The story of AUB Mediterraneo

The American University of Beirut began to explore the possibility of opening twin campuses outside Lebanon in January 2016. This was also the time when AUB was about to embark on a year-long celebration of its 150th anniversary and when Dr. Fadlo R. Khuri was inaugurated as AUB’s 16th president. In his inaugural address on January 25, 2016, President Khuri spoke about how AUB “can and must model a fair, just, and pluralistic society, that is secular and that is transparent and that is open... That is our mission. That is our charter for our students, for Lebanon, and for the Arab world.” It was that abiding commitment that informed the VITAL 2030 vision to ensure AUB’s future success, relevance, and sustainability over the next decade and beyond.

A core component of AUB’s VITAL 2030 vision was the establishment of campuses outside Lebanon to, in the words of President Khuri, “promote the interchange of students, faculty, and staff that deepens our ties throughout the eastern Mediterranean region.” President Khuri appointed an AUB team led by Senior Vice President Dr. Imad B. Baalbaki to explore the pros and cons of establishing a twin campus outside Lebanon. Coincidentally, the mayor and Municipality of Pafos, were exploring ways that they could raise the profile of the town of Pafos, Cyprus. The mayor of Pafos, Phedonas Phedonos, contacted AUB President Fadlo R. Khuri and suggested that AUB consider Pafos as the location of an AUB twin campus.

The AUB team quickly discovered that the challenges to establishing a twin campus outside Lebanon would be formidable: navigating the legal requirements of Lebanon, home to AUB; the United States, where AUB was incorporated in 1866; and of the host country of the proposed twin campus. AUB engaged the Albright Stonebridge Group to analyze nine countries as possible sites for an AUB twin campus. During extensive deliberations and exhaustive research, Pafos, Cyprus emerged as the most attractive location for a future twin campus. It offered many compelling advantages including a vibrant private higher education market; access to EU market and research funding; support at the highest levels of government; geopolitical and macroeconomic stability; high levels of academic freedom; and close proximity to Lebanon.

There were many meetings, both in person and online, over many months to first understand what was needed and then lay the essential legal and logistical framework for the establishment of a twin campus in Pafos, Cyprus. In September 2021, Dr. Wassim El Hajj was selected to serve as executive director of the American University of Beirut – Mediterraneo project to lead and participate in all aspects of the project including strategic and academic planning, local and US accreditation, legal agreements, human resources, communications, finance, procurement, and facilities.

The goal was to welcome the first cohort of students to AUB Mediterraneo just two years later: in September 2023. It was an almost impossible deadline. Hundreds of people were mobilized in Lebanon, Cyprus, and the US to develop academic programs; find a home for the new campus in Pafos – both a permanent home and a temporary home that would house the new university until the permanent home was built; to secure housing for incoming students; to recruit faculty to teach those students, to hire staff for essential university services; etc.

All of this took place at a time when AUB was facing truly unprecedented challenges due to the economic and financial collapse of Lebanon, which began in fall 2019; the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-23); and in the aftermath of the August 4, 2020, Beirut port explosion, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history.

On April 8, 2022, AUB signed an agreement with the Municipality of Pafos, Cyprus to establish the American University of Beirut – Mediterraneo. A ceremony to celebrate the laying of the foundation stone for AUB Mediterraneo was held on June 7, 2023. The university welcomed the first cohort of students on September 6, 2023, at its temporary campus at the Pafos Innovation Center. The inaugural cohort of 53 students hailed from 12 countries. The select group of students were chosen from more than 500 applicants from a broad and diverse group of countries including Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Cyprus, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Nigeria, Rwanda, Zambia, South Africa, Tanzania, Sudan, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgystan, Russia, and Thailand.

AUB met the “almost impossible” September 2023 deadline thanks to the extraordinary efforts of many people led by AUB Mediterraneo’s founders: Dr. Fadlo R. Khuri, president of AUB; Dr. Philip S. Khoury, who was chairman of the AUB Board of Trustees between 2009 and 2024; Senior Vice President Imad B. Baalbaki, the “architect” of AUB Mediterraneo; and Dr. Wassim El Hajj, the founding rector of AUB Mediterraneo.

AUB’s partnership with the Municipality of Pafos, led by Mayor Phedonas Phedonos, was pivotal in the establishment of AUB. The strong support of the presidents of the Republic of Cyprus, His Excellency Nicos Anastasiades (2013–23) and His Excellency Nikos Christodoulides (since February 28, 2023) was critical. So too was the advice and support of the members of the International Advisory Committee and the leadership of founding deans​ Dr. Alain Daou (Faculty of Business), Dr. Salah Sadek (Faculty of Engineering), and Dr. Malek Tabbal (Faculty of Arts and Sciences), who guided the development of academic programs and faculty recruitment.

AUB Mediterraneo’s permanent home was opened on September 4, 2024, during a landmark event celebrating the opening ceremony of the second academic year, which was attended by the president of Cyprus, the mayor of Pafos, members of the Municipal Board of Pafos, AUB trustees, senior AUB leadership, and distinguished guests. One of the highlights of the event was a tribute honoring 35 senior AUB Cypriot alumni – a powerful reminder of the deep ties between Cyprus and AUB. There were students from Cyprus enrolled at the Syrian Protestant College, as AUB was known until 1920, as long ago as the late 1880s.

The new campus​ was built at the site of the Carob Mill Warehouses. It was designed by Dar Group, a long-time partner of AUB that is globally recognized for its engineering and architectural expertise, professionalism, and service excellence. The master plan, design, and supervision of the campus project was a gift to AUB from the Dar Group and its CEO Trustee Talal Shair.

The stunning design of the new campus in Pafos blends the rich cultures of Lebanon and Cyprus, uniting AUB’s two campuses in a powerful and sustainable way. The Pafos campus incorporates the walls of the Carob Mill Warehouses, features classrooms and laboratories, student spaces, a cafeteria, mixed-use buildings (including an auditorium), recreational facilities, and administrative offices clustered around a central open green space. It also includes a green oval, clock tower, and a main gate – all iconic structures that are woven into the fabric of AUB’s historic campus in Beirut. The addition of skylights, extensive greenery, and photovoltaic panels make the AUB Mediterraneo campus a vibrant, attractive, and sustainable destination.

On September 2, 2025, AUB Mediterraneo celebrated its first graduate commencement during the opening ceremony of its third academic year. Degrees were awarded to the first 15 students to earn master’s degrees in business analytics (12) and engineering management (three).​