| Lebanese American University | |
| Native Name: | Arabic: الجامعة اللبنانية الأميركية |
| Former Names: | American Junior College for Women Beirut College for Women Beirut University College (BUC) in 1973 |
| Established: | (post-secondary junior college)[1] |
| Type: | Private |
| Endowment: | $533.7 million (2020)[2] |
| President: | Michel Mawad |
| Provost: | George Nasr |
| Administrative Staff: | 318 full-time and 526 part-time faculty; 637 full-time and 188 part-time Staff (Fall 2017)[3] |
| City: | Beirut and Byblos |
| Country: | Lebanon[4] |
| Students: | 8,528 (7,558 Undergraduate, 737 Graduate, 233 Doctoral-Professional) (Fall 2017) |
| Motto: | To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield |
| Language: | English |
| Colours: | GreenWhite |
The Lebanese American University (LAU; Arabic: الجامعة اللبنانية الأميركية) is a secular private American university in Beirut and Byblos, Lebanon. It is chartered by the board of regents of the University of the State of New York and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).[5] It has two campuses and offers 37 minors, 33 bachelor's degrees, and 24 master's degrees, in addition to Pharm.D. and M.D. degrees.[6]
LAU has two main campuses, one in the capital Beirut and another in the city of Byblos, north of Beirut. LAU also has a small campus located in New York, NY.[7]
The Byblos campus, inaugurated in 1991, hosts the nursing, medicine, engineering and pharmacy programs, while most of the other programs are offered in both campuses.
LAU's Beirut and Byblos campuses are respectively and in area. In both campuses, students have access to libraries, gymnasiums, residence halls, theaters, wireless internet, computer centers, laboratories, and academic support services.
On June 30, 2009, LAU acquired the LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital (LAUMC-RH).[8] LAUMC-RH offers medical services such as radiology and imaging, dialysis, endoscopy, dermatology, ophthalmology, IVF, and cardiology.[9] In 2013, LAU moved its New York City headquarters to mid-town Manhattan[10] and opened a new Executive Center in downtown Beirut.[11]
In April 2017, the LAU broke ground in its Byblos Campus on a new US$7 Million sports center, the "Antoun Nabil Sehnaoui - SGBL Athletics Center", donated by Lebanese banker and philanthropist Antoun Sehnaoui. The new center will feature an 8500m2 athletics center, a swimming pool, a multipurpose indoor court, outdoor football, basketball and tennis fields, as well as a gym and several other related amenities.[12]
The Lebanese American University is chartered by the board of regents of the University of the State of New York. It is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). Its business majors (as well its economics major) are some of the few accredited by the elite Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.[13]
Some of its programs are also accredited:
| Accrediting Entity | Programs | |
|---|---|---|
| ACPE | PharmD | |
| ABET | BE in civil, computer, electrical, industrial and mechanical engineering BS in computer science | |
| CCNE | BS in nursing | |
| AACSB | BS in business studies, economics, hospitality and tourism management Master of Business Administration (MBA) Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA). | |
| ACPHA | BS in hospitality and tourism management |
LAU has seven schools divided into several departments.[14]
In 2022 Times Higher Education ranked the university 37th in the Arab world.[18]
In 2023, QS University Rankings places LAU on the 22nd place in the Arab Region and 251-300 for graduate employability.[20]
As of the 2024 QS World University Rankings, LAU ranks 661-670 worldwide.
The university has three theaters: the Gulbenkian Theater and the Irwin in Beirut, and Selina Korban in Byblos. Student productions are required of certain majors, and are presented throughout the academic year. The university also offers two major productions, in the fall and spring, and an annual international theater festival that attracts groups from other Middle Eastern universities.[21]
Basketball, football, handball, volleyball, tennis, table tennis, swimming, and rugby teams participate in various local, regional and international collegiate tournaments.[22]
Students can participate in the decision-making process by voting and running in elections for the Campus Student Councils and the University Student Council, as well as the Graduate Student Committees.[23]
LAU has one library in Beirut (Riyad Nassar Library) and two in Byblos (Joseph G. Jabbra Library and Health Sciences library). The New York Headquarters and Academic Center also has its own library.
The Riyad Nassar Library in Beirut has more than 480 000 print books and 11 000 e-Books. It also hosts special collections related to women's studies, education, Islamic art, and architecture, as well as children's books.[24]
The Joseph G. Jabbra Library in Byblos, inaugurated in November 2018, is home to thousands of books and records and houses several study rooms and state of the art library equipment.
In 1973, LAU established The Arab Institute for Women (AiW), previously known as the Institute for Women's Studies in the Arab World (IWSAW), with a mission to promote women's empowerment and gender equality in – and for – the Arab world.[25] The institute works on five key areas: Education, Research, Development Projects, Outreach, and LAU Engagement.
LAU has over 40,000 alumni and 42 chapters around the world, including Athens (Greece), Beirut, Byblos, Detroit (USA), Dubai (UAE), London (UK), Montreal (Canada).[26]
List of American universities and colleges outside the United States