Motto | Learning, Engaging and Prosperity. |
---|---|
Type | Public University |
Established | 1951 |
President | Fouad Ayoub |
Academic staff
|
8,000 |
Administrative staff
|
5,000 |
Students | 79,000 |
Location | Hadeth, Beirut, Lebanon |
Campus | Main Campus in Hadath, Baabda District, Urban, 705,000m² |
Website | Official website |
The Lebanese University (French: Université libanaise, Arabic: الجامعة اللبنانية) is the only public institution for higher learning in Lebanon. In 1951, notable professors and educated personalities founded, under the support of the Lebanese President Bechara El Khoury, The High House of Teachers, a class of 68 students making the first class, ever, of the Lebanese University.
The university today has 16 faculties and serves all cultural, religious, and social groups of students and teachers. The university enjoys administrative, academic, and financial freedom. Among its educational goals are creating a unique mix of cultures and providing the basic and necessary education to allow students to enter various professions.
The Lebanese University was established in 1951 to serve the diverse social groups that make up Lebanese society, and to provide a high-level institution in which students can acquire university degrees. It was launched amid a growth in the number of students in grades 10 to 12.
The first departments were The High House of Teachers and The Statistics Center. On 3 December 1951, the first class of 68 students entered the university, under the efforts of many professors and educated personalities, and the support of the Lebanese President Bechara El Khoury.
On 26 February 1953, official decree No. 25 founded a center for financial and administrative at the university, called The Institution of Finance and Administration. The High House of Teachers was renamed to The High Teachers Institution .
The next big change was 1959's regulating decree No. 2883, which, along with many others between 1960 and 1972, added more material into the structure of the university and legalized all of its activities, requiring students to take part as administrators within the different faculties.
Following is the list of the personalities that served as Presidents of the Lebanese University:
The 16 faculties, including two institutions that were annexed to the university. They are:
Until 1975, the physical locations of all faculties and institutions were in Beirut and its suburbs, but during 1976 and due to the Lebanese Civil War additional branches were founded in Beirut and the governorates of Mount Lebanon, North Lebanon, South Lebanon and Bekaa. The increasing difficulty of traveling within the war-torn areas due to the tense atmosphere the country was suffering from led to this decision. However, the curricula and educational content were consolidated among all branches. The Head Office and main administration bureau is in Beirut, opposite to the National Museum of Beirut.