International Colleges and Universities

The President and Board of Lebanese American University (with campuses in Byblos and Beirut) engaged the Pappas Consulting Group to facilitate a strategic planning process and craft a plan in six months. This timeframe was dictated by the President’s commitment to secure its first accreditation by a United States agency, NEASC. Throughout this process, we worked with NEASC’s Higher Education Commission and coordinated our efforts with those of Harvard Medical International who had been engaged to conduct a medical school feasibility study on behalf of the University. The strategic and operating ramifications of the Medical School are an integral part of the University Strategic Plan.

The strategic planning effort the President initiated was a new experience for the institution and its constituents. Further, the President’s years of successful, hands-on strategic planning experience helped shape his expectations of the conduct of a methodical and intentional process at LAU.

The President’s objective was to complete a financially sound and meticulously articulated strategic plan that incorporated thoughtful decision making and action for presentation and approval to the Board of Trustees. Among the priorities to be addressed were:

The planning process started in February 2005 and was completed in July 2005. The LAU Board unanimously approved the Plan in September 2005. The plan has been implemented and is being monitored on a quarterly basis. A new Dean of the Medical School was named a year ago.

In follow-up to the successful process and outcomes of the strategic planning project, the Pappas Consulting Group was selected to provide additional consulting services with respect to implementing two key aspects of the Strategic Plan Action Steps. These follow-on activities are described next.

Lebanese American University is in the final throes of its efforts to secure accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Achieving NEASC accreditation is a major component of the University’s five-year strategic plan.

While the accreditation self-study necessarily had to be completed by University personnel, the University asked the Pappas Consulting Group to work with the University’s self-study leadership to set in motion appropriate worksteps to obtain the required University input. Meetings were conducted with each of the twelve self-study teams to assess and advise on accreditation-related processes and work steps. A number of consistent themes emerged from these discussions. We then provided a number of key recommendations for further institutional action. During the NEASC Visiting Team’s exit interview in Byblos, positive feedback was provided the institution concerning its possible accreditation. The strategic plan was cited as one of the “best” by the Visiting Team’s Chair.

Within the adopted Strategic Plan, a key component was the redesign and enhancement of the human resources functions within the University. LAU subsequently requested that we: provide an analysis of the University’s human resource organizational structure and processing environment; review the compensation and classification structures, policies and strategies that will guide the human resource function for LAU personnel; and conduct a performance management diagnostic.

The analysis has been conducted in parallel for both the Beirut and Byblos campuses. Upon completion of the detailed analysis of the current processes, we developed recommended changes that will impact the roles and responsibilities of the two existing human resource offices as well as personnel in the various academic and administrative units of the campuses. We also recommended an appropriate organizational structure for providing human resource services to the University. The proposed new structure will reflect the new roles and responsibilities as required under the redesigned processes and services of the Department, as well as enhanced efficiencies in providing services within and across the two campus locations. A new compensation and classification system along with a new performance management system will be designed and recommended as well.

Zayed University (ZU) located in the United Arab Emirates, was established in 1998 and is named in honor of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan, the country's first president.

Its vision is to “become the leading university in the region, embodying the same rigorous standards and intellectual elements found in major universities throughout the world.”

Its mission is to “prepare Emirati students for a meaningful and successful twenty-first century personal and professional life; to graduate students who will help shape the future of the UAE; to support the economic and social advancement of the UAE; to lead innovation in higher education in the UAE through teaching, learning, research, and outreach; and to do so in a culturally diverse, humane, technologically advanced, and increasingly global environment.”

Zayed University has two campuses in the emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, serving approximately 3,000 female students. The Dubai Campus moved to a new purpose-built location in September 2006.

In September 2007, a third campus opened in Dubai's Knowledge Village, for male and female students of all nationalities.

We are proud that the Vice Chair of our Firm, Dr. Stephen Portch, was invited by His Highness to deliver the Keynote Address at the 2007 Convocation in Dubai's Knowledge Village.