In line with the university’s strategic plans to deliver holistic education and healthcare beyond borders, LAU has embarked on a plan to set up a new campus in Baghdad, Iraq, while it remains firmly anchored in Lebanon.

A memorandum of understanding was signed in a ceremony between LAU President Michel E. Mawad, Chairman of Al Oufoq Development Nabil Sawabini, and Chairman of Kasr Al Waha for Developments Chafic Tabet. Attendees at the ceremony included delegations of senior executives and administrators from the university and the two companies, as well as Mr. Carl Boustany, president of SABIS schools.

Providing context for this initiative, Dr. Mawad explained that based on the recommendation of the Board of Trustees, and in light of the multifaceted crises in the country, “the university is exploring options outside the confines of Lebanon in order to strengthen its financial sustainability, especially in different parts of the MENA region,” while it soldiers on with its commitment to retaining high-caliber faculty and staff, as well as supporting its students through financial aid and scholarships. 

To that end, Vice President for Business Development and Global Affairs Elie Badr, who has been at the helm of the discussions leading to the signing of this preliminary agreement, clarified that this will provide LAU with land close to the city’s center to set up educational facilities, with an additional lot for medical facilities, free of charge.

The university will be able to launch this project within the next three years, over three phases. In the first exploratory phase, a team from LAU would conduct a full-fledged market study to determine the needs and viability of certain academic programs. Based on the results of phase one, the development of academic facilities would be launched, followed by the establishment of a medical campus that includes a hospital in the third phase.

Both Tabet and Sawabini expressed their hopes for a fruitful collaboration with LAU. “I am delighted with the diligent and gracious process so far, and feel that we share the same vision,” said Tabet. 

For the development phase, the university will explore a range of options that include international and regional investment and development agencies or institutions.

Similar strategic initiatives have allowed LAU and its mission to transcend Lebanon’s borders, such as the establishment of the New York Headquarters and Academic Center in the heart of Manhattan in 2013, and the pivot to online learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.