(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — The American University of Beirut (AUB) has received a grant of $2 million from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for the establishment of a Center for Arts and Humanities.
The grant is the largest Mellon Foundation commitment to the University to date.
Over the next five years, the grant will fund 15 faculty fellowships and 10 postdoctoral fellowships in addition to writers and artists in-residence, high-profile public arts events, regional collaboration with scholars and universities, and other program activities and exchanges.
“Given the radical transformations underway in the region, the humanistic role of AUB is more critical than ever,” said AUB Provost Ahmad Dallal, the champion of this initiative.
“This new center will provide an alternative Middle Eastern site for the production of humanistic knowledge rooted in local and regional cultures.”
Officials at the Mellon Foundation said the grant would further establish “East-West cultural dialogues” and liberal arts education programs.
“As one of the leaders of liberal education in the region, AUB is well positioned to advance creativity and to promote freedom of expression, tolerance, diversity, and dialogue,” said Eugene Tobin, a senior program officer at the Mellon Foundation.