Zakhem Deanship Announced by Faculty of Engineering and Architecture

FEA emblem

AUB recently announced the establishment of the Zakhem Deanship of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture (FEA), which was made possible by a generous grant from the Zakhem family.

The Zakhems, who include five brothers who are AUB alumni, have been active in supporting higher education in Lebanon for decades.

The Zakhem Deanship of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture is the only deanship to be named during AUB's Campaign for Excellence, which was launched in 2002 with the aim of enhancing the University's academic and research potential, as well as improving its infrastructure and expanding its financial aid program.

"The Zakhem family's decision to affiliate its name with the faculty through this generous contribution shows its belief in the importance of a strong AUB engineering program," said FEA Dean Ibrahim Hajj. "This is an exciting time to be associated with FEA as we look forward to expanding our facilities in the new Ray R. Irani Oxy Engineering Complex; our curriculum is growing with new PhDs in fields such as chemical and petroleum engineering and our graduates are some of the most highly recruited at AUB."

On behalf of the family, George Zakhem said: "We believe in higher education and we are committed to extending our support whenever and wherever we can. Educating our youth-the future of Lebanon-is the key to peace and prosperity of this country and the region. We strongly believe in the words of the great Dr. Charles Malik: 'The university is one of the greatest creations of Western civilization'."

The Zakhem brothers all studied at AUB and then went on to establish their family business. George (AUB BME '57) and Abdallah (AUB BCE '62) founded Zakhem Engineers S.A.L. in 1963 in Beirut. Their brothers, Antoine (AUB BA '53, MD '57), Ibrahim, who studied engineering at AUB, and Albert (AUB BBA '74), soon joined them.

In Lebanon, few can match the generosity and dedication of the Zakhem family in the advancement of higher education institutions in general and the field of engineering in particular. They have funded major campus expansions, chaired boards of trustees, and furthered the study of engineering in universities throughout the country.

In 1975, Zakhem Engineers was restructured as Zakhem International S.A., and today is a major international group of construction, engineering, and investment companies. From 1983 to 2004, George served as a trustee at Beirut University College (BUC), now Lebanese American University (LAU), where he also served as chairman of the board from 1983 to 1990. During his chairmanship, he spearheaded the establishment of two new campuses at Byblos and in Sidon, and in 1986 the Zakhem Company donated 100,000 square meters of land for the Byblos campus. George and Abdallah have served as trustees on the board of Balamand University (BU) since its founding in 1988.