American University of Beirut

City:  | Beirut, Lebanon
Type:  | Private
Students:  | 7,943
Faculty:  | 653 full-time instructional faculty.
Degrees:  | BA, BAR, BBA, BEN, BGD, BS, BSA, BSN, DIPL, MA, MAFE, MAR, MBA, MEM, MEN, MMB, MPH, MS, MSES, MSN, MUD, MUP, MD, PhD, RN, TD[1]
Endowment:  | $416 million[2]
Website:  | www.aub.edu.lb

The American University of Beirut is a private university that offers instruction in English and attracts an internationl student body.

The school operates a 61-acre campus in Beirut and a 247-acre research farm and educational facility in the Beqa'a Valley.

## History[edit]

In 1862, American missionaries in Lebanon and Syria asked Dr. Daniel Bliss to found a college of higher learning that would include medical training. The goal was to create a college with an American educational character that could financially independent. Dr. Bliss made a fundraising trip to the United States in the summer of 1862 and raised $100,000, but the Civil War had hurt the value of these funds. So, Bliss also visited England and raised another £4,000 in England. Bliss then returned to Beirut in March 1866.

On April 24, 1863, while Dr. Bliss was raising money for the new school, the State of New York, chartered the Syrian Protestant College. The college opened with its first class of 16 students on December 3, 1866.[3]

In 1920, the name changed to the American University of Beirut.

In 1991, the campus was attacked during a civil war, and buildings had to be rebuilt.

## Accreditation[edit]

The college is accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education in Lebanon and the State of New York. The college is also accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. So, its degrees are recognized in both Lebanon and the United States.

## References[edit]

1. ↑ Facts and Figures. Retrieved on November 23, 2012.
2. ↑ 2011 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. Retrieved on November 20, 2012.
3. ↑ History. Retrieved on November 23, 2012.