As the government waits on a bailout package from the International Monetary Fund to keep the economy running, the fallout from the coronavirus crisis has further contributed to the woes of  the Lebanese and has compounded the negative affects within every sector of the economy,  specifically education.

In an uphill battle for the American University of Beirut to stay afloat, it has launched an appeal for an Emergency Fund. The proceeds from this fund will be used to support the most vulnerable members of the AUB community of students, staff, faculty, and patients, and help assure the survival of the university and its medical center.

As President Fadlo R. Khuri said in a message to the AUB community on May​ 5, 2020, “Saving AUB must be our only priority. And save it we will.”

Donations to AUB Emergency Fund can be made on the university website, and further information about the Emergency Appeal can be found through emailing advancement@aub.edu.lb.

AUB has already lost donations and scholarships it was expecting before the pandemic. On top of benefit and wage cuts, it is studying options such as closing whole departments and halting spending.

Yet, the dramatic, near complete collapse of the Lebanese economy, with the inflation from free fall of the Lebanese pound, and the high rates of poverty and unemployment,  many families have little means to cover food and rent, let alone tens of thousands of dollars in tuition fees.

In his May 5 message, President Khuri announced that AUB will be making dramatic changes across the university to ensure that we will endure the next several years, and thrive in the longer term.

For 154 years, the American University of Beirut has graduated leading figures in medicine, law, science and art as well as political leaders and scholars over the decades, including prime ministers.

In addition to educating the best and brightest minds of the region, AUB has and continues to serve as the the largest private employer in Lebanon, but in order to sustain its unwavering contributions to Lebanon and the region, it is in dire need of support.