BEIRUT — The American University of Beirut is set to open a satellite campus in the Cypriot city of Paphos by September 2023.
Here’s what we know:
• The Cyprus News Agency quoted Paphos Mayor Phedonas Phedonos during a press conference as saying that AUB has invested €29 million into the project, with construction set to commence in June or July 2022. He added that the goal is to have the first batch of students enrolled by the beginning of the 2023-2024 academic year.
• The new campus will host several departments including computer science, economics and business and a school of civil engineering, with the aim of accommodating more than two thousand students.
• The mayor's official Facebook page noted that an official launch ceremony to ink the project will take place at the Markidio Municipal Theatre of Paphos on Friday, April 8. It will be attended by the President of Cyprus, Nikos Anastasiadis, US Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, Lee Satterfield, AUB President Fadlo Khuri and the United States Ambassador to Cyprus, Judith Garber. During the ceremony, the renderings and designs of the campus will be unveiled. The new campus will be named the American University of Beirut—Mediterranean.
• AUB’s twin campuses were first announced in late last year at the beginning of the academic term by Khuri. According to faculty senate meeting minutes, negotiations were ongoing to open another campus in Dubai soon.