DOING YOUR RESEARCH
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.
BIOGRAPHY
Mohamed Harajli was appointed Provost of the American University of Beirut (AUB) in 2015. He received his BE degree in civil engineering from AUB, an MS degree in structural engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a PhD in structural engineering from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Earlier, he was professor of structural and earthquake engineering at the department of civil and environmental engineering (CEE) at AUB. He has also held several administrative appointments at AUB, including Acting Dean and Associate Dean of the faculty of engineering and architecture, and Chair of the CEE department.2016 marks AUB's 150th anniversary. How has the university's strategy changed over time, and what are your new endeavors for the years to come?
We try to improve at all levels and want to improve our services to students and build new infrastructure. The university has grown and we are preparing a new strategic plan as well as a campus master plan that will be implemented over the coming years. The most important goal in the strategic plan is to move AUB from being a teaching-centered research institution toward being a premier research institution in the region. AUB has reinstated tenure this year by a decision of the Board of Trustees. When tenure is implemented, hopefully in a year or so, the university will be able to attract and retain qualified faculty who are excellent researchers and at the same time great educators. In the last 15 years, AUB has grown considerably, from about 5,000 students to more than 8,600 students, including graduate and undergraduate students. Because of this, we need more space on campus to accommodate students, faculty, and staff.
With the current boom in the knowledge-based economy, how does AUB prepare its students to embrace entrepreneurial activities?
We graduate around 1,500 undergraduate and 500 graduate students annually who go out to work in around 100 countries around the world. Most of them open their own businesses and go out on their own; they become CEOs, managers, and entrepreneurs. Creating leaders is embedded in our university's psyche; we foster critical thinkers and free-minded people. Our style of education, which is based on the American model, allows graduates of AUB to excel and to launch their own businesses and become entrepreneurs. Regarding the projects that AUB currently supports, we embarked on an important project that involves the launching of an innovation park to create and accelerate new ideas and invest in certain projects that have the component of innovation. We expect this project to be fully operational in the next couple of years.
How do you reconnect with your alumni abroad to encourage them to give back to the university?
Our alumni are an indispensable source for AUB. We have around 55,000 alumni spread around the world; therefore, we stay in regular contact with them to invite them to give back to the university and to the country in general. Some contribute to scholarship programs, mentoring programs, or to the networking events we organize. The alumni have been extremely generous in their support of AUB at all levels and they are truly the lung through which AUB breathes.
What are some of the projects that AUB is involved in in terms of community development and equal opportunities for students?
This is important and one of the strategic goals of our new administration is to promote civic engagement and community service works. We have a Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service (CCECS) that reaches out to students to contribute to the community. Our students are often involved in community development programs that widen their minds and move them to help others, which is one of AUB's ultimate missions. We also have scholarship programs that support needy but academically qualified students from Lebanon and from the region. Under these programs, students are required to be civically engaged and to participate in the service of the community so as to enhance their leadership skills. They do that with the help of CCECS. Such programs include the USP/USAID scholarship program, the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), and the MasterCard Foundation. We recently started another program (or phase II) of MasterCard Foundation for supporting underprivileged students, particularly from sub-Saharan Africa. The number of students supported by the scholarship programs will soon reach about 500. Recently we also got involved through CCECS with some international agencies contributing to relieve the effects of the Syrian refugee crisis by building schools or sending our faculty members to teach at schools built by NGOs.
DOING YOUR RESEARCH
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.
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