Major gift fosters new scholarship opportunities
The Brummana High School Cultural Society, the philanthropic arm of the school, has gifted LAU with $300,000 toward an endowed scholarship fund. The agreement was made official at a signing ceremony held at LAU Beirut on May 10, which gathered leaders from both institutions in celebration of the occasion.
“The school is flourishing and our students are doing well, and we would like to support them behind the scenes,” explained Raja Younes, chairman of Brummana High School Cultural Society.
“Your gift will be put to good use to help students from Brummana High School,” stressed LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra, during the event.
The president took this opportunity to emphasize LAU’s interest in creating more opportunities for students. He said, “This is not the end of it. We will go on to establish even more important relationships between Brummana High School and LAU, and we will make sure to have a special bond that best benefits students.”
Referring to the budding relationship between Brummana High School and LAU, Amine Daouk, treasurer of the school’s society commented, “This is a leaf that can grow, and we will work on it together to make sure it does.”
For LAU Assistant Vice President for Development, Nassib N. Nasr these types of gifts and the strong relationships they foster are important to the university. “This particular gift ensures that deserving Brummana High School students can attend LAU despite any financial challenges. But much more than that, it strengthens ties with local constituents – whether in academia, corporate, or other industries – which to us is extremely valuable,” he explained.
Scholarships from an endowed fund are typically distributed following two to three years of the fund’s launch, however, LAU will award a $6,000 scholarship to a Brummana High School graduate starting in the 2017-18 academic year. As the return on the endowed fund grows, more scholarships will be made available annually, ensuring that the school’s graduates will consistently have more financial help available to them for years to come.