Lebanon: Middle East University Perseveres, Plans Renewal

Following decades of civil war in Lebanon, Middle East University (MEU), which has spent nearly 60 years in a choice spot east of downtown Beirut, is planning a new era of service to a local, regional and overseas student body.

While the school, originally known as Middle East College and granted university status in 2001, first catered to a large number of international students, recent years of strife have led to a redefinition of its mission.

The school has developed a master plan to strengthen the spiritual focus, said Svein Myklebust, university president. This includes a faculty-led annual review to ensure it is carrying out the stated mission and action plan for spiritual activities.

Since gaining university status, MEU has also increased its support of the Adventist Church’s ministry by starting two off-campus programs in Sudan to help train pastors there.

Over the last several years, efforts have taken place to upgrade the aging physical facilities of the university, Myklebust reported. “A new computer area with two laboratories, a classroom, and three offices [were] completed six years ago. The cafeteria and its surroundings were upgraded two years ago, and we have just completed the total renovation of the old administration building and the area around it,” he said.
Myklebust said the school financed renovations largely through the sale of a portion of its property that had been bisected by a road.

“In a competitive market, the university cannot thrive unless we offer a variety of extracurricular activities,” he said. “In addition to sports and other club activities, we are seeking to increase spiritual programs. A regular Friday evening praise meeting has started, and next academic year we will have one more staff member in the theology/pastoral area as well as a volunteer student missionary.”