The civil war in Lebanon ended in 1990 and brought a new stability that allowed students to get back to the business of learning. By the mid-1990s the newly christened Lebanese American University began to graduate larger numbers of students every year. This influx of new alumni began to spread out throughout Lebanon, the Middle East, and around the world pursuing careers and, as they did, establishing dozens of alumni chapters all over the globe. 

 

Today LAU has close to 30,000 alumni living all around the world, and 30 vibrant and active alumni chapters—from Athens to Abu Dhabi—that help former students maintain ties back to their university. In recent years newer alumni have shown a strong interest in networking events and other activities that help younger people develop and grow their careers. LAU’s Alumni Relations Office has responded by sponsoring alumni events and lectures designed for the professional. Meanwhile, older alums, particularly those from the days when LAU was an all-female institution known as Beirut College for Women prior to 1973, felt an increasing distance from newer alumni.

 

Faced with this situation Director of Alumni Relations for LAU Mr. Abdallah Al-Khal saw the need to take action.

 

“We didn’t want to alienate any of the BCW members” Al-Khal said. “The dedication and commitment that these women have shown and continue to show for their alma mater cannot be matched.”

 

To remedy the situation and to make sure that all alumni were being served and supported in the way that was most appropriate for each of them the Alumni Relations Office suggested to the Alumni Association Board to create a BCW Alumni Chapter. LAU’s alumni Constitution allows the establishment of regional and school chapters so the Alumni Association readily agreed with the suggestion.

 

According to Al-Khal, the creation of the BCW chapter was greatly appreciated by the graduates of BCW. The group has already been highly active with a committee of nine representing around five thousand graduates whose next organized activity, a comedy theatre performance, will take place on February 11 and is expected to gather around 400 alumni and friends.