The official inauguration of the American University of Beirut (AUB Mediterraneo) in Paphos is set to take place on Wednesday, at the Paphos Innovation Centre.
AUB Mediterraneo, a branch of the esteemed AUB in Beirut, Lebanon, is the result of the university’s vision to expand to Cyprus, a decision which was approved in June 2020 by the board of trustees.
The aim is to ensure the future success, relevance and sustainability of AUB in the coming decade and beyond.
Guests at the event include the Education Minister Athena Michaelidou; president of the AUB board Philip S. Khoury, AUB president Fadlo R. Khuri;Paphos mayor Phedonas Phedonos and various ministers, MPs and prominent figures from Cyprus, Lebanon and the United States.
The inaugural class of AUB Mediterraneo consists of students selected from a pool of 500 applicants from diverse countries, including Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Cyprus, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Nigeria, Rwanda, Zambia, South Africa, Tanzania, Sudan, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Thailand.
AUB Mediterraneo is starting its academic journey with five undergraduate programmes and two graduate programmes, including Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (BA), Psychology (BS), Computer Science (BS), Industrial Engineering (BS), Business Administration (BBA), Business Analytics (MS) and Engineering Management (MS).
In addition, the university plans to expand its academic offerings and increase its student population to 2,000 people over the next 10 years.
“I am confident that many years from now, when the modern history of the American University of Beirut is written, the expansion to Paphos will be seen as a reaffirmation of the deep humanitarian values and the wide spectrum of services and excellence the university stands for, and an even greater testament to our commitment to serve the people of Lebanon and the broader Mediterranean, as faithfully and effectively as we have for the last 158 years,” said Khuri.
Founded in 1866, the American University of Beirut is rooted in the liberal American model of higher education, the announcement explained.
AUB currently offers over 120 programmes at both undergraduate (Bachelor) and graduate (MD and PhD) levels, including a medical school that provides medical training to students from across the region at its medical centre, housing a university hospital with 365 beds and comprehensive services.
AUB Mediterraneo in Paphos is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) as an extension of AUB and is chartered by the New York State Education Department (NYSED), which registers its degree programmes.
All programmes at AUB Mediterraneo are certified by the Cyprus Agency of Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education and approved by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Cyprus.
After a recent ministerial decision, AUB Mediterraneo has also been included in the official list of Higher Education Institutions operating in Cyprus.