Building on their years of partnership and collaboration, and in line with a longstanding commitment to academic excellence, LAU signed an agreement with Makassed Philanthropic Islamic Association of Beirut on July 24, 2025, to expand educational collaboration and provide joint support for students, especially Makassed alumni.

Longtime LAU supporter and Makassed Trustee Mona Bawarshi described the new partnership as “a dream come true.”

The two institutions will cooperate across four pillars to ensure excellence and cultural diversity in academic programs. LAU will offer university tuition discounts to newly enrolled deserving and academically excelling Makassed students, as well as to Makassed teachers and staff pursuing two designated programs at LAU.

LAU and Makassed will also engage students through joint outreach, capstone projects, career fairs, readiness programs, and cultural and extracurricular activities at LAU to help ease their transition to university. 

In turn, LAU Education and Psychology students will be hosted at Makassed schools as practicum placements, internship sites, or venues for capstone and action research projects.

To promote inclusive teaching, leadership, and evidence-based instructional practices, LAU will offer professional development workshops for Makassed instructors, and the two institutions will collaborate on research initiatives and innovative teaching strategies.

Finally, training sessions and programs will be made available to Makassed teachers through the LAU School of Arts and Sciences and the LAU Academy for Continuing Education.

The signing ceremony, which took place on the Beirut campus, brought together LAU President Chaouki T. Abdallah, Makassed President Faisal Sinno, LAU Trustee May Makhzoumi—who serves on the boards of both institutions—along with Makassed board members, LAU academic leaders and staff.

Welcoming attendees, Dr. Abdallah spoke about the two institutions’ legacy of shared values, evidenced in graduating generations of youth and building for a better future. He thanked Makassed for joining forces with LAU to bring this agreement to fruition and affirmed that it “constitutes a blueprint to expand the partnership further.”

Dr. Sinno stressed his association’s commitment to its alumni and their welfare as they graduate and pursue higher education. “It is important for us to make sure our graduates go on to receive the best possible education at prestigious universities such as LAU, regardless of their financial means,” he said, adding that it is paramount to work together with the university to ensure they receive special attention.

LAU will also designate all gifts received from friends of Makassed toward financial aid to be channeled toward the association’s alumni, encouraging the donors to reflect this designation. Further to this, the university will establish the Makassed Friends Fund to encourage trustees, alumni and its wider community to contribute to this fund.

“The agreement,” said Makassed Trustee Dalia Salam Richani, “opens new horizons for both institutions.”