LAU Athletics Endowed Scholarship Fund

It’s been a long time since football varsity player Ramzi Shbaklo ’01 was named LAU Athlete of the Year —23 years to be precise— but the imprint of his university experience has never faded.

He wanted to ensure that new generations of talented athletes in the country will have the same opportunities he once had, to pursue their passion while enjoying a top-notch education. Thus the idea sprang up to establish a scholarship fund.

Other former LAU athletes swiftly pitched in, including Marc Chehwane ’10, Tarek Renno ’01, Abed Hoteit ’04, Bassam E. Khoury ’96 and ’98, Rafic Naamani ’00, Mohamed S. Rifai ’13, Bilal Bekdache ’98, and Elias Nawas '07.

As they have all felt the benefits of sports in fostering dedication, teamwork, integrity, leadership, inclusion, and so much more, this dynamic group is determined to ensure that LAU can increase the aid given to outstanding athletes that might be at risk of dropping out, and to attract new outstanding athletes who may otherwise consider an LAU education unreachable.

Because it is an endowment, the “LAU Athletics Endowed Scholarship Fund” will ensure a lasting stream of income. The money contributed to it will be invested within LAU’s investment portfolio in the United States. The principal will remain intact, while the annual return will be partly used for financial aid and partly added to the principal to preserve its value over time. This process will provide financial aid to deserving student athletes in perpetuity — for as long as LAU exists.

We hope you will join this effort by making a donation to this fund and inviting your Sailors or Captains teammates, friends and others to do the same. Gifts of any size will be greatly appreciated and will make a difference in the lives of young athletes.