BIG PLANS
TBY talks to Joseph G. Jabbra, President of the Lebanese American University (LAU), on embracing technology at the university, the challenges of Lebanon's brain drain, and the importance of having international links with other institutions.
BIOGRAPHY
Joseph G. Jabbra assumed the presidency of LAU in 2004. Prior to that, he served as Academic Vice President at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Los Angeles from 1990 to 2004. He had earlier served as Vice President, Academic and Research, at St. Mary’s University (SMU) in Halifax, Nova Scotia, from 1980 to 1990. Dr. Jabbra earned his law degree at the Université Saint-Joseph in Beirut, and a Ph.D. in political science from the Catholic University of America. He is the author, co-author, and co-editor of a combined 12 books.What are some of the new projects being carried out at both of your campuses?
Providing our students with an environment that stimulates ideas and innovation is important to us, and in line with our current strategic plan. As a result, we are completing a major facility for engineering labs and have started construction on a new library at our Byblos campus with a USD25 million investment. We recently acquired the surrounding land to our Byblos campus with an investment of USD50 million, raising the total size to 300,000sqm. At our Beirut campus, we plan to refurbish our Gezairi Building to house the headquarters of the School of Architecture and Design and also plan to build a new facility for our School of Arts and Sciences.
How is LAU applying technology and innovation to its programs?
Embracing technology to improve education and innovation are our core values. In this spirit, LAU was the first university in Lebanon to be wireless, and we have made all our classrooms smart. Now, our staff and students can access the internet at any time, using any Wi-Fi enabled device. We understand that it is no longer possible to have a proper education without technology; therefore, we try to keep up to date in every possible way. Plus, we provide training to our faculty and staff to make sure they know how to use the technology.
Lebanon is facing a brain drain problem. How is this affecting the country?
Moving abroad has been part of the Lebanese psyche for a long time. Many of our graduates have left the country and succeeded abroad in a varied number of areas. That said, it is important for our leaders to create more and better jobs for our graduates so that they can continue to contribute to the transformation of the nation. Lebanese people abroad have created an idea of a nation that somehow does not really exist, and yet that keeps them connected to their motherland. We need to build a better society so Lebanese people here or elsewhere identify with it. Between USD7-8 billion enters Lebanon every year in the form of remittances from places as varied as the US, Canada, the Gulf, and Latin America. Lebanese expatriates represent the country in their respective destinations and that alone is a great contribution.
Can you talk about your international links and exchange programs?
International links are one of our most important assets. As an American university with a New York charter and headquarters there, we are truly international, with faculty, staff, and students from all over the world. We understand the value and importance of international connections. As such, we link our institution in order to provide opportunities for our faculty and our students to go abroad. The idea is simple: we have no other choice but to establish linkages with other institutions to give our students the opportunity to have a foreign experience, or we will relinquish and our students will carry the burden.
What are your plans for 2016?
Our goal for the year is to ensure our plans are executed in order to maintain our excellence and continue to be the leading university in Lebanon. We have a capital pool of USD333 million that we need to allocate in the following five years. We have a committee composed of five panels looking at a new strategic plan. The first panel assessed our intellectual capital and how we can use it to continue to improve the university. The second panel was about pedagogy and how teaching has changed dramatically and how we can embrace these changes. The third panel was on tuition and the sources of revenue the university can use in order to alleviate the pressure of tuition. The fourth panel focused on innovation, which is crucial for our students to continue growing intellectually. The final panel explored shared governance and how the different components of the university can participate in the decision making process.
BIG PLANS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Focus: Lebanese-French Relations
Let’s be Franc
Lebanon shares a close relationship with its former colonizer, both in terms of economic relations and cultural identity among Lebanese. In spite of hardships like the presidential power vacuum and Syrian war next door, the bond is only getting stronger.
read articleFocus: Tripoli Economic Free Zone
The Tripoli Transformation
The Tripoli Special Economic Zone (TSEZ) is one of most ambitious projects in Lebanon at the moment. With an initial cost of USD27 million, it is meant to provide an alternative to the heavily centralized economic activity in Beirut, a new gateway for investments and trade to settle in northern Lebanon, and will transform the image of a long-neglected region.
read articleInterview
Dr. Freddie Baz, Vice Chairman & Group Strategy Director, Bank Audi
TBY talks to Dr. Freddie Baz, Vice Chairman & Group Strategy Director of Bank Audi, on the bank's increase in profits, dealing with currency devaluation, and working to turn the economy into an export-driven one.
read articleReview: Insurance
Life is a Rollercoaster
Unlike many emerging markets, Lebanon enjoys a relatively high insurance penetration rate and strong life segment, buoyed by compulsory lines and bancassurance. Competition remains fierce, however, and reform aimed at encouraging consolidation looks far off.
read articleInterview
Max R. Zaccar, Chairman of Commercial Insurance & President of the Association, Insurance Companies
TBY talks to Max R. Zaccar, Chairman of Commercial Insurance & President of the Association of Insurance Companies, on the resilience of the sector, increasing the already-high penetration rates in the country, and remaining one of the strongest insurance companies in the region.
read articleInterview
HE Arthur Nazarian, Minister, Energy and Water Resources
TBY talks to HE Arthur Nazarian, Minister of Energy and Water Resources, on the potential offshoots from oil and gas explorations, the country's National Energy Efficiency Action Plan, and attempts to increase renewable energy consumption.
read articleInterview
Wissam Zahabi, Chairman, Board of the Lebanese Petroleum Administration (LPA),
TBY talks to Wissam Zahabi, Chairman of the Board of the Lebanese Petroleum Administration (LPA), on making the investment climate attractive for foreign companies and becoming self-sufficient in energy.
read articleFocus: Sovereign Wealth Funds
Gas Pipe Dreams
Despite excitement over exploration of Lebanon's hydrocarbons, the creation of a sovereign wealth fund, which was included in legislation, has yet to take place. The country faces several obstacles in its path to creating and properly managing a fund.
read articleInterview
Pierre El Khoury, General Director, Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation (LCEC)
TBY talks to Pierre El Khoury, General Director of the Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation (LCEC), on the development of energy efficiency in Lebanon, awareness of energy conservation, and the country's 2020 renewable energy goals.
read articleInterview
Dr. Fady Gemayel, President, Association of Lebanese Industrialists (ALI)
TBY talks to Dr. Fady Gemayel, President of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists (ALI), on the group's work to promote industrialists, new developments in terms of industrial cities, and the future of industry in the country.
read articleFocus: Industrial Cities
Industrial Solution
Domestic and regional events have stifled Lebanon in building a strong national industry to protect and sustain its economy. Four proposed industrial zones throughout the country may provide it with the economic backbone it so desperately needs.
read articleInterview
Marianne Hoayek, Director of the Executive Office, Banque du Liban
TBY talks to Marianne Hoayek, Director of the Executive Office of Banque du Liban, on the roots of the Circular 331 concept, bridging funding gaps throughout the startup lifecycle, and the country's growing knowledge economy.
read articleRoundtable
Thinking It Through
On June 12, TBY and the American-Lebanese Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) organized a roundtable titled “Startup ecosystem sustainability: fostering cooperation to drive entrepreneurship." The participants discussed the impact of Circular 331, an initiative by Bank du Liban, the Lebanese central bank, to inject a potential of USD400 million into the local enterprise market and guarantee 75% of banks' investments in startups and startup support.
read articleFocus: Infrastructure for the startup ecosystem
The New Star
Startups are ubiquitous in Lebanon despite the difficulty of starting a business and the lack of services available to new businesses. However, a number of actors, both public and private, are innovating the environment and allowing startups to fulfill a greater role in the country's economy.
read articleFocus: Maritime Exports Bridge
Bridging The Gap
The conflict in Syria has wrought serious damage on the Lebanese economy, effectively closing off the country's trade routes through Syria. However, a new program geared at balancing the price disparities between land and sea transit is poised to help Lebanese industries.
read articleFocus: Real Estate
A Stimulus For The Rest Of Us
The real estate market in Lebanon is nothing like it used to be. The sector has slowed considerably, and demand has shifted from the traditional center, Beirut. However, stimulus packages from the central bank over the years have proven beneficial for all parties involved.
read articleInterview
Armand Pahrés, President, Lebanese Pharmaceutical Importers Association (LPIA)
TBY talks to Armand Pahrés, President of the Lebanese Pharmaceutical Importers Association (LPIA), on the development of legislation in the sector, boosting further innovation, and opportunities for Lebanon to become more self-sufficient in pharmaceuticals.
read articleFocus: Incentives for pharmaceuticals in Lebanon
Pharma Land
Lebanon has always been the region's leader in all things health related. Its pharmaceutical industry is no exception, and the country's incentives for international pharma companies to operate, manufacture, and distribute in Lebanon are only getting stronger.
read articleInterview
HE Elias Bou Saab, Minister, Education and Higher Education
TBY talks to HE Elias Bou Saab, Minister of Education and Higher Education, on the ministry's initiatives to improve the education system, ensuring access to education for Syrian refugee children, and reversing the brain drain in the country.
read articleInterview
Mohamed Harajli, Provost, American University of Beirut (AUB)
TBY talks to Mohamed Harajli, Provost of the American University of Beirut (AUB), on his upcoming plans for the university, the key role played by the AUB alumni, and fostering an entrepreneurial spirit among students.
read articleFocus: Programs to school Syrian refugee children
High Marks
Proportional to its population, Lebanon has taken in significantly more Syrian refugees than any other country. With the country now facing the problem of placing the tens of thousands of Syrian children in school, international donors and local and foreign organizations are making educational support a priority.
read articleInterview
Joseph G. Jabbra, President, Lebanese American University (LAU)
TBY talks to Joseph G. Jabbra, President of the Lebanese American University (LAU), on embracing technology at the university, the challenges of Lebanon's brain drain, and the importance of having international links with other institutions.
read article