Mission of the Faculty Senate
The Faculty Senate of the Lebanese American University (LAU) is the elected representative body of the faculty, entrusted with advancing shared governance and ensuring that faculty voices shape the University’s direction. The Senate deliberates and makes recommendations on major academic and institutional matters—for example, the creation of new academic programs or policies on faculty welfare and compensation.
Composed of 34 senators elected from across LAU’s schools and campuses, the Senate operates through plenary sessions and committees, and is led by its Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary. Each year, it reports to the University faculty and provides input to the Board of Trustees, serving as the collective voice of faculty and a guardian of academic freedom and institutional excellence.
Word from the Chair of the Faculty Senate
Serving as Chair of the LAU Faculty Senate is a responsibility I take seriously. The Senate is the formal voice of the faculty in the governance of this University, and its value depends entirely on being used well: present in the decisions that matter, rigorous in the positions it takes, and honest with the colleagues it represents.
This year the Senate adopts a renewed Constitution, Bylaws and accountability framework, replacing documents that had stood since 2007. These define what the Senate must be consulted on and what senators owe their constituents in return.
Faculty welfare stays at the top of the agenda. Compensation, workload and wellbeing are not peripheral concerns, and neither is the support that allows academics to do their best work: research capacity, faculty development, and the resources that sustain teaching quality. Investing in faculty is how a university advances academic excellence. LAU is our institution, and its success is ours to build together.
I invite every colleague to engage with your senators, raise what matters to you, and hold this body to its commitments. The Senate is only as strong as the faculty who stand behind it.
Dr. Lama Mattar
Professor of Nutrition
Chair, LAU Faculty Senate
Commitments from Senate Leadership
Lama Mattar: Chair
A university is only as strong as the faculty who carry it. Protecting faculty welfare is protecting academic quality.
Nisrine Al Hassan: Vice-Chair:
Governance is a shared responsibility that depends on persistence as much as principle. I pledge to help translate faculty input into meaningful action, openly and accountably.
Dunia Harajli: Secretary:
Every voice matters. I am committed to listening with openness, bringing faculty concerns forward with integrity, and contributing to meaningful dialogue that can lead to positive change.