Sally Abou Melhem, Office of Communications, communications@aub.edu.lb
This fall, the American University of Beirut welcomed 38 new faculty members and 8 chairs in a series of networking and orientation events where they had the chance to introduce themselves and their backgrounds, as well as be introduced to the university's programs and administration. They were invited to participate in a day trip to Baskinta, and to attend informative orientation sessions on September 2, 2022 to facilitate a quick and smooth integration into their new roles.
The new faculty members (15 males, 23 females) joined seven AUB faculties. Of these, 15 joined the Faculty of Medicine (FM), 10 joined the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), five joined the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture (MSFEA), four joined the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business (OSB), two joined the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences (FAFS), one joined the Rafic Hariri School of Nursing (HSON), and one joined the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS).
Incoming faculty hold degrees from reputable universities around the world such as the University of Alabama, University College Dublin, University of Southern California, University of Chicago, Harvard Medical School, Duquesne University, Concordia University, York University, New Sorbonne University Paris 3, Munich University of Technology, Université Claude-Bernard Lyon 1, Paris-Diderot University, Technische Universität Wien, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Grenoble Alpes University, ENSAIA Université de Lorraine France, and University of New South Wales.
The chairs (5 males and 3 females) were appointed starting September 2022. Three were appointed at FAS, one at FM, one at HSON, one at MSFEA, and one chair at each of FAFS and OSB.
The new faculty orientation ceremony
The new faculty orientation ceremony took place during the day trip to Baskinta on August 27, where each of the university's deans introduced the new scholars joining their faculty.
American University of Beirut President Fadlo Khuri who welcomed the new faculty members, highlighted how the crisis rendered the American University of Beirut “antifragile," stating that the university “is now beyond resilient."
University Provost Zaher Dawy spoke about the major academic achievements as well as some key facts and figures related to the American University of Beirut. He said that the university “has achieved a record number of grant applications last year, and with such a stellar group of faculty joining this year, we can achieve new heights."
Associate Provost Fida Afiouni, who acts as the new faculty facilitator stated that “this event allowed new faculty to meet each other, and to network with their deans, president, and provost in a relaxed and informal environment. The program was diversified and rich and created a strong bond between participants."