Housed in the Department of Liberal Studies at the School of Arts and Sciences (SoAS), the Honors Program at LAU is designed to cultivate exceptional students who exhibit academic excellence along with leadership across disciplines, intellectual curiosity, and societal engagement. Through research, innovation, and impact-driven projects, the program prepares students to become future change-makers equipped to lead beyond the classroom and contribute meaningfully to their communities.

Every year, the university celebrates graduating Honors students with Honors Day, a ceremony that recognizes their academic excellence and the culmination of their capstone and interdisciplinary project work.

This year, 146 graduating members of the Honors Program arrived at the Byblos campus on April 30, 2026, where they were welcomed by the proud faces of the program’s coordinators, Associate Professor of Nutrition Lama Mattar and Associate Professor of Psychology Myriam El Khoury-Malhame, who led the proceedings.

As the attendees filed into the Selina Korban Auditorium, they were accompanied by fellow students who came to cheer them on. Dr. Mattar opened the ceremony with a speech in which she thanked her predecessors, Ms. Ghada Naous and Dr. Reine Azzi, declaring that she and Dr. El Khoury-Malhame were “truly proud to carry the torch” they had so diligently kept lit.

She also expressed her deepest gratitude to Department of Liberal Studies Chairperson Rony Khnayzer and the school as a whole “for not only hosting the Honors community but nurturing it and allowing it to grow into a vibrant ecosystem at LAU.” Finally, she acknowledged distinguished colleagues who guided and modeled the Honors mission and praised the university for having the vision to create the Honors Program, the first of its kind in Lebanon and one of only a handful in the entire region.

In the wake of the ensuing applause, SoAS Dean Haidar Harmanani took to the stage to thank the coordinators for their hard work. He highlighted the program’s “transformative role” in both students’ lives as well as the broader community, citing it as a powerful embodiment of the “ambition that defines LAU at its best.”

He then turned the floor over to Provost George E. Nasr, who commended the undergraduates for taking on a program that challenged them “to stay resilient, to question more and to engage with complexity.” Dr. Nasr left the students with an inspiring statement that matched the high expectations placed upon them: “Do not aim simply to succeed; aim to add value wherever your path takes you.”

Dr. El Khoury-Malhame wrapped up the speeches by highlighting how the program helps equip Honors students with empathy and purpose, bringing them together to champion sustainable problem-solving. “This will be a moment to remember,” she added. “Today, you are standing on a professional launchpad; you are recognized, you are connected, and you are future-ready.”

One by one, the students were invited on stage to claim their certificates as applause filled the auditorium with each name announced. Every graduate enjoyed a moment in the spotlight, holding aloft a mark of distinction that rewards their accomplishments and signals their belonging to an elite community.

The celebration concluded outdoors with a cake-cutting ceremony, where the Honors Class of 2026 was showered with congratulations. For these students, Honors Day marked more than the completion of an academic journey. It celebrated years of rigorous interdisciplinary work, research, and collaboration, experiences that prepared them to become thoughtful leaders and change-makers in a region that urgently needs innovation, integrity, and action.