About

Strategic Plan

SOE Strategic Goals

The school of engineering embraces strategic planning to achieve its mission, adhere to its vision and abide by its core values. To this end, the SOE formulated a five-year strategic plan built on three strategic pillars with goals that are firmly linked to those of LAU SP IV. Our strategic goals are to:

Description of Pillars and Goals

PILLAR I: RESEARCH

The School of Engineering has identified six interdisciplinary research areas deemed to be of strategic relevance. This pillar seeks to establish an SOE research identity through developing the strategic research areas and enhancing scholarly activities.

Elevate Research Excellence and Interdisciplinary Impact

  1. Recruit accomplished faculty in the strategic interdisciplinary research clusters identified by the school to bring specialized expertise, high-impact research, and innovative perspectives that elevate the quality and reputation of the research clusters
  2. Recruit postdoctoral fellows or PhD candidates to support the research activities and clusters to add dedicated effort, thus significantly increasing the productivity and output of research projects.
  3. Establish a distinguished short-term visiting scholar program to introduce fresh perspectives, cutting-edge research, and new methodologies, thus stimulating innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration among faculty and students.
  4. Hold seminars, workshops and events to promote research activities and engage students in order to foster a culture of inquiry and innovation by creating platforms where ideas are shared and questions are encouraged, these activities cultivate a vibrant academic environment that values curiosity, creativity, and continuous learning.
  5. Involve undergraduate and graduate students in the research activities to contribute to institutional research output by boosting publications, conference presentations, patents, and project funding, thus elevating the university’s reputation.

Improve SOE Scholarly Output

  1. Recognize faculty working on impactful or strategic research to incentivize faculty to pursue high-quality, innovative research that addresses critical challenges and fosters a culture where research excellence is valued and prioritized, encouraging other faculty members to aim for similar levels of impact.
  2. Create awards for student excellence in research projects to inspire students to participate actively in research activities and fosters a culture of academic curiosity and dedication.
  3. Provide support and incentives for faculty to seek extramural funding to enable faculty to undertake larger-scale, high-impact research projects, leading to enhancing the institution’s profile nationally and internationally, attracting top faculty, students, and collaborators.
  4. Establish and launch PhD programs (including joint PhD programs) to enhance research excellence and innovation
  5. by cultivating advanced research skills that lead to novel discoveries, technological advancements, and increased scholarly output.
  6. Enhance research infrastructure and ensure its sustainability to support high-quality research, attract top researchers, and support competitive grant applications.
  7. Create a specific mechanism to recognize and reward faculty members for successful research collaboration and sustained partnerships with distinguished international scholars or institutions.

PILLAR II: ACADEMICS

LAU is committed in its mission to academic excellence. In the next five years, the School of Engineering plans to focus on this facet of LAU’s mission through: combining tradition and innovation in its curriculum, establishing an environment where all forms of divergent student learning and creativity may thrive, educating and training outstanding professionals, and providing students access to new fields of engineering studies. Pillar II will thus comprise four main goals: 1- innovation in engineering curricula; 2- building and sustaining a culture of scholarship in teaching and learning; and 3- increasing enrollment and offered engineering programs.

Innovation in Engineering Curricula

  1. Develop new courses or update existing courses in each program of study on SDG topics to ensure that academic programs remain relevant and responsive to pressing global challenges and graduates are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and ethical mindset necessary to address global challenges.
  2. Integrate sustainability in the curriculum to align SOE education with global challenges and to reflect the urgent need to address climate change, resource depletion, pollution, and social equity, ensuring graduates are prepared to tackle these issues.
  3. Develop and incorporate experiential learning courses in each engineering program to ensure that our engineering graduates are not only theoretically sound but also practically adept, innovative, and industry-ready
  4. Develop new courses in emerging areas to keep the SOE curricula innovative and relevant, to prepare students for tomorrow’s industries, and to enhance SOE’s role as a leader in education and societal progress.
  5. Integrate entrepreneurship across the curriculum to equip students with the mindset, skills, and confidence to innovate, create opportunities, and contribute meaningfully to economic and social development.

Build and Sustain a Culture of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

  1. Integrate pedagogical innovation such as AI and VR in the classroom to innovate teaching, boosts student engagement, develops essential 21st century skills, and prepare learners for a future dominated by digital and immersive technologies.
  2. Provide faculty with resources for pedagogical innovation to elevate teaching quality, enhance student experiences, promote professional growth, and support SOE’s mission for educational excellence.
  3. Reward faculty engaging in SoTL to encourage them to continually improve their teaching practices, leading to higher quality instruction and better student outcomes.

Increase SOE Graduate and Undergraduate Enrollment

  1. Add new engineering programs to attract students interested in such career tracks
  2. Sign graduate dual degree program (DDP) MOUs with universities abroad to provide students the chance to earn degrees from two institutions, enhancing the breadth and depth of their education and qualifications. Thus, making SOE more attractive to prospective students
  3. Create high school students summer programs to increase enrollment
  4. Engage faculty with student recruitment events to enrich the experience for prospective students, thus increasing the effectiveness of student recruitment
  5. Expand SOE offering of online programs to enhance accessibility, meets market needs, and increases our reach, ultimately contributing to long-term success and enrollment sustainability and growth.

PILLAR III: INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP, VISIBILITY AND OUTREACH

Over the next five years, the School of Engineering will significantly increase its strategic partnerships with industry leaders and the community— while further enhancing the visibility and impact of its programs, initiatives, and accomplishments. This will be achieved through maintaining an active presence on traditional and social media platforms, regularly updating the School’s website, and developing effective marketing and promotional material. In addition, the School recognizes the importance of services and outreach and will strive to engage its constituents and external parties in notable curricular and extra-curricular activities. Pillar III will thus comprise four main goals: 1- Enhancing visibility and awareness; 2- Increasing strategic industrial partnerships; 3- Engagement of schools and wider community in SOE activities and initiatives; and 4- Strengthening services and outreach.

Increase Strategic Industry Partnerships

  1. Engage alumni in school activities to leverage their established relationships and networks within various industries and benefit from their valuable knowledge of industry insights, trends, and needs.
  2. Engage industry partners in student projects (including FYPs and VIP projects) to help build long-term relationships based on collaboration and mutual benefit, as well as allowing students to work on practical problems.
  3. Engage local governments in student projects to create mutually beneficial collaborations that enrich student learning, address community challenges, foster civic engagement.
  4. Organize annual project showcase events to encourage community engagement by inviting community members, stakeholders, local businesses, and public-sector partners.
  5. Establish a targeted proactive fundraising and partnership program to foster stronger relationships with alumni, donors, and community members, encouraging ongoing engagement and support for the institution.

Enhance the SOE Brands

  1. Enhance the SOE website and newsletter with relevant and up-to-date events, activities, success stories and program information to improve visibility and accessibility, showcase achievements and success stories, and build credibility and trust
  2. Enhance and maintain an active presence on social media to facilitate networking with industry, support brand identity and values, and contribute to a vibrant digital community.
  3. Reach out to local media for coverage of major events to increase visibility, build credibility, showcase achievements, and foster community connections.
  4. Develop promotional material and events for undergraduate/graduate programs and SOE activities to build a strong community image and support fundraising and sponsorship opportunities

Strengthen Services and Outreach

  1. Create a mechanism to reward faculty who are most active in services and outreach to cultivate a positive and engaged academic culture, strengthen community ties, and enhance the School’s reputation.
  2. Empower faculty to be more engaged in service on SOE committees to promote effective governance, foster a culture of engagement, support professional development, and strengthen future collaborations with industry.
  3. Increase the activities and exposure of SOE affiliated student clubs to enhance student engagement and involvement and build a strong alumni network
  4. Increase memberships in professional engineering societies (IEEE, ASME, ASHREE, ASCE, IIE etc.) to expand networks, improve resources, promote advocacy, and facilitate community engagement.

PILLAR IV: THE PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Improve Space Utilization

  1. Develop a plan for adding office space to ELRC to accommodate the planned increase in faculty size
  2. Develop a plan for utilizing new space in the Gezairi building to accommodate additional faculty offices and collaborative spaces on the Beirut campus
  3. Develop a plan to beautify the ELRC student experience to encourage more presence on campus and increased engagement in school activities.
  4. Commercialize ELRC Lab services to enhance financial sustainability, promote industry and community engagement, and strengthen institutional reputation