Setting a pattern for students with academic goals, graduates from the Adnan Kassar School of Business (AKSOB) are proof of LAU’s commitment to becoming a leading institution in research innovation.

Two alumni, Giorgio Maaraoui (BS ‘18, MA ‘20) and James Raad (BS ‘16, MBA ‘18) have earned full scholarships to pursue their PhDs in renowned universities. While Raad has now begun his second year in hospitality and tourism management at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, US, Maaraoui is thrilled to embark on his academic journey with a second master’s degree followed by a PhD in economics at the University of Manchester, England.

In line with the university’s commitment to academic excellence and advancement of scholarship, AKSOB’s talented graduates are further establishing LAU as a research-active institution of higher learning in the region.

“AKSOB is one of the very few AACSB-accredited schools in the MENA region and among the 5 percent accredited business schools in the world,” said Dr. Wassim Shahin, dean of AKSOB, who underlined that several of its programs are also seeking program accreditation.

“Our students are involved in research in several of our graduate programs in business, applied economics, human resource management and legal studies,” he added.

Dr. Salpie Djoundourian, associate dean and associate professor of economics at AKSOB, highlighted the school’s rigorous programs that prepare the students for further studies with relative ease.

“In fact, some of the research that students in the MA Applied Economics program are producing is of excellent quality and definitely of publishable caliber,” she added. “An outcome that goes to vouch for the faculty’s commitment to adopt and mentor the students who have the potential to pursue a PhD.”

For both students, it is LAU’s research-oriented approach that gave them the added advantage of being accepted in reputable universities.

“LAU has made me very ambitious,” said Maaraoui, as “many faculty members have given me so much confidence and instilled in me the belief that I can study anywhere if I put my mind to it.”

His long-term goal is to teach at college level. “I like to connect with scholars and help them grasp the material from a student’s perspective,” said Maaraoui, who cherishes his alma mater for the opportunities it offered him throughout his studies and long after his graduation.

For Raad, LAU’s combination of a strong academic background and the high caliber of its faculty were the perfect set to help him get where he is today.

“In addition to the significant knowledge and skills acquired from my years at AKSOB, I was met with outstanding professionalism and care from faculty members,” he said. “This has given me a competitive advantage and made me feel at ease with my current academic work.”

His advice to all students is to study hard and dream big. “Remember that your goals are never impossible to achieve, when you are an LAU student or alumnus,” he said.

This comes on the heels of milestones reached by three distinguished AKSOB MBA graduates who were also offered full scholarships to pursue their PhD studies in renowned universities abroad.

 

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