Diversity and Equality

Lebanese American University (LAU) is committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion across all aspects of university life through a comprehensive framework of policies, practices, and strategic actions.

This commitment is explicitly embedded within the university’s Strategic Plan IV, under Pillar II: Community Engagement, specifically Goal 5: Reinforce an inclusive and collaborative environment for all university stakeholders. Under this goal, LAU has defined targeted actions that directly support equality and inclusion, including ensuring the representation of students, faculty, staff, and administrators in decision-making processes and committees, assessing the effectiveness of collaboration across institutional entities, and developing an overarching Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) statement tailored to the university context.

These strategic commitments are complemented by institutional policies and initiatives that uphold principles of non-discrimination, equal opportunity, and respect for all individuals regardless of gender, nationality, religion, socioeconomic background, or other characteristics. Through continuous awareness, training, and engagement efforts, LAU ensures that equality and inclusion are actively integrated into academic, administrative, and community practices, fostering a culture where all members can thrive and fully participate.

The Arab Institute for Women’s Steering Committee

The Steering Committee at LAU supports the AiW’s (Arab Institute for Women) mission to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and human rights through a strong focus on gender equality. Blending academia and activism, the Committee integrates gender perspectives across all disciplines and programs. Composed of faculty representatives from various schools and university offices, the Committee works collaboratively to integrate gender perspectives into curricula, research, and institutional policies. It promotes awareness of gender-related resources, organizes capacity-building workshops, and partners with the Office of Community Standards (formerly the Title IX Office) to advocate for equitable practices and gender-sensitive policies across campus.

Goals:

• Strengthen the mission of AiW in pioneering gender equality nationally, regionally, and globally through research, education, development programs, and outreach.
• Assist AiW in fulfilling its mission through working at the intersection of academia and activism and mainstreaming gender in all disciplines and programs at LAU.

Action: Increase internal awareness at LAU of the resources available through AiW, sharing knowledge production, and supporting the creation of new knowledge from/for the region. Bridging theory and practice to incorporate a gender lens into all research-related projects and academic programs at LAU.

Office of Community Standards

LAU is committed to building a campus culture where everyone feels valued, respected, and supported. The Office of Community Standards works to ensure that all members of the LAU community such as students, staff, faculty and visitors, can learn and work in an environment free from discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct and other forms of harmful behavior.

Our goals are to:

• Promote respect and inclusion across all areas of university life.
• Foster a strong sense of belonging so every student, staff, and faculty member feels they have a place and a voice at LAU.
• Ensure safety and well-being through education, prevention, and equitable response to concerns.
• Empower our community with the knowledge, tools, and resources to uphold our shared values of integrity, compassion, and accountability.
• Together, we create a campus where respect and responsibility guide how we learn, work, and engage with one another.

Responsibilities:

• Receive and respond to complaints of discrimination, harassment and sexual misconduct.
• Oversee investigations and resolution processes that are fair, prompt and impartial.
• Provide confidential consultation, training and prevention programs.
• Collaborate with faculty, staff and students to build a culture of respect and accountability.