi — who is a member of LAU’s Board of International Advisers — has deep family connections to LAU, as her grandmother graduated from the then-American Junior College for Women.

Apart from his contribution to the Gala Dinner Endowment Scholarship Fund, friend and supporter of LAU Kheireddine el Jisr established an Annual Scholarship Grant in his name to support needy and deserving students. El Jisr is now the vice president of special clients relations at Saudi Oger, as well as being the chairman of Askdeco, an interior architecture company that offers design services for houses, villas, restaurants, offices and yachts. He has supported the university for several years and has made significant contributions towards the Gala Dinner Endowed Scholarship Fund since its launch in 2012.

Another alumna who contributes to the Gala Dinner Endowment Scholarship Fund, Rima Hourani, has turned her attention to the Alice Ramez Chagoury School of

Fouad Makhzoumi’s pledge of $3 million to establish the Fouad Makhzoumi Center for Innovation at LAU was announced during this year’s Gala Dinner. The center, set to launch in spring 2017, will focus on educational and training activities including regular international conferences, scholarly workshops, lecture series, and international research to foster creativity and innovation.

Makhzoumi’s pledge is the first such donation after the closing of the Fulfilling the Promise campaign.

Nursing where she has established the Rima Hourani Nursing Research Grant. The gift will support faculty members conducting research relevant to contemporary health care needs in Lebanon. Hourani, a ’70 graduate of the Beirut College for Women (which later evolved into LAU) and her husband Amal have been continuous benefactors to LAU since 1993. Of Palestinian origin, one of her most recent initiatives was to provide a scholarship grant in her name to support Palestinian pharmacy and nursing students from Lebanon’s refugee camps and matriculating nursing students from her husband’s hometown of Marjeyoun.

“I believe strongly in education and that is why we are committed to LAU,” says Rima Hourani.

THE MANY MANIFESTATIONS of giving Partners may stay within the boundaries of the university or venture out beyond them

Philipps Universität Marburg LAU’s Department of Economics in the Adnan Kassar School of Business offers an M.Sc. in Economics of the Middle East, a joint degree with Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany.

This unique graduate program is designed for students who want to acquire a solid foundation in economic analysis with specific knowledge about the MENA region. The M.Sc. EMEA combines an academic focus with hands-on regional experience: while lectures take place at LAU and Marburg, the master’s thesis may be written during a sixmonth stay in the MENA region. In these times of regional transformation, the program offers students the opportunity to study the fundamental economic and political structure in the Arab world.

Maintenance for Computer Equipment

The Umayyad Route

Computer Business Machines (CBM), founded in 1989, is an information technology solution provider based on high quality platform equipment and international software products along with an advanced level of services and support. As IBM’s business partner for Lebanon, Iraq and Ethiopia, the company has a mission to ensure their client’s business continues and grows. It is with this high standard of service that CBM and its owner Pierre Abou Jaoude offer LAU an in-kind gift of maintaining the university’s computer equipment and providing other free services, including parts and manpower expertise.

The Public Andalusian Foundation made it possible for thirteen organizations from seven countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea to come together in 2012 to develop a touristic and cultural itinerary that highlights the countries’ shared Umayyad history. This year LAU’s Urban Planning Institute hosted the representatives of all the project partners and Lebanese tour operators for a presentation of the itineraries produced during the past three years of collaborative work.

The primary goal of the project is to improve Mediterranean territorial cohesion by implementing an integrated strategy that enhances the dynasty’s cultural heritage. “LAU’s new strategic plan highlights a decision to reposition itself as an entrepreneurial university,” says Wassim Shahin, assistant provost for Special External Projects.

Events and Activities of LAU’s Alumni Relations Office

International Conference on Medical Education

The Bank of Beirut has been a constant companion of LAU’s Alumni Relations Office, a staunch and enthusiastic supporter of its activities and events. The Bank of Beirut has been present at most alumni gala dinners, whether in Lebanon or abroad, encouraging donations to the help the university provide the best possible environment for the advancement of its students. Apart from its collaborations with LAU’s alumni, the bank is also a contributor to the Gala Dinner Endowed Scholarship Fund and has supported university events such as the International Conference on Medical Education.

In 2014, LAU held its first International Conference on Medical Education, which was supported by a stunning 12 sponsors. Al Mabani General Contractors, one of the top six sponsors of the conference, is driven by an inner passion to do what is right for the community that it is part of. The company’s chairman, Nehmé Tohmé, firmly believes that the company’s culture and core values contribute to its record of success. One such value is the belief in education.

The company, which was founded in 1972, also contributes directly to the Gala Dinner Endowed Scholarship Fund.

Consultancy Services for LAUMC-RH

Faculty Research

Murer Consultants, Inc., is a U.S. national legal-based health care management and consulting firm located outside of Chicago, Illinois.

Lead by Cherilyn Murer, the company took on a distinct role as a consultant in the restructuring and enhancement of LAUMC-RH. It reviewed the hospital’s current utilization and operations and provided strategic recommendations. Murer Consultants analyzed 12 months of hospital data, which included over 19,000 patient encounters. Overall, it identified several areas of opportunity including reorganizing units to maximize efficiency, focusing on extended length stays for some diagnoses, and further developed specialties, including oncology, orthopedics and cardiology. Cherilyn serves as a member of the LAU’s Board of Trustees.

Grace Abou-Jaoude Estephan, assistant professor in LAU’s Department of Civil Engineering conducted research resulting in the first comprehensive mapping of co-seismic landslide hazards in Lebanon. Abou-Jaoude relied on topography, geology and the concept of maximum seismic acceleration to develop maps delineating the areas prone to sliding during a major earthquake event on a national scale.

She made the maps thanks to a grant that she received in 2012 under the umbrella of the Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) Program, developed jointly by the National Science Foundation and USAID. In August 2015, Abou-Jaoude and her team were granted a new PEER award to take the research to the risk assessment level.

Shatila Clinic More than 8,500 residents live in acute privation within the one square-kilometer bounds of the Palestinian refugee camp of Shatila, one of Beirut’s most impoverished communities. In 2012, a group of LAU medical, nursing and Pharm.D. students began visits to the camp’s Volunteer Outreach Clinic (VOC), as an integral part of the university’s social medicine program. The clinic used to offer primary care services to camp residents twice weekly but unfortunately closed down two years ago due to security reasons. At the time, this was made possible due an in-kind donation from Medical Bridges, whose mission is to close healthcare gaps worldwide by procuring and distributing medical equipment and supplies to underserved communities.

Sponsorship for the Beirut Marathon Over the years more than 1,200 LAU students, alumni, faculty and staff have donned their LAU T-shirts, setting the record for the highest university participation in Lebanon, whether through running or by joining the event’s many volunteers. Sponsored by the Anthony R. Abraham Foundation and LAU, each year the university’s delegation runs for a different charity.

In 2016, the designated beneficiary was the blooddonation NGO Donner Sang Compter. Abraham, the founder of the organization and a member of LAU’s Board of Trustees, spoke emotionally about the unifying power of the marathon. “It is great to be involved in events that reveal the heart and soul of the people who really care about this country,” he said.

Frem Center for Civic Responsibility and Leadership Construction Fund Interstate Resources Incorporation is committed to supporting education, social causes, developing programs and helping LAU finance the construction of the Frem Civic Center, a state-of-the-art, 5,240-square-meter academic hub on the Byblos campus. Envisioned as a center for civic responsibility and leadership, the building is used to host workshops, seminars and lectures on transparency and ethical and sound governance practices, with the aim of strengthening Lebanon’s democratic institutions. “The university has intellectual capital that together we will strive to develop and advance as a force for good in the world,” says chairman of the board, Antoine Frem. The company also supports the Antoine Frem President’s Fund and the President’s Scholarship Endowment.

Scalable Multimedia Multicasting Mobile Solutions An agreement was signed between Qatar University and LAU to conduct research entitled “Optimized Energy Efficient Video s•treaming Strategies for Wireless Networks with Cooperation among Mobile Devices.” Sanaa Sharafeddine, LAU associate professor of computer science and director of the university’s School of Arts and Sciences Software Institute carried out the research. Sharafeddine received her doctoral degree in Communications Engineering from Munich University of Technology. Her Ph.D. research work resulted in two granted patents. Her research interests currently include lightweight solutions for mobile devices, wireless networking, network security, cooperative communications, mobile computing, and multimedia services. The research was completed in November 2013.

ENHANCING STUDENT EXPERIENCE

Through scholarships, industry leaders have given the bright and the talented a chance to shine Alongside playing a leading role in one of Nigeria’s largest construction companies, prominent Lebanese businessman Said Fayez Khalaf — who comes from the southern Lebanese town of Khiam — spends much time and resources toward philanthropic efforts. Chief executive of Setraco-Nigeria Limited, Khalaf has supported several scholarships: the Said Khalaf Designated Grant, the Said Khalaf Engineering Scholarship Grant, and the Said Khalaf President’s Fund.

He is encouraging a new generation of Lebanese engineers by offering financial support accompanied by offers for future employment. Thanks to Khalaf’s support, two lucky engineering students have their tuition fees at LAU covered for a four-year period and, upon graduation, are offered jobs in one of Khalaf’s companies.

Khalaf’s devotion to LAU illustrates his longstanding commitment to education and growth. “I hope,” says the dynamic businessman, “that the donation will have a positive effect on producing a group of free thinking young Lebanese professionals and entrepreneurs of the future.”

He is not alone in his efforts. “Life is about giving and taking,” says Abdallah Yabroudi, chairman of the internationally known Dubai Contracting Company (DCC) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Talented and needy students wanting to study civil engineering at LAU may benefit from incentives made available by the Abdallah Yabroudi Designated Scholarship Grant. Students who receive the scholarship do not have to worry about their fees throughout their degree. As a

benefactor, Yabroudi understands the need to educate the region’s youth and continues to offer opportunities to students. In fact, he established the Abdallah Yabroudi Civil Engineering Award for just this purpose.

But that is not all: his solid belief in giving back has led to the launch of the School of Engineering’s recent “mini campaign” to raise $250,000 toward helping currently enrolled students in crucial financial need. “I believe that giving to an institution like LAU will have a great impact on society that will resonate for generations to come,” Yabroudi explains.

“Our goal was to add value. Along the way we shaped the industry,” says Pierre Choueiri, CEO and chairman of Choueiri Group, a leading media representation company.

Choueiri’s philosophy and approach is a result of a continuous desire to explore ways to add strategic and creative value in each and every endeavor he embarks on.

As the group succeeded in its mission, it created sustained and strategic partnerships, which have enabled it to continuously strive to achieve greater heights. The group’s constant growth is gratifying but for Choueiri its core values remain unchanged. He believes that success comes through perpetual innovation, a deep understanding of the market and a distinct sense of entrepreneurship. For this it is necessary to give the innovators of the future a chance at a good education. To this end he established the Pierre Choueiri Annual Scholarship Grant and Pierre & Maya Choueiri Endowment Scholarship Grant.

Over the years, LAU’s development team has produced incredible results, helping ensure that the university’s fundraising campaigns raise millions for its infrastructure and education programs. In close cooperation with LAU’s schools and institutes, the development team continues to produce one success after another.

MEET THE TEAM As the Assistant Vice President for Development in the Middle East and Europe, Nassib Nasr has led LAU’s Campaign for Excellence Fulfilling the Promise from Beirut.

Nasr, who joined the team in 2011, spends the majority of his time with the university’s president to facilitate meetings with donors and prospective donors in the region and Europe, relying on his regional experience and vast social and professional network.

Both Directors of Development Nicole Barghoud and Lana Abou Teen joined the Development Office in 2007 and are themselves LAU alumnae. Associate Directors of Development Ghandi Fala and Suha Abou Rialy joined the team in 2013 and 2016, respectively. The four development directors are assigned to specific schools and regularly meet with their deans to clarify school needs, and conduct frequent cultivation visits and face-to-face meetings with donors and potential donors. They also continually look for new opportunities for advancement and development of LAU by researching new prospects among individuals and groups that could be interested in the university’s mission.

Development Communications Manager Naseem Ferdowsi joined the team in 2015. She is responsible for handling the communications of the office, ranging from covering development-related news and events to managing the departmental publications from content creation to design and development. She also shapes the stewardship messages going to donors and communications aimed at probable donors.

The Development Office would not function without Lead Executive Assistant Grace Aoun-Noujaim, who is often referred to as the cement that holds the bricks together. She joined the team in 2011 and plays various roles that support the development directors’ initiatives and programs. Aoun-Noujaim is also the Management ISO Representative of the office, which is the only ISO 9001:2008 certified office at LAU.

As an American university abroad, LAU also relies on its New York-based development team to spread the word about the institution in the North American context. The New York staff is responsible for addressing the university’s message to a wide audience and helping build links with LAU’s alumni, donors, organizations and government agencies.

The Assistant Vice President for Development in the U.S. is Robert Hollback, who joined LAU in late 2007. Hollback has spent years working with institutions of higher education, spending time in both Europe and the Middle East. With his team, he has enhanced LAU’s existing links to North American donors while making the effort to develop and contact a new list of notable potential friends to the university.

Ed Shiner, who joined LAU in 2006, is an integral part of the New York Annual Gala Dinner, the first of which was held in April 2010. With his experience in holding events and working the crowd, Shiner — who organizes alumni gatherings and handles special events in North America — is indispensable to the effort to identify new and existing donors for new initiatives.

Thanks to President Joseph G. Jabbra, VP University Advancement Marla Rice-Evans, AVP Development MENA and Europe Nassib Nasr & the Development Office team, Executive Director Advancement Services Amal Abdel Massih & the Advancement Services team Managing Editor Leena F. Saidi Associate Editor Beirut Linda Dahdah Associate Editor New York Paige Kollock Copy Editor Irina du Quenoy Writers Naseem Ferdowsi, Zalfa Halabi, Reem Maghribi Contributors Sevine Fakhoury, Palig Haroutiunian Editorial Assistant Hoda Hilal Production Manager Sana Kouatly Graphic Designer Kubik Graphic Design Studio Photographers Karem Mounzer, Yehyia Malla, Pro Studio

Lebanese American University 2016

And the journey continues...