Lebanese American University (Lebanon)

The Lebanese American University started as the American School for Girls (ASG), established in Beirut in 1835 by American Presbyterian missionaries. The institution has evolved to become a college and became a university in October 1992. In 1994, the Board of Regents in New York approved the university’s request to change into the Lebanese American University (LAU). LAU is a not-for-profit, private American institution governed by a Board of Trustees that derives its authority from the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York. LAU has five schools of Arts and Sciences, Business, Engineering and Architecture, Medicine and Pharmacy. Lebanese American University is committed to academic excellence, student-centeredness, the advancement of scholarship, the education of the whole person, and the formation of students as future leaders in a diverse world. Lebanese American University’s website>>

Institute for Peace and Justice Education

The mission of the Institute for Peace and Justice Education is to promote the creation of a peaceful, just, democratic, and humane society in harmony with nature. The institute promotes the values of global citizenship within the University and the community. Through creating and sustaining a climate of tolerance and a sense of civic duty and social responsibility among students and faculty, raising awareness of poverty, inequalities in social, economic, and educational opportunity, lack of cultural, social, economic and political freedoms- raising awareness of the importance of sustainable development. The Institute offers a Summer School program on Conflict Prevention and Transformation. The Institute also plans to add service learning components to some of its classes. Learn more>>

Outreach and Civic Engagement

LAU has created a new unit called Outreach and Civic Engagement. Students at LAU are encouraged to grow personally and reach out to their community through various outreach and volunteer activities. Some student clubs, such as Red Cross, human rights, social work, and the School of Pharmacy’s NAPHASS, organize awareness campaigns and other activities in and outside LAU. The AL WALID Model UN Club members train high-schoolers in the rules and procedures needed to participate in simulated UN committee meetings and conferences. The Volunteer Outreach Clinic is an example of a unique project benefiting both pharmacy students and refugee camp residents in Beirut. Also, personal volunteering initiatives, such as fundraising for good causes, are frequently developed by LAU students. Learn more>>

Volunteer Outreach Clinic

The VOC is an assembly of medical doctors and LAU pharmacy students and faculty who provide free diagnosis, medications and counseling to the underprivileged population of the Sabra and Chatila refugee camps. Since 2001, every Saturday between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m, the volunteers take time away from their families and personal activities to serve the noble cause of "it is better to give than to receive." Learn more>>