The American University of Beirut – Mediterraneo (AUB Mediterraneo) celebrated a historic milestone on September 2, 2025, with its opening ceremony and first graduate commencement, marking the beginning of a new academic year and the graduation of the university’s first master’s students.

The ceremony, held at the AUB Mediterraneo campus in Paphos, brought together trustees, senior university leadership, faculty, graduates, families, alumni and community partners. The event celebrated the American University of Beirut’s (AUB’s) long-standing commitment to academic excellence, innovation and global engagement, while highlighting the transformative role of AUB Mediterraneo in Cyprus and the wider region.

In his address, AUB President Dr Fadlo R. Khuri praised the courage of the first graduating class. “Whether you intended it or not, you are pioneers,” he noted. “You chose to walk a new path, one not yet worn by generations of students before you, and in doing so, you have left a trail for countless others to follow. Today, you are not just graduates of AUB Mediterraneo, you are citizens of the world, carrying with you both the sense of belonging and the responsibility that global citizenship entails.”

Rector of AUB Mediterraneo Dr Wassim El Hajj reflected on the university’s journey and future aspirations. “Today we are celebrating the first young women and men to earn master’s degrees at AUB Mediterraneo,” he observed. “We are enormously proud, but we are also unsatisfied. Our impact will grow as our graduates go out into the world, as we strengthen our ties with AUB in Beirut and, as we build new partnerships in Cyprus, Europe and beyond.”

Chair of the AUB Board of Trustees Abdo George Kadifa reaffirmed the university’s profound and lasting commitment to its Cyprus campus. “AUB is fully and deeply committed to the growth and future of AUB Mediterraneo,” he said. “This campus is not a satellite—it is an integral part of AUB’s expanding universe. Our graduates are not only students; they are the founding alumni of AUB Mediterraneo, the trailblazers who have transformed a vision into a living reality.”

Representing the graduating class, student speaker Marina Markarian (MSBA ’25) highlighted the unifying spirit of the institution. “If there is one thing that stands out at our university, it is its success at bringing together people from all parts of the world, uniting us by the transformative power of education and research,” she said. “As graduates, we carry with us not only knowledge, but also the responsibility to create and innovate for a better future.”

With graduates from the Master of Science in Business Analytics and the Master of Science in Engineering Management programs, and 120 new students from 38 countries joining this fall, AUB Mediterraneo is building on the strong legacy of the American University of Beirut while contributing to Cyprus’s growing role as an international education hub.