I am more than ever committed to coming home and giving back, to the LAU family, and to our beloved country.

Dr. Chaouki T. Abdallah

 

Hello and greetings to all of you,

I am honored and humbled to begin my tenure today as your 10th president.

I was born and raised in Lebanon; my childhood was filled with happy days and cherished memories with family and friends. Those dimmed during another devastating period for our beloved Lebanon and at age 18, I had to pack my one bag and say goodbye to everyone I knew and loved. My parents' hope was that I would continue my education abroad and return to Lebanon with a capacity to help.

Forty-seven years later, the time has come for me to go home as our country endures another turbulent period. I have already engaged with the university's leadership on the challenges we are facing, and I am working with the team on the ground to help support LAUers and our larger communities.

We have a critical mission: LAU and LAU Medical Centers exist to help build a better future for our students, and for Lebanon and humanity. To our original motto "to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield," today I would add "to heal."

My first priority is your physical safety and mental well-being as these are prerequisites to our traditional activities of learning, teaching, and growing. We are adjusting our teaching modalities and operations and will keep doing so as circumstances change.

I want to thank the Board of Trustees, our outgoing president Dr. Mawad, for guiding us through difficult crises before and all of you for your hard work during this critical time, and for your steadfast commitment to serving the LAU mission and the well-being of each other.

I am more resolved than ever to come home to serve to the very best of my abilities, and to live up to the best ideals of LAU.

I will see you soon.

Chaouki Tanios Abdallah