Dr. Joseph G. Jabbra, who was born in Lebanon, received his Law degree from the Université St. Joseph and Ph.D. in Political Science from the Catholic University of America, Washington, DC. He assumed the presidency of the Lebanese American University on August 1, 2004.
Previous to that, he served as Academic Vice President at Loyola Marymount University from 1990 to 2004. He had earlier served as Vice President, Academic and Research, at St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Canada, from 1980 to 1990. During his tenure at LMU and SMU, Dr. Jabbra gained profound experience in academic administration. He served on, and chaired, over one hundred academic committees and boards, ranging from academic senates to boards of trustees.
In both Canada and the United States, Dr. Jabbra was very well versed in academic accreditation. In Canada, he played a major role in the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission, which accredits university and college programs in the three Canadian Maritime Provinces, and in the United States, he was very active in the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, which is one of the leading accrediting commissions. He always participated vigorously in the revisions of accreditation standards and served on accreditation visits for many institutions. He was also active in the accreditation of American law schools for the American Bar Association.
Dr. Jabbra was moreover fully engaged in preparing the strategic planning and fund raising campaigns at both St. Mary’s University, in Canada, and Loyola Marymount University, in the United States. He also served on several hospital boards in Canada and the United States.
Dr. Jabbra has a passion for teaching and research. During his tenure as Academic Administrator, he continued to teach and do significant research in the areas of political science, international law, international relations, public administration, the environment, globalization, law, and the Middle East. The courses he taught include: Introduction to Political Science, Scope and Methods of Political Science, International Law, Canadian and American Legal Systems, Public Administration, Government and Politics in the Middle East, the Middle East in International Affairs, and Islam.
Dr. Jabbra is the author, co-author, and co-editor of 12 books. To his credit, he also has thirty three articles and chapters published in books and scholarly journals, over twenty six book reviews in both English and French, scores of scholarly papers and keynote addresses given at learned societies’ meetings and professional gatherings.
During the AAICU meeting which was held from April 29 – May 1, 2011, in Beirut,
Dr. Joseph Jabbra was elected President of the Association of American International Colleges and Universities (AAICU) for a two-year term.