Encouraging Women in Underrepresented Fields at Beirut Arab University (BAU)
Beirut Arab University (BAU) demonstrates a strong commitment to gender equality and actively encourages women to pursue fields where they have been historically underrepresented. In Lebanon, as in many countries, women remain a minority in certain disciplines – for example, as of 2018 only about 25% of engineering students in Lebanon were female wilsoncenter.org. BAU’s policies and initiatives align with national and global efforts (such as the Lebanese National Strategy for Women 2022–2030 and the UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 on Gender Equality) to close these gaps. The university implements both direct outreach programs and collaborative campaigns to encourage more women applicants in male-dominated subjects. Below is an updated overview of BAU’s efforts over the past 4–5 years (and recent past), including relevant policies, events, and services supporting women’s participation in such fields.
University Outreach and Recruitment Initiatives for Women
- Encouraging Women in STEM through Scholarships & Mentoring:
BAU explicitly encourages female students to pursue degrees in engineering, computer science, and other technical fields, which are traditionally male-dominated. The university supports this through targeted scholarships, mentorship programs, and research opportunities for women in STEM bau.edu.lb. Such financial aid and mentoring not only help recruit female applicants but also create a supportive pipeline for their success. For instance, BAU has launched mentorship schemes that connect female students with mentors in their field. Notably, in March 2024 (around International Women’s Day), BAU’s Faculty of Engineering together with IEEE’s Women in Engineering (WIE) celebrated by launching a formal mentorship program aimed at empowering women in STEM bau.edu.lb. This program provides female students guidance and role models in engineering and IT, helping them persist and excel in these areas.
- “Girls’ Day” Outreach Events:
BAU hosts outreach events to spark young girls’ interest in STEM careers. On Girls’ Day 2018 (March 30, 2018), BAU’s Research Center for Environment and Development (RCED) and Center for Entrepreneurship jointly organized an event titled “Future Prospects for Girls.” This event, held in collaboration with the Lebanese League for Women in Business (LLWB), brought schoolgirls to campus and introduced them to science and technology fields bau.edu.lbfacebook.com. The goal was to promote girls’ interest in STEM careers by breaking down stereotypes and showcasing future opportunities. Such University-led outreach days have been important in BAU’s strategy to encourage high school girls to apply for programs like engineering, computer science, and other sciences.
- On-Campus Awareness Workshops:
Beyond large events, BAU regularly hosts workshops and seminars to dispel gender stereotypes and inspire women to enter critical sectors. The university holds on-campus talks featuring successful female professionals and alumni in engineering and technology. For example, the Women in Engineering Society at BAU’s Faculty of Engineering organizes seminars where prominent women engineers share their career journeys to inspire students. These workshops and talks create awareness that women do belong in fields like engineering, and they encourage current female students to continue in these majors while motivating prospective applicants. BAU’s approach is holistic – it tackles the confidence gap and cultural biases through education and discussion. According to BAU’s own reporting, the university “hosts events and workshops aimed at breaking down gender stereotypes and encouraging women to pursue careers” in STEM sectors bau.edu.lb. Such awareness programs help build a pipeline of confident young women ready to enter and thrive in underrepresented disciplines.
- Mentoring and Women’s Leadership Programs:
BAU’s commitment extends to cultivating leadership skills in female students, which helps retain women in their fields and prepares them for advanced roles. The university as a body has established women’s mentoring schemes (in line with THE Impact Rankings indicators), engaging a significant proportion of female students. For example, BAU was one of four Lebanese universities participating in the UN Women & UNDP “Women’s Participation in Leadership” project (2023–2025). Through this program, around 250 young women from BAU and other universities underwent leadership workshops and community projects, gaining skills and confidence to step into roles traditionally dominated by men lebanon.un.orglebanon.un.org. Such initiatives, while not specific to a single academic subject, encourage women to take on leadership in any field – including STEM departments, student councils, and research – thereby creating role models and mentors for the next generation. This culture of mentorship and leadership development is supported by BAU’s policies and contributes to a more female-friendly academic environment across faculties.
Collaborations and National Campaigns Supporting Women
BAU amplifies its impact by partnering with other universities, NGOs, community groups, and government agencies in broader campaigns to encourage women in underrepresented fields. These collaborations leverage nationwide resources and send a strong message that women are welcome and needed in all subjects. Key examples include:
- “Girls Got IT” National Initiative:
Beirut Arab University’s Tripoli Campus hosted the third edition of the “Girls Got IT” program – a nationwide STEM outreach initiative – on May 13, 2017 m.naharnet.com. Girls Got IT is a joint campaign led by five Lebanese NGOs (LLWB, Arab Women in Computing, Women in Technology, IEEE Women in Engineering, and Digital Opportunity Trust) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and supported by UNICEF m.naharnet.comm.naharnet.com. The BAU-hosted event gathered over 460 girls (ages ~14–17) from public and private schools in North Lebanon for a day of hands-on workshops in engineering and technology m.naharnet.com. During these workshops, the girls interacted with innovations in tech and met women role models in STEM. The aim was to bridge the gender gap in technology by inspiring girls to pursue IT and engineering studies m.naharnet.comm.naharnet.com. BAU’s involvement in Girls Got IT exemplifies collaboration in a regional campaign – the university provided its campus and staff to support this large-scale event alongside other universities and sponsors. By opening its doors to this program, BAU directly contributed to a national effort to increase female enrollment in STEM fields, showing young women that they have a place in these disciplines.
- Partnerships with Women’s Organizations:
BAU frequently works with organizations like LLWB (Lebanese League for Women in Business) and others to encourage women in various fields. For example, BAU and LLWB partnered to organize a workshop on “Women Empowerment for SME Management” at BAU’s Bekaa Campus (RCED) in late 2016 ungc-production.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com. This three-day workshop targeted women entrepreneurs in rural areas, providing them training and mentorship in business management skills. The program was designed to motivate and encourage women to lead and grow small enterprises, a space where women are underrepresented at the management level. During the interactive sessions, experts from BAU and successful businesswomen from LLWB mentored over 35 women participants on entrepreneurship and management practices bau.edu.lb. While not a traditional STEM field, this collaboration addressed gender gaps in the business and SME sector and reflects BAU’s broader mission to empower women across disciplines. It also illustrates how BAU works with community groups and NGOs in line with national economic empowerment goals for women.
- Inter-university Networks and Campaigns:
BAU actively engages in inter-university networks that promote women in academia and research. In addition to the UN-led leadership program mentioned earlier, BAU participates in academic forums highlighting women’s achievements. For instance, BAU faculty members have hosted webinar series such as “Dardacha Talks for Science” (2021) featuring women engineers from around the world, in celebration of International Women’s Day. BAU’s student branches of professional bodies (like the IEEE WIE student chapter) collaborate with counterparts at other universities to mark events such as International Women in Engineering Day and to organize joint mentorship sessions. These partnerships at the national and regional level create a supportive community for female students. BAU’s efforts are often showcased alongside other leading universities in Lebanon – reinforcing a national campaign message that women belong in STEM and leadership. Notably, BAU’s progress in this arena has been recognized in rankings: BAU scored among the top institutions in Lebanon for gender equality (SDG 5) in recent Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, reflecting the effectiveness of its policies and collaborations bau.edu.lb.
Policies and Institutional Commitment
BAU’s initiatives are underpinned by institutional policies that foster an inclusive environment. The university adheres to non-discrimination in admissions and hiring, ensuring women have equal access to all programs. In fields like engineering, architecture, and technology, BAU actively markets its programs to young women, emphasizing that these careers are open to all. Promotional materials and admissions outreach highlight female success stories (e.g. profiling women alumni engineers or researchers) to encourage more girls to apply. BAU also aligns its strategy with international frameworks – for example, BAU’s strategic plan explicitly integrates the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality). The university’s SDG 5 report notes that BAU is “actively working to empower women in STEM fields, which are often underrepresented by women in Lebanon”, and it confirms that female students are encouraged to join engineering, IT and other technical majors through dedicated support programs bau.edu.lbbau.edu.lb. This high-level commitment ensures that efforts to recruit and retain women in underrepresented subjects are not one-off events but part of a sustained policy.
In terms of national laws and support, Lebanon has ratified international conventions like CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women), which obligate gender equality in education. While there are no quotas for female students in specific majors, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and organizations like the National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW) actively advocate for girls’ education in non-traditional fields. BAU’s collaborations (such as the Girls Got IT program under Ministry patronage) show that the university is a willing partner in implementing these policy goals on the ground. This synergy between BAU’s initiatives and broader campaigns means that university programs often receive external support and visibility. For example, the Girls Got IT events are part of a national campaign backed by UNICEF and government authorities to promote digital skills for girls m.naharnet.com, and BAU’s hosting of such events signals institutional alignment with governmental priorities.
Impact and Ongoing Efforts
Through the combination of university outreach and collaborative campaigns, BAU has made tangible progress in encouraging women’s participation in underrepresented fields:
Hundreds of schoolgirls and female students have been exposed to STEM and other male-dominated fields via BAU events. Programs like Girls’ Day and Girls Got IT have “bridged the gender gap… when it comes to technology” by demystifying these fields for young women m.naharnet.com. Many participants leave inspired to consider STEM majors, helping grow the pipeline of female applicants.
- Mentorship and Support Networks:
The mentorship programs (both internal and in partnership with professional bodies) ensure that once women enroll at BAU, they have support to persist and excel. Access to mentors, whether faculty, alumni, or industry professionals, has improved female students’ academic experience and confidence. This is critical in fields where women may feel isolated – having a network helps them overcome barriers and stay in STEM careers m.naharnet.com.
- Role Models and Leadership:
BAU’s emphasis on showcasing successful women – from inviting women engineers as speakers to empowering its own female students as leaders – creates a positive feedback loop. Seeing women excel in engineering, science, business, and leadership roles helps break down internalized stereotypes. As one initiative leader in Lebanon noted, “women should be granted equal opportunities to enrich their knowledge in these fields”, and showing real examples is key m.naharnet.com. BAU is contributing to that visibility. Some BAU female graduates are now taking on prominent roles, which in turn attracts new female applicants who see that a career path exists for them after graduation.
BAU’s efforts are also reflected in its standing in impact evaluations. The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings – which grade universities on criteria like gender equality – have scored BAU highly in SDG5 Gender Equality metrics bau.edu.lb. This indicates that BAU meets multiple indicators (from female student ratio in underrepresented subjects, to female leadership, mentoring schemes, etc.) at a high standard. Such recognition not only validates BAU’s work but also motivates the university to maintain and expand these initiatives. It also signals to prospective students and faculty that BAU is a welcoming environment for women in all fields.
In conclusion, Beirut Arab University actively encourages women to apply to and thrive in fields where they are underrepresented by implementing a multifaceted strategy: targeted outreach, scholarships, mentorship, awareness workshops, and broad collaborations. From STEM outreach days for schoolgirls, to university-wide mentorship programs and partnerships in nationwide campaigns, BAU addresses the challenge at every level of the pipeline. These sustained efforts, especially over the last five years, demonstrate BAU’s role as a leader in promoting women’s education in Lebanon’s technical and professional domains. By continuing to foster partnerships with NGOs, government, and other universities – and by strengthening its internal support systems – BAU is helping to reshape the gender balance in traditionally male-dominated subjects and ensuring that women are empowered to pursue any academic and career path they desire.
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