The American University of Beirut (AUB) celebrated its 159th Founders Day on December 3, 2025. The traditional ceremony brought together the AUB community and friends to reflect on the university’s continuing mission and to renew its commitment to excellence in education and service for the progress of Lebanon and the region. The keynote speaker this year was Dr. Ishac Diwan, professor of practice in economics at AUB and research director of the Finance for Development Lab at the Paris School of Economics.
“In addition to looking forward with clarity and purpose, Founders Day is a chance to reflect on the audacious, improbable vision that was launched here in 1866: a university made possible by philanthropy and dedicated to free inquiry and service to humanity,” said Dr. Fadlo R. Khuri, AUB president, in his opening remarks. “It is also a reminder that this institution was established to withstand challenging times.” He further emphasized that, despite recent challenges, AUB is “still learning, still growing, still serving, and still shaping the future.”
On the same day, AUB held its sixth Giving Day. As Khuri noted, “Founders Day and Giving Day coexist for a purpose. According to our founders, education is a public good sustained by shared generosity and responsibility.”
“Our founders had faith in this institution’s capacity for transformation, and we continue this work as a tribute to them,” added Khuri, as he referred to AUB’s many collaborations, initiatives, and distinction in research. “These efforts point to a straightforward reality: renewal begins through action. This is precisely the kind of action, and discussion, we are launching today.”
Khuri introduced the ceremony’s keynote speaker, Dr. Ishac Diwan, as “a bridge between past aspiration and future possibility,” whose work mirrored “the belief that this region can imagine and deliver its own renewal, that a modern golden age can take root through knowledge, integrity, service, and courageous leadership.”
In his address, Diwan spoke about the historical roots and dynamics of politics and economics in Lebanon and the region and elaborated on the changing global context that presents new risks and new economic opportunities for the region. He also emphasized the role of AUB, given its status in the region and the world, within a changing world.
“For over a century, AUB has been a top academic institution in the region, with a long tradition of attracting ambitious students and distinguished scholars,” said Diwan. “Today, the Middle East needs a comparable center—one capable of producing the ideas, research, and critical thinkers who can navigate a world in upheaval. AUB can build the Beirut School of Social Sciences to anchor that new intellectual tradition and help shape the region’s path forward.”
Diwan further argued that renewal is built through thoughtful policy, public service, and a commitment to the region’s potential and referred to his extensive experience researching the question of how societies can rebuild from within and arrive at enabled societies, dignified with equal access to opportunities.
As is tradition, students were invited to participate in the annual Founders Day Student Essay Contest, this year responding to a question about how AUB can draw on its long history of driving progress in the region to help spark a new era of economic and social renewal in the Arab world, shifting from inequality and struggle towards a modern golden age. Winning first prize was Najla Sadek, an honors senior studying computer science and engineering at the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture with a minor in applied mathematics. A Rhodes Scholarship finalist who earned top placements in global competitions, Najla wrote in her essay “The Art of Being Many” about AUB’s role as “a steadfast beacon amid tides” nurturing generations with education as a renewal instrument, and supporting “renaissance people” who embody curiosity, moral imagination, and interdisciplinary thought to spark a new golden age of progress in the region.
The second prize went to Abdulraheem Abdullah, a MEPI Tomorrow’s Leaders scholar from Yemen who will be graduating in 2026 with a bachelor of computer science. His essay “Is It Different from Here?” tackled the positive impact of AUB fully embracing its role as a launchpad for the region’s youth, generating responsible leaders.
Shahd Elawady won third prize for her essay “The Whisper We Carry Forward: From AUB to the World,” in which she refers to how she learned at AUB the meaning of freedom in education and the importance of equality in access. Shahd is a senior double-majoring in political studies and public administration, and a MEPI Tomorrow’s Leaders scholar.