Press releases

U.S. Ambassador Inaugurates Benjamin Franklin Scholarships at the American University of Beirut

October 30, 2007

Following the Benjamin Franklin Scholars ceremony, Ambassador Feltman met informally with members of the AUB newspaper, “Outlook.”

On October 30, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffrey Feltman helped inaugurate American University of Beirut’s Benjamin Franklin Scholarships.  Since 1996 USAID has provided over 50 million dollars to AUB.  Twenty students from throughout Lebanon will receive scholarships to AUB and they will be known as “Benjamin Franklin Scholars.”  The ceremony, hosted by AUB President John Waterbury, was attended by the new Franklin Scholars as well as AUB students and faculty.

In his remarks, the Ambassador noted that the United States is pleased to be a partner with AUB in the program, "in the hope that these 20 scholars in front of me will -- in addition to receiving an outstanding American University of Beirut education --  also be inspired by Benjamin Franklin.  Putting his name to America’s Declaration of Independence, Franklin affirmed the American belief in the God-given right to ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’”  The Ambassador noted that the U.S. hope "is that Franklin’s love and commitment to his country, the United States of America, will inspire you to return the benefits of this scholarship through your own commitment to Lebanon and its future as a sovereign, democratic and independent state."

This program -- part of more than $90 million the American people have provided to AUB and other American educational institutions in Lebanon since 1996 -- is tangible proof of America’s commitment to Lebanon’s future.  The investment by the United States in Lebanon's youth and education reflects the U.S. belief in the importance of education to building a stable, sovereign and democratic Lebanon.