The American University of Beirut (AUB) is a private, independent, non-sectarian institution of higher learning, founded in 1866. It functions under a charter from the State of New York and is administrated by a private, autonomous Board of Trustees.
The University has five faculties: Arts and Sciences, Medicine - including the School of Nursing, Engineering and Architecture, Agricultural and Food Sciences, and Health Sciences. In addition to these faculties, the University has a School of Business. At present, AUB offers programs leading to both the bachelor's and master's degrees.
The University is co-education Statement of Accreditation Status (SAS): At its session on June 20-21, 2001, the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools acted to grant Candidate for Accreditation Status to the American University of Beirut.

MISSION STATEMENT

AUB is a teaching-centered research university, convinced that excellence in teaching and research go hand-in-hand AUB bases its educational perspective and methods and its academic organization on the American model of higher education.
The University emphasizes scholarship that enables students to think for themselves, stresses academic excellence, and promotes high expectations of principles of character. It aims to produce men and women who are not only technically competent in their professional fields but also life-long learners who have breadth of vision, a sense of civic and moral responsibility, and a devotion to the fundamental values of human life. The University believes in and encourages freedom of thought and expression. It expects, however, that this freedom will be enjoyed in a spirit of integrity and with a full sense of responsibility.

HISTORY

In 1862, American missionaries in Lebanon and Syria, under the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, asked Dr. Daniel Bliss to withdraw from the evangelistic work of the mission in Lebanon to found a college of higher learning that would include medical training. It was felt that this college should have an American educational character, should be administered independently from the Mission, and should be maintained by its own funds.
On April 24, 1863, while Dr. Bliss was raising money for the new school, the State of New York, granted a charter under the name of the Syrian Protestant College. The college opened with its first class of 16 students on December 3, 1866.
Since the earliest years, the University has continually expanded and developed new faculties and programs.
On November 18, 1920, the Board of Regents of the State University of New York changed the name of the institution from the Syrian Protestant College to the American University of Beirut; other charter amendments expanded the functions of the University. All presidents of the University have been in residence at Marquand House, which was completed in 1879.

LOCATION

The University is situated in Beirut, Lebanon, the crossroads of the Middle East. The campus on the Ras Beirut peninsula runs along the Mediterranean Sea shore and overlooks St. George's Bay towards northern Lebanon and the snow-capped mountains to the east. The campus of just over 28 hectares (70 acres) has over 50 buildings, including the academic buildings, two halls for student activities, two men's and five women's dormitories, faculty apartments, and the Medical Center.