Drawing its inspiration from LAU’s mission to educate the whole person, the Office of the Dean of Students is charged with providing students with opportunities for academic growth and personal development in order to enrich their overall experience at LAU. Each student is seen as a professional-in-training, deserving high-quality service and personalized attention.

New Student Orientation

The New Student Orientation is organized twice annually by the Office of the Dean of Students, at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters.

The New Student Orientation aims to:

• introduce students to various academic programs, services and activities that support their academic and personal success,
• acquaint new students with university life and further encourage them to become active members of the LAU community,
• familiarize students with the main resources available online and on campus, and
• address issues and problems that students may face as they strive to become active members of the LAU community.

Academic Advising Services

Academic Advising Services aim at assisting all students in understanding the purposes, opportunities and challenges of higher education. The Academic Advisors assist students in developing and implementing an educational plan consistent with their interests, abilities and career aspiration. They also strive to:

• Communicate to prospective and current students’ relevant information on the university’s undergraduate and graduate programs, admission requirements, course selection, academic rules and procedures regulations and,
• Provide individualized advising sessions to newly admitted students and help them register their courses,
• Monitor the progress of freshman students, ensuring completion of SAT I exams, attainment of freshman equivalency to the Lebanese Baccalaureate, and declaration of majors.
• Encourage trust and good rapport with students to enhance retention rates and foster academic achievement.
• Offer comprehensive academic counsel, including identifying areas for improvement and assisting students in addressing academic challenges.
• Identify students experiencing academic difficulties, evaluate their situations, and develop customized action plans to support their academic progress, including mentorship initiatives utilizing university resources.
• Assess students’ non-academic support needs and refer them to specialized staff, such as university counselors, for assistance with issues such as test anxiety, anger management, or depression.
• Collaborate with career advisors to assess students’ career interests using assessment tools and empower them to develop educational plans compatible with their aspirations and aptitudes.
• Guide students through degree requirements, ensuring adherence to major-specific prerequisites, and facilitate progression toward graduation.

In summary, Academic Advising Services play a crucial role in facilitating students’ academic journeys, providing guidance, support, and resources essential for their success in higher education.

Advising and Registration for Newly Admitted Students

Advising and Registration for Newly Admitted Students take place prior to the start of each semester.   The objective is to organize students in small groups of 20-25 students. During these sessions the Academic Advisors:

• Ensure that the new students understand the fundamental academic information necessary for selecting appropriate courses,
• Review and approve their course selections,
• Address any inquiries regarding their major, course registration, or other concerns
• Facilitate connections with additional campus services.

Academic Success Center

The Academic Success Center offers complimentary tutoring services to students, aiding them in reaching their academic potential. It provides tutoring sessions for a wide array of introductory, intermediate, and advanced courses spanning numerous disciplines across most Schools.
Tutors are academically excelling students from various majors and they are appointed in coordination with their respective departments.

Career Development Services

Career advisors actively engage graduate and undergraduate students, as well as alumni in exploring diverse career pathways, improving planning skills, formulating job search strategies, and defining career objectives. Specifically, career advisors help students:

• Clarify their academic and career interests and choose the right field of study,
• Tailor career path and options to align with their majors,
• Develop a strategic plan to achieve their career objectives,
• Craft effective résumés and cover letters,
• Explore effective job search techniques,
• Get ready for interviews and improve their communication and negotiation skills,
• Conduct thorough research and evaluation of job offers to make informed decisions.

The Career Development Services foster productive partnerships with local, regional, and international employers to enhance graduates’ employability prospects. To this end, annual events such as the Career & Internship Fair are organized, providing opportunities for both local and international companies to engage with LAU students for full-time, part-time, and internship positions. Additionally, professional development workshops and career guidance events are regularly conducted throughout the academic year. Furthermore, collaborative efforts with the Alumni Relations Office result in the organization of an Annual Business Networking Reception, facilitating meaningful connections between employers and graduates.

The Career Development Services facilitate liaison between students, alumni, career advisors, and employers through JobTeaser – the LAU International Career Portal.

For more information and upcoming events, click here.

Student Life Services

LAU students plan and participate in extracurricular activities through a variety of student-initiated campus clubs and chapters/societies/associations. Professional clubs such as Computer Science, American Society of Civil Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Medical Student Association, etc., and general clubs as Astronomy, Social Work, Red Cross, Event Organization, Nutrition, Music, International Affairs, Debate, Event Organization, etc., serve as practical arenas for students to further develop the skills they learn in class.

The Student Life Services guide and coordinate the formation of clubs, and in realizing the activities, while advisors provide assistance toward achieving their objectives.

By creating venues to recruit student involvement, the Student Life Services help in the development of skills, such as, but not limited to, public relations, marketing, management, leadership, creativity, productivity, etc. skills on campus and beyond.

Through these means, the Student Life work on establishing an atmosphere where students develop skills to be leaders, champions, and responsible citizens, and exercise their mind, body and soul in a fair and harmonious environment.

For more information on LAU’s activities, visit the Club Webpage.

Athletics Department

The Athletics program plays a vital role in the academic and extracurricular life of students. The mission of the program is to provide sports training, education, and competition opportunities for LAU students. The Athletics Department oversees a wide range of sports and extra-curricular activities that are well suited to the needs of students and the LAU community as a whole.

LAU Athletics, currently offers, for both male and female students, the following sports as extracurricular activities: free play basketball, cheerleading, fitness, swimming, table tennis, aerobics, Muay Thai/kick boxing, chess and yoga. Varsity sports include basketball, futsal, handball, swimming, table tennis, tennis, track and field, and volleyball, (all for both genders except football).

Throughout the year, the LAU Athletics Department organizes intercollegiate, intramural, high school and, whenever possible, international tournaments, in addition to coordinating student athletes’ participation in many other local, regional and international events. Most of the varsity teams are exposed to high-level competition locally and internationally, and participate in the Lebanese Federation of University Sports’ (FSUL) sanctioned championships, as well as competing against all officially recognized universities and colleges in Lebanon. At the end of each academic year, LAU Athletics holds an Annual Awards event to recognize and honor LAU’s best and most dedicated athletes and coaches.

LAU Athletics also offers partial athletic scholarships to talented and deserving high school athletes and LAU awards winners.

In addition to the many activities, the athletics Department organizes the LAU Fit Fair - a platform for strength and conditioning professionals in the region; the LAU Fun Day - a stress-free day for all students to enjoy; the “LAU Are You In” event in celebration of the “International Day of University Sport” (during September). Whenever possible it also organizes the LAU Alumni Athletics Day, a fun-filled event that brings together former varsity alumni to compete and have fun on campus in addition to the Varsity Homecoming Event.

For more information, visit Athletics.

National Cultural Clubs

With the different nationalities represented on its campuses, LAU has developed programs to help international students adapt to the Lebanese way of life and fully integrate into the LAU community. Through various national cultural clubs, students’ network with peers from their countries, while learning to appreciate diversity. Both LAU and the students celebrate the richness of such diversity through annual activities.

Counseling Services

The Counseling Services at LAU provides a broad range of high quality, innovative, and professional services that address the mental health-related, psychological, educational, social, and developmental needs of the students. The counselors equip students with essential tools to help them effectively manage current and potential future problems through:

• Individual Counseling: one on one meetings with students to explore challenges and concerns. They are typically scheduled once a week for a short period of time and may expand over several weeks.
• Provision of Informal Assessment for an array of psychological issues and planning appropriate intervention and evaluation plans.
• Referral to off-campus professionals, when needed.
• Consultation services for faculty, staff, and students who are trying to help another person through difficult times.
• Collaboration with the different departments within the Office of the Dean of Students.

All consultations and medical records are kept strictly confidential. No information is ever released to or discussed with anyone without the consent of the student, unless it is a safety concern.

Prevention Measures

In order to ensure best counseling practices, the below forms are sent to students at the beginning of every semester to collect information on their common challenges. The data collected helps in early detection of mental health-related problems and early intervention on one-on-one basis:

• Psychological Evaluation and Counseling Enquiry (PEACE) form for students experiencing academic decline. The form sheds lights on the particular aspects or areas that students need support in.
• Students’ Psychological Wellbeing Record - for early detection and diagnosis. The form collects new students’ information regarding their mental health and wellbeing upon admission.

Crisis Management

A crisis is an extremely stressful and urgent situation that requires immediate attention. A crisis may or may not be life threatening. For that, clear procedures for crisis intervention in cases of imminent and non-imminent life-threatening situations are shared with faculty and staff for implementation.

Admission and Counseling Services Coordination

The Admission Office receives the applications of prospect students and transfers the files of those who have indicated learning and mental challenges to the Counseling Services. The Counseling Services reviews the files, reaches out to prospective students, meets with them if necessary, and requests additional documents/reports if needed. Having this process in place, the Counseling Services ensures emotional and academic support for new students before the start of the academic year.

Students with Special Needs

The LAU strives to provide a fair and supportive learning environment for students with special needs. As such, the LAU Counseling Guidelines and Procedures offer guidelines and procedures to:

• Enable those students to tackle their studies more effectively
• Enhance understanding of special needs within the university community, and
• Promote collaboration within the university community and within the community at large to provide assistance to those students

Learning Assessment

Students looking to enhance their learning habits take the “Learning Style Assessment” to receive tailored study strategies that match their learning style.

Graduates Support

The Counseling Services designs and delivers workshops for graduate students on “Entering the workplace”. The workshops equip graduate students with skills, strategies, and ways of dealing with different characters and possible challenges that they may face in the workplace.

Awareness Campaigns and Workshops

Throughout the year, Awareness Campaigns and Workshops take place to educate the LAU community on various topics of interest and concerns. Awareness Campaign and Workshops can be in collaboration with students and the different LAU Schools.

Outsourcing

The Counseling Services strives to make inventive mental-health tools and programs available to LAU students:

• Step-by-Step Program: an evidence-based mental health support program, that helps students with difficult emotions, in collaboration with the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP)/Ministry of Public Health.

Student Representation

The University Student Council (USC) and Campus Student Councils (CSC) in Beirut and Byblos are an executive authority recognized by the Board of Trustees, and are charged with representing the students and allowing them to communicate their views. Members of the council, elected through campus-wide elections, provide resources for the various student organizations and clubs, offering guidance and support in an attempt to build a generation that is established on the notions of teamwork, dedication and responsibility.

Council bylaws are written by a committee of students and university officials. The student councils:

• represent students in the regulation and coordination of all phases of student governance,
• promote LAU’s highest interests,
• cultivate the university’s culture as stated in its mission and vision,
• advance the welfare and concerns of the LAU student population,
• enhance LAU’s campus atmosphere and life through extra-curricular activities, and
• act as an effective liaison between students, faculty, staff and administration.

For more information, visit Student Councils.

Residence Halls

LAU provides non-coed residence halls for its students on both campuses:

• In Beirut, there are 2 off-campus residence halls. Santona is available and located within a seven-minute walk from the campus and SIRAN tower is available and located within two-minute walk from the upper campus side.
• In Byblos, Dorm B is located on-campus and offers four types of accommodation.
• All residence halls are supervised by LAU staff and provide social and extracurricular activities for resident students. The comfortable premises support the students’ academic and social needs.

All settings provide comfortable accommodations that meet students’ academic and social needs. Rooms are neatly furnished with beds, desks, cupboards, safe boxes, bed sheets and covers. Cleaning, maintenance, 24-hours security are also provided as well as cable TV, Internet connection, and internal telephone lines. The buildings are equipped with kitchens and laundry rooms, also with heating and cooling.

In Byblos, Dorm B lounge is equipped with TVs and Internet connections and other amenities provide social space and a venue for activities organized by the residence hall team. Students are also welcome to bring their laptops, dishes, and cutlery. Meals can be ordered from any of the surrounding restaurants.

Students who wish to reside in University housing must apply as soon as the online application is open.

For more information and application, visit Living at LAU.