Session
✅ Included for all participants
How can partnerships sustain higher education through crises? This session will bring together the Lebanese American University, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and Freie Universität Berlin to share lessons from leading through war and instability. Presenters will explore how trust, empathy and flexible Erasmus+ cooperation can preserve mobility and academic engagement in times of disruption.
Dr. Dina Abdul Rahman is an accomplished expert in education with a strong foundation in both business and educational development. She holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the American University of Beirut (AUB), an MBA from the Lebanese American University (LAU), and a Doctorate in Education (EdD) with a focus on Educational Leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).
Since 2007, Dr. Abdul Rahman has played a pivotal role in advancing educational initiatives at LAU. She has excelled in areas such as academic advising, student outreach, civic engagement, and study abroad programs. In 2016, she founded LAU’s Office of International Services, significantly enhancing the university’s global programming and support for international students.
Her expertise spans developing internationalization strategies, forming partnerships with global institutions, and managing high-profile grants, including Erasmus+ and federal funding through the Middle East Partnership Initiative Tomorrow’s Leaders (MEPI-TL) program. Since 2018, she has successfully expanded the MEPI-TL programs, securing substantial funding to support youth across the SWANA region.
Dr. Abdul Rahman is highly regarded for her leadership in training, student engagement, and program management, with over a decade of experience in grant acquisition and administration. Her work continues to impact students globally, with a particular focus on fostering collaboration between Lebanon and international partners.
Larysa Chovnyuk is Vice-President for International Cooperation at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA), Ukraine. She leads the university's internationalization strategy, oversees global partnerships, and manages international projects funded by the European Union, Horizon Europe, DAAD, the British Council, USAID, and other international donors. With nearly three decades of experience in higher education internationalization, university management, and international cooperation, she has played a key role in developing international mobility opportunities, global engagement initiatives, and innovative educational programs. She is also a faculty member of NaUKMA's Liberal Arts and Sciences program and coordinator of the Erasmus+ CBHE project LibArt_UA, supporting the modernization of Ukrainian higher education through interdisciplinary education and international collaboration.
