Bambi would like to thank her friend Amale for sharing this troubling piece of news.
The American University of Beirut (AUB) is one of the most distinguished universities in the Middle East and in the world.
Degrees awarded at the AUB are officially registered with the New York Board of Regents. The university’s operating budget is about US$423 million, with an endowment of approximately US$605 million. The beautiful AUB campus is composed of 64 buildings, including the American University of Beirut Medical Center with its 420 beds, three museums, four libraries, and 7 dormitories.
Sadly, the AUB announced that it is expecting to lose millions in revenue.
To use its President (Dr. Fadlo Khuri)’s own words: “This is the result of a confluence of calamities, starting with the collapse of the Lebanese economy, now compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic and associated global recession, which may yet develop into the first global depression since the 1930s”.
As you can read in the message below (PDF attached), some possible avenues to save the AUB could include the following steps: “closure of an as-yet undetermined number of programs and departments, the departure of a number of our community members, furloughs, a halt to capital expenditures, a near complete cancellation of university sponsored travels, leaves and conferences for the foreseeable future, and a review of the current benefits system”.
As Dr. Fadlo stated: “Make no question and have no doubts, everyone will be affected—from our senior leadership which will take significant pay reductions, to faculty members who have seen their buying power reduced, to students and their families who are struggling more than ever to pay tuition fees, to our staff who comprise our most financially challenged group. All will contribute in significant measure. All of us at AUB are fully dedicated to the future of the institution. There is no time for division or scoring of points while the university’s survival is at stake”.
It is so sad to see Lebanon’s economy falling apart… Today, a monument, or rather a beacon of light, like the AUB, is facing financial adversity.
The AUB’s motto is “That they may have life and have it abundantly”. Yes, life could… and MUST go on!
Keeping this moto in mind, Bambi agrees with Dr. Fadlo who said: “It is my deep conviction that Lebanon and the region have no hope whatsoever if AUB cannot fulfill its mission. Saving AUB must be our only priority. And save it we will.”
Yes, please save the AUB!! Along with it, please save Lebanon!
May Lebanon know how to save itself…
Below you can read the message of Dr. Fadlo R. Khuri, MD, President of the AUB
https://www.aub.edu.lb/President/Documents/Messages/fiscal-20-21.pdf
