Since 1985 the Hariri Foundation-USA has sponsored over 3,400 scholars who completed one or more degree programs or were sponsored on a short-term basis. Prior to beginning their academic programs, many Hariri students participated in intensive English language programs, with the largest groups studying at Boston University, the University of Arizona, and the University of South Florida, and smaller groups at 9 other universities throughout the United States.
The scholars who completed one or more degree programs under Foundation sponsorship pursued studies in 31 fields of knowledge. By far the most popular fields were engineering and engineering technology, representing more than half of the total graduates, with the great majority chosing electrical or civil engineering as their majors.
The second largest number of graduates chose the social sciences as their majors, with business and management winning the lion’s share of scholars. In addition, these scholars majored in administration and management, economics, communications, anthropology, sociology, urban studies, political science, international relations, library and information science, and public administration.
The third most frequently chosen field by our scholars was that of health sciences with students completing M.D., D.D.S., and Ph.D. degrees. In addition to those completing professional degrees, Hariri scholars completed degree programs in pharmacy, public health, and allied health, as well as certificate programs in medicine. This cadre of Hariri scholars represents a human resource of immense value for the development of health care in Lebanon.
In looking at other academic fields, we find that Hariri scholars majored in computer studies, mathematics, architecture, fine and applied arts, languages and literature, music, philosophy and religion, law, education, agriculture, biological sciences, physical sciences, psychology, as well as trade and vocational subjects.
Those who majored in the physical sciences completed programs in chemistry, biochemistry, geology, physics, and astrophysics, while the biological sciences majors pursued degrees in biology, genetics, pathology, virology, and microbiology. The psychology majors specialized in counseling, educational psychology, and human behavior studies, and our trade and vocational students completed programs in gemology, printing, cosmetology, aesthetics, and equestrian studies.
Over half of our scholars who completed undergraduate degrees went on to pursue graduate study in their area of interest earning masters degrees and in many cases doctoral degrees. As an additional indication of the outstanding quality of many Hariri graduate scholars, it is worth noting that the majority of our doctoral students and many masters students held much sought-after teaching and research assistantships at their universities.
Hariri scholars were enrolled at over 300 institutions of higher learning throughout the United States and Canada. Some of the universities with the largest numbers of Hariri scholars included Boston University, the University of Arizona, the University of Michigan, the George Washington University, Columbia University, Northeastern University, Ohio State University, Arizona State University, Polytechnic University, the University of Southern California, M.I.T., Marquette University, Case Western Reserve University, and Harvard University.
In addition, the Foundation sponsored a significant number of students at other prestigious institutions such as Purdue University, Indiana University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Pennsylvania State University, Georgetown University, Washington University, Yale University, the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, New York University, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Florida, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Rochester, Northwestern University, the California Institute of Technology, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of California at Los Angeles, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the University of Illinois-Urbana.
The number of students sponsored from 1985 to the present brings the total number of students sponsored by the Hariri Foundation-USA to approximately 3,400, making the sponsorship program a major component of Lebanon’s recovery from war and development for the future.