C.A.T. International Shows Incredible Support to LAU’s Engineering Students through $50,000 Donation Running over 5 Years
“We thank Contracting and Trading (C.A.T.) International Limited for its generous support to our institution and its students. Their most recent gift will be put towards helping students in need as well as research and development, and it is yet another example of C.A.T. International’s remarkable commitment to helping our youth, and bettering our society,” said Dr. Michel Mawad, President of the Lebanese American University (LAU) at a special event held earlier this month.
CEO of C.A.T. International, Dr. Joseph Gebara, presented a check to Dr. Mawad at the signing ceremony that took place at LAU’s Byblos campus on October 2, 2020. There, Drs. Gebara and Mawad discussed the consistent and valuable support that C.A.T. International has given LAU and its students over the past years, and especially now, in a time of unprecedented need. The two also highlighted C.A.T. International’s role as a leader for young engineers in the Middle East since its establishment in 1987. Their commitment to investing in academia, research, and development is exemplified, time and time again, to further enrich the quality of education that the institution provides.
“Every penny that comes from C.A.T. International’s generous gift will go towards enhancing the education of our students – who will continue to help society and our environment the way that C.A.T. International does,” President Mawad said at the event. He also emphasized that the grant will allow C.A.T. International engineers to provide supervision and guidance to engineering students at LAU, where Dr. Lina Karam, Dean of the School of Engineering, will work closely with their team to coordinate the selection of the candidates.
LAU graduates like Anthony Nahoul and Ramzi Saba also benefit from C.A.T. International’s support of merging academia and practice. Nahoul (BE Civil Engineering ’16, now an Engineer at C.A.T. International’s Estimation Department) and Saba (MBA, ’03, now the HR Manager at C.A.T. International) were referred to by Dr. Gebara as “some of LAU’s finest examples” of graduates, who, after receiving their degrees from the institution, went on to work and thrive with the renowned Lebanese construction company, where they still excel today.
Nahoul and Saba were both present at the event and exhibited the vision of C.A.T. International for helping future engineers of our society prosper by investing in their education, today. “Two of our finest team members are LAU graduates, and they serve to demonstrate what we hope will come out of our commitment to LAU,” Dr. Gebara said.
President Mawad added to his point by noting, “These scholarships promise more than the gift of a solid education for the students who will benefit from them. They also hold the vast potential of learning from valuable and practical insight provided through the internships, employment, and opportunities for research that C.A.T. International continuously offers to LAU’s most determined scholars.”