The global Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent recession have scrambled conventions, atomised assumptions and forced serious reconsideration of short and long-term strategies. It has become evident that universities and healthcare systems have been particularly affected.
Only relevant and resilient institutions will survive the forced adaptation, and some of the world’s finest universities have already cut salaries, slashed retirement funds, halted construction projects and started layoffs. How we navigate these momentous times will define us for decades to come.
Like any great institution, the American University of Beirut (AUB) is a child of its times. Forged in the aftermath of two civil wars, one in Mount Lebanon (1860-1864) and one in the US (1861-65), the university grew out of the missionary zeal of Daniel Bliss and his Presbyterian brethren. They came to Lebanon to right not one but two historical wrongs.
One was the flaw in the American constitution that enabled the compromise leading to slavery. The other was the lack of emancipation and self-determination of the peoples of the world. Initially a Presbyterian missionary school, the future AUB, or Syrian Protestant College (SPC) as it was christened in 1866, took a radical turn towards secular humanism in the last decades of the 19th century following the “Lewis Affair”.
A devout Presbyterian professor, Edwin Lewis, espoused Darwin’s theory of evolution and was forced out of the faculty by Bliss himself and the board of trustees. This led consequently and rapidly to the departure in solidarity of the entirety of the occidental faculty of SPC, all of whom were fluent in Arabic.
After nine months of supporting our community as fully as possible, there is no choice now but to lay off non-academic staff
As the curriculum switched to English under the incoming professoriate, so too did the course of AUB’s history. Rather than Christian evangelisation, the transformation to secular humanism and modern liberal arts education became complete under Howard Bliss, Daniel Bliss’s son and the second university president. He went to the Conference of Versailles to advocate for the right of self-determination of the Arab peoples, and it was he who changed the name of the institution to the American University of Beirut.
Thus was born AUB’s true mission: the empowerment of citizens to determine their own destiny. That is evident in the inscription on the walls of the Main Gate: “That they may have life and have it more abundantly.”
The university, which includes a cutting-edge medical centre, has been through many crises, but none quite like today’s. It has stood the test of time and lived through the fires. In the First World War, it sought to protect all Lebanese – or Syrians as they were then known – from war, famine and the subsequent Spanish Flu pandemic, playing an outsize role from its campus in Ras Beirut.
Following the catastrophe of the Second World War, AUB contributed almost half of the founding authors of the UN Charter – more of its alumni than any other university in the world. AUB has educated and empowered more political, business, health, humanist and research leaders from the Arab world than any other university.
During the 1975-90 Lebanese civil war, AUB became a safe haven for all, as its medical centre treated the most gravely injured and ill patients, irrespective of political affiliation or religious background. The same was true for the teaching mission of the institution, which survived the deeply partisan and violent civil war.
Since 1990, AUB has taken a leading role in the intellectual and social rehabilitation and physical reconstruction of Lebanon and the region by educating the best and brightest from all backgrounds. It has fostered innovation and civic engagement in the most vulnerable and underrepresented communities. AUB produces more high impact research per faculty member than any other university in the Arab world. The university is the only one in the region to consistently rank among the top 50 universities globally in terms of the employability of our students and their ability to be accepted into top graduate, medical and professional programmes abroad.
Today’s economic breakdown has deeply wounded the university and will cause us to lose many of our community members. In addition to the global pandemic and deepening of the region’s economic crisis, AUB must survive Lebanon’s perfect storm, a complete economic collapse and confluence of severe social, financial, structural and political crises.
After nine months of supporting our community as fully as possible, there is no choice now but to lay off non-academic staff. The exact number of departures has yet to be determined, but it could affect 20-25 per cent of the workforce – painful but necessary in order to ensure the university's sustainability, its long-term relevance and its excellence in teaching and healthcare.
Those who depart will remain closely tied to the university’s family through a carefully crafted safety net in the absence of adequate protection from the state. This safety net includes a sliding scale of generous severance packages totalling up to 24 months’ salary for those who served AUB for 25 years, expanded access to our healthcare system, continued education of our departing members’ children currently enrolled at the university and the creation of an AUB talent pool for the future. Meanwhile, AUB must find the resources to continue to invest in research and recruit the best and brightest students from all over the world, irrespective of their ability to finance their tuition.
The American University of Beirut is a resilient, enduring and impactful institution. Born in the aftermath of two civil wars, it survived two world wars and sustained the city of Beirut and its region through the most damaging and enduring Lebanese civil war. Despite Lebanon’s accelerating deterioration over the last decade, AUB continues to rise in all relevant college rankings, producing the lion’s share of high-quality research in Lebanon and attracting some of the very best students and scholars to the Arab world.
By holding true to its mission and values, AUB will surely survive this period of collapse and help lead Lebanon and the Arab world once more to far firmer ground, and to a more inclusive, fair and just future.
Fadlo R Khuri is the president of American University of Beirut
WEST ASIA RUGBY 2017/18 SEASON ROLL OF HONOUR
Western Clubs Champions League
Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons
Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup
Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners up: Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
MATCH INFO
West Ham United 2 (Antonio 73', Ogbonna 90 5')
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 36', Moura 42', Kane 49')
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (c), Chamani Senevirathne (vc), Subha Srinivasan, NIsha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Esha Oza, Ishani Senevirathne, Heena Hotchandani, Keveesha Kumari, Judith Cleetus, Chavi Bhatt, Namita D’Souza.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MATCH INFO
Day 1 at Mount Maunganui
England 241-4
Denly 74, Stokes 67 not out, De Grandhomme 2-28
New Zealand
Yet to bat
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
SHOW COURTS ORDER OF PLAY
Wimbledon order of play on Tuesday, July 11
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Centre Court
Adrian Mannarino v Novak Djokovic (2)
Venus Williams (10) v Jelena Ostapenko (13)
Johanna Konta (6) v Simona Halep (2)
Court 1
Garbine Muguruza (14) v
Svetlana Kuznetsova (7)
Magdalena Rybarikova v Coco Vandeweghe (24)
RESULTS
6.30pm: Longines Conquest Classic Dh150,000 Maiden 1,200m.
Winner: Halima Hatun, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ismail Mohammed (trainer).
7.05pm: Longines Gents La Grande Classique Dh155,000 Handicap 1,200m.
Winner: Moosir, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Longines Equestrian Collection Dh150,000 Maiden 1,600m.
Winner: Mazeed, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
8.15pm: Longines Gents Master Collection Dh175,000 Handicap.
Winner: Thegreatcollection, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Longines Ladies Master Collection Dh225,000 Conditions 1,600m.
Winner: Cosmo Charlie, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
9.25pm: Longines Ladies La Grande Classique Dh155,000 Handicap 1,600m.
Winner: Secret Trade, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
10pm: Longines Moon Phase Master Collection Dh170,000 Handicap 2,000m.
Winner:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on Quran memorisation:
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
KYLIAN MBAPPE 2016/17 STATS
Ligue 1: Appearances - 29, Goals - 15, Assists - 8
UCL: Appearances - 9, Goals - 6
French Cup: Appearances - 3, Goals - 3
France U19: Appearances - 5, Goals - 5, Assists - 1
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
