Special Character of AUL

AUL is dedicated to the advancement of learning and the growth of individual, from a global perspective, recognising the contributions of all cultures and the brotherhood of all mankind.  

• An Expectation of Excellence

AUL seeks students who evidence a belief in excellence and in their own to obtain it, and who believe that human values must be inherent in any pursuit of excellence.  An interdisciplinary core of unique learning experiences complements and enriches the more traditional courses that are offered and also emphasises the University’s contention that excellence is not only a matter of scholarship.  The university values equally the competency and the personal growth of the student; it nurtures the individual’s own expectation of excellence.  It expects a growing sense of concern for others, a maturing acceptance of responsibility for one‘s own behaviour, and a respect for those social processes that ensure a lawful and humane resolution of interpersonal and individual-group conflicts.  There is a climate of expectation of excellence in thinking as well as in doing, as prerequisites to leadership and professional success.  The faculty’s approach to education is to believe that rigorous habits of inquiry and skill development ensue when one expects nothing less than the best of a student. 

A review of the faculty roster over the years will readily indicate that it stands out, among the institutions of its size across Lebanon and to such an extent in the region, in having attracted scholars of national and international and reputation to teach at the University. 

• A Climate of Wholesomeness

 The student body at AUL is typically Lebanese, students from the region and a good number of international students with an interesting collection of cultures and sub-cultures. At AUL it is human commonality that is sought, rather than any commonality of culture, politics or religion. All faiths and points of view arc accommodated on AUL campuses, but no individual or group may upset this balance: differences are expected to be sublimated to the central goal in helping people from everywhere in Lebanon, the region and world-wide to achieve their full potential as human beings. The University governs campus life through regulations that are not intended to be restrictive, but are intended to protect individuals from undue interference and pressures. At the same time AUL promotes wholesome recreational and cultural activities that provide variety and interest in campus living. AUL feels obliged to provide an environment causing minimal anxiety to students and their families; respect for common decency is thus a standard on the University's campuses. The sharing of values from different local sub-cultures and from cultures at large is enthusiastically promoted—ideas, food. Music, art, positive intercultural experiences are enhanced by respect for privacy, and the person. In summary AUL pursues its unique mission in the world of higher education.  The hallmarks of freedom, choice and compassion pervade its endeavors at every level, as quality and excellence depending on those hallmarks. Those associated with AUL in any capacity—as students, teachers, or administrators—feel, and help to maintain, a special form of excitement that comes from being different and frommaking a difference. AUL is dedicated to nurturing the individual and his/her potential as effectively and as dynamically as possible. 

• A Lebanese University with World-Wide Reach Theme

The Lebanese higher education, especially among those universities who have adopted the American education system, is noted for its flexibility, adaptability, and commitment to service. Some familiar American features alongside the Lebanese touch in higher education at AUL include student grading (A to F); continuous assessment by individual professors rather than by examinations alone; diversified curriculum design; concern for developing all levels of human potential. Most of the chief administrators are well equipped academics, as are our faculty. The vision of a pioneering, adventurous university stamps it Lebanese as well. 

The frontier on which AUL continues to build its reputation is that of its quality education and openness to other cultures, and students are attracted from all sectors of Lebanon and the region. The dominating resources of the University are its students and its faculty, who demonstrate a commitment to the special environment of AUL’s classroom and Lebanese rich community. 

A good international university maintains sensitivity to values differences and a deep concern for ethics; extends friendly help; sustains students through transitional periods of learning levels; insists on rational behavior; refrains from, and indeed curbs, any political, religious, or ethnic activities that would compromise the ability of the University to stay free in its human relationships, and prizes academic freedom, which rests on mutual trust and respect. 

The University believes that the most important problems of society are basically people-made problems and their interrelationships.  Reflected in all programs of the University is an emphasis on those human factors—i.e., understanding the person, and understanding the society, so that leadership can reflect a humane and strong person-centered approach. 

Campus life and learning for both undergraduate and graduate students is enhanced by the interplay among the people of this richly student body.  Students from all walks of life are involved together in their learning environments of the classroom, in the study room, in group learning segments, as they research and prepare reports together, in planned trips, lectures, concerts, and in daily social activities. 

AUL has articulation agreements with Emporia State University in the USA, Leeds Metropolitan in the UK, and has a cooperation agreement with ITC Wollongong University in Australia .  AUL is registered in many middle-eastern educational authorities and is currently working on expanding its articulation agreements worldwide.  Students can continue at the different engaged institutions in four parts of the world and become living participants in the cultures of those areas. This interchange brings focus, awareness, and sensitivity to the fact that each of us is indeed an integral part of our planet, and that what happens in any part of the world affects every one of us.   

STATEMENT OF ETHICS 

AUL strives to be a center of academic excellence. The University makes every effort to insure the following: 

The university community is by nature pluralistic and diverse. Those who are elected to participate in the AUL community—students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, and directors—accept the responsibility of sharing in the effort to achieve the University’s mission as an institution of higher learning. Each member is expected to respect the objectives of the University and the views of its members. 

Participants in this shared institution strive to be governed by what ought to be rather than by what is. To accomplish its goal, members of the University community should aspire to a higher standard than mere compliance with formalized University requirements and applicable law. AUL endeavors to fulfill the following expectations: 

     1. Preserve academic honor and integrity by repudiating all forms of academic and intellectual dishonesty

     2. Treat others with respect and dignity

     3. Respect the rights and property of others

     4. Act with concern for the safety and well-being of the university’s associates 

Inquiry, discourse, and dissent within the framework of an ordered academic environment are seminal elements of a university community and of a free, democratic society. Members of the AUL community recognize this and are consequently supportive of democratic and lawful procedure, and dedicated to rational approaches to solving problems. This assumes openness to change as well as commitment to values.