Honorary Degree: Dr. Joseph Jabbra

Dr. Joseph Jabbra

Dr. Joseph Jabbra

Dr. Joseph Jabbra has played a prominent role in higher education and accreditation in Atlantic Canada and the United States for decades.

Currently the President of the Lebanese American University, Dr. Jabbra has served in this capacity since 2004.  He has also served as Vice President of Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Los Angeles.  He is well remembered at Saint Mary’s University as both an active member of the Political Science Department and as the Vice President, Academic and Research from 1980 to 1990. 

During his time at LMU and SMU, Dr. Jabbra gained profound experience in academic administration. He served on and chaired over 100 academic committees and boards, ranging from academic senates to boards of trustees. At both universities, Dr. Jabbra was fully engaged in strategic planning and fundraising.

In Canada, he played a major role in the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission (MPHEC), which accredits university and college programs in the three Canadian Maritime Provinces. In the United States, he was very active in the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), a leading U.S. accrediting commission. He always participated vigorously in the revision of accreditation standards and served on accreditation visits for many institutions. He also was active in the accreditation of American law schools for the American Bar Association (ABA).

Dr. Jabbra earned his law degree at the Université Saint-Joseph in Beirut, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

He is the author, co-author, and co-editor of 12 books. The latest, Public Administration in Transition, was recently published in London, England. He has also published over 33 articles and chapters in books and scholarly journals, over 26 book reviews in both English and French, and scores of scholarly papers and keynote addresses given at society meetings and professional gatherings.